Hidden Winners, Part I

02/28/2017 – Pontiac was no different than any other manufacturer that had its share of drivers that may not have been high profile/championship caliber (i.e. Weatherly, Wallace, Labonte, Stewart) or that won a high-profile/historical race (i.e. Roberts, Yarborough), but that still managed to sneak in a win – perhaps their only win – before fading from the scene and/or never winning again.

John Andretti is this blog entry’s example of such a situation.  Since coming to Petty Enterprises in 1998 for his second stint (but first full-time, since 1994), Andretti hadn’t exactly set the Cup world on fire.  With 1 win to his credit (the 1997 July Daytona race, he dominates in Cale Yarborough’s RCA Ford in what would be Yarborough’s only win as a car owner) Andretti returned to Petty Enterprises and demonstrated consistency with 10 top-10 finishes and an 11th place finish in the Championship standings, but was never a clear threat to win.  However, everything came together at the end of the Goody’s Pain 500 at Martinsville, April 18, 1999.

Starting 21st and battling his way through a typical short-track slugfest, Andretti came back from a lap down in the STP Grand Prix to pass Jeff Burton in the Roush Exide Batteries Ford with 5 laps to go to take the win.  What made the win even more improbable was that Andretti ran the entire second half of the race without changing the left-side tires, something that Jeff Gordon at first didn’t believe.  In a Pontiac era dominated by Bobby Labonte’s and Tony Stewart’s high-profile organization with numerous wins and two Championships, Andretti’s second career win (and probably his last) is an oft-overlooked accomplishment.

 

Pontiac’s Sole Restrictor Plate Victory

02/27/2017 – Pontiac never had great success with restrictor plate racing, it certainly wasn’t for the lack of talent behind the wheel since the beginning of restrictor plate racing in 1988 (including champions Rusty Wallace and Tony Stewart), or the quality of teams (Penske, Gibbs, among others) but there was only one occasion where Pontiac made it to victory lane at a restrictor plate track.

For 1998, Bobby Labonte and the Joe Gibbs Racing engine shop had its restrictor plate program in near-perfect condition.  Following a more than adequate performance on the plate tracks in 1997 (2 top-5’s and 3 top-10’s out of 4 races), they came roaring out of the gates for 1998.

Bobby qualified for the pole at the Daytona 500, then finished 2nd to Dale Earnhardt; for the October Daytona race Labonte again won the pole this time finishing 2nd to Jeff Gordon who was having a near unstoppable season on his way to another Championship.  For the October Talladega race Labonte qualified 2nd and finished 6th as Dale Jarrett won the Winston Million, but it was at the first Talladega race in April where it all came together.

Once again, Labonte won the pole position (that would be 3 poles out of 4 plate races) and stayed up front all day, leading 60 laps (second only to brother Terry who led 88 laps in one of the Hendrick Chevrolets) then subsequently outdueling Terry at the end of the race to lead the final 2 laps for the win.  At the time, much was made that this was Pontiac’s first restrictor plate win and first win at Talladega since Richard Petty in 1983, no one would have guessed then that it would be their one and only and that Pontiac would officially be out of Cup by 2004.

 

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King of the Road

02/26/2017 – Rusty Wallace is well-known as the all-time Pontiac leader in Cup wins for both the Classic and Modern Eras with 31 winner’s trophies to his credit.  Wallace is also, not surprisingly, the all-time leader in road course Cup wins for Pontiac with 5.

Wallace won at Riverside and Watkins Glen in 1987 (the only Pontiac wins that season and the last points race wins for the Grand Prix 2+2), Riverside again in 1988 (the final race at that storied track), Watkins Glen again in 1989, and Sonoma in 1990.

One Year Anniversary

02/25/2017 – Today  marks the one year anniversary of the Pontiac Racing blog, which coincidentally is the day before the 2017 Daytona, the race/site of some of Pontiac’s greatest and most memorable triumphs.  With this year’s line-up we are down to two drivers who drove a Pontiac in Cup – Matt Kenseth, who drove in relief for an injured Bobby Labonte for one race in 1999, and Michael Waltrip, who was a long-time Pontiac driver from 1986-1995 and has the record for the most career Pontiac Cup starts without a (Pontiac) win.

This past year I have attempted a day-by-day historical accounting – of all eras – of major highlights and significant events related to Pontiac in Cup as well as a brief race-by-race examination of the 1962 Cup season, where Pontiac won both the driver’s championship – their first, with Joe Weatherly – as well as their only manufacturer’s championship.

As we enter the second year, the blogs will still be forthcoming, but perhaps on a weekly rather than daily basis.  I will be delving more into statistics of all kinds, memorable and/or significant events/races/seasons, and basically anything and everything that pertains to Pontiac’s history in Cup racing.  I encourage participation in the form of blog topics, questions, or the submission of rare pictures to encourage discussion and research.

As the Cup season is upon us, I also might venture into the occasional commentary regarding today’s Cup series, which – despite all the questions surrounding the Series’ struggle with plummeting attendance and TV viewership, the perception of NASCAR’s dropping stock with Monster Energy as the primary sponsor, and legendary drivers retiring, still offers great racing by some of the best drivers in the world.

Today in History

02/24/1991 – Pontiac Excitement 400 – Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, VA – Pontiac annually sponsored races at Richmond from 1988-2003, and while unable to duplicate his wins in 1988 and 1989 for his sponsoring manufacturer in 1991, Rusty Wallace is the only Pontiac bringing any excitement to Richmond as he finishes a solid 4th in the Penske Miller Genuine Draft Grand Prix, starting 20th and leading 3 laps on the day (the only Pontiac to lead any laps).

 

Today in History

02/23/1964 – Daytona 500 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL – Pontiac’s withdrawal from NASCAR is very clear as the series visits its crown jewel racetrack.  While racking up numerous wins and 2 championships from 1960-1963 (even if 1963 was basically ran devoid of on-going factory support), 1964 was a different story.

Running up against the newer model Plymouths, Dodges, Fords, and Mercurys, the remaining Pontiac teams found themselves overmatched and outspent.  6 Pontiacs entered the race, 1 1962 model, 4 1963 models, and 1 1964 model; the highest qualifier was Bobby Johns (23rd, driving the only 1964 model, owned by Shorty Johns) and the highest finisher was G.C. Spencer (33rd, driving a 1963 model, owned by Cliff Stewart).  Pontiacs didn’t lead a single lap, and all fell out due to mechanical problems.

It would be a 17-year absence from the Cup circuit before Pontiac would once again be competitive and winning races.

Bobby Johns’ 1964 Catalina.

 

Today in History

02/22/1981 – Richmond 400 – Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond, VA – Driving Cliff Stewart’s Performance Connection Grand Prix, Morgan Shepherd wins Pontiac’s first short track pole of the modern era; following Bobby Allison’s pole win at Daytona (in a LeMans, not a Grand Prix) this gives Pontiac the pole position for 2 of the first 3 races of the season.

Morgan started strong and led the first 150 laps, eventually finishing a solid 4th (one lap down) to winner Darrell Waltrip in Junior Johnson’s Mountain Dew Buick Regal.

Today in History

02/21/1988 – Pontiac Excitement 400 – Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond, VA – Neil Bonnett gives Pontiac 2 early season PR gifts at this race – [1] Winning his sponsor’s race driving the RahMoc Valvoline Grand Prix, and [2] Giving Pontiac a win in the brand new for 1988 GM10 W-body  platform (utilized by the Grand Prix, Buick Regal, and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme).  This race also was the last one held on Richmond’s old 1/2-mile configuration before it was modified to 3/4-mile in length.

Neil led 141 laps on the day (2nd most behind Dale Earnhardt with 151) as he took the checkered flag, and Richard Petty finished 3rd (his final career Cup top-5) in the Petty Enterprises STP Pontiac to give Pontiac 2-of-3 podium finishers.

The race turned out to be a runaway for the GM brands as they swept the top-10 finishing positions, led all laps, and won the pole position (Morgan Shepherd in Tom Winkle’s AC Spark Plug Buick) –

1 – Neil Bonnett Valvoline (RahMoc Enterprises) Pontiac
2 – Ricky Rudd Quaker State (Kenny Bernstein) Buick
3 – Richard Petty STP (Petty Enterprises) Pontiac
4 – Darrell Waltrip Tide (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet
5 – Sterling Marlin Piedmont Airlines (Billy Hagan) Oldsmobile
6 – Lake Speed Wynn’s/Kmart (Lake Speed) Oldsmobile
7 – Rusty Wallace Kodiak (Raymond Beadle) Pontiac
9 – Terry Labonte Budweiser (Junior Johnson) Chevrolet
10 – Dale Earnhardt GM Goodwrench (Richard Childress) Chevrolet

 

Today in History

02/20/1994 – Daytona 500 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL – This blog has touched on the difficult 1994 Cup season Pontiac experienced, and the season opening 1994 Daytona 500 was an unfortunate seasonal predictor.

Rusty Wallace’s defection to Ford following his 1993 series-leading 10 victories in the Penske Grand Prix set a near unattainable bar, yet Pontiac’s decline was even harsher than expected as the season progressed; there will be a future blog entry detailing Pontiac’s performance for the season in gruesome detail.

The late, great Bobby Hamilton – whose name is forever etched in Pontiac and Cup history thanks to several wins and poles during his tenure with Richard Petty – carried the Pontiac banner in Felix Sabates’ Kendall Grand Prix for the 1994 Daytona 500 as the highest finishing Pontiac (12th, the last car on the lead lap) and the only Pontiac to lead a lap (2 laps, both under green).

Today in History

02/19/1984 – Daytona 500 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL – Still basking in the glow of being the surprise winning brand at the 1983 Daytona 500 (Cale Yarborough with an improbable victory in a back-up Pontiac LeMans, detailed here) –

The Pontiac Showcar That Won The 1983 Daytona 500

Pontiac had high hopes for 1984’s race, alas, there was no Pontiac miracle story to be found this time.

All the Pontiac heavy-hitters (Richard Petty, Tim Richmond, Rusty Wallace) fell out due to crashes or mechanical problems, leaving Dean Roper to carry the Pontiac badge as he finished 16th in the Mueller Brothers Evinrude Grand Prix, Dean was the only Pontiac to finish the race.  Who is Dean Roper?  While Dean would only accumulate 5 career Cup starts (all in Pontiacs, and all with the Mueller Brothers), he had a very successful career in the USAC Stock Cars where he was the champion in 1981, 1982, and 1983.  Dean was also the father of Tony Roper (the Craftsman Series truck driver who was killed in a crash at Fort Worth, Texas, in 2000), and the son of Jim Roper who won the first NASCAR Cup race (then called Strictly Stock) at the Charlotte Speedway (a 3/4-mile dirt track) in 1949 driving a Lincoln.  Sadly, Dean passed away from a heart attack in in 2001 while competing in an ARCA race in Illinois.