Beer Drinkin', Racin' 'n Football

[Arcey]

That was probably the worst invocation I’ve ever heard.

[Texas Lawdog]

I always rooted for Ned when he raced. He would have won the 63 Daytona 500 if he had not ran out of gas.  I started watchin Dale in the Busch series. His victorys at Daytona were great, especially when Ned was callin the race.  My grand mother's maiden was Jarrett and that part of the family along with the King side came from Virginia.  Dale is atrue gentleman just like his Dad. He will be a welcomed addition to the broadcast booth.

[Ozark Tracker]

you know when I think of the Stock Cars back in them days,  I always think of Fireball Roberts, was it 63 or 64 he crashed,  guess I'll have to google it and see.
course in them days they didn't have all the saftey features of todays cars.  they've come a long ways.

[Ozark Tracker]

here's what I found


Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, Jr. (January 20, 1929 – July 2, 1964) was one of the pioneering race car drivers of NASCAR.

Roberts was born in Tavares, Florida, and raised in Apopka, Florida where he was interested in both auto racing and baseball. He was a pitcher for the Zellwood Mud Hens, an American Legion baseball team, where he earned the nickname "Fireball" because of his pitches, not his driving style, which is sometimes disputed. He enlisted with the Army Air Corps in 1945, but was discharged after basic training because of asthma.
 
Roberts' 1962 Daytona 500 winning carHe attended the University of Florida but raced on dirt tracks on weekends. In 1947, at the age of 18, he raced on the Daytona Beach Road Course at Daytona for the first time. He won a 150-mile race at Daytona Beach the following year.

Roberts continued to amass victories on the circuit, despite the changes in NASCAR as it moved away from shorter dirt tracks to superspeedways in the 1950s and 1960s. In his 206 career NASCAR Grand National races, he won 33 times and had 32 poles. He finished in the top five 45 percent of the time. He won the 1962 Daytona 500.
 
On May 24, 1964, at the World 600 in Charlotte, Roberts had qualified in the eleventh position and started in the middle of the pack. On lap 7, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson collided and spun out and Roberts crashed trying to avoid them. Roberts' Ford slammed backward into the inside retaining wall, flipped over and burst into flames. Witnesses at the track claimed they heard Roberts screaming, "Ned, help me!" from inside his car after the wreck. Jarrett rushed to save Roberts as his car was engulfed by the flames. Roberts suffered second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body and was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. Although it was widely believed that Roberts had an allergic reaction to flame-retardant chemicals, he was secretly an asthmatic and the chemicals made his breathing worse.[1]

Roberts was able to survive for several weeks, and it appeared he might pull through, but Roberts' health took a turn for the worse on June 30, 1964. He contracted pneumonia and sepsis and slipped into a coma by the next day. He died on July 2, 1964.

[Texas Lawdog]

I remember Fireball's #22 orchid colored Fords.  He drove Smoky Yunick's Pontiac , also #22 which a Black/Gold 62 Pontiac Catalina.  In 62 Firestone did a tire test for stock cars at the Indianapolis Speedway.  Fireball, Paul Goldsmith, and Joe Weatherly were all driving 62 Pontiacs for the test. To my knowledge, that was the only time that Stock Cars were on the track at Indy until they started the Brickyard 400 in 94.

[Texas Lawdog]

Fireball also raced on the Old Beach course at Daytona. I remember him driving a 55 Buick 2doorHT  #M-2.

[Arcey]

My first BIG race was the Southern 500 in ’63. Roberts won it. Joe, I don’t remember the position, finished high enough to beat Richard Petty for the championship.

Robert’s death led to the development of the fuel cell. Joe’s to the window net.

[Leo Tanner]

What was that wreck in the 50's, where the car landed in the front rows of the stands?  Saw footage of it as a kid but haven't thought about it til now.  I'm sure you guy's will remember.


Leo

[Texas Lawdog]

There is a lot film of Cale Yarbrough in a 63 Ford flying over the fence at Darlington.  There is another one of Dick Hutcherson in another Ford going over a Fence at Daytona.

[Arcey]

Leo, I remember readin’ about someone knockin’ the fence down in Martinsville in the fifties. Don’t think anyone was killed.

When NASCAR banned the ‘Himmy’, Chrysler got their collective panties inna wad ‘n pulled their factory backed cars. Petty went drag racin’ in what would become Funny Cars. He had an accident ‘n killed a l’il boy.

Bobby Allison went airborne at Talladega back in the ‘80s ‘n rode the catch fence. Several were injured by debris. Now at that track ‘n Daytona they have restrictor plates to keep ‘em under two hundred miles an hour.

[Texas Lawdog]

Arcey, Is it just me or have we seen a bunch of this Nascar stuff?

[Arcey]

LOL! Reckon we’ve seen a lap or three.

[Texas Lawdog]

RCR got the 1, 2,3, finish at Bristol.   Glad to see GM in the winner's circle.  More hard luck for JGR again.  Martinsville will be tough on the brakes.

[Leo Tanner]

Arce,
     I think ya got it right with the Martinsville episode.  It was when they was racin the single seaters open top with the roll bar in back.  If memry serves the car didn't go thru the fence but flew over it an landed on the crowd.  It's funny the things ya remember from childhood.

     If I have anymore questions I'll know right where ta go.


Leo

[Arcey]

Power steerin’ trouble for Hamlin last week. Same thing for Busch today. Fuel problems for Stewart ‘n Hamlin last year in this race. Fuel problem for Hamlin today. Wonder what’s goin’ on at JGR. They had ‘em won.

Leo, that ain’t it. I watch stock cars. Don’t know much about the old roadsters. Remember a real, real bad one in france (lower case intended) years ago. Killed a bunch of spectators.

[Texas Lawdog]

Le Mans.

[Texas Lawdog]

Lots of Gremlins runnin around JGR.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

You're right, TLD. That one was a bad one. Not sure if they changed the spectator areas or not after that one. Another bad one was in '67 or '68. Walt Hansgen had to go down an escape chute and still hit hay bales or something in one of those Ford GT-40 Mark IV's. Tore the car completely up...............Buck

[Arcey]

……or Lay Maaaaa as the frogs say.

If it’s the one I have in mind it was horrible. But what in the name of heck were those people thinkin’ standin’ there?

The ‘world’ racin’ community can run their mouths all they want about the European ‘rice-in’ sophistication. They can’t hold a candle to NASCAR or the NHRA when it comes to safety for the competitors or spectators.

[Texas Lawdog]

I was watching the NHRA races from Gainesville Florida yesterday on TV.  Cruz Pedregon had a buge Blower explosion and fire on his Funny Car. The body was blown completely off the car and the Safety Safari was on the spot to put out the fire. Cruz was shaken but uninjured.

[Arcey]

Looks like.....



BAM Racin'.......



Has switched......

[Lucky Irish Tom]

Is that the car they have to shut the windows and turn it off, then open the windows and restart it for every Pit Stop? 

[Four-Eyed Buck]

 

[Silver Creek Slim]

 

Slim

[Texas Lawdog]

Arcey, Looks like Shrader will be driving a Toyota the rest of the season.