Race details [1] [2] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 40 of 53 in the 1957 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Date | September 2, 1957 | ||
Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.375 mi (2.221 km) | ||
Distance | 400 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
Weather | Extremely hot with temperatures of 93.3 °F (34.1 °C); wind speeds of 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
Average speed | 100.094 miles per hour (161.086 km/h) | ||
Attendance | 75,000 | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Nichels Engineering | ||
Time | 16.863 seconds | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Speedy Thompson | Speedy Thompson | |
Laps | 210 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 46 | Speedy Thompson | Speedy Thompson | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | WJMX (local AM radio) | ||
Announcers | Local radio announcers |
The 1957 Southern 500, the eighth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 2, 1957, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
Herb Thomas, already a three-time Southern 500 winner, arrived in Darlington in a visibly shaken state. Thomas finally gave up his ride to Fonty Flock stating that he was just too nervous to drive the race. The race was then marred by a violent crash involving him, Bobby Myers and Paul Goldsmith, causing severe injuries to all drivers involved, ending Flock's career and resulting in the death of Myers.
Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
The track is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval. [3] The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees. [3] The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch is banked at six degrees. [3] Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people. [3]
Darlington has something of a legendary quality among drivers and older fans; this is probably due to its long track length relative to other NASCAR speedways of its era and hence the first venue where many of them became cognizant of the truly high speeds that stock cars could achieve on a long track. The track allegedly earned the moniker The Lady in Black because the night before the race the track maintenance crew would cover the entire track with fresh asphalt sealant, in the early years of the speedway, thus making the racing surface dark black. Darlington is also known as "The Track Too Tough to Tame" because drivers can run lap after lap without a problem and then bounce off of the wall the following lap. Racers will frequently explain that they have to race the racetrack, not their competition. Drivers hitting the wall are considered to have received their "Darlington Stripe" thanks to the missing paint on the right side of the car.
The event took five hours and one second to complete on a paved oval track spanning 1.375 miles (2.213 km) for a distance of 500.5 miles (805.5 km). [2] Seventy-five thousand fans attended. Billy Carden qualified for this event in 45th place and finished in 6th place. [2] The most notable crew chiefs for this race were Jess Potter, Bud Moore, Shorty Johns and Ray Fox. [4]
Speedy Thompson defeated Cotton Owens by three laps at an average speed of 100.094 miles per hour (161.086 km/h). [2] Thompson drove the iconic 1957 Chevrolet during that race; that vehicle went on to win the 1958 and the 1959 runnings of the Southern 500. Owens won the pole position with a speed of 117.416 miles per hour (188.963 km/h) during qualifying. [2] Speedy Thompson would record his only Southern 500 victory here even though he would win on other paved superspeedways.
T.A. Toomes received the last-place finish due to a problem with his brakes on lap 3 out of 364. Runt Harris returned to NASCAR after a 7-year absence, driving his way to a 39th-place finish after his vehicle developed problems with its clutch. Former Cup series race winner Bill Blair made his only start of the 1957 NASCAR Grand National Series season; finishing in 38th place after inflicting terminal damage to his vehicle. [2]
Brownie King was 59 laps down; he started in 31st and managed to improve his position to 21st place. However, he was unable to properly compete for a win or even a finish in the top-15. [2]
Bobby Myers lost his life as a result of a race-related crash; Fonty Flock and Paul Goldsmith were also involved in this accident. The technology found in the modern NASCAR Cup Series vehicles could have saved Myers' life, and it's a shame because Myers had a promising career in NASCAR racing. [2] [5] [6]
George Parrish made a notable appearance in this race using a 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk; he witnessed the fatal crash of Bobby Myers at close range. [7] Parrish retired after the 1958 NASCAR Cup Series season. [7]
As a rookie, Cale Yarborough made his NASCAR debut here and finished in 42nd place (out of 50 drivers). [2] Fonty Flock retired after this race.
Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Qualifying time [8] | Speed [8] | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Cotton Owens | '57 Pontiac | 16.863 | 117.416 | Ray Nichels |
2 | 4 | Bobby Myers | '57 Oldsmobile | 16.922 | 117.007 | Petty Enterprises |
3 | 31 | Curtis Turner | '57 Ford | 16.937 | 116.903 | Smokey Yunick |
4 | 80 | Jimmie Lewallen | '57 Pontiac | 17.211 | 115.042 | Sam Rice |
5 | 62 | Frankie Schneider | '57 Chevrolet | 17.228 | 114.929 | Frankie Schenider |
6 | 3 | Paul Goldsmith | '57 Ford | 16.598 | 119.291 | Smokey Yunick |
7 | 46 | Speedy Thompson | '57 Chevrolet | 16.803 | 117.836 | Speedy Thompson |
8 | 42 | Lee Petty | '57 Oldsmobile | 16.845 | 117.542 | Petty Enterprises |
9 | 87 | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet | 16.919 | 117.028 | Buck Baker |
10 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | '57 Ford | 17.001 | 116.463 | Fireball Roberts |
Failed to qualify: Eddie Skinner (#28), Ted Chamberlain (#93), Joe Eubanks (#82), Fred Knapp (#37), Duke DeBrizzi (#81), Dave Terrell (#9), Larry Frank (#76), Bill Widenhouse (#5), Arden Mounts (#18), Bob Whitmire (#61), Barney Smith (#16), Jim Linke (#81) [8]
Section reference: [2]
Pos. | St. | # | Driver | Sponsor/Owner | Car | Laps | Status | Led | Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | 46 | Speedy Thompson | Oates Motor Co. (Speedy Thompson) | '57 Chevrolet | 364 | running | 210 | 13590 |
2 | 1 | 6 | Cotton Owens | Ray Nichels | '57 Pontiac | 361 | running | 18 | 6100 |
3 | 32 | 98 | Marvin Panch | Marvin Panch | '57 Ford | 360 | running | 0 | 3745 |
4 | 12 | 7 | Jim Reed | Jim Reed | '57 Ford | 356 | running | 0 | 2155 |
5 | 9 | 87 | Buck Baker | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet | 356 | running | 0 | 1650 |
6 | 45 | 2 | Billy Carden | Hubert Westmoreland | '57 Chevrolet | 354 | running | 0 | 1225 |
7 | 29 | 14 | Billy Myers | Billy Myers | '57 Ford | 353 | running | 0 | 1125 |
8 | 25 | 40 | Johnny Mackison | Camp Hill Special (Johnny Mackison) | '57 Ford | 352 | running | 0 | 975 |
9 | 48 | 48 | Possum Jones | Inalley Chevrolet (Bob Welborn) | '57 Chevrolet | 350 | running | 0 | 775 |
10 | 28 | 47 | Jack Smith | Jack Smith | '57 Chevrolet | 348 | crash | 9 | 785 |
11 | 3 | 31 | Curtis Turner | Smokey Yunick | '57 Ford | 346 | running | 51 | 1060 |
12 | 27 | 64 | Johnny Allen | Spook Crawford | '57 Plymouth | 345 | running | 0 | 600 |
13 | 17 | 34 | Dick Beaty | Dick Beaty | '56 Ford | 341 | running | 0 | 350 |
14 | 4 | 80 | Jimmie Lewallen | Sam Rice | '57 Pontiac | 340 | running | 0 | 370 |
15 | 34 | 45 | Eddie Pagan | Eddie Pagan | '57 Ford | 339 | running | 0 | 250 |
16 | 23 | 77 | Bobby Johns | Shorty Johns | '56 Chevrolet | 335 | running | 0 | 225 |
17 | 26 | 20 | Jimmy Thompson | Jimmy Thompson | '56 Ford | 328 | running | 0 | 225 |
18 | 38 | 54 | Nace Mattingly | Nace Mattingly | '57 Ford | 326 | running | 0 | 200 |
19 | 37 | 74 | L.D. Austin | L.D. Austin | '56 Chevrolet | 312 | running | 0 | 200 |
20 | 11 | 55 | Tiny Lund | Brushy Mountain Motors (A.L. Bumgarner) | '57 Pontiac | 308 | engine | 0 | 300 |
21 | 31 | 32 | Brownie King | Jess Potter | '57 Chevrolet | 307 | running | 0 | 150 |
22 | 35 | 96 | Bobby Keck | Bobby Keck | '57 Chevrolet | 283 | running | 0 | 150 |
23 | 41 | 51 | Roy Tyner | Roy Tyner | '56 Ford | 282 | running | 0 | 150 |
24 | 8 | 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | '57 Oldsmobile | 281 | crash | 31 | 750 |
25 | 42 | 71 | George Parrish | Joe Frazier | '56 Studebaker | 263 | running | 0 | 350 |
26 | 33 | 12 | Marvin Porter | Oscar Maples | '57 Ford | 221 | engine | 0 | 100 |
27 | 30 | 10 | Whitey Norman | Whitey Norman | '56 Ford | 215 | engine | 0 | 100 |
28 | 20 | 44 | Rex White | Max Welborn | '57 Chevrolet | 210 | axle | 0 | 100 |
29 | 19 | 95 | Bob Duell | Julian Buesink | '57 Ford | 156 | radiator | 0 | 100 |
30 | 49 | 13 | Peck Peckham | William Meyer | '56 Chevrolet | 155 | engine | 0 | 100 |
31 | 39 | 35 | Bill Champion | John Whitford | '56 Ford | 130 | rear end | 0 | 100 |
32 | 18 | 97 | Bill Amick | Bill Amick | '57 Ford | 102 | crash | 0 | 150 |
33 | 10 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | Fireball Roberts | '57 Ford | 101 | crash | 41 | 460 |
34 | 22 | 11 | Parnelli Jones | Oscar Maples | '57 Ford | 99 | crash | 0 | 100 |
35 | 50 | 75 | Jim Paschal | Frank Hayworth | '57 Ford | 84 | piston | 0 | 100 |
36 | 36 | 17 | Shorty York | Jim Paschal | '57 Mercury | 79 | engine | 0 | 300 |
37 | 16 | 89 | Joe Caspolich | Pappy Crane | '57 Ford | 66 | crash | 0 | 200 |
38 | 46 | 26 | Bill Blair | Sam Rice | '57 Ford | 63 | crash | 0 | 100 |
39 | 24 | 90 | Runt Harris | Junie Donlavey | '57 Chevrolet | 50 | clutch | 0 | 100 |
40 | 14 | 9 | Joe Weatherly | Holman-Moody Racing | '57 Ford | 37 | crash | 0 | 130 |
41 | 13 | 84 | Banjo Matthews | Banjo Matthews | '57 Ford | 31 | engine | 0 | 120 |
42 | 44 | 30 | Cale Yarborough | Bob Weatherly | '57 Pontiac | 31 | rf hub | 0 | 100 |
43 | 2 | 4 | Bobby Myers | Your Oldsmobile Dealer (Petty Enterprises) | '57 Oldsmobile | 27 | crash | 1 | 260 |
44 | 6 | 3 | Paul Goldsmith | Pee Dee Motors (Smokey Yunick) | '57 Ford | 27 | crash | 3 | 200 |
45 | 43 | 88 | Chuck Hanson | Chuck Hansen | '57 Chevrolet | 23 | piston | 0 | 100 |
46 | 21 | 38 | Gwyn Staley | Julian Petty | '57 Chevrolet | 22 | coil | 0 | 100 |
47 | 5 | 62 | Frankie Schneider | Frankie Schneider | '57 Chevrolet | 19 | engine | 0 | 100 |
48 | 15 | 92 | Fonty Flock | Keith Motors (Herb Thomas) | '57 Pontiac | 18 | crash | 0 | 100 |
49 | 40 | 68 | Neil Castles | Neil Castles | '56 Ford | 13 | oil pressure | 0 | 100 |
50 | 47 | 41 | T.A. Toomes | C.M. Julian | '56 Dodge | 3 | brakes | 0 | 300 |
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: | |||||||||
5 | Bill Widenhouse | Chevrolet | |||||||
9 | Dave Terrell | Chevrolet | |||||||
16 | Barney Smith | Pontiac | |||||||
18 | Arden Mounts | Pontiac | |||||||
28 | Eddie Skinner | Ford | |||||||
37 | Fred Knapp | Ford | |||||||
61 | Bob Whitmire | Ford | |||||||
76 | Larry Frank | Chevrolet | |||||||
81 | Duke DeBrizzi | Oldsmobile | |||||||
81 | Jim Linke | Oldsmobile | |||||||
82 | Joe Eubanks | Pontiac | |||||||
93 | Ted Chamberlain | Plymouth |
Section reference: [2]
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