T
TonyB
Guest
From the Houston Post
Wednesday June 23, 1971
Bobby Allison's incredible winning streak will get critical appraisal from his hottest NASCAR racing contemporaries Wednesday night with the running of the Space City 200 at Meyer Speedway.
Race time is 8 p.m., preceded by 4 p.m. practice and 6:30 p.m. time trials.
The race is the first short track Grand National ever in Texas and only the second west of the Mississippi. It will be run by the big leaguers who normally challenge Daytona and Charlotte and Talladega and those several other monuments to speed that have made the South the Mecca for stock car competition.
Richard Petty who has won more money and more races and traveled more closed-circuit miles than any driver in National Association for Stock Car Auto racing (NASCAR) history, once more leads not only the Grand National standing, but the competition for the Winston Cup.
James Hylton, the most successful of the racing independents, is second to Petty and Elmo Langley third, but it is that fourth-place fellow who has everybody sweating.
Bobby Allison, who was poised on the brink of retirement in May, has won four biggies in a row - including last week's road run at Riverside - and not only has won more than $100,000 this year, but is a very real threat to Patty's season lead.
Petty, Allison, Hylton, Langley.... in fact all of NASCAR's top eight drivers and 17 of the top 20... are in the Meyer field in Dodges, Mercurys, Plymouths, Fords and at least one Chevrolet that will have consdierable local backing.
Ronnie Chumley, the present leader in the Late Model Stockers at Meyer and the man who has toured the half-mile course faster than any other (he has a record 22.48 seconds for a qualifying lap), figures to give NASCAR's tourists a run for it.
Chumley, and those wrench pilots who build Gordon Van Liew's race cars, will deserve all they can get. The '69 Chevelle that took three weeks to prepare got a brisk workout Monday and blew an engine. Chumley and the troops worked late Tuesday night mending the damage.
Walter Ballard, a leading candidate for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors who stands 18th in the season points, and H.B. Bailey, one of the hottest in the Grand American competition, are other Houstonians who can make the big leaguers step.
Allison, however, is the The Man.
Two months ago, deprived of a factory ride and discourage by NASCAR mechanical restrictions which pulled some teeth from his 1971 Dodge, Bob was ready to pack it in. Then David Pearson parted with Holman- Moody and the car builders promptly whistled up Allison.
Bob's first start was a second-place finish to his brother, Donnie, at Talladega.
Then Bobby won the Charlotte 600, leading 309 of the 400 laps; the Dover Downs 500, the Motor State 400 at Irish Hills, Mich, and last week, the Riverside 400.
The four-race win streak boosted Allison's earnings to more than $120,000 this season and he would like to add to the winner's share of Wednesday night's $15,000 purse.
Wednesday's races is for 300 laps, or 150 miles. The 24to-30 car field figures to get a workout on Mayer's banked half-mile track.
Petty, who drives a Plymouth, has won $150,000 this season and is one of three, including A.J. Foyt and the late Bruce McLaren to earn a million dollars from race purses.
Cecil Gordon, Benny Parson, Jabe Thomas, Bill Champion, Ed Negre, Bill Shirey, J.C. MCDuffie, Dean Dalton and Henley Gray are among others in Wednesday night's field. Cale Yarbarough and Lee Roy Yarbrough, will not run here, having gone over to USAC.
Wednesday June 23, 1971
Bobby Allison's incredible winning streak will get critical appraisal from his hottest NASCAR racing contemporaries Wednesday night with the running of the Space City 200 at Meyer Speedway.
Race time is 8 p.m., preceded by 4 p.m. practice and 6:30 p.m. time trials.
The race is the first short track Grand National ever in Texas and only the second west of the Mississippi. It will be run by the big leaguers who normally challenge Daytona and Charlotte and Talladega and those several other monuments to speed that have made the South the Mecca for stock car competition.
Richard Petty who has won more money and more races and traveled more closed-circuit miles than any driver in National Association for Stock Car Auto racing (NASCAR) history, once more leads not only the Grand National standing, but the competition for the Winston Cup.
James Hylton, the most successful of the racing independents, is second to Petty and Elmo Langley third, but it is that fourth-place fellow who has everybody sweating.
Bobby Allison, who was poised on the brink of retirement in May, has won four biggies in a row - including last week's road run at Riverside - and not only has won more than $100,000 this year, but is a very real threat to Patty's season lead.
Petty, Allison, Hylton, Langley.... in fact all of NASCAR's top eight drivers and 17 of the top 20... are in the Meyer field in Dodges, Mercurys, Plymouths, Fords and at least one Chevrolet that will have consdierable local backing.
Ronnie Chumley, the present leader in the Late Model Stockers at Meyer and the man who has toured the half-mile course faster than any other (he has a record 22.48 seconds for a qualifying lap), figures to give NASCAR's tourists a run for it.
Chumley, and those wrench pilots who build Gordon Van Liew's race cars, will deserve all they can get. The '69 Chevelle that took three weeks to prepare got a brisk workout Monday and blew an engine. Chumley and the troops worked late Tuesday night mending the damage.
Walter Ballard, a leading candidate for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors who stands 18th in the season points, and H.B. Bailey, one of the hottest in the Grand American competition, are other Houstonians who can make the big leaguers step.
Allison, however, is the The Man.
Two months ago, deprived of a factory ride and discourage by NASCAR mechanical restrictions which pulled some teeth from his 1971 Dodge, Bob was ready to pack it in. Then David Pearson parted with Holman- Moody and the car builders promptly whistled up Allison.
Bob's first start was a second-place finish to his brother, Donnie, at Talladega.
Then Bobby won the Charlotte 600, leading 309 of the 400 laps; the Dover Downs 500, the Motor State 400 at Irish Hills, Mich, and last week, the Riverside 400.
The four-race win streak boosted Allison's earnings to more than $120,000 this season and he would like to add to the winner's share of Wednesday night's $15,000 purse.
Wednesday's races is for 300 laps, or 150 miles. The 24to-30 car field figures to get a workout on Mayer's banked half-mile track.
Petty, who drives a Plymouth, has won $150,000 this season and is one of three, including A.J. Foyt and the late Bruce McLaren to earn a million dollars from race purses.
Cecil Gordon, Benny Parson, Jabe Thomas, Bill Champion, Ed Negre, Bill Shirey, J.C. MCDuffie, Dean Dalton and Henley Gray are among others in Wednesday night's field. Cale Yarbarough and Lee Roy Yarbrough, will not run here, having gone over to USAC.