April 13, 1958 - Welborn Wins Weaverville

The location was different, but the result was the same. For the third consecutive race since joining owner Julian Petty's racing venture, Bob Welborn claimed the checkers. After winning the Grand National race at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville, NC and the convertible race at Bowman Gray Stadium, the team headed for another convertible division race on April 13, 1958, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway.

Welborn left little doubt his car was the one to beat. He set a track record in qualifying to claim the pole in his #49 Chevrolet. Banjo Matthews - a rare entrant to convertible races - timed second. Matthews had been hired by Lee Petty to drive his #42 Oldsmobile. I'm unsure how the arrangement came to be. The promoter may have paid Matthews show money and arranged for Lee to provide the car. Lee may have arranged the deal himself since he had just raced in a Grand National race in Spartanburg, SC the previous night.

Whatever arrangements were made, they didn't matter. Julian again got the better of his brother. Welborn led flag-to-flag to win the 200-lap race. Matthews finished second in Lee's Olds. Julian's second team car driven by Ken Rush finished fourth. The car was re-numbered #44 as a change from #38 that had been used by Gwyn Staley before his death a few weeks earlier.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

After carrying on after Staley's death at Richmond, drivers again had to race with heavy hearts at Asheville-Weaverville. Fellow competitor Billy Myers died of a heart attack during a sportsman race at Bowman Gray Stadium the night before the convertible race. Myers was leading the race with only 4 laps to go when he passed away at the wheel. He was a two-time convertible division winner with Lee Petty Engineering.

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October 20, 1957 - Billy Myers Wins Wilson

October 20, 1957: Driving a #88 Petty Engineering Oldsmobile, Billy Myers wins a 200-lap, 100-mile convertible race at the half-mile, dirt Wilson Speedway in Wilson, NC. Myers had a six-year career in NASCAR's Grand National and convertible divisions. He was the uncle of Danny 'Chocolate' Myers, long-time crew member for Richard Childress Racing.

Perennial contender in the convertible series, Bob Welborn, won the pole position. Myers started fourth in the 19-car field. Gwyn Staley started seventh in a Chevy convertible owned by Julian Petty (Lee's brother, Richard's uncle).

In his book, Rumblin' Ragtops - The History Of NASCAR's Fabulous Convertible Division, Greg Fielden writes:

Billy Myers of Germanton, NC drove the Petty Engineering Oldsmobile to a well earned victory in the 200-lap convertible race at Wilson, NC.

Myers outran Possum Jones in the late race showdown to win the $900 first prize. Paul Goldsmith came in third, and Bob Welborn clinched the 1957 convertible championship by taking fourth. Fifth place went to Glen Wood.

Myers averaged 60.050 MPH on the half-mile dirt track. ~ pp. 81-82

Glen Wood is still alive and well in 2013. Over the decades, he had great success first as a driver and then as a car owner with his brother Leonard. Both Glen and Leonard are now in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

While I don't have a photo of Myers at Wilson, his 88 Petty Oldsmobile likely resembled this die-cast version. Several drivers piloted the convertible in 1957 including Bill Lutz, Johnny Dodson, Julian Petty, and Ralph Earnhardt.

Staley finished 8th, one spot better than he qualified. Ken Rush and Darel Dieringer, who at one point in their careers drove a Petty car, finished 13th and 16th, respectively.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

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March 16, 1958 - Lee Petty Wins Wilson

March 16, 1958 - Driving a number 42 Oldsmobile, Lee Petty wins a 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile Wilson Speedway dirt track in Wilson NC.

In his book Silent Speedways of the Carolinas, Perry Allen Wood writes:

Sunday, March 16, 1958, dawned and the Grand Nationals went at it for the second time in 24 hours.  The day before, [Curtis] Turner won a 150-lapper at Fayetteville. This time Turner found himself on the outside of the front row next to [Marvin] Panch. Turner jumped out front for a lap before Pancho took over for the following 72. The Roanoke Rumrunner retook the point until lap 150 when a sickening snap signified his drive shaft was shot and his day was done. Lee Petty soft-pedaled his Olds to an easy four-lap win over Baker's Chevy. ... A slim crowd of only 2,300 saw the Petty romp. ~ p. 163 

Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal via Google News Archive 

Lee's victory was a double win for Petty Engineering. On the same day, Billy Myers dominated a NASCAR convertible series race in North Wilkesboro driving a number 42 Petty Olds ragtop. Myers led 123 laps of the 160-lap race. Coincidentally, the remaining 37 laps were led by Gwyn Staley who was driving a Chevy convertible for Julian Petty, Lee's brother and Richard's uncle.

Photo courtesy of Billy's son, Randy Myers at RacersReunion.com

Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal via Google News Archive

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