Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 92 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 20, 40 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.
20 Years Ago — 2006
News: Competitors in the NASCAR Grand National East and West series have a new spec engine to work with. The engine will be available Aug. 1, but it will not be mandatory until 2007.
The engine is available via Provident Auto Supply — a North Carolina company owned by former NASCAR official Gary Nelson.
In addition to the spec engine, a composite body for Grand National cars is available for use. Composite bodies are currently available from Summit Racing, BSR Products and Eshleman Racing.
The combination of the spec engine and composite body and the option of running either 105- or 110-inchwheelbases comprise a wide variety of cost-saving initiatives. The sanctioning organization also plans to reduce its minimum driving age to 16 for the Grand National and modified tours beginning in 2007.
“We’re taking these steps with the Grand National division to reduce the cost of racing at these levels,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice-president of competition.
Spec engine kits can be ordered through Provident and assembled by independent engine builders.
“We’ve done a lot of testing with the engines in the past few months, and these motors are going to be very competitive and very durable,” Pemberton said.
NASCAR officials promise the cost is going to be well below what teams are currently spending.
“Hopefully these rules will allow more people to be able to afford to go racing,” said former West driver David Gilliland. “These steps by NASCAR should ensure that West Coast guys will continue to have a future in big-time stock-car racing.”
Winners: This fence-climbing thing might be getting out of hand.
After Tony Stewart rocketed into the lead with two laps remaining and won Saturday night’s Pepsi 400, he scaled the fence at the start-finish line to celebrate with fans at Daytona Int’l Speedway – an activity Stewart made famous in this race one year ago. Only this time, Stewart decided to leap into a mosh pit.
The scene was overwhelming, and Stewart had to be rescued by crew members and NASCAR officials so he could make the trip to victory lane.
“I wasn’t going to let those race fans down. They expected it tonight,” Stewart said. “It was every bit as big- if not bigger- than it was last year.”
Unlike the 2005 Pepsi 400, when he led all but nine laps for his first Daytona point victory. Stewart had to earn his second win of the season. He led for much of the 160-lap race, but two late caution flags tried to derail his bid.
Stewart was on point when Jimmie Johnson scraped Bobby Labonte to bring out the fourth yellow flag. A final round of pit stops ensued, with Stewart’s No. 20 Chevrolet returning to the track in loth for the restart Then Stewart’s skill showed, as a daring move entering turn one propelled him to second before the fifth caution gave him time to size up Boris Said- the polesitter who found himself leading because he didn’t pit.
”Nobody could do anything with us at that point,” Stewart said. “I knew some things that I could do that (Said) probably wasn’t going to be watching for. I hated to spoil it for him, but we just had a car that was too good to not go out and win this race.”
40 Years Ago — 1986
News: After six years, three national championships, and 41 victories together, it will all end for car owner Junior Johnson and driver Darrell Waltrip.
The split will not come until this season is over. In 1987, however, Waltrip has agreed to drive for Rick Hendrick. Waddell Wilson has agreed to be the crew chief and engine builder for the third NASCAR team that Hendrick will field.
“Darrell’s team will be a separate operation and in no way will affect our two current teams, ” Hendrick said last week. An automobile dealer from Charlotte, Hendrick owns the teams for which Geoff Bodine and Tim Richmond currently drive.
“It’s too early to have complete details available,” Hendrick added in a prepared statement. “Darrell and I are already business associates in his Honda dealership in Franklin, Tenn.”
Negotiations for Hendrick’s new team apparently have been going on since April, but the deal was not completed until Wilson gave his OK last Wednesday.
For Wilson, the move to Hendrick’s camp ends a nine- year stint as overseer of Harry Ranier’s team and marks a return to the Chevrolet camp. Wilson has turned in his resignation to Ranier, effective at the end of the year.
“Whenever you figure out what you’re going to do, it’s best to let everyone know so they can make their own plans and won’t have to guess. So we’ve told everybody what’s going on.”
Winners: Danny Sullivan spent a small portion of his life wheeling a yellow taxi cab through the infamous traffic of New York City.
The site of Sunday’s Chase Grand Prix at the Meadowlands CART/PPG Indy Car event is just 10 miles west of the famed Manhattan traffic jams, but for Sullivan the car was again yellow and he collected a much bigger fare.
The 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner drove his backup yellow Miller American March to a $90,660 victory in the 100-lap run around the 1.682-mile, 11-turn parking lot circuit before a crowd of 37,667 here Meadowlands Sports Complex.
After developing engine problems earlier in the week with his red Chevrolet -powered red Penske PC-15, Sullivan switched to his yellow-hued Cosworth- powered Miller-American March.
Despite losing his clutch on the second lap, Sullivan worked his way to the front and took the lead on lap 75 with a dramatic move, banging wheels with Bobby Rahal’s car as the pair en- tered turn five.
“I just figured it was now or never,” said Sullivan. “I didn’t get the gear to slow the thing down and when it was Bobby’s time to turn, I was still going straight and we banged wheels.”
60 Years Ago— 1966
News: Despite rumors to the contrary, the1967 stock car racing rules will not be announced until after the ACCUS meeting in California on July 30-31.
Bill France simplified the big need in one sentence — “getting the right pieces at the right price.” Knowing how the factories want as much notice as possible on rules, and the decision to wait until August 1st to make the announcement, one could draw the conclusion that there will be little change made.
Perhaps the weight limit on the FoMoCo single overhead cam engine will be removed. Scuttlebutt in the pits here bad is that Ford has a wedge engine on the dyno is turning out 600 horses-about the same as the 421 Chevy Smokey Yunick had in the Chevelle which Curtis Turner pushed to fourth place in the 400.
Winners: Sam McQuagg, 1965 NASCAR rookie of the year and a darkhorse entry in the Firecracker 400, put a spoiler device to good use while guiding Ray Nichels’ 1966 Dodge Charger to victory in the eighth annual running of the classic at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
In fact, McQuagg, whose best finish this year was fifth in the Daytona 500, blistered the high banks at 153.818 mph average to break the previous mark of 151.451 set last year by A.J. Foyt.
The victory, first for McQuagg on the Grand National circuit, was worth $15,500 of the $64,000 purse.
Darel Dieringer, whose 1966 Comet was also equipped with a spoiler, finished second in the same lap with McQuagg.
Jim Paschal was third in a 1966 Plymouth, while Curtis Turner drove Smokey Yunick’s 1966 Chevelle to fourth place and Jim Hurtubise finished fifth in a 1966 Norm Nelson Plymouth.
