Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

**tcoley** · 07-28-2016, 03:54 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

November 1st, 1970
Milwaukee, WI

He had always wanted to race, race competitively. If he couldn't do it right, he didn't want to do it at all. With a wife and 4 kids, and recently coming out of the service, life was crazy. Another problem with making the circuit was that there were too many races to compete for the championship. Looking back over NASCAR's recent seasons, with anywhere from 45-62 races, it was easy to understand that going from 0 races to 62 was not feasible.

Milwaukee...he hated Milwaukee! It was cold and icy half the year, and hot and humid the rest of the year. The only good thing about Milwaukee was that there were a lot of racetracks in the area. He loved the Milwaukee Mile, and the short tracks; Madison International Speedway, Slinger Super Speedway, and Hale's Corners Speedway, just to name a few. He'd take his kids to the races each week. He'd teach them the lines, the lingo and how to see what a car was doing on the track. The 2 boys, Bryan Lee and Boyd Allen took notice. All that was about to change...

Staying in Milwaukee was not the answer. He had to make a decision, follow his racing dream, putting everything that his young family had into racing for the NASCAR championship, (which would be too much at 40-65 races per season) or, move his family to the Gold-lined streets of California. They could start fresh and really make something of their live's out there. Business's are booming in California, he could find a good paying job. Maybe getting away from racing, what he wanted to do more than anything, would make it easier choosing California over his dream. Being able to hit a racetrack almost any night of the week in the racing hotbed of Wisconsin was maybe torture instead of serenity. He was about to find out.

With the 4 kids packed in the back seat, trunk stuffed full, and luggage strapped to the roof, they pulled out of his parent's driveway and headed for the Golden Coast!

**tcoley** · 07-29-2016, 11:05 AM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

1971 Winston Cup Season Preview

Schedule
Daytona 500 Qualifying Day
Daytona Gatorade Twin 125's (To determine starting line-up for the Daytona 500)
1-Daytona International Speedway-Daytona 500*
2-Riverside International Raceway-Riverside 500
3-Ontario Motor Speedway-L.A. Times 500*
4-Richmond Fairgrounds-Richmond 500
5-North Carolina Motor Speedway-Rockingham 500
6-Bristol International Raceway-Bristol 500
7-Atlanta International Raceway-Atlanta 500
8-North Wilkesboro Speedway-Wilkesboro 400
9-Martinsville Speedway-Martinsville 500
10-Darlington Raceway-Rebel 400
11-Alabama International Motor Speedway-Talladega 500
12-Charlotte Motor Speedway-World 600*
13-Dover Downs International Speedway-Mason-Dixon Line 500
14-Michigan International Speedway-Gabriel 400
15-Riverside International Raceway-California 400
16-Daytona International Speedway-Firecracker 400
17-Bristol International Raceway-Tennessee 500
18-Nashville Fairgrounds-Music City 250 (420 laps, 250 miles)
19-Atlanta International Raceway-Dixie 500
20-Michigan International Speedway-Yankee 400
21-Alabama International Motor Speedway-Alabama 500*
22-Darlington Raceway-The Southern 500*
23-Martinsville Speedway-Old Dominion 500
24-Charlotte Motor Speedway-National 500
25-Dover Downs International Speedway-Delaware 500
26-North Carolina Motor Speedway-American 500
27-Richmond Fairgrounds-Capital City 400
28-North Wilkesboro Speedway-Wilkes 400
29-Texas World Speedway-Texas World 500

*denotes, race is considered one of the crown jewel events of the series

**tcoley** · 07-29-2016, 12:25 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

1971 Winston Cup Championship Contenders
Page 1

#43 Richard Petty, Petty Enterprises STP Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird
Plymouth's top team, and top driver. Considered to have the best equipment on the circuit, not far behind is Petty Enterprises teammate, Pete Hamilton in the #40 Superbird. Petty seems to get around every track with excellence, but with the reduction in the number of races, can some of the other teams capitalize? (IRL, 1971 was the last season with 40+ races, 48, Petty won 21 of 46 that he entered)

#17 David Pearson, Holman Moody Ford Torino Cobra
Long considered to be one of the toughest, but smoothest competitors in the garage area, Pearson looks to compete full-time. This can only mean bad news for his competitors. If David is in the race, he has a chance to win! Now, if he and the car owners can just stick together...(IRL Holman Moody and Pearson split near the middle of the season after Pearson refused to take a 10% pay cut, Pearson only ran 17 races.)

#21 Cale Yarborough, Wood Brothers Racing Purolator Mercury Cougar
If David Pearson is considered one of the toughest in the garage, it may only be second to this man! With Ford re-committing to NASCAR, with some persuasion by NASCAR, Cale and David once again stand a chance against the Dodge and Plymouth "super cars." In 1970 Ford briefly pulled support due to the pure dominance of the new Dodge and Plymouth products, but during the off-season, NASCAR, along with the former Ford teams, were able to convince Ford to re-commit to getting back into the sport. We'll see if it will pay-off...(IRL, Cale was released from Wood Brothers Racing after the 1970 season when Ford did pull out. He floundered for a couple years only competing in 9 races. In 1973 found a ride and ran the full season finishing 2nd in the championship)

#71 Bobby Isaac, Nord Krauskopf K&K Insurance Dodge Charger Daytona

With the eventual legendary crew chief Harry Hyde calling the shots, Bobby Isaac can get it done! Last year's NASCAR Champion looks to repeat this year. Although, we are in a new era now, the Modern Era, if Isaac wants to repeat, he'll have to do so against much tougher competition that can run the full season! (IRL, NASCAR still ran 48 races in 1971, but Bobby only ran 25. The team was ready for the Winston schedule reduction. In those 25 starts, they had 4 wins.)

#22 Bobby Allison, Coca-Cola Dodge Charger Daytona

The Allison brothers return in 1971, both running full-time. Bobby looks to be one of the favorites going into the season as he now has one of those "super cars" as he enters with Dodge and backing from Coca-Cola. (IRL, Bobby started the season in his own car, but when the Pearson-Holman Moody breakup happen, Bobby went to drive most races for them. At one point, winning 5 straight! He finished 4th in points, competing in 42 of 46 races)

**tcoley** · 07-29-2016, 02:00 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

1971 Winston Cup Championship Contenders
Page 2

#27 Donnie Allison, Banjo Matthews Mercury Cougar
Donnie has never raced in NASCAR full-time...until now! Another driver and team that will benefit from Winston's reduced race schedule. Donnie really only showed up to the big money races, well thanks to Winston, all the races are now big money races! It has always been speculated that Donnie was the superior driver of the Allison brothers, now he has a chance to prove it! (IRL, Donnie only ran part-time, he and Banjo Matthews split up after Daytona. He then went to run for the Wood Brothers for the rest of '71, winning at Talladega.) For this dynasty, he will stay with Banjo for at least this season.

#6 Buddy Baker, Cotton Owens Dodge Charger Daytona

Here he is, Mr. Superspeedway himself! If you need a driver that puts the pedal to the floor more than any other driver, this is your guy! Just last year, Buddy became the first stock-car driver ever to exceed the 200 mph mark on a closed course. In cars prepared by Cotton Owens, you can be sure that this year, Buddy Baker running a full-time schedule will be tough to beat! Baker was said to be ecstatic when the news of Winston cutting back the schedule came out. (IRL, Buddy ran 19/48 races in 1971 in the #11 Petty Enterprises car, winning the Darlington 400.) For this dynasty, he will stay in the #6 for at least this season.

#40 Pete Hamilton, Petty Enterprises 7-UP Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird
Pete showed everybody how it's done last year, winning 3 of the 4 super speedway races including the Daytona 500 and sweeping Talladega! Can you say this car is fast? Oh yeah! Last season the second Petty Enterprises car only ran the big tracks, but this season they are on the hunt for the championship, running the full season. (IRL, Pete and the Petty's parted ways at the end of 1970...HOW? Hamilton went on to drive Cotton Owen's #6 in 1971. Pete retired in 1973.)For this dynasty, he will stay in the #40 for at least this season.

#11 A.J. Foyt, Jack Bowsher Ford Torino Cobra

You read that right folks! A.J. Foyt is running in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series-FULL-TIME! NASCAR and Winston are in full court press mode to overtake the Indy Car Series as the premiere racing series in North America, and what better way to get indy car fans to tune in, than to get a couple, yes a couple Indy car drivers to compete full-time?

Along with A.J. comes...

Mario Andretti in the Holman Moody #97 Ford Torino Cobra

Not to be outdone by A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti is stepping into the full-time world of NASCAR. For both men, they have a lot to prove. Indy car drivers are considered the greatest, if they don't perform well, it may not look good for Indy car drivers as a whole. Will these men be held back by their Ford cars, or has Ford also stepped up their game to compete with the Super Cars of Chrysler? I'm willing to bet that if Ford was able to land Foyt and Andretti, they may have something up their sleeve for 1971!

Other Notables:
Anybody in a Chrysler product; #30 Dave Marcis, #99 Chrysler test driver, Charlie Glotzbach, #06 Neil Castles, and #32 Dick Brooks.
Other Ford product drivers on the scene; #72 Benny Parsons, and #98 wildman Leeroy Yarbrough.

**tcoley** · 07-29-2016, 03:17 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

January 10, 1971
Ontario, CA

He opened his L.A. Times Sunday paper to the sports section. He was hoping for anything regarding the new Winston sponsorship with NASCAR, any tidbit of information, as he did every weekend before with no luck. The problem was, he was on the wrong side of the country. In California, NASCAR only mattered when they came to the road-course in Riverside, or the Ontario Motor Speedway. Between the 2, they had 3 races each year. Riverside and Ontario were races 2 and 3 of the season, so he'd have his fix soon! Then it was right there, right in front of him, page 7 and 8, the complete NASCAR schedule with the contenders for the season-long championship! He couldn't believe his eyes!

"Karen! Karen, come tell me if I'm seeing this right!" He called for his wife who was in the kitchen cleaning the morning dishes. She walked in drying her hands on a towel.

"What do ya have there? What is it?" She took a look at the paper, and looked back at her husband who's cigarette ashes were falling down upon his robe as he was in shock.

"Can you believe it? Never did I think they'd cut down the schedule down that much! Them Winston boys mean business, and we need to be there to cash in on it! I wish they would'a released this earlier." He sprung from the bed, cigarette ashes falling everywhere. "We need to get to work!" He hustled out of his robe and into some clothes that he obviously wore when he worked in the garage.

She read over the schedule more intently, looking for more information that wasn't there. She was getting nervous. Their life in California was starting to get on track, now with this news, everything would change. Karen could hear him in the main room talking to himself, bits and pieces, nothing really she could understand. She lit a cigarette to calm herself and quietly think about the possibility of what was to come.

She wondered out to the garage a little while later to find her husband and two sons working on some car parts. She didn't know what they were, just knew that they were taking great deal of care with each piece.

"Gene, what are you planning?" She asked, already knowing the answer, puffing on her cigarette.

"Well Karen, we're goin' NASCAR racin'," he answered with a newly lit cigarette hanging by the corner of his mouth, "and we're gonna beat that damn Petty!" Bryan and Boyd looked at each other, they hadn't heard the news yet. They were already working in the garage when their father came in. Upon hearing their father's news, they shot a quick smile, then realized they had A LOT of work to do.

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 11:13 AM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

Speedweeks
Daytona International Speedway

Reporter-Chris Economaki

There are 60 teams in Daytona vying for a Daytona 500 victory, but it's been a week's of practice dominated by the super cars of Chrysler! Richard Petty's Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird has looked very impressive, topping the charts in 3 of the 6 days of practice leading up to today's qualifying for next Sunday's Daytona 500! Other drivers to take the fast lap of a practice day this week included; Bobby Allison in his #22 Dodge Charger Daytona, Dave Marcis in his #30 Dodge, and Buddy Baker's #6 Dodge. In just a couple short hours, we'll find out who will lead the field to the green flag in the Daytona 500!

...Meanwhile on the other side of the country...

Riverside, CA

"Well boys, clearly, we ain't making Daytona." He said exhausted. Gene, Boyd, 11 years old, and Bryan, 15 years old, had been in the garage preparing parts for a new Plymouth that hadn't been delivered yet. All 3 knew that they still had a ton of work ahead once the new car showed up, but at this point, Plymouth was holding them back. All three of them had just pulled another all-nighter, and all three were covered in dirt, grease and oil, and needed sleep. The boys would have school tomorrow, and they would need to be fresh for the week.

"Dad," Bryan started, "didn't you say that Winston was running a new rookie of the year deal? I know you wanted to run for the championship, but can we still win the rookie title?"

Gene looked back at his son, who could find the positive in just about anything. Here they were, missing the Daytona 500, the biggest race of the season, they'd also miss at least the next few weeks-two races in their own backyard, the Riverside 500, and Ontario 500, but Bryan still found a bright spot. NASCAR was going to be so close, and they wouldn't be able to do anything about it, but watch. Boyd looked to his father for his answer, hoping all the work they put in would pay off. Gene took out a cigarette, lit it and began to smoke.

"They did," he answered, exhaling smoke out the side door of the garage, "and we will win it," he said matter-of-factly. "I don't know who the rookies are this year, and maybe NASCAR doesn't either, but I didn't see any in the season preview a few weeks ago. I'm only concerned with going fast, if we're not fast, we're not going to win s**t. That's why I've had you guys out here with me everyday for the past month. We've got spare parts for our spare parts! If we want to make this work, it needs to be a full family deal. Look at the Petty's. His daddy raced, and Richard worked on the cars, now Richard has Kyle working on his. The Allison's, those boys are hard workers and know their cars too. I'm plannin' for the future of our family boys, not to be a flash in the pan." Bryan and Boyd looked at each other in amazement and couldn't believe what they heard. Their dad didn't speak too much about his long-term plans, they had no idea what they were in for. "Let's get inside, get cleaned up, maybe we can find qualifying somewhere on the radio."

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 12:49 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

Dodge Sweeps the Front Row for Daytona 500

Reporter: Chris Economaki

Bobby Allison's #22 Dodge Charger Daytona has captured the pole for next Sunday's Daytona 500. Allison logged a time of 48.361 seconds, 186.100 mph! Allison has looked strong all week, and was able to follow-up his strong practice runs all week with the top spot! Allison will need to keep his car safe in Thursday's qualifying race, if he wants to keep that coveted #1 starting spot.

Starting along side Allison's Dodge will be fellow Dodge driver, Dave Marcis. Marcis' #30 finished with a time of 48.433 seconds, 185.824 mph. Dave will lead his qualifying race to green on Thursday, he'll also need to protect his car. If Marcis or Allison have to go to back-up cars after the Qualifying races, they will start the Daytona 500 from the rear of the field.

The fastest car in all the practices combined, #43 Richard Petty, could only muster an 8th place qualifying effort. Petty was said to be upset he couldn't capitalize on his car's speed, and is looking forward to Thursday's qualifying races to improve his starting position.

Although the Chrysler products swept the front row, the Fords and Mercurys weren't far behind. David Pearson (3), AJ Foyt (5), Donnie Allison (6), James Hylton (7) and Cale Yarborough (10), all had great qualifying efforts. Be sure to check back Thursday evening as we will have the full rundown of Thursday's Gatorade Twin 125's, and the starting lineup for the Daytona 500!

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 01:34 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

Thursday before the Daytona 500
The Driver's Meeting before the Twin 125's

There is excitement gathering as a new era on the NASCAR circuit is about to begin. There are 41 more spots available for Sunday's 500, and there are 60 drivers vying for those positions. 17 drivers won't be making the race, and 2 weeks of practice at Daytona and countless hours back home in the shop, may be all for nothing. Among the drivers are team owners, Winston representatives, and reporters, most notable, Chris Economaki. Chris stands up, as Bill France asks if there are any questions.

"Bill, can you explain how the Gatorade Twin 125's will set the field for the Daytona 500?"

"Sure Chris, always a pleasure to have you in attendance. Qualifying your car into the Daytona 500 should be special! So, to make it special, we have a special way of doing things. The Gatorade Twin 125's will be two qualifying races to determine the starting line-up for the Daytona 500. The front row is already set, but each spot behind them is up for grabs. They will be odd-even races, where all the odd numbered qualifiers, ex: 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc, will be in Twin #1, and all the even numbered qualifiers will run in Twin #2. How you finish in your Twin 125, will determine where you start in the 500, minus the front row qualifier-in this case Bobby Allison in Twin 1, and Dave Marcis in Twin 2. NASCAR will take the top 16 finishers in each Twin race, along with the pole car. That will get us to 34 starters for the Daytona 500. The remaining positions will be taken from last Sunday's qualifying times. The fastest 9 cars not already in the race, will start by qualifying speed in positions 35-43. I hope that helps clarify today's race procedure."

Chris jots down notes so he can follow along later during the races, then he has another question, "Bill, David Pearson was 3rd quickest in qualifying Sunday. You're saying that if he doesn't finish in the top 16 in his Twin race, he could be starting 35th Sunday?" Chris asked the question just so everybody in attendance would be aware of the circumstances.

"Exactly Chris. David can definitely choose to park his car instead of racing his way in, in his Twin 125, but then he will be falling back on his qualifying time, which would give him the 35th spot. On the flip side of that, if David does run, and I'd hope that he would, and wins his Twin, he'll start the Daytona 500 from third. Does everybody understand? Where you finish your Twin, is what row you'll start Sunday, minus the pole car. You finish 5th in the even Twin, you start 10th Sunday." Bill glanced around the room waiting for more questions. "Nothing else? Let's put on a show boys!" Bill stepped down from the podium and the drivers in Twin 1 made their way to the starting grid.

Breakdown:
Qualifying Day: Front Row, the pole and outside front row (2)
Twin #1: 16 (18)
Twin #2: 16 (34)
Fastest cars from qualifying not already in: 9 (43)

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 02:08 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

Gatorade Twin 125's Starting Grid

Starting Grid for Gatorade Twin #1
Top 16 finishers (minus the pole-sitter) transfer into Daytona 500.

1-#22 Bobby Allison
2-#17 David Pearson
3-#97 Mario Andretti
4-#11 A.J. Foyt
5-#48 James Hylton
6-#40 Pete Hamilton
7-#72 Benny Parsons
8-#4 James Sears
9-#64 Elmo Langley
10-#79 Fred Warren
11-#32 Dick Brooks
12-#36 Charles Stevens
13-#45 Bill Seifert
14-#47 Raymond Williams
15-#70 JD McDuffie
16-#6 Buddy Baker
17-#34 Wendell Scott
18-#31 Jim Vandiver
19-#13 Curtis Turner
20-#08 EJ Trivette
21-#78 Ed Howland
22-#93 Don White
23-#88 Bill Hollar
24-#00 Al Bennett
25-#04 Ken Meisenhelder
26-#7 John McCoy
27-#90 Bill Dennis
28-#57 John Halford
29-#68 Larry Baumel
30-#69 Billy Kimmel

Starting Grid for Gatorade Twin #2
Top 16 finishers (minus the pole-sitter) transfer into Daytona 500.

1-#30 Dave Marcis
2-#06 Neil Castles
3-#27 Donnie Allison
4-#43 Richard Petty
5-#21 Cale Yarborough
6-#71 Bobby Isaac
7-#25 Jabe Thomas
8-#24 Cecil Gordon
9-#99 Charlie Glotzbach
10-#98 Leeroy Yarbrough
11-#122 Marty Robbins
12-#59 Richard Brickhouse
13-#03 Tommy Gale
14-#91 Cole Timmons
15-#05 Ron Grana
16-#10 Bill Champion
17-#28 Fred Lorenzen
18-#37 Don Tarr
19-#89 Butch Hirst
20-#18 Joe Frasson
21-#39 Friday Hassler
22-#49 GC Spencer
23-#3 Bobby Johns
24-#07 Coocoo Marlin
25-#46 Roy Mayne
26-#19 Henley Gray
27-#5 Mel Larson
28-#09 Dick Trickle
29-#00 Frank James
30-#8 Ed Negre

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 02:38 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

Gatorade Twin 125 #1 Results

A.J. Foyt in his #11 Ford Torino Cobra took the victory in Gatorade Twin 125 race 1. He led 3 laps in the 50 lap event, but one of those was the most important lap, earning him the #3 starting spot for Sunday's Daytona 500! Foyt ran in the front group the entire race, and looked poised to send a message to NASCAR, that the Indy boys are in town!

Bobby Allison in his #22 Dodge led the field to green and would lead a race-high 12 laps, but contact with a lapped car, then a pit road mishap, would relegate the pole-sitter for the 500 back to a 25th place finish. Although the car did have slight body damage, the team will fix it and not have to go to a backup car for Sunday.

Dick Brooks in his #32 Plymouth showed some real speed today, as he would end up leading 9 laps and finishing 2nd to Foyt. Behind Brooks was Benny Parsons, James Hylton, and in 5th was Smokey Yunick's Chevrolet driven Curtis Turner.

6-10 saw, David Pearson, Elmo Langley, Don White, Mario Andretti, and JD McDuffie. 11th was Seifert, 12th Pete Hamilton, 13th Charles Stevens, 14th-Fred Warren, 15th Buddy Baker, and the last car to transfer to the Daytona 500 was #34 Wendell Scott. The rest of the drivers in the field will have to wait and see what happens in Twin #2 to see if they can fall back on their qualifying time, or if their Speedweeks is over.

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 03:09 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

Gatorade Twin 125 Race 2 Results

Dave Marcis and Neil Castles led the field to green in Twin race #2, and this race would not disappoint. There would be drama as some of the favorites, for not only this race, but for Sunday's Daytona 500 were involved in a crash. On lap 17, the leaders were catching slower traffic after they were exiting pit road during green-flag pit stops, a crash occurred that collected some of the front runners. Richard Petty's Plymouth was severely wrecked, along with #06 Neil Castles Plymouth, and Bobby Isaac's #71 Dodge. Along with them were bubble-drivers, #37 Don Tarr, and #05 Ron Grana. Petty, Castles, and Isaac, will all be able to fall back on their qualifying efforts for sure. The crash would also collect #21 Cale Yarborough, #27 Donnie Allison, and #59 Richard Brickhouse, but all 3 would be able to continue and transfer into the Daytona 500.

Marcis would do battle with #98 Leeroy Yarbrough throughout much of the race, each leading 13 laps. The #30 of Marcis would go on to win, re-establishing himself as the outside pole-sitter for Sunday. Leeroy followed him to the line in second, while Fred Lorenzen showed that he still "has it" coming home in third. Cole Timmons, and Marty Robbins rounded out the top 5.

6-10 had underdog Butch Hirst, Glotzbach, Friday Hassler, GC Spencer, and Jabe Thomas all transferring to the 500. 11th was Tommy Gale, 12th Brickhouse, 13th Cale Yarborough, 14th Joe Frasson, 15th Coocoo Marlin, 16th Donnie Allison, and the last and final transfer went to #46 Roy Mayne.

We have received the final 9 drivers to make the field via falling back on their qualifying times

Starting 35th-Richard Petty, 36th-James Sears, 37th-Bill Champion, 38th-Don Tarr, 39th-Neil Castles, 40th-Bobby Isaac, 41st-Raymond Williams, 42nd-Cecil Gordon, and 43rd-#3 Bobby Johns.

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 03:39 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

1971 Daytona 500 Starting Grid

Row 1
22 Bobby Allison-Pole Winner
30 Dave Marcis

Row 2
11 A.J. Foyt-Won Twin #1
98 Leeroy Yarbrough

Row 3
32 Dick Brooks
28 Fred Lorenzen

Row 4
72 Benny Parsons
91 Cole Timmons

Row 5
48 James Hylton
122 Marty Robbins

Row 6
13 Curtis Turner
89 Butch Hirst

Row 7
17 David Pearson
99 Charlie Glotzbach

Row 8
64 Elmo Langley
39 Friday Hassler

Row 9
93 Don White
49 GC Spencer

Row 10
97 Mario Andretti
25 Jabe Thomas

Row 11
70 J.D. McDuffie
03 Tommy Gale

Row 12
45 Bill Seifert
59 Richard Brickhouse

Row 13
40 Pete Hamilton
21 Cale Yarborough

Row 14
36 Charles Stevens
18 Joe Frasson

Row 15
79 Fred Warren
07 Coocoo Marlin

Row 16
6 Buddy Baker
27 Donnie Allison

Row 17
34 Wendell Scott
46 Roy Mayne

Row 18
43 Richard Petty
4 James Sears

Row 19
10 Bill Champion
37 Don Tarr

Row 20
06 Neil Castles
71 Bobby Isaac

Row 21
47 Raymond Williams
24 Cecil Gordon

Row 22
3 Bobby Johns

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 04:20 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

1971 Daytona 500

The Dodges of Bobby Allison and Dave Marcis led the field to the green for the 1971 Daytona 500. It was a new era in NASCAR, it was finally here, The Winston Cup era! Marcis would jump out to the early lead completing lap 1, when a crash back in the pack entering turn 1 occurred. The 03 of Tommy Gale fell off pace and went high up by the wall. Some of the cars around him made it by, but that was not the case for #27 Donnie Allison and #4 James Sears. Lap 1, all three of their races were done.

On the restart Marcis would jump out to the lead once again, followed by Allison and A.J. Foyt's #11. It wouldn't take long for another melee to bring out the caution again, this time on lap 14. This crash would take out quite a few cars, and wound a dozen more. Cars that were eliminated by this crash involved Leeroy Yarbrough, Mario Andretti, Dick Brooks, Curtis Turner, and the Cinderella stories of Friday Hassler, GC Spencer, and Joe Frasson. Cars that would continue and eventually fallout of the race due to damage from this crash, last year's winner, Pete Hamilton, Don White, Marty Robbins, Charlie Glotzbach, Cecil Gordon, and this year's favorite Richard Petty-who fell out on lap 65.

The next casualty was #91 Cole Timmons, who showed some muscle early in the race, leading 29 laps. The race would go fairly smooth the rest of the way, as provisional starter, #10 Bill Champion would eventually get to the lead on a differing strategy than the rest of the un-wounded teams, and would end up winning the Daytona 500 by less than one second over Cale Yarborough! Champion kept his car clean, and spent most of the day just riding around, eventually leading 37 laps, while the rest of the field tried catching him.

A.J. Foyt led the most laps at 43. The yellow flag waived 5 times for 18 laps. There were 84 lead changes among 14 different drivers. Pole-sitter, Bobby Allison finished 13th, 3 laps down, and was not 1 of the 14 lap leaders.

As for the manufacturers, Ford came out looking pretty good! Ford won, Mercury 2nd, Ford 3rd and 4th, followed by Dave Marcis' Dodge in 5th.

Top Ten
1-Bill Champion Ford
2-Cale Yarborough Mercury
3-AJ Foyt Ford
4-David Pearson Ford
5-Dave Marcis Dodge
6-Benny Parsons Ford
7-Jabe Thomas Dodge
8-Charles Stevens Plymouth
9-James Hylton Ford
10-Neil Castles Plymouth

Notes:
13-Bobby Allison
14-Bobby Isaac
20-Buddy Baker
28-Richard Petty
30-Charlie Glotzbach
33-Pete Hamilton
35-Dick Brooks
36-Mario Andretti
39-Leeroy Yarbrough
43-Donnie Allison

Next week's race comes from the fast road-course, Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, CA.

**tcoley** · 08-01-2016, 05:08 PM

Re: Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

They huddled around the radio, constantly wiggling the antennae to try and get better reception. The six of them listening intently. Would Cale catch him? Did Foyt still have a chance? A relatively unknown and mid-pack racer was leading the biggest race of the season...of NASCAR's history! This was the first Daytona 500 run under the Winston banner. This was B-I-G! The driver that won this race would go down in history as the first Winston winner of all-time!

"C'mon Cale!" Yelled the 11 year old Boyd, his father shooting him a half-cracked smile.

"Who is Champion?" Asked a confused Karen. She had never heard of this Bill Champion, and he was leading the Daytona 500. Cale and Foyt were desperately trying to chase him down, and they were cutting into his lead. Champion had a large lead, and was drafting off of a fast car-14th place runner who was on the verge of going a fourth lap down, #71 Bobby Isaac.

Cale would close the gap, as Foyt fell back. Each lap, Cale closed the gap. Boyd continued to cheer him on from the opposite side of the country, "C'mon Cale! Get'em!" He'd yell. Bryan also wanted to see Cale get a 500 victory. Gene stood over by the window, blowing his cigarette smoke outside. He was pulling for the unknown driver, the underdog. He knew that if they were in Daytona, that he'd be considered the underdog, he wanted to see somebody that put their whole life into racing, get a big win.

Champion didn't have the factory support like the top-runners in the garage. He did it all himself, much like Gene and his boys would have to, if they were going to make it. Petty wasn't about to come help some no-name team, that was trying to take his factory support, his sponsors, his food off his table. No sir! For Gene, if that "no-name" team could win The 500, then maybe his "no-name" team could too someday!

"One-lap to go!" Ken Squire's voice came over the radio. "Cale is just one second back, can he catch Champion? Foyt is out of it, he's 4 seconds back, Pearson, 16 seconds. They come off of turn 4, Cale can't catch him, Champion will do it! Your Daytona 500 winner, in his Ford Torino, Bill Champion!"

Gene cracked a smile and looked at his family, "Well, if he could do it, we can do it guys!" They looked at him, and understood what he was getting at. They wanted to be Bill Champion...someday...

Rewriting NASCAR's Modern History, 1971 and Beyond

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