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July 12, 1958 - Bob Welborn Captures Columbia
The Fourth of July is celebrated as the nation's birthday. One could argue perhaps that July 12th should be a national holiday for Petty fans.Lee Petty was an established NASCAR star - a Grand National...
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July 12, 1958 - Paschal Pockets The Asheville Cash
July 12, 1958 - What a day for Petty history.21 year-old Richard Petty debuted as a professional race car driver in a NASCAR Convertible Division race at Columbia Speedway in South CarolinaBob Welborn...
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July 14, 1966: Pearson, Petty and Putney the Putz
Fonda Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Grand National race in 1955. Junior Johnson split the laps led with Tim Flock about 50/50. Flock led the first half of the race, and Junior led the second half to...
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July 19, 1958 - Bob Welborn Grabs Greenville
NASCAR's convertible division raced at Greenville-Pickens Speedway on July 19, 1958. The 200-lap, 100-mile race was the third of four ragtop races at the track from 1956-1959 in the short-lived...
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July 24, 1966 - Bristol's Golden Volunteer 500
Richard Petty raced in 60 Grand National / Cup races at Bristol from its opening in 1961 through the King's retirement in 1992. Sixty! Many might suggest Bristol wasn't of Petty's better tracks because...
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July 26, 1964 - Oh so close in the Volunteer 500
Richard Petty finished second to Fred Lorenzen in the 1963 Volunteer 500 at Bristol. On that particular day, it was all Lorenzen all day. Except for an early stretch of 180 laps led by Junior Johnson...
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July 26, 1958 - Bob Welborn Wins Myrtle Beach
In 1961, Bill France, Sr. banned driver and fan favorite Curtis Turner from NASCAR "for life". Turner had been kicked to the curb by the board of Charlotte Motor Speedway after he'd worked to build it....
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July 28, 1963 - Fearless Freddy Bests Bristol
NASCAR's Grand National drivers migrated south to Bristol TN for the third Volunteer 500 on July 28, 1963. A week earlier, the cars had raced the road course in Bridgehampton, New York.Fred Lorenzen...
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Schaefer in Schinema
Yes, this blog is primarily about racing - but not exclusively. The crack staff of Vol State Bench Racing has been known to post perhaps a time or two about Schaefer beer. In this particular post, I...
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August 5, 1995 - A long day at the Brickyard
When Tony George, Jr. announced on April 14, 1993, that Indianapolis Motor Speedway would host the inaugural Brickyard 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race in 1994, I was "all in". Sorta.Schaefer Hall of Fame...
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August 6, 1961 - Paschal Nabs Nashville
NASCAR brought its Grand National division to Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway for the first time in 1958. Joe Weatherly won the inaugural 200-lap race. Rex White and Joe Lee Johnson split the two GN...
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August 8, 1958 - Ken Rush Inherits Southern States
Prior to the opening of Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960, NASCAR's Grand National and Convertible divisions raced on other tracks in the Charlotte - Concord area. One of those races was a 200-lap,...
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August 23, 1958 - Bob Welborn Wins Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach Speedway hosted several Busch Series races from the late 1980s through 2000. Drivers including the Green brothers - Jeff and David, Randy LaJoie, Jeff Burton and late Rob Moroso won races...
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August 25, 1979 - Bristol's Second Night Race
One of the most celebrated races on the NASCAR Cup schedule is (or perhaps was) the Bristol Night Race. Until lights were added at Charlotte, Richmond, Texas, etc., Bristol had the only night race on...
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August 26, 1957 - Gwyn Staley Wins Myrtle Beach
From the late 1980s through 2000, NASCAR's Busch Series (now Xfinity) raced at Myrtle Beach Speedway in South Carolina. Prior to its branding as Myrtle Beach Speedway, the track was known as Rambi...
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September 5, 1957 - Gwyn Staley Scores Syracuse
NASCAR's Grand National drivers arrived at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse on Thursday, September 5, 1957. They readied to compete for 100 laps on Syracuse's legendary one-mile dirt...
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September 7, 1958 - Julian Petty's bookends day
The next to last race of the 1958 NASCAR convertible division season was a 150-lap race on the half-mile, dirt Wilson Speedway in Wilson, North Carolina.Julian Petty's 1957 Chevrolets were fast - as...
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If ya ain't first...
Later this month, a couple of my Schaefer Hall of Fame brethren and I will be making our first trip to Chicagoland Speedway for the Cup race. We also plan to make our first visit to Wrigley Field for a...
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September 14, 1958 - Welborn Stakes Salisbury
NASCAR scheduled races for two of its major series on September 14, 1958. The Grand National drivers raced at Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds for the Richmond 200. Speedy Thompson won the race, and Lee...
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September 15, 1957 - Gwyn Lassos Langhorne
Today's Cup schedule seems to run forever as it begins in February and finishes in November. The schedules of the 1950s and 60s, however, were a true grind for those who made a legit effort to race in...
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