On April 27, 1975, the NASCAR Cup teams raced on the half-mile
paperclip at Martinsville. King Richard won the Virginia 500 to claim
his 14th victory at the track.
About 450 miles northeast of Martinsville in New Jersey, USAC ran a twin bill at
the famed, kidney-shaped Trenton Speedway billed as the World Series of
Auto Racing. (I'm curious as to how they may have secured the rights to
use the name World Series. Or did they?)
The
day featured two 100-lap, 150-mile races for the 'champ' cars and USAC
stock cars. The races had short fields - 12 in the Indy car event and 10
in the stock car race. Apparently this was by design. Long before the
days of NASCAR's The Winston but akin to the early years of IROC,
participation in the WSoAR was by invitation only.
Johnny Rutherford won the open wheel race with a one-lap victory over second place Gordon Johncock.
In the stock car race, Super Tex A.J. Foyt continued to show his
versatility in all forms of auto racing. The skills he'd honed on USAC's
stock car circuit as well as his periodic starts (and wins) in NASCAR
paid off again at Trenton. Driving a #28 Hoss Ellington prepared Chevy,
he led all 100 laps and cruised to the victory.
What interests me about the race, however, is the SECOND place
finisher. Bobby Unser - known more for his champ car results than his
stock car career - drove a Norm Nelson 1972 Plymouth to a second
place finish, the only car on the lead lap with Foyt. Unser's sponsor? You got it - a Bench Racing fave - Schaefer Beer.
1971 - Starting second alongside Chattanooga, TN's Friday Hassler, Richard Petty leads 128 of 200 laps and wins the Northern 300 at Trenton Speedway in New Jersey to notch his 132nd career NASCAR Winston Cup victory.
Click here for a blog entry I posted about this race a couple of years ago - including photos of the winning Petty Plymouth and a shot of NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Wendell Scott enjoying a well-deserved cold Schaefer beer.
Buddy Baker was hired by Petty Enterprises via its contract with Chrysler Corporation. Richard raced Plymouths, and Petty Enterprises fielded a car for Baker - a Dodge - on a part-time schedule. At Trenton, Baker raced for car owner and former driver, Neil Castles.
1970 - Richard Petty starts fourth, leads 134 of 300 laps and wins the Schaefer 300 at Trenton Speedway in New Jersey for his 109th career NASCAR Grand National victory.
From what I've been able to determine, this race is the only NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup race ever sponsored by Schaefer beer. Its true that Schaefer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one. Apparently its not true, however, that the Trenton race is the one race to sponsor when you're sponsoring more than one. That distinction belongs to Pocono where Schaefer sponsored the Schaefer 500 Indy car throughout the 1970s.
Petty's victory in the Schaefer 300 has been well documented in this blog including:
1967 - After nabbing the pole position, Richard Petty dominates by leading 244 of 300 laps, and prevails in a close race with Darel Dieringer to win the Northern 300 at Trenton Speedway in New Jersey. With the win, Petty collects his 61st career NASCAR Grand National victory.
Fellow Petty fan and Schaefer Ring of Honor member Brian 200WIZ Hauck is a native Trentonian. He went to the race as a kid, and there he met the King for the first time. In the photo below, it's Hauck with the stylish hat and autograph book.
In October 2011, three of us joined 200WINZ for the race at Dover. There he showed us the very same autograph book and these photos.
He also captured this photo of Chief - Maurice Petty, Richard's brother and engine builder - as he backed the winning Plymouth to take it to the trailer.
While searching for Petty's trophy from his 1970 Schaefer 300 win at Trenton at the Richard Petty Museum in 2011, I found the two trophies from his 1967 win - one for the winning driver and the other for the winning car owner.
Wow! How long has it been since I updated folks on the antics of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor? Blogging about the legacy of Richard Petty's wins has kept me pretty well occupied. However, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Schaefer Schelebration is upon us. So its probably a good idea I update folks on what members of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor have been doing the last six months or so.
SROH member, 200WINZ, has become a good friend and is also a dyed-in-the-wool Petty fan. He knows his Petty trivia, walks a nice line between old school and the contemporary and has quite the artistic hand (example 1 and example 2). So I have to admit I was a bit conflicted by his 'tribute carving' of TMC last October. Should I be flattered ... or insulted?
As always, SHOFer Uncle Dave always brings it. Last Christmas, he complemented his white trash Christmas decor with ... what else ... but a Schaefer.
As the calendar turned to 2012, UDR made his frequent pilgrimage to Florida. And nothing screams ROAD TRIP like a visit to Waffle House. Yes'm, I'll take mine Scattered, Smothered & Schaefered.
TMC recently traded in his Crapberry and got with the times by replacing it with an iPhone. I quickly re-branded it as my iSchaef. Being somewhat of a creative and frugal sort, Uncle Dave sent me a picture of his version of the iSchaef (including his waaaaay out-of-date Alltel flip-phone).
SROH member Rick probably attends more races annually than any other member of the SHOF and SROH. Lately, he has stepped it up a notch with some solid photo contributions. He does, however, need an improved nickname. Any suggestions for him?
He enjoyed MNN (Monday Night NASCAR) back in February after the Daytona 500 was washed out on Sunday.
Despite race fans staying away by the thousands at Bristol, Rick kept his streak alive of hitting both races at the half-mile track and represented the SROH well from on high.
He even had the fortunate and impromptu opportunity to get a photo-op with a true beer drinker - actor George Wendt, better known as NORM! from the 1980s sit-com Cheers
Rick also photo-text messaged me a pic of a friend of his with the collection of Bristol trophies to be awarded that weekend. My immediate reaction was: Daaaang, I didn't realize Kyle Petty had lost so much weight.
To prove he is no one-trick-pony, Rick took the Schaefer colors to a non-NASCAR setting - Key West, FL. Nice touch Rick to incorporate Rick's Bar over your head.
Philly, co-founder of the SHOF and co-host of the annual Coca-Cola 600 Schaefer Schindig, is an opportunistic individual. In other words, he strikes when a great opportunity ... is free.
Earlier this year, a promotional event to promote NAPA Auto Parts' was held with NHRA's Antron Brown and NASCAR's Martin Truex. The duo spent time at Charlotte Motor Speedway and then at the Z-Max Raceway drag strip. And who was there to enjoy this free event? Yep, Philly.
Following the on-track demos, the event moved indoors. There Philly had the opportunity to share a meaningful conversation with Antron. Three miscues for Philly though - a lavender shirt, a tie at a racetrack and no Schaefer. Still, a great opportunity - because why? Because once again, say it with me, it was free.
As for TMC, I've tried to do what I can to continue advancing the brand - even when it seems Schaefer's parent company, Pabst Brewing, is allowing the brand to just fade away.
As many of us did, I celebrated the novelty of the Daytona 500 ... at night ... on a Monday ... with a Schaef.
Earlier this spring, I pulled off what I think was one of my best hail mary's. With the assistance of some Google searches, a couple of phone calls, and some correspondence, I connected with former CART Indy car driver, Kevin Cogan, via his brother.
After a troubled start to his Indy career in the early 1980s, Cogan returned in the mid-1980s and drove a Schaefer-sponsored car in 1989. He had one of the most violent wrecks ever experienced in the Indy 500 - yet fortunately wasn't injured seriously.
Cogan faded away from racing in the 1990s and began a career in real estate in southern California. I sent a letter recapping the Schaefer Hall of Fame and our members' interest in racing along with a this photo from a race at Mid-Ohio. His brother worked with me to get Kevin the letter and photo. In return, Kevin returned the photo to me autographed.
In April, I had the good fortune of traveling to Princeton, NJ for a speaking engagement. On my drive from Philadelphia's airport to Princeton, I stopped in Washington Crossing, PA. This town sits on the location where General George Washington encamped his troops before crossing the Delaware River and launching a raid at Trenton, NJ during the Revolutionary War.
We all remember from our history classes the illustration of Washington standing proudly in his boat as it crossed the river. What I wish we knew is what words were said to motivate the tired, cold, scared but committed and bold troops. I'd like to think George told them "I'll buy each of you a 30-box of Schaefer following our victory and safe return." But, I guess that probably wasn't what was said because Schaefer wasn't founded for almost another 70 years.
After finishing in Princeton, I visited SROH member 200WINZ in Trenton. We made the short drive to Langhorne, PA - former site of the legendary "Big Left Turn". The track hosted many open wheel championship races as well as NASCAR events. A Sam's Wholesale Club now sits on the property once occupied by the track. However, a commemorative historical marker for the track was placed on a neighboring Ford dealership.
I simply had to pay tribute to this legendary but now lost track the only way I knew how: Schaaa-LOOT!
A couple of weeks later, I found myself in Denver, Colorado. One of our evenings was spent taking in the Colorado Rockies and L.A. Dodgers game. The game even had a Tennessee connection as former UT Vols baseball great Todd Helton took a few mighty cuts during the game.
However, to enhance the fan experience, I do think they should rename Coors Field as Schaefer Schtadium.
As a 30+ year Petty fan, I had the thrill of a lifetime this week. Tuesday, I got to visit Petty's Garage in Level Cross, NC - formerly the Petty Enterprises shops. Friday, I visited the Richard Petty Museum in Randleman. Both were firsts for me. I took a ton of pictures and got some great stories. Eventually, I'll get my notes together, all my photos uploaded and blog entries composed. But this part couldn't wait.
In July 1970, Richard won the Schaefer 300 at Trenton, NJ. (Last summer, I blogged more info about the race.) The only picture I'd ever seen of the winner's trophy from that race was this grainy B&W from the newspaper.
As I noted in last summer's blog entry, the above picture was shared with me by Brian "200WINZ" Hauck. Brian went to the race as a youngster and got some neat shots of the Petty car. He did not, however, get a good look at the trophy. We've had a good-natured competition to see who might be able to find the trophy first. He has been to Level Cross many times and will likely return many times more. I'd never been in the Randleman museum and had little shot at getting to the trophy.
But then a window of opportunity opened. A few months ago, I was booked to speak at a 2-day, work-related training session in Greensboro, NC. As the timing of last week's conference grew closer, I realized I had a shot of going to the Petty places while in Greensboro.
Uncle D, our fellow Schaefer Hall of Famer from Cleveland, went to the museum last summer. He looked for the trophy (nearly upstaging Hauck and me), couldn't find it and swore up and down it wasn't there. But once I knew I'd have the shot of going to Level Cross, I contacted the museum to see if they had the trophy on display. One of the museum's employees told me they had it. I took her at her word, ignored Uncle D's assurances and hoped for the best.
When I arrived Friday, I reminded her of our conversation. She remembered me and asked if I wanted to see the trophy first before looking at everything else. I responded ABSOLUTELY.
And there it was...
She went back to the counter but then hollered back at me "What was the name of that race again?", and I said Schaefer 300. She came back with "Like the beer? I drank that in college!"
Trenton awarded matching trophies - one to the winning driver and another to the winning owner. Of course, in Petty's case, the team took home both pieces of hardware. Here's the matching trophy although the race name plate had fallen off it.
I spent next 3 hours wandering around snapping pics of everything else (more blog entries to follow). An hour or so into my tour, I asked her if she'd take my picture standing next to the case that had the Schaefer 300 trophy. She said yes but that she'd really like to get the trophy out for me. Because someone had "misplaced" her drill, however, she didn't really have any way to get to it. I swallowed hard and said um...uh...now that would be beyond cool if we could make it happen.
I continued looking around until I'd seen the lion's share of what I wanted to view. She again said she wished she could help me get to it but didn't have a drill. I asked if there was a Home Depot nearby because I'd go buy her a ratchet set with screw tips if that would help. She laughed and said "let me call someone".
After placing a call, she said a guy from Petty's Garage up the road would be there in about 15 minutes. My heart was pumping pretty good, but after 30 minutes he still wasn't there. I had a flight to catch back home and couldn't stick around all day. She again offered to take my photo by the trophy case which still was a pretty neat deal - and more than I expected as I entered the place.
As we walked to the case, she said she normally didn't go through all this with most visitors. But she said my request was just...um...I don't know...sorta... So I helped her with "unique"? Yeah, that was it, unique! I hadn't asked to see a Daytona or a Cup trophy. This one was just different to her and made it fun.
She apologized for his not being there, but what could I say? I told her I really appreciated the effort, that I'd wait another 5-7 minutes, and then I HAD to head out for the 90 minute drive to Raleigh.
I gave him 10 minutes, sighed and was headed for the door when I heard her say "he's here!" We shook hands, and the three of us headed to the trophy case. I told him the condensed version of our Schaefer story, he had a good laugh and he went to work. She and I held the plexiglass as he removed all the screws.
She took out the trophy and realized it was a bit rickety because some of the column bolts were loose. She said she'd feel better if she sat it near me vs. giving it to me. Fine by me!
Then he said something to the effect of "well if he came this damn far to see the thing, he ought to hold it over his head" to which I replied "now you're talking!"
She was hesitant at first but then said "I'm glad I drink beer to make this fun. But just be careful." I assured her I hadn't followed the King this long or come this far to wreck one of his trophies.
As she readied my camera, I made sure I had good hold of it. Before she snapped, she said "Oh, its just not right unless you have your beer can in the shot." So she's the one who sat it on the trophy at the last second.
So here it is...
So while Brian got to see the race about 40 years ago, I believe I am the one to enjoy the spoils of victory.
I gently returned the trophy to the case and helped reattach the plexiglass. After multiple "thank yous", I all but floated back to the airport for the trip home.
Richard Petty earned thousands of fans during his career - primarily because of the great way he treated those fans. The same can be said for employees hired by the organizations sporting his name.
1971 Northern 300
NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National race
(later known as Nextel/Sprint Cup Series)
Trenton International Speedway
Trenton, New Jersey
Winning driver: The King Richard Petty
Full results: Racing-Reference.info
Front row (in the best Bill Connell track announcer voice I can muster): On the pole - with a speed of 129.134 MPH - in the #39 See Rock City Chevrolet - from Chattanooga, TN - Friday Hassler! Starting second in a Plymouth - from Randleman, NC - Richard Petty!
The King's Petty blue Plymouth in victory lane adorned with trophies. Note the functional but not subtle use of duct tape to hold in the hood pins and patch some damage on the trunk.
After enduring a hard wreck during qualifying for the 1970 race, Wendell Scott had a far less dramatic 1971 run at Trenton. So I guess he figured there was no better way to relax after a day at the track than to enjoy a cold Schaefer beer!
Other race notables:
Buddy Baker ran an 18-race, part-time schedule for Petty Enterprises in 1971. For this race, the Pettys did not field a second car for him. Instead, he picked up a ride in Neil Castles' car and finished 2nd.
Ron Keselowski finished 27th in his #88 Dodge. About 40 years later, his nephew Brad Keselowski had a good bit of success in the Nationwide series racing the #88 Chevy for JR Motorsports.
