October 15: Some NASCAR firsts and lasts

In the month of October, we're Halfway to Halloween. But until I started studying some of NASCAR's history a bit closer, I didn't realize how many firsts and lasts bookended this day's races.

1950 Martinsville Speedway

NASCAR Hall of Fame member Herb Thomas leads more than half the race and claims his first career Grand National win in a 200-lap race at Martinsville.

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Also, Leon Sales finished last in the race after crashing Hubert Westmoreland's #98 Plymouth. The car was wrecked just six weeks after Johnny Mantz finished first in it in the inaugural Southern 500.

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1967 National 500 - Charlotte Motor Speedway

Buddy Baker wins his first NASCAR Grand National race by capturing Charlotte's fall race in Ray Fox's Dodge.

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Baker's long-awaited win was coupled with Richard Petty's early exit. A failed engine relegated Petty to an 18th place finish and ended the King's 1967 consecutive winning streak at 10 races. (Interestingly, the highest finishing Petty Enterprises entry was journeyman G.C. Spencer who finished 5th in a #42 Petty Plymouth in the 2nd of his 3 starts for the team.)

1989 Holly Farms 400 - North Wilkesboro

The King lasts only 124 laps, crashes, and finishes 32nd and last. Painfully, son Kyle Petty develops ignition problems, goes out the same lap, and finishes 31st - next to last.

Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt waged a classic battle in the waning laps to see who would finish first. Instead, they BOTH spun on the last lap giving first place to Geoff Bodine. This type of hardscrabble action is what's missing from today's NASCAR cookie-cutter, play-it-safe racing. (Be sure to watch and listen through the post-race interviews.)

Coincidentally, Bodine was in his last season with Hendrick Motorsports and would be replaced by Rudd in 1990. The race was also the first race for Winston Cup cars to run Goodyear radial tires.

2000 Winston 500 - Talladega Superspeedway

Dale Earnhardt pulled off what seemed like an impossible win. He came from deep in the field with just a few laps remaining to win. Though he finished first, it was his last Winston Cup victory.

Fellow Schaefer Hall of Famers Philly and Paducah joined me that day at Talladega. After many trips to the track, however, the race remains our last one there.

So as you reflect on the racing history of October 15th - and just life in general - remember the timeless and challenging guidance of Reese Bobby...


Edit 2013-10-15: Overlooked another October 15th first. Ricky Craven won his first Winston Cup race in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville on October 15, 2001. HT to @ClassicNASCAR on Twitter for tweeting about Craven's win.

TMC

September 7, 1952 - Lee Whoops 'em in Macon

September 7, 1952: Starting 8th in his #42 Plymouth, Lee Petty passed Herb Thomas with 5 laps to go and claimed the win at Central City Speedway. The race was a pretty long one for that era - 300 laps, 150 miles  - on the half-mile dirt track in Macon, GA.

The track hosted seven NASCAR Grand National races. A single race was run in 1951, and two races were held each year from 1952 through 1954.

Greg Fielden recaps the race in his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing: Vol. 1:

Herb Thomas suffered a heart-breaking defeat as Lee Petty came home first in the 300 lap Grand National event at Central City Speedway.

Thomas had taken the lead from Tim Flock on the 255th lap ... and appeared to be on his way to victory when the left rear tire on his Hudson blew on lap 204. The Olivia, NC driver elected not to pit and stayed on the track in a game effort to stay ahead of Petty.

Petty drove his Plymouth into the lead with five laps remaining and was 14 seconds ahead of Thomas when the checkered flag fell.

Fonty Flock led the first 44 laps from the pole position, but a clogged fuel line put his Oldsmobile out of commission. Tim Flock took the lead at that point and led until lap 254 when the gas pedal on his Hudson worked its way loose.

Dick Passwater of Indianapolis qualified second and was running in the top five when the right front wheel came off his Olds. The wheel bounded into the stands, injuring one spectator.

Stan Parnell had a long evening, blowing six tires and flipping his Olds twice. He finally had to quit after 159 laps.  ~ pp. 95-96

For the record, Stan Parnell's Grand National career duration was: 1 race.

Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal via Google News Archive

TMC

August 7, 1955 - Lee's Win Sweeps Winston-Salem

August 7, 1955: Starting from the inside of the second row, Lee Petty leads about a third of the 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile dirt track at Forsyth County Fairgrounds near Winston-Salem, NC. Future Petty Enterprises driver, Jim Paschal, finished second in a #78 Oldsmobile. Bob Welborn finished sixth in a Chevrolet fielded by Julian Petty, Lee's brother.

Before NASCAR Grand National races began making annual stops at the more well-known Winston-Salem track - Bowman Gray Stadium - two GN races were promoted at the county fairgrounds track. Both were in 1955, and Lee Petty swept them. The first one was May 29, 1955 when Petty's win on the little-known Carolina bullring was overshadowed by the stunning death of Bill Vukovich at the Indianapolis 500.

The track and fairgrounds as they looked in the mid 1960s...

... and the property as it looks today near the sports facilities of Wake Forest University - with the footprint of the track still visible though long gone.

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

A wilting Winston-Salem Sunday, August 7, 1955, thankfully rode well on the safe side of the ill winds that owned auto racing. The field included 22 top shoes such as Tim Flock's Chrysler 301 on the pole with teammate/brother Font outside in 300. Petty completed the Forsyth County sweep for 1955 in a new Dodge. Paschal was runner-up in the Helzafire Olds... [Herb] Thomas lost a clutch for 21st. [He] was returning after a vicious flip at Charlotte two months earlier, but his Yunick Hudson failed. Then, after 122 Hudson starts, 38 wins, and a Grand National title in that marque, Herb never raced a Hudson again. Mr. Hudson went Chevy and within a month, Herb and Smokey won their Southern 500. ~ pp. 178-179  

UNC Asheville student, William Tate, wrote a master's thesis about several old Carolina tracks - including a piece he researched on the fairgrounds race track.

Another track that came on the Grand National circuit from a local or state fairground was Forsyth County Fairgrounds in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Later known as Dixie Fairgrounds, the track was originally built for motorcycles and horse racing. Barbara Taylor asserts that, “the half-mile dirt oval was built circa 1929.” During the 1955 Grand National NASCAR season, two races were held at the fairgrounds. In fact, they were the only two strictly-stock events held at the track.

As NASCAR grew, local drivers that drove in smaller series began to drive on the top circuit. The other race ran at the Forsyth County Fairgrounds took place on August 7, 1955.  The Winston-Salem Journal stated that among the potential favorites for the upcoming race was, “(Billy) Myers, who dominates sportsman racing but has yet to win a strictly-stock, late model event.” Including Myers, other local entrants consisted of Lee Petty, Jim Paschal and Bob Welborn. According to the August 8th Winston Salem-Journal, 5,500 attended the race and saw Lee Petty once again beat Jim Paschal for the victory. Local racer Billy Myers finished 9th in the field. In only two races at the track, Lee Petty dominated 100% of the time.

As Tate noted, the fairgrounds were later renamed Dixie Fairgrounds. Racing ended in the early 1960s, but the Dixie Classic Fair has continued annually each October (web | Twitter).

TMC
Edited August 6, 2014

June 25, 1954 - Lee Petty Romps To Rochester Win

June 25, 1954: Driving a #42 Chrysler, Lee Petty wins a 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile dirt track at Monroe County Fairgrounds in Rochester, NY. Second place finisher Herb Thomas was the only other car on the lead lap at the finish.

In the days leading up to the race, Thomas - the 1953 Grand National champion - was promoted in the local paper as one of the featured drivers expected to race.

Source: Rochester Democrat Chronicle - June 20, 1954

Another driver promoted in the newspaper to help sell tickets was Oregon's Hershel McGriff. It's stunning to think McGriff drove all the way east to race in the inaugural Southern 500 in 1951 and was still racing as recently as a couple of years ago.

Source: Rochester Democrat Chronicle - June 22, 1954

With the track being such a long distance from the southern base of NASCAR, many drivers simply chose not to make the trip presumably because of the high travel costs and low purse. But the absence of many GN regulars created an opportunity for many local drivers to test their mettle against the guys that did make the long trek.

Source: Rochester Democrat Chronicle - June 25, 1954

Greg Fielden recapped the race in his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Vol. 1:

Lee Petty wheeled his Chrysler around Herb Thomas in the the 141st lap and led the rest of the way to win the 100-mile Grand National contest at the Monroe County Fairgrounds. It was Petty's third win of the year and the 14th of his career.

Thomas, who started on the pole for the 30th time in his six year career on NASCAR's big league stock car tour, finished second. Dick  Rathman came in third, Buck Baker was fourth and Hershel McGriff fifth.

Thirty-two cars started the 200 lapper on the half-mile dirt track, and 24 were running at the finish. There was  only one crash - a solo mishap when Wally Branston flipped his Oldsmobile in the 52nd lap. He was not hurt. ~ pp. 150-151

Of the top five finishers, three are already in the NASCAR Hall of Fame - Lee Petty, Herb Thomas and Buck Baker. In time, I predict McGriff will be inducted as well for his longevity, a handful of GN and Cup starts and wins, and his multitude of NASCAR Winston West / K&N Series races.

Source: Rochester Democrat Chronicle - June 26, 1954

TMC
Edited June 24, 2014

May 17, 1953 - Lee Petty Masters Martinsville

May 17, 1953:  Lee Petty wins a 200-lap, 100-mile race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Yet as often was the case when Lee contended for a win, his victory involved some controversy.

Because of confusion with 'official' scoring by the teams and NASCAR (a tag-team effort from the early days of NASCAR until about 20 years ago), Petty was not credited with leading a lap. Yet, he was declared the winner of the race. Huh? What?

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

In his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Vol. 1, Greg Fielden writes:

Herb Thomas zipped past Joe Eubanks in the 74th lap, led the rest of the way, and was flagged the winner at ... Martinsville Speedway. However, when NASCAR officials checked the score cards, it was discovered that, on paper, Lee Petty had completed the 200 laps ... before Thomas did.

Petty was then declared the winner for the third time in the 1953 season. Thomas yelled foul, claiming Petty never passed him on the track. Most of the 9,000 spectators in attendance seemed to agree with Thomas. They went home thinking the Olivia, NC speedster had won the race.

Modified hot shot (TMC: and future NASCAR HOFer) Glen Wood of Stuart, VA made his first Grand National start and finished 30th in a Lincoln. 

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

TMC

April 15 - This day in Petty history - part 1

1962 - Leading in two sizable segments totaling about 140 laps, Richard Petty races to his sixth career win in the Gwyn Staley 400 at North Wilkesboro.

For newer NASCAR fans unfamiliar with the still-standing yet quiet North Wilkesboro Speedway, it was a .625 mile paved track. The race length was 400 laps - or as the headline below reflects, 250 miles.

There is an old saying of I'd rather be lucky than good. On that day at Wilkesboro, Petty may well have benefited from the luck side of that adage. The Pontiac contingent of Junior Johnson, Fireball Roberts, and Joe Weatherly were the ones expected to battle for the win. (Interestingly, Little Joe was in a Bud Moore Pontiac vs. a Ford as was generally fielded by Bud during most of his career.) But after Roberts crunched Johnson's fender attempting a pass and after Roberts punted Weatherly out of the way, all three Pony-acks (as the King pronounces it) faded from contention. From there, Petty drove his Plymouth past Ned Jarrett and finished 4 car lengths ahead of second place Fred Lorenzen.

The scrap between the three marquis Pontiac drivers wasn't the biggest drama of the day. According to Greg Fielden in his book Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 2:

An unusual emergency spiced the action. The fuel trucks ran dry of racing gasoline just after the half-way point of the race. Some members of pit crews were seen scurrying around the infield with buckets and hoses in hand, siphoning gas from passenger cars. A caution flag was thrown on lap 250 so that a fuel truck could go get more gas. However, it never made it back to the track. Track officials said the large number of cars running at the finish (23 of 35 starts) was responsible for the dwindling supply of gas. ~ pp. 153-154

The future King in victory lane with young son, Kyle...

#78735717 / gettyimages.com

A couple of interesting observations about other drivers in the race. Finishing 33rd in the 35-car field was David Pearson driving a #44 Pontiac for car owner Julian Petty. Julian was Lee's brother and Richard's uncle.

Herb Thomas made a noble but uneventful start. Thomas was a frequent winner and 2-time NASCAR Grand National champion in the early 1950s. His career effectively ended after suffering a critical injury in 1956. He returned for 2 starts in 1957 but then didn't make another start until this race in 1962. The 1962 Gwyn Staley 400 turned out to be his final career start.

Thomas had a lot of success driving a Hudson Hornet. Disney and Pixar paid a bit of a tribute to Thomas and the Hudson Hornet in the movie Cars where Paul Newman voiced the character of Doc Hudson.

View image | gettyimages.com

Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal via Google News Archive

TMC
Edited April 14 2015