Old NASCAR was the best!

[j-c-c-62]

I walked up to him in the pits at a NASCAR race and asked for a picture.
He took it with me, no problem.

Maybe he just hates kids?

 

[Blackheart]

Back when only six cars finished the race!

I watched Nascar back then all the way up till Mopar went out in '71. Only watched it occasionally after that. I used to like Mark Martin for his sportsmanship, Dale the Intimidator for... well you know. Once they all became generic cars racing, not so interested anymore.

"After dominating the races in 1964, Chrysler's 426 Hemi was not allowed to compete in NASCAR's 1965 season due to its unavailability in production vehicles that are sold to the general public."

My first NASCAR race in person was 1957 at Bowman-Gray Stadium, Lee Petty won in a '57 Olds. I have followed and attend many races in the South in the 60's and 70's and never seen race or heard of a race since then that only 6 cars finished, you may be able to search and find one, but you made your statement like it was a common occurrence. I had a NASCAR dirt track in my hometown that closed in 1968 with Petty in a '68 Road Runner winning the last race and I saw every race from 1960 until they closed. Now granted there times when only one car finished in the lead lap and sometimes won by multiple laps.

As for the '65 season the Chrysler boycott due to France banning the Hemi after the '64 season relegated the top cars to all Fords, Chevy was non factor at the time, so with boring races and declining attendance Bill France lifted his ban and the Plymouth and Dodge teams returned later that summer. There aren't many, but pictures do exists of Petty in a '65 Belvedere since they only ran a few months that year.

Doing it on dirt in 1965!

 

[j-c-c-62]

Yes, there were also a few mopars If I remember correctly running in the 65 Daytona Firecracker 400, in contention but never led in the race, handicapped a bit IMO since the ban was lifted just prior to the race.

 

[Blackheart]

Pretty sure Buck Baker as an independent fielded a Plymouth C body in 65 at Darlington, see the September Darlington results, https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/1965_Southern_500. All Mopar cars at the time in 65 are independents, the factory teams showed later in the year, so all Mopars at both Daytona races in '65 were independents.

The Chrysler factory teams are not there for Labor Day yet..

 

[70ChargerRT]

That was way before my time but I was a big time die hard NASCAR fan when I was a kid. I was a Big Earnhardt fan and started liking him when he drove the #3 yellow wrangler car. Petty will always be the King but Earnhardt will always be my favorite. I’ll always feel like when he died NASCAR died with him. I tried to support JR but I just couldn’t and so I haven’t watched another race after the following year Sr died.

 

[polyjohn]

Nice replies Guys!
Some folks memories are slightly wrong but that fact is it was BETTER back then!
Even 65 C-Bodies got in to the mix, even though they never got the 426 hemi...

So to make things right, my moparmate is gonna build a 65 Fury with a 528 hemi.
He won't be doing any high speed tracks, just the 1320...

Keep the pictures coming before its all forgotten!
Poly John

 

[Skytrooper]

IROC was the biggest contributor to NASCARs current miasma. While is was a cool idea for a sideline race, it grew like an enlarged prostrate. I am sure the judges and techs loved how easy it made the cars for inspection. ” Look fellers, this is easy with them all being the same”. Of course, this is just my take on how things might have gone down, but the catalyst came from somewhere. Everything started to change for the worse after IROC started.

 

[j-c-c-62]

One picture of the "Best days" at Daytona I regret not having/taking was standing just 20' outside the very rear of the fenced in paddock in 1961 looking at the remains of the Lee Petty over the wall wrecked #42 Plymouth that ended his career. The car was destroyed. It drew a lot of rubberneckers, I was 8, I remember it vividly to this day.

Another memory not so pleasant now on reflection, between the fence and the wrecked Petty car which was next to the racer's garage buildings, was a water? filled ditch maybe 4-6' Wide running along side the fence. It existed for a number of years. I above say water because during the races it appeared the teams emptied their used black motor oil into the ditch and the oil covered the entire surface for over 100'. That is where I saw my first roller cam (from a modified?), it was sitting in an oil pan partly submerged in the ditch with some other broken(?) parts and I was puzzled why it had such different shaped cam lobes then most cams. I was under 10?

 

[Photon440]

Richard Petty's first return to Nascar was July 25, 1965 after Chrysler had finally built the required 500 street hemis to homologate them for racing. He entered fifteen races for the end of that season, winning four of them.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

IROC was the biggest contributor to NASCARs current miasma. While is was a cool idea for a sideline race, it grew like an enlarged prostrate. I am sure the judges and techs loved how easy it made the cars for inspection. ” Look fellers, this is easy with them all being the same”. Of course, this is just my take on how things might have gone down, but the catalyst came from somewhere. Everything started to change for the worse after IROC started.

IROC stood for 'It Ran Off Course'.

 

[Photon440]

I didn't even know that Richard Petty ran in IROC.

 

[Skytrooper]

Thanks to the OP for this thread ! I have literally “ gone down the rabbit hole” today watching the NASCAR of my youth !

 

[j-c-c-62]

IROC was the biggest contributor to NASCARs current miasma. While is was a cool idea for a sideline race, it grew like an enlarged prostrate. I am sure the judges and techs loved how easy it made the cars for inspection. ” Look fellers, this is easy with them all being the same”. Of course, this is just my take on how things might have gone down, but the catalyst came from somewhere. Everything started to change for the worse after IROC started.

Its back!
MSN

 

[Myo '64]

Thanks to the OP for this thread ! I have literally “ gone down the rabbit hole” today watching the NASCAR of my youth !

Thanks more to the participants adding to the thread. Some cool stories and some awesome photos. New guy here and am finding this to be a great forum.