Some old NASCAR trivia

The 1984 Firecracker was Richard Pettys 200th and final win. The caution had come out with only a few laps to go when Doug Heveron flipped in turns 1&2.

The famous TV footage shows Petty battling to a photo finish with Cale Yarbrough, which Petty won by a nose.

However, this wasn’t actually the LAST lap. Cale was all distracted from narrowly missing the win, that he came down pit road as the rest of the pack took the actual checkered flag. Harry Gant didn’t make the same mistake, stayed on track, and was credited for 2nd, while Cale got 3rd.

When you see this footage again someday, notice the flagman, Harold Kinder, was throwing the yellow flag, not the checkers, at the ‘photo finish’.

[QUOTE=Trash Inturn4;126756]1) Junior Johnson 1976-78
2) Darlington Raceway 1950
3) 1966
4) 3rd place, Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, Spartanburg SC, 1961
5) 1964 Watkins Glen[/QUOTE]

Yep… :ernaehrung004: Right on all five. Nice work

Trivial trivia

Here’s a few more for you guys to look up on Google… :aetsch013:

1 - Which driver won the Winston Cup title using three different car numbers and three different makes of cars? BONUS… What year did he win the championship?.. and … what were the three different makes of cars and three different car numbers that he used that year?
2 - That was the number of the car that won the very first Winston Cup championship?
3 - How did Glenn “Fireball” Roberts get his nickname?
4 - What is Buddy Baker’s full name?
5 - Who is the only driver to win a Winston Cup event in a car with an automatic transmission? BONUS… What year and where? :confused:

Stupid me…

Question #2 should read…

“What” was the number of the car that won the first championship.

I don’t use Google, so I can’t get them all… but I can get a few.

Glen “Fireball” Roberts, was a pitcher for his local baseball team. I understand he grew up in Apopka, but played for a neighboring town, Zellwood (home of the Corn Festival).

Buddy Bakers name is actually Elzie Wylie Baker Jr.

As for the first Champion, I’m thinking it was Red Byron… who I also think won the first ever race at Martinsville. I can picture the face, seen him in several Victory Lane photos, but I can’t think of a single picture that pans out far enough to see the car number.

[QUOTE=Jacque Debris;126766]Here’s a few more for you guys to look up on Google… :aetsch013:

1 - Which driver won the Winston Cup title using three different car numbers and three different makes of cars? BONUS… What year did he win the championship?.. and … what were the three different makes of cars and three different car numbers that he used that year?
2 - That was the number of the car that won the very first Winston Cup championship?
3 - How did Glenn “Fireball” Roberts get his nickname?
4 - What is Buddy Baker’s full name?
5 - Who is the only driver to win a Winston Cup event in a car with an automatic transmission? BONUS… What year and where? :confused:[/QUOTE]

  1. #43, 1972, the first Winston Cup. (#22,Red Byron , 1949, Grand National Champion)

In regards to #1… can’t find just what you are looking for… BUT… check this stuff out:

1950 - Bill Rexford won the championship driving three makes of cars (Ford, Mercury, Olds) for the same car owner (Julian Buesink) and used six numbers (8, 20, 59, 60, 62 and 80)… He won the title despite winning just one race…

1951 - Herb Thomas drove a Plymouth, Olds and a Hudson for four different owners utilizing the numbers 2, 6, 92 and 99…

1956 - Buck Baker drove a Chrysler, Dodge and Ford for three different owners and used nine numbers: 00, 31, 87, 300, 300C, 301, 500B, 501 and 502…

Richard Petty won his first title in 1964 driving Petty Enterprises Plymouths using numbers 41, 42 and 43…

But the guy who has everybody beat is Joe Weatherly… In 1963 Lil’ Joe ran 52 races in winning the NASCAR Championship for NINE different car owners and used 10 numbers as listed below:

05 - Possum Jones
2 - Cliff Stewart
8 - Bud Moore
17 - Floyd Powell
36 & 361 - Wade Younts
41 - Petty Enterprises
57 - Pete Stewart
83 - Worth McMillion
88 - Major Melton

[QUOTE=Jacque Debris;126766]Here’s a few more for you guys to look up on Google… :aetsch013:

1 - Which driver won the Winston Cup title using three different car numbers and three different makes of cars? BONUS… What year did he win the championship?.. and … what were the three different makes of cars and three different car numbers that he used that year?
2 - That was the number of the car that won the very first Winston Cup championship?
3 - How did Glenn “Fireball” Roberts get his nickname?
4 - What is Buddy Baker’s full name?
5 - Who is the only driver to win a Winston Cup event in a car with an automatic transmission? BONUS… What year and where? :confused:[/QUOTE]

5)Wendall Scott, 1963, Speedway Park in Jacksonville Fl in a Chevy Bel-Air (The series wasn’t known as Winston Cup yet though)

In 1982, J. D. (Jim) Stacy was listed as car owner on the #2 (full-time) and #5 (part-time) cars on the NASCAR Cup circuit… The #5 was driven in a total of 8 races by Jim Sauter, Robin McCall and Rodney Combs… Joe Ruttman started the season in the #2 but Stacy fired him after five races…
Question: Who did Stacy replace Ruttman with? Also, this driver failed to qualify for the 1982 Daytona 500 before joining Stacy… Who was he driving for at Daytona?

[QUOTE=Jacque Debris;126766]Here’s a few more for you guys to look up on Google… :aetsch013:

1 - Which driver won the Winston Cup title using three different car numbers and three different makes of cars? BONUS… What year did he win the championship?.. and … what were the three different makes of cars and three different car numbers that he used that year?
2 - That was the number of the car that won the very first Winston Cup championship?
3 - How did Glenn “Fireball” Roberts get his nickname?
4 - What is Buddy Baker’s full name?
5 - Who is the only driver to win a Winston Cup event in a car with an automatic transmission? BONUS… What year and where? :confused:[/QUOTE]

Here are the answers to the questions above…

1 - Herb Thomas, who won five races in Hudsons (Nos. 6 and 92), one race in a Plymouth (No. 92), and one race in an Oldsmobile (No. 2)… Ancrdave, you got that one exactly right.
2 - The answer is No.22. I guess I should have used the term NASCAR Cup champion and not “Winston” Cup champion. I was looking for the very first Cup champion. Petty was indeed the first “Winston” Cup champion.
3 - “Fireball” Roberts was indeed a pitcher and that’s how he got his nickname. (Good job Frasson 118)
4 - Buddy Baker is actually Elzie Wylie Baker Jr. (Kudos again Frasson118)
5 - The only driver to win with an automatic transmission (according to my book) was Tim Flock on February 27, 1955, at Daytona’s Beach and Road Course. Ancrdave… any record of this anywhere???

Ruttman was replaced by Tim Richmond.

Richmond previously drove for DK Ulrich, in an UNO-sponsored car. Bob Tezak was the owner of the UNO card game, and was a big supporter of Tim, including backing his Indy car career before the switch to Nascar.

DK also was the first to give another relatively unknown driver his first shot at a full Nascar season… Ernie Irvan in the Kroger sponsored #2.

Tim was also the pilot of this crazy-ass Supermodified.

I say ‘pilot’, because they were never allowed to actually ‘race’ this car that has 3 wheels on the right side and only 1 on the left. Oswego Speedway had heard about this car and banned it before it ever got to the Speedway.

The builder/car owner, Ken Reece, got so pissed about it being outlawed, he took the torch to it, and cut it up into small pieces. I wish it would’ve survived, as this is one of THE most unique racing cars in history.

TRich2.jpg

Richmond was a DNQ for the 1982 Daytona 500 driving for… Billie Harvey…

From ESPN Classic:

Feb. 27, 1955 - Tim Flock was so angry when he was disqualified on a technicality at Daytona in 1954 that he quit driving, vowing never to compete in a NASCAR race again. But Flock grew bored and made a brief return late in '54.

Although he came back to Daytona Beach in February 1955, it was only as a spectator. However, after seeing Carl Kiekhaefer’s new Chrysler 300, Flock’s eyes lit up and he wanted back in. Kiekhaefer gave him the ride.

Flock won the pole for the 160-mile Grand National event on Daytona’s Beach and Road Course with a speed of 130 mph. But before a crowd of 27,000 at today’s 39-lap race, Flock was not as successful. Racing his car at 92 mph, he crossed the finish line in one hour, 44 minutes and 17 seconds. That was one minute and 14 seconds behind Fireball Roberts.

But the next morning, Flock got a measure of revenge for 1954 when it was announced that Roberts had been disqualified because his push rods had been altered. Flock’s victory was worth $2,350 of the $9,775 purse. It was the first time a car equipped with an automatic transmission won a NASCAR race.

Although Flock won the race with an automatic transmission, he did not like it and insisted on a stick shift. On Kiekhaefer’s orders, Chrysler built a straight stick transmission to go into the 300 series.

RIP Dick Trickle

In honor of the late Dick Trickle let’s give you a question to remember the White Knight #99. :engel016:

1 - Although Dick Trickle has won over 1200 races in his long racing career, his first win in one of NASCAR’s major series came in 1997, when he won a Busch Grand National race at what track?

[QUOTE=Jacque Debris;126874]In honor of the late Dick Trickle let’s give you a question to remember the White Knight #99. :engel016:

1 - Although Dick Trickle has won over 1200 races in his long racing career, his first win in one of NASCAR’s major series came in 1997, when he won a Busch Grand National race at what track?[/QUOTE]

He did win twice in the second-tier Busch Series, in 1997 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway, where he became the series’ oldest victor, and in 1998 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, where he held off Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Buick Dominance

When I first saw this question I really didn’t think it was true. But I did a little research and sure enough, Buick really did dominate that year.

1 - In 1982 Buick won 25 of the 30 Winston Cup races run, winning at least one event at every track that year except for one. Which track was it? :confused:

[QUOTE=Jacque Debris;126883]When I first saw this question I really didn’t think it was true. But I did a little research and sure enough, Buick really did dominate that year.

1 - In 1982 Buick won 25 of the 30 Winston Cup races run, winning at least one event at every track that year except for one. Which track was it? :confused:[/QUOTE]

Richmond, both races that year were won by Chevrolet

Here’s a question that may stump you… Paul Goldsmith won the 1953 Daytona 200 riding a Harley-Davidson and the final stock race on the beach in 1958 driving a Pontiac. He is the only driver/rider so far to win both of Daytona’s biggest events (for their respective classes) during his career… There was one person who was instrumental in securing both these victories for Goldsmith… Who was he?