Bristol Virginia-Tennessean from Bristol, Virginia • 13

RSSWHSmW Wpi SM walMMgeigyMi ySTif" U- u's i'( 'I i 1 vi- k-sin -ji -1 ---i 'A Hi i -JV i SECTION i ft 1 ijw 't 'it vA Vir- 1 Vt Vk I VVlfc '4-i I ip iv fiPr' 1 VOLUNTEER 500' SOUVENIR EDITION JJF Vg9-4-t IR EDITIONF i Si i V- sj i V' j- if "llVr' 'fVULUl I ttK 0 g- Bjj ve Tx 4 FR1DAYAPRIL 27 192 BEE WHITE JOE WEATHERLY 't Will the "Volunteer 500" be the big event of the year for the "Wild Man of Wilkes After seeing two races -on the beautiful high-banked Bristol International Speedway area race enthusiasts realize that Junior Johnson of Renda is the man for the other drivers to beat in any race here and almost anywhere else for that matter Most racing fans determine whether Junior is the "hard-hick guy" or whether there is a car built that can stand up under hii forceful but skillful of driving Wsa Seven Bacee Last season Junior came home first in seven races an amount any driver would like to win But blown engines and ether mechanical difficulties forced him out of many other races that he would have won going away For instance he started on the outside in the front row at the inaugural "Volunteer 500" last year Fred Lorenzen was on the pole in a FtmL When the green flag was dropped to start die richest race on a half-mile track in the world Junior dropped backi cut to the inside and caught NASCAR the world's greatest rae-Lorenaen napping to take the lad big organization the pack entered the second Some loom as bigger threats tom than others though For instance He led the greater part of the race Fans marveled when they saw Junior get tangled up with another car hi the second turn 4 BIS Begins Second 1 Year Of Activities 'i With 'Volunteer 50(7 By LABRY CARRIER PrMMnlf BrlaM Ml IpiiMy At 1:90 pmy Sunday the green flag wffl be dropped to rtart the second annual "Volunteer i officially marking the beginning of the second year of activities at Bristol International 'Speedway The speedway has cun a kng way since the first ton of dirt was moved in January 190 but present plans cafl for going a lot farther V-' It was then and rivays wBl be eur goal to jive racing fins the best entertainment their money jean buy For that reason we have a wide slate of plane for additions and improvements te fire finest and fastest half-mile speedway But before we get Into thoee plans let us look beck at last year's activities here After construction was begun In January it took the crew six months to complete the beautiful layout and fine track Large Starting Field A field of 42 can started the first annual "Volunteer 500" last July 90 To my knowledge that is the largest field ever to have started on a half-mile track a The top qualifying speed was a little better than 71 miles per hour and the average speed for the 500 byre was a fraction ever 68 miles per hour We expected the speeds to be better Qian those turned in and wondered why they So we set cut to find the cause Finally we decided that there was some sort of oddity in the bank and as a result the whole track was repaved The speeds of the modified cars in the weekly races increased sharply but we had to wait until! October 29 ud the inaugural) "Southeastern 500" before we could determine the effect re-banking would have on the speeds of the Grand National Cars New Werld Record The date for time finally arrived and Bobby Johns took the pole position with speed of! neatly mftea per new world record for half-mile track Hie speed would probably have been faster if the track had been dry during qualifying runs A hard driving rain had fallen the night before and die second turn was extremefy wet Then came die day of the race end tittle Joe Weatherly crossed the finish line first with an average speed of better than 72 miles per hour Then we knew we had what we wanted-the fastest half-mile speedway to foe world And speeds should be even faster this year now that the drivers have driva two races here Professional' fooftaH was brought to East Tennessee for the first time when the Washington Redskins pigyed the Philadelphia Eagles on September 22 on the beautiful gridiron in the middle of the track Fireball Roberts who is now without die services of ace mechanic Smokey Yunick However he baa another good crew chief in the person of Ray' Nlchels of Highland Ind Nichels Is racing engineer who does the initial setup work on most of die Pontiacs driven in NASCAR Roberts won die "Daytona 500" in February setting a new record some four miles better than the' one eK by winner Marvin Panch tbeilast year I Aa far as the record book Is and lose the left front door hi the process Yet he stiB set a furious pace and no other car was side to catdi him until he finally left the race with a Mown eo- 8ne- 51 He made an equatiy good showing here at the "Southeastern 500" in October However Johnson won't be die onfy driver to watch in "Volunteer 500" There will be to-someddl concerned Roberts Is the man in others ail skilled pilots or else racing He holds more they be driving in' (See JOHNSON Page Aortal Photo Shown Packed Grandstands Full Reid CTiCnn During Inaugural 'Volunleer 500' Last July 30 i BIS Has Earned iReputation As Jarrett- 200 --Writers Will Cover Race iJtsK- -'i '-I Bristol International Speedway mike around showed up every fa not yet a full year old and it day of the week They marveled has already gained recognition about the beautiful layout foie a the best half-mile high-banked jfacflliei and the high-banked race track fa the world turns which are 77 degrees' It fa addition to being the finesteMned Jus too beautiful to be track it fa aim the fastest That brie But ft was-big-time racing Ned'Jfarett a cool methodical driver with successful business interests in both CUrolinas won NASCAR's 1961 championships its prestige-packed Grand National Division the fastest race circuit for late-model stock cars Ned is a true champion He exemplifies the new breed of racing men on the Grand National dean hard competitors who make a business of racing Junior Johnson drove his Pontiac out of the pit area and set a marie of 71705 mflea per hour It reeemed a urn bet that he would-be the mass on Uw pole But Fred Lorenzen had news for those who thought so The- Elmhurst HI ace pushed Ms 11961 Ford around the oval at an average of 79125 the highest speed of the day-A capacity crowd of 25000 showed up the next day to witness the biggest racing event on a half-mile trade fa the history of NASCAR the first amuul 500" had arrived fa Bristol Then came Saturday the day of time trials Several drivers qualified and were hitting speeds averaging about 76 miles per hour Suddenly the speeds seemed to pick up Rex White turned the ovb! at 77451 Buck Baker bettered While's time with mark was proven during the first an nual "Southeastern last October 22 when Joe Weatherly drove his Pontiac to a record 7145 milec per hour for 500-laps or 250 miles The local racing plant opened for the first time about a week before the first annual "Volunteer 500" last July 50 and fans from of 77A54 And they went OIL More than 200 working newsmen will be present to cover the second annual "Volunteer 500" Sunday' -v They will be stationed fa all areas including the pits grandstands and press box which seats The newsmen come from United Ren -International Associated Press 25 television stations 100 newspapers and 100 radio ata-tions fa 12 states Aim present will be representatives from three national racing newspapers and two national racing magazines The 200 newsmen hnB from the following Rates: Temessee Kentucky North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Alabama Virginia West Virginia' Florida Ohio Maryland New Jersey md Pen: nsylvania Western Union machines will be placed fa file spacious press box for convenience of newsmen who wish to file their stories from the spot The entirq race will be broadcast liye over 1110 Bristol International Speedway Radio Network -ii The preface ceremonies passed and the cars started the pice lap When the green flag was dropped Johnson passed Lorenzen in the Second turn to take the lead a ipot which he held until the 119lh lap At the end of 100 tape he had built up' a 17-eecood lead ever Lorenzen v': 4 7-f Lorenzen pitted and Bob Wei born driving a 11 Pontiac took over the lead when Johnson temporarily gave up 'font place on lap 111 Jwkr had Mowed his pace wh he collided with Joe Weatherly fa fim second tunC I' Jack Smith' who was eveotually file wfaner took ever on lap 190 and led untE lap 161 when be relinquished the lead to Richmd Petty fa a Plymouth But file fans had been watch- fag Johnson weave his way back through the pack and on lap 170 ha passed Petty to take the lead again He set a furious pace until lap 229 when be went out with a blown engine giving the lead to Rex White in a Chevrolet White a comfortable lead tutti the 267th lap when he blew an engine fa the third turn and spun out i was then that Smjih took tha lead again and never gave ft up for the rest of the race 1 The fastest speeds of the noon however were turned in by Johnson Eariy fa the rare he was averaging better than 77 miles per hour That's moving in competition The fane -got plenty of excitement for theft money Eight caution flags wetw out during the course of file race One driver Herb Tillman fa a Chevrolet qiun out five 'times causing caution flags every time Johnny Allen took over for Smith ao a rdief driver alter Jack had token the lead for the lasf': time ft was Ation who brought the car across the line to victory Johnny had eotered the race fa another car 1961 Chevy that burned on the 120th lop Both AHen and Smith are origfaaQy from Atlanto and go about it fa a businesslike manner -Jarrett a resident of Conover fa the North Carolina foothills took over the lead fa the standings fa midsummer He dung tenaciously to' the top spot despite determined efforts by Rex White of Spartanburg Cl the 1960 champion to dislodge him Although he won ody one 1961 Grand National race-at Birmingham Ala on June Janett participated in 46 events and managed to finish up front in nearly dozen long-distance races carry-ing high points toward championship He finished top five 22 times and fa the top ten 22 times White winner of seven rices had 27 finishes in the top five but he fare too weB in several of the higbpoint races fa which Jarrett picked up many points Shat made the difference Jarrett fa no stranger to national championships He won the NASCAR sportsman championship two years in a row-1957 and 1956 He started sportsman-racing at Hickory in 1951 He has never had a serious accident and be rarely gets into trouble on the race track The jdiampion now 29 heads a bathroom fixture business in Charlotte CL and a lumber business fa Cheater He is an inch over six feet tall and weighs 1851 He and his wife Martha have three Glenn 11 Dale ant) Petty 1 jarrett fa a member- of thS Lutheran Church and is active In the Eks lodge in which he was the esteemed Leading Khight until be resigned because of file prase of his business and racing Racing Experts impressed With Local Speedway New BaiMiag Present plans call for construction of modern recreation building near the speedway office This building will1 be available for use by any organization and will be the site of beauty pageants performances by topiotch stars and other activities Flans have already been made for the construction of a four-lane highway at the speedway entranced That will be completed fa the near future and will ease the flow of traffic from the speedway J-VV- Grand National Champs Of Past (Red) Byron Robert Rexford Conewan-go NY Thomas Sanford Flock Atlanta Ga Thomas Sanford Petty Randleman Flock Atlanta Ga Buck) Baker (Buck) ''Baker'j SJC petty Randleman petty Randleman1 White Spartanburg "A beautifol layout" what two famed racing! men had to about the on year-old Bristol International Speedway fa a recent visit to Bris- w-v -V 's i v- Jack Turner Auto Chib driver and Dick Dolan- head of Pure Oil's racing division thus Joined a host of other racing figures in their praise of the BIS layout 1 1 Turner a veteran of 24 years in -racing who will drive in the Indianapolis -500 fa May said- "I have run on many hivbanked half-mile trpeks I have never seen one to compare with i 1 Dolan equrify impressed ha had heard nothing but praim for BIS in his traveb around the nation's tracks "Thom who've SC seen it will be coming back 1961-Nod again" m--- i N-CL 1949- Atlanta' Ga 1950-Bill Valley 1951-Herb 1952-Tim 1959-Herb Lee Nc i 'iStTmt 1956-Uazie Spartanburg 1957-Hzie' Spartanburg' 1956-Lee nc 1969-Rex i second from left and Johnny AHen' second from are afl Smifo arid after tk race: 1 7 by three beauty queens after winning -the Inaugural "Volunteer "Johnny 4 deserves a iot ef 11 SIWW- a a mm 9 a SWEET Jack Smith smiles as they are surrounded last July 90 From left are Becky Barnett of -Marion "Mas Volunteer 500" Smith Joyce pratae but I credit my pit crew Robinson of Wise Va runner-up fa the Hiss Volunteer 500" contest Allen and Miss Firebird with the victory I think file gang Janice Snyder of Kingsport Uhe BISPage 4) i v- ge The 1961 Chevrolet which1 Jarrett drove to the championship was owned by Holloway Jr of Delray Beach Fla Chief medianic was Bud Atishan 1 Jarrett Conover LARRY CARRIER i -rk ip' 1-v 'fi -a.