Does it make it any better that I've been sick?

Did I tell you I had a fever?

I'm lucky I could figure out what day it was...on second thought...d'oh!



Jim Thurman

What a great thread

Hmmm... Didn't see on 1st april birth of Shinji Nakano and William 'Bill' Whitehouse...

Anyway April 2nd are 2 legends coming in... Mike the Bike and Sir Jack

Thanks Jack - and welcome to TNF, you too fvebr, right you are... and I will insert your additions to April 1st...

Get well soon Jim! All those excuses...errr. reasons would work... It's not as if this place is your only activity during the day, though I sure appreciate your help. I assume you're certain about Earnhardt's first victory on the 1st of April... I also found it recorded as today too.


April 2,

1922, Tommy Milton drove the Durant Special to victory at Beverly Hills, California, (the board track?).

1926, One of the really great men in motorsports was born on this day, Sir Jack Brabham, driver, constructor, gentleman.

1928, Grand Prix driver, Gimo Munaron was born.

1934, Guy Moll drove a Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3 to victory in the Grand Prix of Monaco. It took 3 hours and thirty one minutes to complete the distance! Louise Chiron in another Alfa Tipo-B P3 was second and René Dreyfus in his Bugatti T59 was third. Pole sitter for the 4th running of the Monaco GP was Carlo Felice Trossi in his Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3, he was out on lap 95 with transmission trouble. Man, talk about a workout for the afternoon...

1940, Grand Prix driver and motorcycle road race champion, Mike 'the bike' Hailwood was born.

1957, A Porsche 356A, chassis number 100017, a car that will later be raced by Jim Clark, emerges from the Porsche factory in Stuttgart. (amazing somebody wrote this down...)

1958, Sports car driver, Randy Ruhlman was born.

1959, World Rally Champion, Juha Kankkunen was born.

1963, F1 driver, Fabrizio Barbazza was born

1967, Fred Lorenzen, the first stock car driver to win $100,000 in a single season, retired on this day.

1978, At this running of the Long Beach GP, Carlos Reutemann and his Ferrari took the pole and went on to win in a time of 1:52:01. Mario Andretti in the Lotus followed him across the line 11 seconds later to grab the second spot on the podium and Patrick Depailler in his Tyrrell was third. He had a fine drive through the streets coming from 12th position on the grid. Alan Jones set the fastest lap of the race but was 1 lap down from the leaders. Reutemann's teammate, Gilles Villeneuve sat second on the grid, but an accident took him out on lap 38.

1995, Robbie Gordon won the Slick-50 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, Cashion, Arizona, his first CART victory.

2000, At the Texas Motor Speedway, rookie, Dale Earnhardt Jr.won the race, Jeff Burton finished second and Bobby Labonte third. This was also the race that Adam Petty made his Winston Cup debut.

APRIL 2, 1922 - Beverly Hills, California...Tommy Milton won a 50 mile AAA Championship race on the 1.25 mile board Los Angeles Motor Speedway. Earlier, Milton, Pietro Bordino, Frank Elliott
and Jimmy Murphy all won 25 mile races. All races apparently counted for AAA points.

1950 - Charlotte, NC...Tim Flock scored his first career NASCAR Grand National win in a 150 mile race on the 3/4 mile dirt Charlotte Speedway. Driving the Lincoln that Harold Kite took to victory at Daytona, Tim passed Red Byron for the lead on lap 48 and went on to cross the line a half lap ahead of brother Bob Flock. Bob led the first 5 laps in the Frank Christian Olds before Byron moved his Olds out front. Clyde Minter finished 3 laps down in 3rd with Byron winding up 4th, 4 laps back.

1967 - Hampton, GA...Cale Yarborough took the first superspeedway win of his career, driving the Wood Brothers Ford to an easy victory in the NASCAR GN 'Atlanta 500' at Atlanta International Raceway. Mario Andretti made a daring pass for the lead on lap 152, only to blow a tire and hit the wall 6 laps later. After a long pit stay, Andretti returned only to hit the wall again. Dick Hutcherson finished 2nd, a lap and half behind Yarborough.

1977 - College Station, Texas...Tom Sneva drove his McLaren-Cosworth to victory in the 200 mile USAC Indy Car race on the 2 mile banked Texas World Speedway.

Yes, thanks Jack...I think Richard and I are a pretty good one-two punch here.

Richard, thanks for the well wishes. It's not good when the first thing the doctor says to you after listening to your chest is "Have you been to Hong Kong recently?" And yes, those excu...reasons do work

I'd go with Earnhardt's first win on April 1. That was from Greg Fielden's work, and though we've certainly spotted some errors here from other reference works (Ray spotted one that I thought I had made, only to discover it was in print that way!)...I have a lot of faith in Fielden.


Jim Thurman

Thanks Jim.. I figured you'd be sure... I've never heard of that fellow. My faith rests upon those in here to determine what's true and what is erroneous. My historic racing knowledge curve is still on the lower portion of that arch.

April 3,

1885, Gottlieb Daimler was granted a German patent for his one-cylinder, water-cooled engine design. Daimler's invention was the breakthrough that other engine builders had been waiting for. Previously no one had been able to efficiently solve the problem posed by the tremendous heat produced by internal combustion engines. In Daimler's engine, cool water circulated around the engine block, preventing the engine from overheating. Today's engines still employ Daimler's basic idea. Before the water-cooled engine, cars were practical impossibilities, as the parts on which the engine was mounted could not sustain the heat generated by the engine itself. Daimler built his first whole automobile in the fall of 1896, and in doing so took the first step in his self-named company's storied car-building history.

1950, Frank Dernie was born.

1959, Sports car driver, Fermin Velez was born.

1966, David Pearson drove a Cotton Owens prepared Chevy to victory in the NASCAR Hickory 250 at Hickory Speedway in North Carolina. (I always thought he was a Ford guy.)

1972, Howden Ganley won both heats of the opening round of the Interseries, held on the Nurburgring in Germany, driving a Chevrolet powered BRM.

1972, Ian Geoghegan drove a Ford Super Falcon to victory in the Australian Touring Car Championship race at Mount Panarama in Bathurst, Australia.

1977, At the Long Beach GP, Mario Andretti took his Lotus from second on the grid to the winner's circle in a time of 1:51:35. Right on his gearbox, .773 of second behind was Niki Lauda in the Ferrari and Jody Scheckter in his Wolf 4.1 seconds later. He had a fine driver from 12th on the grid. Lauda also sat on pole for that race and turned in the fastest lap of the event. A couple of "firsts" here: The first victory by an American in a US Grand Prix and the first victory for the Lotus 78 "wing car".

1988, Rio de Janeiro, at the Brazilian GP saw Alain Prost take the checkers in his McLaren in a time of 1:36:06 from his 3rd place starting position. Fastest lap man, Gerhard Berger in the Ferrari was second, 9 seconds back and Nelson Piquet in his Lotus was third 1:08.5 behind the winner. Pole sitter Ayrton Senna was DQ'd after it was ruled that he used his spare car. This happened 31 laps into the event. I take it he was black-flagged.

1993, Legendary NASCAR stockcar driver, Buddy Baker, retired from racing.

1995, Grand Prix driver, Helmut Niedermayr passed away.

A couple of notable additions here...

My entry notes Villeneuve took himself out while trying to overtake two backmarkers in the same corner And also notes Reutemann himself did a quick spin late in the race, but recovered without any serious damage.

Some of those Long Beach GPs were quite interesting.


Jim Thurman

APRIL 3, 1960 - Phoenix, Arizona...Colorado's John Rostek drove a Ford to victory in the 100 mile NASCAR Grand National 'Copper Cup Championship' race on the Arizona State Fairgrounds one mile dirt oval (I believe the race also counted towards the Pacific Coast championship).

1960 - Riverside, California...Carroll Shelby drove a Bird Cage Maserati to victory in the 200 mile 'Herald-Examiner Grand Prix' Sports Car race on the 3.2 mile Riverside International Raceway.

1977 - Darlington, South Carolina...Taking the lead by roaring through an accident scene, Darrell Waltrip won the NASCAR GN 'Rebel 500' at Darlington Raceway. With 7 laps to go, Bobby Allison, in relief of brother Donnie, passed David Pearson for the lead with Richard Petty 3rd and Waltrip 4th. At that moment, Dick Brooks spun & pinched J.D. McDuffie against the wall. Allison ran over debris, cutting both right side tires. Pearson lifted, Petty carefully picked his way through and Waltrip stormed by all 3 and charged back to the yellow. The race ended under caution. It was Waltrip's 4th career win, but first on a superspeedway.

1977 - Long Beach, California...Taking the lead with 4 laps left when a slowly deflating tire slowed Jody Scheckter, Mario Andretti went on to win the F1 US GP West on the Long Beach street circuit. Scheckter came from 3rd on the grid to lead into turn 1, going on to lead 76 laps before Andretti squeezed his Lotus by Scheckter's Wolf going into the hairpin at the end of Shoreline Drive. Andretti crossed the line 7 tenths of a second ahead of Niki Lauda's Ferrari.

Well, and Dodge. Cotton Owens fielded Dodge's for years and that's what Pearson was driving at Hickory. Pearson ran Pontiacs (before either one of us were old enough to notice - we were both just into toddler phase at the time ), then on to Cotton Owen's #6 Dodge. They were a very successful team. When Pearson decided mid-season to leave Owens, it was major news.

Anyone who doesn't think much of "taxicab" drivers, never got to see Pearson...both at Riverside and any superspeedway. He was one of the all time masters of "racecraft".

I won't even bring up Mario being the first American to win the US GP...let's just say that if our fearless leader Col. Capps were reading this, I think he'd beg to differ

Good job including the Interserie I wanted to, but didn't have any data from it at the time I did these.


Jim Thurman

So, once again, my "sources" are incorrect? It was a Dodge he was driving at that race... I hope Michael S. sticks his nose in here to read some of these....

Thanks for your PM regarding Greg Fielden, it sounds like he has created an exhaustive body of work on the subject of NASCAR racin'.

I shall look forward to Don 'begging to differ' - I suppose it will have to do with the ongoing Grand Prix / F1 debate.

I will include those Interseries races as often as I can find them.

April 4,

1915, Bob Burman won a match race at Ascot in California driving a Peugeot powered by a Harry Miller built engine. This was the first race win for a Miller built engine.

1924, Tommy Milton set a International Class D speed record by driving a Miller 183 to a speed of 151.26 mph on the Muroc Dry Lake.

1928, Grand Prix driver, Bud Tinglestad was born.

1929, Automobile pioneer, Karl Benz died.

1933, NASCAR founder, William "Bill" C. France was born.

1940, Grand Prix and sports car driver, Richard Attwood was born.

1948, Clemente Biondetti drove a 2-liter Ferrari to victory in the revived Giro di Sicilia, in Italy.

1949, 10 time NHRA Funny Car Champion, John Force was born.

1954, Kenny Eggers, on a BSA, won the 125-mile National Roadrace at Willow Springs, California. This was the first motorcycle event held at WSIR.

1958, Grand Prix and sports car driver, Christian Danner was born.

1966, Indy driver, Jimmy Daywalt died.

1971, Jackie Ickx and Clay Regazzoni drove a Ferrari 312PB to victory at Brands Hatch, England. This was the only Endurance Championship victory for Ferrari that year.

1971, Andre de Adamich and Henri Pescarolo drove an Alfa Romeo T33/3 to victory in the 1000 km sports car race at Brand Hatch, England.

1976, Dick Johnson won the 3-heat, Rothman's Sports Sedan Challenge in Lakeside, Australia.

1976, The Porsche 936 debuted at the Nurburgring in Germany.

1982, At the Long Beach GP, Andrea de Cesaris managed to keep it between the walls and grab pole position. At the start, he continued the practice for 14 laps until outside pole man, Niki Lauda passed him and lead the rest of the way for the win. Lauda also set fastest lap of the race. Keke Rosberg was second, 14.6 seconds behind and Gilles Villeneuve came in third. True to form, De Cesaris spun off on lap 33 and crashed.

1993, Mario Andretti achieved his last CART victory with a win at Phoenix International Raceway, Cashion, Arizona.

2000, John W. Rollins, one of the founders of Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, died at age 83.

Strange - I found birth dates for Shinji Nakano and Bill Whitehouse today too!?! Same years, but different days. What's the deal? Source

According to Forix, Silhouett.com, and Oldracingcars.com ...etc..etc...
(i won't list em all) Nakano and Whitehouse are on April 1st.....

And on the origine of Mercedes... We have Mr Karl Benz, engineer which 1st car ran at a speed of.......... 7,8 mph !

He died April 4th 1929

RIP Herr Benz

Is there anyone out there who can scan and post the picture of this race (in the esses...) as published in the ATCC book?

Please? Or send it to me?

Surely not!

Surely Correct I'll change it, thanks! And, notify the source...

Even though I have plenty of magazines and books with photos of David Pearson in the Cotton Owens' Dodge...I'm not up to scanning at the moment.

And, a search turns up many photos of Pearson, but usually in the Wood Brothers Mercury or Holman-Moody Ford. But, I did find this one (a good color shot, I would have preferred a 1966 or 1967 shot, but... ) :

http://www.thevintageracer.com/photo_gallery.htm

When I attended the '66 Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, Pearson was there in the Owens #6...so I saw the '64 or '65 Dodge.

Pearson won his first championship in Owens' Dodge and as I mentioned, it was huge news when they abruptly parted ways during the middle of the 1967 season. Off the top of my head, I don't know how many of his career wins came in a Dodge. Of course, he drove for the factory Pontiac juggernaut earlier, and then there was the ill-fated Pontiac backed by the mystery man...but, we won't get into that right now

But, he did run a tremendous number of his races in FoMoCo products.



Jim Thurman

What a day!. A set of brothers score disparate wins, a NASCAR legend debuts, Champ Cars only visit to Daytona, their only visit to Sears Point, a famous marque returns to victory lane after a long abscence as does a NASCAR legend...(whew!)


APRIL 4, 1954 - North Wilkesboro, North Carolina...Despite blowing a tire with 2 laps to go, Dick Rathmann won the 100 mile NASCAR Grand National race on the 5/8 mile dirt North Wilkesboro Speedway. Rathmann's Hudson Hornet crossed the line on the rim, 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Herb Thomas.

1959 - Columbia, South Carolina...Buddy Baker made his first NASCAR GN start in a 100 mile race on the 1/2 mile dirt Columbia Speedway. The race was won by Jack Smith, driving the Bud Moore Chevrolet, who edged rookie Ned Jarrett. Baker finished 14th after shock problems.

1959 - Daytona Beach, Florida...Jim Rathmann won the 100 mile USAC Championship race at Daytona International Speedway, averaging 170.261 mph. As Rathmann took the checkered, George Amick died in a crash on the backstretch, possibly from the nose of the car lifting off the track. USAC immediately cancelled a 300 mile race scheduled for July 4th due to safety concerns. Amick was the fastest qualifier with a speed of 176.887, a speed not exceeded by an Indy Car for another nine years.

1970 - Sears Point, California...Dan Gurney won the USAC Championship 'Golden Gate 150' at Sears Point International Raceway. Gurney took the lead from Mario Andretti on lap 3 and was never headed though John Cannon was rapidly running Gurney down until a bizarre incident during a yellow flag. The field was slowed so much by the pace car that the stock block engine in Cannon's car stalled going up one of the hills. Cannon alertly let the car roll back down the hill in an effort to use momentum to refire the engine, but it was to no avail. Andretti finished a second behind Gurney's Eagle. Gurney's 7th Indy Car win would also be the final one of his career.

1971 - Hampton, Georgia...A.J. Foyt dueled Richard Petty for many laps before taking the lead with 13 laps to go and driving to victory in the NASCAR GN 'Atlanta 500' at Atlanta International Raceway. Foyt, in the Wood Brothers Mercury, finished 1.8 seconds ahead of Petty's Plymouth.

1971 - Dartford, England...Taking the lead when their teammates blew a motor, Andrea deAdamich and Henri Pescarolo drove their Alfa to victory in the 1000 Kilometer World Sports Car Championship race at Brands Hatch. The winners took the checkered over the fast closing Ferrari of Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni. Ickx led until hitting a lapper, the Wyer Porsches took over then, but Pedro Rodriguez' fuel system clogged and Jo Siffert's lug nuts welded themselves to the wheels, putting the Rolf Stommelen and Toine Hezemans Alfa out front. It was Alfa's first win in international competition since 1951.

1982 - Darlington, South Carolina...Dale Earnhardt held off Cale Yarborough to win the NASCAR GN 'Rebel 500' at Darlington Raceway by half a car length. Earnhardt, driving Bud Moore's Ford, ended a 39 race winless streak. Benny Parsons drove to 4th amid rumors he would soon be out at Ranier Racing and Tim Richmond, making his first start for J.D. Stacy, dropped a position when he forgot to complete his last lap (nearly a lap down, he saw the starter wave the checkered for the leaders).

April 5,

1922, Grand Prix driver, Andy Linden was born.

1923, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, began balloon tire production.

1936, Grand Prix driver, Ronnie Bucknum was born.

1958, Jim Clark won the unlimited sportscar race and the Formula Libre race at Full Sutton, England.

1965, NASCAR driver, Mike Bliss was born.

1973, Grand Prix driver, David Murray died.

1973, Jackie Stewart told his team owner, Ken Tyrrell, that he will retire from racing at the end of the season.

1976, The Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was opened to the public.

1979, Whitney Straight, who raced in more Grand Prix before WWII (18) than any other American, dies in London, England, at the age of 66.

1984, Co-publisher (with her husband) of Road & Track magazine, Elaine Bond, died from a brain tumor at age 59.

1987, Jim Richards, in a BMW M3, won the Australian Touring Car Championship race at Lakeside, Queensland, Australia.

1992, At the Brazilian GP at Interlagos, Nigel Mansell in his Williams took the pole and won the race in 1:36:51. His teammate, Ricardo Patrese was second and also set the fastest lap of the race. Michael Schumacher in the Bennetton, was third.

2000, Lee Petty, NASCAR great and founder of Petty Enterprises, died in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 86.

The big day for Dick Passwater...

APRIL 5, 1953 - Charlotte, North Carolina...In a race that saw 6 drivers swap the lead 18 times and 5 different leaders the last 24 laps, Dick Passwater emerged winner of the 150 lap NASCAR Grand National race on the 3/4 mile dirt Charlotte Speedway. Leader Tim Flock's Hudson Hornet lost power on lap 126, moving Dick Rathmann into first. Rathmann only led 4 laps before a wheel problem sidelined his Hornet and put Herb Thomas out front. Thomas, going for his 3rd straight GN win, pulled away until the clutch failed on his Hornet on lap 134. Rookie driver "Pop" McGinnis now led. With 3 laps to go, McGinnis' Hudson darted to the pits for a splash of fuel, giving Passwater the lead. Passwater's Frank Arford Olds took the checkered 1/4 lap ahead of Gober Sosebee. McGinnis was a DNF after losing a wheel on the last lap. The win came in Passwater's 10th career GN start and moved the driver from Indianapolis to 3rd in points.

1959 - Daytona Beach, Florida...Antonio von Dory and Roberto Mieres drove a Porsche to victory in a 6 hour USAC-FIA sanctioned Sports Car race on the new 3.81 mile road course at Daytona International Speedway.

1959 - North Wilkesboro, North Carolina...Lee Petty drove his Petty Engineering Oldsmobile to victory in the 100 mile NASCAR GN race on the 5/8 mile paved North Wilkesboro Speedway.

1964 - Hampton, Georgia...Fred Lorenzen drove his Holman-Moody Ford away from the field to win the NASCAR GN 'Atlanta 500' by two laps. Paul Goldsmith led the first 55 laps on the 1.5 mile Atlanta International Raceway before blowing a tire, climbing the guard rail and overturning. Lorenzen narrowly missed the sliding Plymouth. Goldsmith was uninjured. A rash of blown tires led to 4 separate crashes that eliminated top contenders Jimmy Pardue, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Darel Dieringer, David Pearson, Fireball Roberts and Goldsmith.

1970 - Bristol, Tennessee...Donnie Allison took the lead when Cale Yarborough blew his engine with 44 laps to go, going on to win the NASCAR GN 'Southeastern 500' at Bristol International Speedway. D.Allison's Banjo Matthews Ford finished 3 laps ahead of brother Bobby, in a Plymouth with Yarborough's Wood Brothers Mercury still placing 3rd, despite retiring with 44 laps left. 4th place James Hylton was still running at the finish, but 47 laps down (!).

7 April. Can it really be 35 years?

Indeed it is... a lifetime.

April 6,

1909, Grand Prix driver, Herman Lang was born.

1923, NASCAR driver, Herb Thomas was born.

1941, Funny Car and Top Fuel racer, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme was born.

1950, Alan Mertens was born.

1968, IRL driver, Affonso Giaffone was born.

1970, The Lotus 72 F1 car was unveiled in an airplane hanger in Hethel, Norfolk, England.

1975, A.J. Foyt, driving a Coyote/Foyt, won the USAC Indycar race at Trenton, New Jersey, at an average speed of 154.625 mph.

1986, Rusty Wallace won the NASCAR Winston Cup race at Bristol, Tennessee, his first WC Cup victory.

1997, At the Brazilian GP in Bueno Aires, Jacques Villeneuve in his Williams sat on the pole and won the event in a time of 1:52:01. Eddie Irvine in his Ferrari was second from his 7th position on the grid and Ralf Schumacher in his Jordan was third. Gerhard Berger set fastest lap of the race on the way to his 6th place finish.

1997, Jeff Burton scored his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory when he won the Interstate Batteries 500 at Fort Worth, Texas.

April 7,

1922, Sig Haugdahl drove the Wisconsin Special over 180 mph on a one-way run on Daytona Beach. Haugdahl's speed was a remarkable 24 mph faster than the previous world land-speed record. Haugdahl was the first man to travel three miles in a minute, but his record was never observed by the USAC governing body; none of its members were present to witness the event.

1947, The founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford, died.

1963, The Corvette Grand Sport made its race debut at Marlboro Raceway in Maryland, USA. Unfortunately the car stalled on grid with a clogged fuel injector.

1963, Eduardo Lualdi won the Stallavena hillclimb in Italy driving a Ferrari 250 GTO.

1966, Walt Hansgen died from injuries suffered five days earlier in testing at Le Mans.

1966, NASCAR stockcar driver, Loy Allen Jr. was born.

1968, F1 Star, Jim Clark was killed in a crash during an F2 race at Hockenheim, Germany

1982, Grand Prix driver, Harald Ertl died.

1984, At the South African GP at Kyalami, Niki Lauda in his McLaren had seized opportunities and brought his car in for the win. Teammate Alain Prost was second and Derek Warwick was third. Patrick Tambay set fastest lap of the race but was out on lap 66 with fuel metering unit problem. Pole sitter, Nelson Piquet's Brabham was out on lap 29 with a turbo failure.

1985, Alain Prost set the fastest lap of the Brazilian GP at Rio de Janeiro on the way to his win. Pole sitter, Michele Alboreto in his Ferrari was second, 3 seconds behind Prost and Elio de Angelis was third, one lap down.

1996, The Argentina GP at Buenos Aires, saw Damon Hill take the win in his Williams. Teammate Jacques Villeneuve was second, 12 seconds later. Jean Alesi set fastest lap and came in third with his Bennetton.

APRIL 6, 1952 - Martinsville, Virginia...Dick Rathmann scored his first career NASCAR Grand National win, driving his Hudson Hornet across the line first in a 100 mile race on the 1/2 mile dirt Martinsville Speedway. Earlier leaders Buck Baker and Tim Flock both retired with wheel assembly problems on their Hudson Hornets. Rathmann took the lead from Bill Blair on lap 181, taking the flag 5 seconds ahead of Blair's Olds 88. Point leader Fonty Flock suffered a dislocated shoulder when his Olds threw a wheel and flipped while running 2nd. The injury was expected to sideline Flock for a couple of weeks.

1969 - Hickory, North Carolina...Bobby Isaac started on the pole and led every lap in winning the NASCAR GN 'Hickory 250' on the 4/10 mile paved Hickory Speedway. Richard Petty's Ford finished 2nd, 2 laps behind Isaac's Nord Krauskopf Dodge. Top independent James Hylton qualified 2nd with his new Dodge and ran on Isaac's bumper before being sidelined with ignition failure.

1975 - Trenton, New Jersey...A.J. Foyt scored a milestone victory, earning his 50th career USAC Champ Car win in the 200 mile race at Trenton Speedway. Foyt's 50th win came in his 229th start and 2nd on the active drivers list at the time was Mario Andretti with 32. With gusting winds and below freezing temperatures cancelling qualifying, a draw determined the grid for just the second time in USAC Champ racing history to that point. Tom Sneva drew the pole and Foyt 10th as just 16 cars lined up, and when Jim McElreath's Brabham-Chevy failed to start, just 15 cars took the green flag, the smallest field at Trenton since 13 cars started the 1958 race. With 20 to 30 mph winds and a wind chill of 10 degrees, drivers requested the first 5 laps be run as green/yellow in order to warm up tires. Sneva held the early lead and when Johnny Rutherford ran out of fuel and coasted to the pits on lap 47, Foyt took over for good. Other than the 5 lap warm-up period, the yellow did not fly and Foyt averaged 154.625 mph around the unusual, 1.5 mile peanut shaped track. It was Foyt's 13th career win at Trenton. The win also was Foyt's 3rd in four 1975 races.

1986 - Cashion, Arizona...Taking the lead when Michael Andretti blew a motor with 35 laps to go, Kevin Cogan went on to win the 200 mile CART Indy Car race on the 1 mile paved Phoenix International Raceway. Cogan's Patrick Racing March-Cosworth finished a full lap ahead of runner-up Tom Sneva. It was the only career CART win for Cogan. Mario Andretti won the pole and was joined on the front row by Michael, marking the first time in Indy Car history that a father and son had qualified for the front row of a race.

I hope no one minds the more comprehensive race re-caps from the Champ Cars at Phoenix and Texas World today, I just didn't feel up to re-doing or major editing...

APRIL 7, 1966 - Columbia, South Carolina...With the Ford stars parked by the factory over a rules dispute, David Pearson's Cotton Owens Dodge edged Paul Goldsmith's Plymouth by a car length to win the 100 mile NASCAR Grand National race on the 1/2 mile dirt Columbia Speedway. Protesting NASCAR's weight penalty for their new OHC engine, Ford ordered factory drivers Ned Jarrett, Curtis Turner and Bobby Isaac to sit out this race and two following short track races. The 3 drivers and owner Ralph Moody watched the race from the pits. Independent Tom Pistone drove his 2 year old Ford to a surprise pole, leading the first 53 laps before giving way to Pearson. Pistone wound up 3rd. Independent drivers swept the top 5 spots in qualifying.

1968 - Dartford, England...News of the death of Jim Clark made for a somber 6 Hour World Sports Car Championship race on the Brands Hatch circuit. The lone John Wyer Ford GT40 entry of Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman won, finishing just 22 seconds ahead of the Gerhard Mitter/Ludovico Scarfiotti Porsche 907. The new Ford F3L debuted with Bruce McLaren and Mike Spence contending the first 2 hours before breaking a U-joint.

1968 - Hockenheim, Germany...Understandably virtually lost to history by the tragic accident that claimed Jim Clark, Jean-Pierre Beltoise drove his Matra to the overall victory in the 'German Trophy', the opening round of the 1968 F2 championship season. Beltoise's teammate Henri Pescarolo finished 2nd.

1968 - Cashion, Arizona...Bobby Unser drove his turbocharged Offy powered Eagle to victory in the USAC Championship 'Jimmy Bryan 150' on the 1 mile paved Phoenix International Raceway. It was Unser's 2nd straight Indy Car win. Unser, the pole winner, led lap 1 as A.J. Foyt blew his engine and George Follmer crashed in the oil. B. Unser led 21 more laps before Mario Andretti moved by and began pulling clear. Roger McCluskey was on the move though and took the lead on lap 47. At lap 77, McCluskey was 11 seconds ahead of Andretti with Lloyd Ruby, Al Unser and Bobby Unser trailing. As the leaders were on lap 80, Al Unser blew his engine and coated turn 3 with oil. After sliding sideways, Bobby made it through, but Johnny Rutherford hit the oil and spun into the guard rail. Moments later, leader McCluskey spun on the oil and hit Rutherford's car. Andretti, trying to pass 2 lapped cars high, hit the oil and plowed into Rutherford's car, causing the already burning car to erupt. A.J. Foyt ran to Rutherford's aid, pulling him out of the burning car. Rutherford suffered burns to his hands while McCluskey and Andretti were uninjured. Lloyd Ruby was now the leader over B. Unser. On lap 97, after just 4 laps under green, Unser went around for the lead as Ruby slowed with a right rear tire deflating due to debris from the crash. Ruby made a stop for a new tire, falling to 9th, one lap down. Undaunted, Ruby began a fierce charge that saw him back to 2nd in just 22 laps. Unser went on to take the checkered with Ruby 24 seconds behind.

1973 - Bryan, Texas...Al Unser drove his Parnelli-Offy to victory in the Championship portion of the USAC 'Texas Twin 200s' on the 2 mile banked Texas World Speedway (Gordon Johncock won the Stock Car 200). The Indy Cars first visit to the 22 degree banked tri-oval saw Bobby Unser win the pole at 212.766 mph, shattering the current closed course speed record by more than 12 mph. Overall 9 cars topped the old record set in September 1972 at Ontario Motor Speedway. After electrical trouble delayed getting his Eagle-Offy to the grid, it only took B. Unser a few laps to build an 11 second lead. But on lap 31, B. Unser slowed in turn 4 and pitted with what proved to be a broken piston. Gary Bettenhausen led the next 2 laps before pitting, moving Johnny Rutherford into the lead. As Bettenhause came in, he pointed to the fuel tank to signal he was out, but the crew thought he was signalling for a new left front tire. As the crew jacked up the car, Bettenhausen violently shook his head. The car fell off the jack, which wedged in the suspension. By the time the jack was unstuck and Bettenhausen returned the Roger Penske McLaren to the track, he was more than a lap behind. Rutherford led until pitting and Mike Mosley and Billy Vukovich led before Al Unser took over on lap 68. On the 75th lap, 2nd running Vukovich hit the wall after cutting a tire going into turn 4. When the tow truck got stuck in deep mud, a second tow truck was sent to retrieve both vehicles as 11 laps ticked off under caution. The green flew briefly before A.J. Foyt tapped the wall, breaking his suspension and bringing out a yellow that would stay out until 2 laps were left. Nursing a sick engine, Al slowed the field off turn 2 before standing on the throttle. The move gained Al a huge advantage on the restart as Mosley couldn't gain speed and Bettenhausen and Rutherford, running 3-4, couldn't legally pass until the green flew. Al took the checkered 4 tenths of a second ahead of a rapidly closing Bettenhausen.

1974 - Darlington, South Carolina...Using a fuel conserving strategy, David Pearson drove the Wood Brothers Mercury to victory in the NASCAR GN 'Rebel 450' at Darlington Raceway. The race distance was cut to comply with federal guidlines during the energy crisis. Pearson drafted leader Bobby Allison to save fuel, making the pass with 11 laps to go. Allison ran out of gas on the last lap to finish 13 seconds behind in second.

1974 - Trenton, New Jersey...Bobby Unser drove his Eagle-Offy to victory in the 200 mile USAC Championship race on the 1.5 mile kidney shaped paved Trenton Speedway.

April 8,

1910, The Los Angeles Motordome, the first speedway with a board track, opened near Playa Del Rey, California, under the direction of Fred Moskovics and Jack Prince. The track was made of wood and ran a circumference of 5,281 feet.

1916, Bob Burman and his riding mechanic were killed in a wreck caused when a rear wheel collapsed during the Corona Road Races. (anyone know who won this race?)

1924, NASCAR team owner, Junie Donlavey was born.

1945, CART team owner Derrick Walker was born.

1952, Wood Brothers team manager, Eddie Wood was born.

1959, NASCAR driver, Robert Pressley was born.

1962, A.J. Foyt wins the USAC Champ Car race at Trenton, New Jersey.

1964, Ford GT40's tested for the first time. (but where?) EDIT In error, see below.

1966, F1 and CART driver, Mark Blundell was born.

1979, Bob Morriss won the Australian Touring Car Championship race at Sandown, Australia.

1979, Gilles Villeneuve won the USGP at Long Beach, in his Ferrari 312T4. He started from the pole next to Carlos Reutemann. Reutemann had a driveshaft break on his lotus that put him out on lap 21. Gilles' teammate, Jody Scheckter, finished second and Alan Jones had a great drive from 10th on the grid to finish 3rd.

rdrcr:
I have just found something to indicate that they were tested SOMEWHERE in the U.K.. Bruce McLaren and Roy Salvadori, were the test drivers, and there is a reference to a place called 'MIRA'. Sorry, I can be of no more help. Jack Harrington

MIRA stands for Motor Industry Research Association - located near Rugby. And they did a major test there on the GT-40 in early 1968 - I don't have the exact date. It may have been April 8 because this would fit in nicely with their first public appearance - the LeMans Test days on April 18-19. (The first race appearance was at the Nurburgring 1000K in late May.)

But April 8, 1964 was hardly the first time the GT-40 was tested. There was a test day for them at Silverstone in March and at Monza nearly six months earlier in October 1963. There were likely others but these I am certain of.

Richard,

A correction for the April 6th entry. The win for Robby Gordon at Phoenix should be CART, should be 1995 and I have April 2nd for the date. In 1996 Phoenix was an IRL venue. Gordon's first NASCAR win was at New Hampshire, just last year IIRC.

With all of R. Gordon's back and forth, it's easy to lose track of where he was at any given time


Jim Thurman

APRIL 8, 1910 - Playa del Rey, California...The first board track built for Auto Racing opened, the 1 mile circular Playa del Rey Motordrome. Designed by Fred Moscoviks and built by Jack Prince, the track had 20 degree banking. Barney Oldfield turned a lap of 99 mph in a Benz.

1916 - Corona, California...Eddie O'Donnell drove a Duesenberg to victory in the 3rd annual 'Corona Grand Prize'. The 300 mile race was held on the 2.76 mile circular Grand Avenue around the town of Corona. Bob Burman and his riding mechanic died in an accident after a tire blew.

1951 - Gardena, California...Marshall Teague won the first NASCAR Grand National race held on the West Coast, a 100 mile race on the 1/2 mile dirt Carrell Speedway. Teague's Hudson Hornet started outside row 1, moved into the lead when the green flag fell and didn't look back. Johnny Mantz, winner of the inaugural Southern 500, was 2nd in a Nash with relief help from Slick Smith. With another GN race being held at Mobile, Alabama (won by Tim Flock), the only other GN regular to make the trip was Frank Mundy, who rode out with Teague hoping to get a ride in a local car. When no ride materialized, Mundy got a 1950 Chevy from a car rental agency. Mundy finished 11th and returned the car after dark.

1956 - North Wilkesboro, North Carolina...Tim Flock drove his Kiekhaefer Chrysler to victory in the 100 mile NASCAR GN race on the 5/8 mile dirt North Wilkesboro Speedway, and then after the race, the defending champ & current point leader made the stunning announcement that he was quitting the Kiekhaefer team. Flock had won 22 of 47 starts since joining the outboard motor magnates team, but cited the pressure and a worsening ulcer for his decision.

1979 - College Station, Texas...A.J. Foyt won the 200 mile USAC Championship race on the 2 mile banked Texas World Speedway.

Oh what a sensation!

I wasn't there, but it wasn't at the race meeting that everything took place.

Morris wasn't first over the line, as I recall... Peter Brock was. But in the wake of the Fords illegally using roller rockers, there was some determination that the Holden Dealer Team should pay some sort of penalty.

It was now under the guidance of the veteran (ex-Geoghegan, ex-Bob Jane) mechanic, John Sheppard. He had taken over from Harry Firth, who had retired at the end of the previous year.

When he took over, he questioned with the CAMS some of the modifications that had been made to the cars. One of these was holes cut into the panels under the radiator to allow fitment of an extra or larger sway bar. If they weren't allowed, he'd simply mount it lower, but if they were he'd leave them be...

CAMS either said they were okay, or they didn't respond, I'm not sure of that detail... but as far as John knew, the modification (which had been being made under the same rules for some three or four years) was allowable and so it wasn't changed.

A protest was duly lodged, from memory this coming from the Ron Hodgson team, who had Morris driving their car. Or maybe there was no protest, CAMS just initiated post-race scrutineering on the car because they knew they had to even the score on behalf of Ford.

The cars were, of course, excluded, Morris scored a win. In a car with an illegally lowered engine placement that was never challenged.

Jack,

Thanks for your efforts in finding a bit more about the GT40 matter. And to you Mike, for clarifying the situation even further. I have edited that line to reflect these findings. Now, if we could only figure out when that first GT40 hit the tarmac for the first time, we'd have that question answered.

Jim,

I will make that correction. And thanks for supplying the additional info for the Playa del Rey track and for the Corona race. The town of Corona mustn't have been more than a wide spot in the road at that time.

Thanks again guys!

...and to you too Ray, for your added detail on the ATCC races' post-tech antics.

Fist-fights have broken out over a lot less... What a scene. The decibel levels of the drivers and crew chiefs must have been louder than the cars.

Mike:
Thanks for the response. I had no idea what MIRA was, or where it was. I gleaned this info off of a GT-40 web-site. Jack Harrington

Actually, no...

I think it was more a case of Barristers at Twenty Yards!

On the MIRA thing, MIRA is the name of the group that runs it, and the establishment is called that... the MIRA research establishment. Hope I got that right...

rdrcr:
It appears the first time besides MIRA, that a GT-40 was tested, was at le Sarthe on 19 April,1964. Jo Schlesser, driving GT-101 and Roy Salvadori, driving GT-102, both crashed on that day. Anyone have anything more to add? I was using Le Mans Stat's Page for that info, and by no means, was I there. Thanks, Jack Harrington

Jack - with all sincere respect - but did you read my post? I wasn't making that up, mate!

Repeat - the first test of the GT-40 was at least as early as October 1963 at Monza and in March of '64 at Silverstone.

Mike:
With all do respect, the car that they were testing was a Lola-GT. The first Ford GT40 Prototype wasn't completed until the first days of April in 1964. If you feel this is incorrect, please feel free to contact Ford, and correct them. Sorry for any misunderstanding. Jack Harrington

Re: the GT40 dispute. I've read that the first prototype, not the test mule Lola, was shown before the public on April 1st 1964. Though I have to think that they tested it secretively, prior to that. It has often been quoted and claimed that the mule GT40's, nee Lolas from Eric Broadley were the first GT40's. I think that Jack is referring to the complete cars as described as the Ford GT40.

I think it is safe to say, for now anyway, that the "unveiling" of the GT40 to the public was April 1st 1964. Though, I shall have to let greater authorities ferret out when the first prototype hit the track and which iteration of the that Lola or prototype GT40 is the first prototype.

April 9,

1921, Former president of the FIA, Jean-Marie Balestre was born.

1922, Indy driver, Johnny Thompson was born.

1942, Engine builder, John Judd was born.

1959, Indy driver, George Amick died.

1961, Eddie Sachs won the USAC race at Trenton New Jersey. He gains the nickname "Motor Mouth" after longwinded victory circle speech. (another nick for that other thread).

1971, CART and F1 driver, Jacques Villeneuve was born.

1988, Eddie Hill became the first person to run a 1/4-mile dragstrip in under 5 seconds when he ran a 4.990 second ET in his Top Fuel dragster in Dallas, Texas.

1995, At the Argentinean GP in Buenos Aries, Damon Hill in his Williams, won from his second position on the grid. Jean Alesi in the Ferrari was second and Michael Schumacher set the fastest lap of the race on his was to third in the Bennetton. Pole sitter David Coulthard was out early with a throttle problem.

2000, At the San Marino GP at Imola, Pole sitter Mika Hakkinen was just nipped by Michael Schumacher for the win. Hakkinen set fastest lap of the race but still could not get by Schumacher as he finished just 1.16 seconds behind. Teammate, David Coulthard was third.

rdrcr:
If you just came from Mars, or climbed out from under a rock, and wanted to learn motorsports, 5 minutes a day for one year and your thread, would certainly do the trick.

Jack - I certainly see your point of view on this but mine is different (and if it is also different than the official Ford view then so be it - I have no interest in correcting Ford - it is still my point of view).

Although the "prototypes" (I think we can call them that - at least in the literal sense) that tested in October '63 at Monza were undoubtedly still more Lola than Ford - those tests were the first by John Wyer in developing the Ford GT program and, interestingly, the drivers referred to those cars as GT-40s (admittedly retrospectively). At that test important aerodynamic and other engineering issues were discovered and some steps were taken to rectify certain problems. I believe that to be the first test in the GT-40 program - although I will concede your point that they did not have GT-40 chassis numbers. Certainly, though, by March when the cars were tested at Goodwood and Silverstone (in advance of the MIRA test day) they were substantially advanced and not unlike (if not the same) as the cars that appeared at MIRA and then at LeMans test day.

Some of this difference in opinion comes down to semantics I suppose. I'm sorry if my earlier post reads somewhat dogmatically - I didn't mean it that way. I'm just interested in exchanging points of view here and sharing information.

In his book "The Certain Sound" John Wyer says that Ford tooktwo Lola GT prototypes to Monza in October 1963. One of these, the only car that ran, had suspension mdifications "to produce a simulation of te final GT40 design". THe first GT40 waqs completed just in time to be flown to New York on 2 April 1964, where it was presented to the press on 3 April. There is no suggestion that the car had run before this. It was flown back to London on 4 April where it was prepared for the L Mans test day. "There was time only for the briefest of shakedown tests at MIRA and Silverstone, which did little more than reveal that the cars were seriously undercooled". The implication is that this was the first time the cars had run.

THere is no mention of any testing in March.

Mike and Roger:
Thanks for the information. Mike, I agree that this forum is great for exchange of information. Sorry that my response was a bit acerbic. Now, down to the real question, on the GT 40. How and when is Ford going to re-introduce the GT 40 to the world of racing, that we all enjoy so much ?
Jack Harrington

A wide spot surrounded by a lot of lemons and oranges

You're welcome...having passed through Corona often as a kid, imagine my shock as an 11 year old when I discovered the 'Corona Grand Prize' races...and in the teens? Some amazing foresight and remarkable drive for a little place like that to stage events of that caliber. Harold Osmer was featured in a piece aired on the local PBS affiliate for the regional history show, "California's Gold". It was nice to see.

Also, interesting that someone had the thought to lay out the town with a perimeter circular road around it. Apparently it was used by carts to haul the citrus before cars became the norm.


Re: the colors...not to be too fancy, just a chance to use that feature


Jim Thurman

APRIL 9, 1961 - Martinsville, Virginia...Elmhurst, llinois' Fred Lorenzen scored his first career NASCAR Grand National win in the rain shortened 'Virginia 500' at Martinsville Speedway. In an unusual ruling, NASCAR declared the race complete after 149 laps, well short of the 50% distance normally required. Bill France re-scheduled the 500©lapper for the 30th and declared this race a 100 miler with drivers keeping all earnings and points.

1961 - Trenton, New Jersey...Eddie Sachs drove a Offy powered Kuzma chassis to victory in the 100 mile USAC Championship race on the 1 mile Trenton Speedway.

1966 - Greenville, South Carolina...David Pearson drove the Cotton Owens Dodge to his 3rd straight NASCAR GN win, crossing the line in the 100 mile race on the 1/2 mile dirt Greenville-Pickens Speedway a lap ahead of Richard Petty.

1967 - Cashion, Arizona...Lloyd Ruby opened the USAC Championship season by scoring a convincing victory in the 'Jimmy Bryan Memorial 150' on the 1 mile paved Phoenix International Raceway oval. Ruby led all 150 laps, but his day was not perfect. On the 123rd lap, Ruby did a 360 after tapping Mel Kenyon while trying to put Kenyon a lap down. Ruby recovered without losing the lead and went on to take his turbocharged Offy powered Mongoose across the line more than a lap ahead of Roger McCluskey's Eagle-Ford. It was Ruby's 3rd career win and first since winning the season closing event of 1964 on the same track. Mario Andretti failed to start after he destroyed his new Brawner Brabham Hawk in a practice crash. F1/Sports Car driver Lucien Bianchi gave his car to Andretti for the race, but Mario crashed it after the left rear suspension collapsed coming out of turn 4 on his qualifying attempt.

1971 - Snetterton, England...Frank Gardner passed Brian Redman with 2 laps to go and went on to win the European Formula 5000 series race on the Snetterton circuit. Gardner hung a few car lengths back of Redman until making the pass down the long Norwich Straight on the 23rd of 25 laps. Gardner took his works Lola T192 across the line 4 tenths of a second ahead of Redman's McLaren M18. Only 13 cars entered and just 11 managed to start in the wake of crashes at the opening race at Mallory Park and test/practice mishaps. Opening round winner Mike Hailwood was absent after wrecking his car in a Goodwood test while Gordon Spice and Graham McRae crashed in private practice the day before.

1971 - Tarporley, England...Pedro Rodriguez drove his BRM 160 to victory in the British Racing and Sports Car Club sanctioned non-championship Formula One race on the 2.77 mile Oulton Park circuit. Only 11 starters were on hand, but the quality of the field was surprisingly good considering the crowded calendar and the ongoing shortage of Cosworth engines. Peter Gethin won the pole in his McLaren M14A, but a great start by Rodriguez saw him lead handily into turn 1. Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus 72 stalled out on course with ignition failure. Lotus mechanics ran out to the car and switched spark boxes, but Fittipaldi was 13 laps down by the time he resumed. The turbine powered Lotus 56B, this time driven by Reine Wisell, retired with a puncture and bent rear wishbone. John Surtees and Jo Siffert were also early retirees. Gethin and 3rd running Jackie Stewart began closing on Rodriguez, but Gethin soon had gearbox trouble and the handling went away on Stewart's Tyrell and they finished in that order.

1972 - Bristol, Tennessee...Bobby Allison won the NASCAR GN 'Southeastern 500' in dominating fashion, leading 445 of the 500 laps at Bristol International Speedway. Allison only lost the lead once under green, to "Coo Coo" Marlin from laps 33-48. Allison finished 4 laps ahead of Bobby Isaac's Krauskopf Dodge with Richard Petty's Plymouth 9 laps behind in 3rd. Petty's car sported a power steering unit. It was Allison's 2nd straight win in the Richard Howard Chevy. After the race, Mopar drivers complained that the Chevrolets had been given too much of an advantage by rules allowing them a larger carburetor opening.

1978 - Darlington, South Carolina...Benny Parsons held off a fast closing Darrell Waltrip to win the NASCAR GN 'Rebel 500' at Darlington Raceway. Parsons' L.G. DeWitt Chevrolet finished 1.3 seconds ahead of Waltrip's DiGard Chevrolet.

A couple of corrections and an additional comment here...

Should be Johnny Thomson (correct spelling)

George Amick...we both had him down as dying on April 4th in the Daytona Indy Car race. I remember seeing this date as both the 4th and 9th in various sources as well. As you now know (and as I found out compiling this and working on other things) dates for racing are a mess. Birthdays are worse.

Re: Eddie Sachs long speech. Eddie was not exactly on good terms with the promoter at Trenton. Maybe he did that just to bug him



Jim Thurman

Roger,

Thanks for your additions, I found that April 1, 1964 date from the Ford website. Though I'd take Wyler's word over theirs, he should know.

Jack,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm just trying to give a little back for all that I've learned in here.

Jim,

Thanks again for double checking my findings and for that tidbit on Sachs...

April 10,

1913, Indy Driver, Duke Dinsmore was born

1914, Indy driver, Paul Russo, was born

1929, Grand Prix and Sports car driver, Mike Hawthorn was born.

1934, Grand Prix driver, Carel Godin de Beaufort was born.

1944, D.K. Ulrich born was born.

1944, Henry Ford II was named executive vice president of the Ford Motor Company. His promotion confirmed his bid to become the heir to his grandfather's throne at Ford.

1960, Roger Ward won the USAC Champ Car race at Trenton, New Jersey, in a Watson/Offey at a speed of 95.486 mph.

1965, Lloyd "Lucky" Casner, owner of the Camoradi racing team, died from injuries suffered in a crash during practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

1977, Allan Moffat won the Australian Touring Car Championship race at Amaroo Park, Australia.

1983, Bob Tullius and Bill Adam drove the Group 44 Jaguar GTP to victory in the IMSA race at Road Atlanta, Georgia.

1998, Mary Fendrich Hulman, widow of Tony Hulman and grandmother of Tony George, dies at age 93.

1999, Andrian Fernandez won the CART race at Motegi, Japan, in a car his Patrick Racing team calls "Frankenstein" because it was a '97 Reynard chassis with '98 wings and side pods, and '99 suspension.

1999, Larry Dixon makes the first "4.4" pass in NHRA history when he runs the 1/4-mile in 4.486 seconds in Don Prudhome's Top Fuel car at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

APRIL 10, 1920 - Beverly Hills, California...Jimmy Murphy, Tommy Milton and Art Klein won 50 mile AAA Championship races on the 1.25 mile high banked board Los Angeles Motor Speedway. Murphy and Milton were in Duesenbergs while Klein drove a Peugeot.

1921 - Beverly Hills, California...Jimmy Murphy drove his Duesenberg to victory in a 50 mile AAA Championship race at Los Angeles Motor Speedway. Duesenberg drivers Murphy, Joe Thomas and Eddie Pullen won earlier 25 milers as did Ralph DePalma in a Ballot. It was the last AAA wins for both Pullen & DePalma. DePalma's 24th AAA win set a mark for career Indy Car wins not surpassed until 1963 .

1960 - Martinsville, Virginia...Richard Petty won the NASCAR GN 'Virginia 500' on the 1/2 mile paved Martinsville Speedway. Petty's Plymouth crossed the line 1/4 lap ahead of Jimmy Massey and Glen Wood, both in Wood Brothers Fords. Pole winner Wood led the first 152 laps before pitting. Rex White, Fred Lorenzen, Massey, Bobby Johns and Petty exchanged the lead 8 times before Petty took the lead for good.

1971 - Greenville, South Carolina...Bobby Isaac drove the K&K Dodge to victory in the NASCAR GN 'Greenville 200' on the 1/2 mile paved Greenville-Pickens Speedway. David Pearson finished 2 laps back in second. 47 cars attempted to qualify for 26 spots in the race televised live by ABC. Isaac said car owner Nord Krauskopf called that morning to tell him to compete.

1979 - Stuart, Virginia...Two days after David Pearson lost both left side wheels when he left the pits too early at Darlington, the Wood Brothers team announced that Pearson had been dismissed as driver of their Mercury on the NASCAR GN circuit. Pearson had scored 43 GN wins since joining the Wood Brothers in 1972. Neil Bonnett was named the new driver (sorry I missed the incident on the April 8th entry, I do try to edit out some of the multitude of NASCAR entries)