Top-10 List: January #NASCAR Races

10 factoids from the days when NASCAR actually raced during the month of January.

For the last 39 years, the NASCAR premier series season has begun each February with Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. And it’s been 40 years since the first race of the season took place in the month of January.

 

Once upon a time, though, NASCAR did race in January. Not often, mind you, but occasionally.

 

So now that the holidays are over, the first Top 10 list of 2021 covers NASCAR trivia regarding the month of January.

 

Lee Petty raced at Palm Beach Speedway in the early days of NASCAR. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images

 

10. First January race

The 1952 premier series season opened up on January 20, 1952, at Palm Beach Speedway, a 0.500-mile dirt track in West Palm Beach, Florida. There, Hall of Famer Tim Flock (2014) lapped runner-up Lee Petty (2011) and the rest of the field. Driving a Ted Chester-owned Hudson Hornet, Flock led 194 of 200 laps to win $1,025.

 

9. Total January races

In the 72-year history of the premier series, there have only been 20 races contested in January, the last one coming in 1981.

 

8. Tracks that have hosted January races

Believe it or not, just three tracks have hosted premier series races during the month of January. Including the aforementioned Palm Beach Speedway in 1952. Arizona State Fairgrounds, a 1.00-mile dirt track in Phoenix, staged a 150-nile race won by Buck Baker (2013) on January 22, 1956. The other 18 January premier series races were all run on the old 2.7-mile Riverside International Raceway road course in Southern California. 

 

On January 22, 1967, Parnelli Jones won the Motor Trend 500. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images

 

7. Biggest January field

The 1967 Motor Trend 500 at Riverside International Raceway had a field of 46 cars, the largest of any premier series race ever run in January. Open-wheel ace Parnelli Jones drove a Bill Stroppe-owned Ford to victory over Paul Goldsmith and Norm Nelson.

 

6. Slowest January race

In the early days, premier series races at Riverside International Raceway were a full 500 miles, which made for long afternoons in the Southern California sun. In 1963, Dan Gurney won the Riverside 500 behind the wheel of the iconic No. 28 Holman-Moody Racing Ford frequently piloted by Fred Lorenzen (2015). It took Gurney 5 hours, 53 minutes and 20 seconds to go the distance, averaging 84.965 mph.

 

5. Fastest January race

In terms of average speed, the fastest January premier series race was the 1979 Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway. Driving for DiGard Racing, Darrell Waltrip (2012) averaged 107.82 mph in a race that ran caution free. With the race distance shortened from the old 500 miles to 500 kilometers – about 312 miles – Waltrip needed just 2 hours, 53 minutes and 30 seconds to defeat fellow Hall of Famers David Pearson (2011) and Cale Yarborough (2012). 

 

4. Most January victories

Of the 18 races run in January at Riverside International Raceway, Dan Gurney won five of them, making him the biggest January winner in NASCAR history. Not coincidentally, all of Gurney’s career premier series wins were at Riverside. 

 

3. Hall of Famers who won January races

Seven NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees won premier series races in the month of January: Tim Flock (2014) in 1952; Buck Baker (2013) in 1956; Richard Petty (2010) in 1972; Cale Yarborough (2012) in 1974 and ‘78; Bobby Allison (2011) in 1975 and 1981; David Pearson (2011) in 1976 and ’77; and Darrell Waltrip (2012) in 1979 and ’80.

 

2. Most team wins in January

Wood Brothers Racing, the team founded by Hall of Famer Glen Wood (2012) in 1950, won five January races at Riverside International Raceway, with Dan Gurney in in 1964-66 and ’68 and David Pearson in 1976 and ’77.

 

Bobby Allison leads David Pearson, Richard Petty and the rest of the field at Riverside International Raceway in the 1975 Winston Western 500. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images

 

1. Last January Race

On January 11, 1981, Bobby Allison (2011) won the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway, leading an all-Hall of Fame top five ahead of Terry Labonte (2016), Dale Earnhardt (2010), Richard Childress (2017) and Richard Petty (2010). NASCAR has not hosted a premier series race in January since that day 40 years ago.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is open Wednesday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To purchase tickets, go to nascarhall.com/tickets.

 

Source

Bobby Allison Inducted To City Of Hampton Speedway Lane Hall Of Fame

Five-time Atlanta winner, 1983 Winston Cup Series champion and 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Allison was officially inducted into the city of Hampton, Georgia's Speedway Lane Hall of Fame in a ceremony March 2.

Established in 2013, Hampton's Speedway Lane Hall of Fame honors influential members of the NASCAR community with strong ties to Georgia and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Its current members include Fayetteville, Georgia's Rex White, Dawsonville, Georgia's Bill Elliott, six-time Atlanta winner Richard Petty, five-time Atlanta winner Jeff Gordon, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. chairman Bruton Smith and Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark.

So cool meeting the NASCAR legend Bobby Allison!@BobbyAllison12 pic.twitter.com/IOrLF5qjMW

— Andybray (@Andybball27) March 3, 2017

Born in Hueytown, Alabama, Allison's storied career began in 1961 and today is one of the most recognizable names in stock car racing history. In 27 years of racing at NASCAR's top level, Allison racked up 85 wins, including three in the Daytona 500, 85 poles, 446 top-10 finishes and was a seven-time Winston Cup Series most popular driver.

@DISupdates doing @NASCARHall of Fame media and look who found me @Team_Penske pic.twitter.com/afxuuU6VdF

— Bobby Allison (@BobbyAllison12) February 25, 2017

Currently, Allison is tied at fifth with back-to-back Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 winner Jimmie Johnson for most Atlanta wins with five. He also had 17 top-5 and 27 top-10 finishes in 48 career races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

When You're Hot, You're Hot

Bobby Allison enjoys all Victory Lane has to offer after winning the 1987 Firecracker 400.#NASCAR @DISupdates pic.twitter.com/5gc3351UMW

— NASCAR Victory Lane (@NASCARVL) February 28, 2017

Old School Nascar Glory Day's / Bobby Allison 1979 @ Nashville fairgrounds pic.twitter.com/FHb2exe6Xi

— OldSchool (@OldSchRides) February 19, 2017

Source

Related Posts:

1. Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 #NASCAR Weekend Schedule
2. Final Race on #NASCAR Atlanta Motor Speedway Surface
3. Ten Reasons To Be At Atlanta Motor Speedway This Weekend!
4. Jeffrey Earnhardt's 2017 #NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Debut
5. Daytona 500 Champion | Kurt Busch

Bobby Allison Fanatics Authentic 12" x 15" Daytona International Speedway Plaque with Race-Used Sign - $59.99 This Bobby Allison plaque comes with a sublimated 8" x 10" photograph, a descriptive plate and an actual piece of sign from the grandstand at Daytona International Speedway. The black plaque measures 12" x 15" x 1" and comes ready to hang in any home or office. The product is officially licensed by NASCAR and comes with a statement of authenticity from Daytona International Speedway.

Tony Stewart Looking To Capture The Southern 500 Trophy

“I can’t remember what I had for lunch most days, but it was at Scottsburg, Indiana. They ran Late Models, Street Stocks and Bombers, or something like that, that night. It was him in a Coke-sponsored car. He was running around the bottom the whole time. I was yelling, ‘Run the top.’ I wanted to see him run the top once. But he was set up for the bottom, I’m sure, and I remember he ran eighth. That was probably 30 to 35 years ago, but I can remember it. I knew Bobby because he was a NASCAR driver. My family, we barely could afford to race the go-karts we were racing, let alone go do something else, so I went with a buddy of mine. I didn’t know Bobby was going to be there that day. But out front of the racetrack, on the marquee, it said Bobby Allison was racing and the date, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s going to be cool.’”  (Smoke shared his first memory of Bobby Allison on his Facebook page.)

Tony Stewart knows he has a tall task ahead of him in Sunday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C) Raceway. But the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion would like nothing better to celebrate his 50th victory after his final race at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks.

Adding to the prestige of this weekend’s penultimate race before the start of NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs, the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Chevrolet SS will carry a red-and-gold Coca-Cola paint scheme honoring the 1971 and 1972 racecars driven by Bobby Allison in back-to-back victories at Darlington.

“Winning the Southern 500 is a goal of anyone who ever races in NASCAR,” Stewart said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to win a lot of races and championships, but I’m not going to lie – taking home the trophy from the Southern 500 would be really cool, especially in a really cool car.”

The “cool car” he refers to is part of throwback weekend at Darlington, when teams will honor the NASCAR heritage with special paint schemes and uniforms. Nearly every car in the field will sport a throwback paint scheme. The No. 14 crew will wear 1970s-styled, red-and-white Coca-Cola pants throughout the three-day Darlington weekend.

Stewart’s car will also be emblazoned with Coca-Cola’s tagline of that era, “The Real Thing.” The authentic look from Allison’s race-winning cars have been recreated for Stewart’s Chevrolet this weekend, right down to the gold wheels and cubic-inch displacement boast on the hood. Allison dominated from start to finish in both the 1971 and 1972 races at the 1.366-mile oval. He started from the pole each time and led 558 of the 734 laps available – 76 percent – in the two races. He paced the field for all but 38 laps in the 1971 Southern 500 and led a race-high 229 laps in the 1972 Southern 500. The victories were the first of five premiere series wins Allison earned at Darlington.

“(Allison) was fierce in a racecar,” said Stewart, who remembers watching Allison at a dirt race in Scottsburg, Indiana as a youngster. “You knew that if he was out there, you were going to have to be on your game to beat him that day.”

Five hundred miles at Darlington is normally tough under any circumstances but, for Stewart, “The Track Too Tough To Tame” and Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, added to the schedule in 2011, are the only venues on the Sprint Cup circuit where he has yet to win. He owns a career-best third-place finish in the 2009 and 2012 Southern 500s. He posted four top-five finishes and 12 top-10s and has led a total of 30 laps in his 23 career Sprint Cup starts at Darlington. His average Darlington start is 17.5, his average finish is 12.0, and he has a lap-completion rate of 99.1 percent. One of Stewart’s 11 career Xfinity Series victories came at Darlington on May 9, 2008.

Stewart announced in November that 2016 would be his final season as a full-time Sprint Cup Series driver. He missed the first eight races of the season after sustaining a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra in a Jan. 31 all-terrain-vehicle accident. Brian Vickers and Ty Dillon filled in during his absence. Stewart’s first race in 2016 didn’t occur until April 24 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. With rookie crew chief Mike Bugarewicz, Stewart has surpassed preseason predictions, winning at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June and racing at the front of the field nearly every race since. In the last 10 races, Stewart has scored the fifth-most points of any driver. His 21st-place finish at Michigan Sunday clinched a spot in the Chase, which begins Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

Stewart said the next two races are important to Chase preparation for himself, as well as his SHR teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, who have clinched Chase berths, as well.

“You want to be peaking at that time,” Stewart said. “It’s never that you go to the track and you’re like, ‘Well, we don’t want to peak this weekend, so we’re not going to try to win the race.’ That’s not the scenario you put yourself in. You want to have momentum, you want your team guys to feel like they’re building on something and feel like they’re getting to the top of the pile.

“I feel like we’re in a position like that. Kevin and Kurt are both running well each week, our car has been getting better and better each week, as well. Until the last two races, we were knocking out top-fives left and right here and, if we can have that kind of consistency again, that could carry us a long way in the Chase.”

Team Release

2015 NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver Award Voting Opens September 6th

The National Motorsports Press Association and Sprint are pleased to announce that voting for the 2015 NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver award will open Sunday, September 6.

The NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver award is the only major NASCAR award determined solely by fan vote. The voting period will open at 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday and run through 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 22. Fans can visit www.mostpopulardriver.com to cast their vote for this year’s award. Votes will also be received via the NASCAR Mobile application.

Since the award’s inception in 1953, 19 drivers have won the award. NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott has won the award more than any other driver (16 times). Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won it the last 12 years in a row.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. "You look at Richard Petty and Bill Elliott and I've always felt that if you win this award once then you are in good company. I'm real proud of it. The fans have hung in there and gave me one heck of a Christmas gift."

Voting is limited to one vote per person per email address per day. Fans are encouraged to share their votes on Facebook and Twitter. The official Twitter hashtag for the NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver Award is #SprintMPD.

Eligible drivers for the award are those who have declared to compete for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

“The Most Popular Driver Award is one of the NMPA’s most significant awards, and I’m very pleased to partner with Sprint again this year,” said NMPA President Brian Nelson. “We expect the 2015 vote to be one of the biggest yet.”

The winner of this year’s award will be announced during NBCSN’s broadcast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards on Dec. 4 in Las Vegas. A $10,000 donation will be made to the winning driver’s charity of choice.

The Most Popular Driver award program is one of the longest-running awards presented each year by the National Motorsports Press Association.

Previous winners of the NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver Award:

Year – Recipient

2014 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2013 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2012 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2011 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2010 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2009 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2008 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2007 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2006 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2005 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2004 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2003 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

2002 – Bill Elliott

2001 – Dale Earnhardt

2000 – Bill Elliott

1999 – Bill Elliott

1998 – Bill Elliott

1997 – Bill Elliott

1996 – Bill Elliott

1995 – Bill Elliott

1994 – Bill Elliott

1993 – Bill Elliott

1992 – Bill Elliott

1991 – Bill Elliott

1990 – Darrell Waltrip

1989 – Darrell Waltrip

1988 – Bill Elliott

1987 – Bill Elliott

1986 – Bill Elliott

1985 – Bill Elliott

1984 – Bill Elliott

1983 – Bobby Allison

1982 – Bobby Allison

1981 – Bobby Allison

1980 – David Pearson

1979 – David Pearson

1978 – Richard Petty

1977 – Richard Petty

1976 – Richard Petty

1975 – Richard Petty

1974 – Richard Petty

1973 – Bobby Allison

1972 – Bobby Allison

1971 – Bobby Allison

1970 – Richard Petty

1969 – Bobby Isaac

1968 – Richard Petty

1967 – Cale Yarborough

1966 – Darel Dieringer

1965 – Fred Lorenzen

1964 – Richard Petty

1963 – Fred Lorenzen

1962 – Richard Petty

1961 – Joe Weatherly

1960 – Rex White

1959 – Jack Smith

1958 – Glen Wood

1957 – Fireball Roberts

1956 – Curtis Turner

1955 – Tim Flock

1954 – Lee Petty

1953 – Lee Petty

NASCAR During the Holiday Season?

NASCAR greats Curtis Turner, left, and Fireball Roberts in a Ford Motor Co. publicity
photo prior to the start of the NASCAR racing season on Jan. 1, 1957. (Getty Images)

NASCAR at Christmastime? Are you going through NASCAR withdrawals like NASCAR Race Mom? December has always meant NASCAR off season – right?

Wendell Scott scored his landmark victory
(Getty Images)

Well as a matter of fact; not always.

On December 1, 1963, African-American Wendell Scott won in Jacksonville, Florida.

This historical win is the first and only win for an African-American at stock car racing's highest level.

NASCAR's top series has held a total of eight races in December.

 

NASCAR's December Grand National Races

	Date	Location	Winner
	12/11/1955	West Palm Beach, Fla.	Herb Thomas
	12/02/1956	Concord, N.C.	Marvin Panch
	12/30/1956	Titusville, Fla.	Fireball Roberts
	12/01/1963	Jacksonville, Fla.	Wendell Scott
	12/29/1963	Savannah, Fla.	Richard Petty
	12/08/1968	Macon, Ga.	Bobby Allison
	12/07/1969	College Station, Texas	Bobby Isaac
	12/12/1971	College Station, Texas	Richard Petty

Source

Legends Reveal Glory Road 2.0 Surprises

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is readying to unveil a complete makeover of one of its signature exhibits, Glory Road, on Jan. 11, 2014.

 

To mark this major revamp, some fan favorites will be on hand to help the Hall reveal some of the exhibit’s newest additions.

 

Mark your calendar for a special birthday party in honor of Bobby Allison on Dec. 7 at 12:30 p.m. Then on Tuesday, Dec. 10, Rusty Wallace heads to the Hall at 1 p.m. for another special announcement with exactly one month to go before the Glory Road 2.0 unveil date.

 

In the meantime, stay tuned to nascarhall.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for sneak peeks of the NASCAR stock cars that will find a new home in this exhibit.



NASCAR Race Mom enjoyed her visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Dec. 2011)