|| *Comments on the 1967 unnamed race (1967-12):* View the most recent comment <#3> | Post a comment <#post> 1. nascar_vd / Racing-Reference.info posted: 11.17.2016 - 10:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Note: Bob Link was relieved by Jim Cook (after the first red flag) Note: time of the race (and speed) not recorded due to 2 red flag. 2. rm posted: 08.19.2020 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Is it safe to assume that the massive lap 44 crash-slash-fire burned the track surface or damaged the track infrastructure or something like that? 3. rm posted: 07.14.2021 - 7:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to some pre-race news articles, a few DNQ/WDs: Marvin Porter Ed Brown in a 1967 Ford (self-owned) Frank Burnett in a 1964 Plymouth 15 sponsor - Glen Dorrity Trucking Co. 16 owner - Cos Cancilla 98 owner - Cos Cancilla Went looking for answers, found this: The fairgrounds racetrack was a horse track first and foremost, and it quickly proved to be very, very out of place to be hosting racecars. The controversies began before a lap was even turned on raceday, apparently owing to a dispute regarding the insurance for the property covering something as dangerous as a stock car race. Unfortunately, it was the unbelievably textbook definition of foreshadowing. Most of the pre-feature events were axed, save for qualifying, and the lack of track time led to numerous incidents as drivers tried to feel out the track conditions. 10 total cars were collected in a melee that sparked a gasoline fire - possibly caused by the field stacking up to dodge a solo journey through the fence by Chuck Prickett, something he did in qualifying as well, though if true he would have been many laps down at the time - and the inferno grew out of control thanks to laughably poor preparedness for such a situation by the track crews. The fire truck on property was unable to connect its hoses to the non-standard hydrants at the site, and multiple fire extinguishers went untouched during the blaze. Four cars were totaled on the spot - those driven by Jim Cook, Dave Logan, Jerry Oliver and Ed Leslie. Luckily, only Oliver and Leslie were discovered to be injured, with Oliver needing some stitches due to facial lacerations while Leslie suffered "minor" burns to his neck. There exists a discrepancy, with one source stating that the incident happened much earlier on lap 19. The evidence at hand contradicts this, though, and no further explanation is given with that supposed info. Hershel McGriff - described as a driver who recently came out of retirement, something that was true in both 1967 and 2018! - was the only car that could keep up with Scotty Cain and was in a spirited battle for the lead when the fire broke out. On the restart, McGriff's car was noticeably lame and he only lasted a few more laps before he was sidelined with mechanical woes. With the lone challenger to Cain out of the race, dust clouds growing thicker, and darkness looming after multiple hour-plus red flags, the race was halted shortly thereafter. Unsurprisingly, there was never another major stock car race at the track. Another knock on the track surface was the presence of a giant divot on the backstretch, roughly a foot deep and nearly ten feet wide. The suboptimal conditions were noted at the drivers meeting, but drivers felt the officials really buried the lede as to just how poor the surface actually was. One account states only eight cars were running when the race was ended - perhaps Don Noel may have been the unaccounted DNF, though that's purely speculation. Noel was one of the catalysts of the big wreck, sending Dodd for a spin while cars began to collide behind him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: