Joe Weatherly, winner of the 1960 and 1963 Rebel 300s. Photo – Getty Images Archive
February 1956: Joe Weatherly of Norfolk, VA, ran this 1956 Ford factory entry in the NASCAR Convertible Division race on the Daytona Beach-Road Course. He started from the pole and led several laps before a broken water pump ended his day. Photo – Getty Images Archive
February 1963: Four superstars of NASCAR find a great place to relax, leaning against the Mercury of driver Parnelli Jones in the garage area of Daytona International Speedway before the running of the Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup race. (L-R) Fred Lorenzen, Glen “Fireball” Roberts, Joe Weatherly and Darel Dieringer. Photo – Getty Images Archive
1956: NASCAR superstars Joe Weatherly (L) and Curtis Turner (R) at Orange Speedway. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Driver Joe Weatherly smiles before the race at the Southern 500 race on September 2, 1963 at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Photo – Dozier Mobley/Getty Imagaes
963: Joe Weatherly began the 1963 season campaigning Pontiacs, until GM cut back their participation in racing. Car owner Bud Moore switched to Mercury products by mid-season. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Brief Yet Prolific Career Lands ‘Clown Prince of Racing’ In Hall
Note: This release is part of a series in advance of the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 30, broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White are the five 2015 inductees.
Joe Weatherly’s time in NASCAR’s premier series was short, just two full-time seasons.
But what an impact the Norfolk, Virginia, native had on NASCAR racing in those brief, 24 months.
Weatherly, previously a winner of American Motorcyclist Association and NASCAR modified titles, claimed back-to-back premier series championships in 1962-63. He posted 25 victories in 229 starts before his untimely death in January 1964 at Riverside (California) International Raceway. Continue reading →
Wendell Scott poses for a portrait in his car as he became the first African-American driver to win in the NASCAR Cup division with a victory in 1963 at Jacksonville Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. Scott was NASCAR’s first black competitor, starting in the sportsman class in 1953. Photo – Getty Images Archive
HAMPTON, GA — 1973: Wendell Scott of Danville, VA, at Atlanta International Raceway during his final year of competition on the NASCAR Cup circuit. During his career, Scott started 495 Cup events, won once, and finished in the top 10 position 147 times. Photo – Getty Images Archive
1968: Wendell Scott ran in 48 of the 49 NASCAR Cup races during the 1968 season, taking 17 top-10 finishes and ninth in the season-long Cup standings. Photo – Getty Images Archives
1955: Wendell Scott poses with his young son at a Modified race. Photo – Getty Images Archives
Wendell Scott checks over the engine of his 1966 NASCAR Cup Ford at a race in the mid-1960s. Photo – Getty Images Archives
Wendell Scott of Danville, VA, was NASCAR’s first black American competitor, starting out in the modified ranks on the dirt tracks of the South. Photo – Getty Images Archives
Wendell Scott got his dream ride at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 28, 1972. Driving for race promoter Richard Howar, Wendell finished 22nd in the World 600 in the 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Photo – Getty Images Archives
Wendell Scott with sons Wendell Jr. (C) and Frankie (L ) work on enging in Danville, Virginia. Photo – Getty Images Archives
DANVILLE, VA – 1954: Wendell Scott began his racing career driving homebuilt Modifieds such as this one. Scott was the first full-time African-American driver to run the NASCAR circuit, recording a Grand National win in 1963 at Jacksonville Speedway Photo – Getty Images Archives
Wendell Scott won only one NASCAR Grand National race during his 40-plus year career. His lone victory came in the 200-mile event at Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Florida on December 1, 1963. Photo – Getty Images Archives
Wendell Scott poses for a portrait in his car. He was the first African-American driver to win in the NASCAR Cup division with a victory in 1963 at Jacksonville Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. Scott was NASCAR’s first black competitor, starting in the sportsman class in 1953. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Scott’s Legacy a Story of Perseverance, Excellence
Note: This release is part of a series in advance of the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 30, broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White are the five 2015 inductees.
During a 13-year premier series career, Wendell Scott likely never considered he was making NASCAR history. The Virginian’s sole concern was getting to the next race on a miniscule budget.
Scott wasn’t the only driver to struggle financially. The odds of making a good living racing stock cars were long in the 1960s and early 1970s when purses were small, large sponsors unheard of and manufacturer support came and went with the turning of the calendar’s pages.
But Scott faced a challenge not shared by his fellow competitors: that of an African-American battling to succeed in a still-segregated society. Continue reading →
Fred Lorenzen was the staple driver for Lafayette Ford in the 1960s. In 1963, Lorenzen became the first NASCAR driver to win over $100,000 in a single season. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Ray Fox’s winged Dodge Charger Daytona that Fred Lorenzen drove in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Lorenzen finished 32nd after a distributor failed. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Fred Lorenzen stands next to the Holman-Moody Ford he drove during the NASCAR Cup season. Lorenzen dominated the Cup races at Charlotte during the year, winning both the World 600 and National 400. Note that Lorenzen is wearing one of the very popular shirts marketed in the 1960s by Darlington (SC) Raceway. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Fred Lorenzen continued a string of 5th place finishes at the World 600, piloting the Nichels ’71 Plymouth. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Victorious Fred Lorenzen (center) enjoys Victory Lane with Miss Firebird, Linda Vaughn and crew chief Herb Nab after winning the 1964 Atlanta 500. Lorenzen’s winning mount was a 1964 Holman-Moody Ford Galaxy. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Fred Lorenzen driver of the #28 LaFayette Ford stands in Victory Lane with his trophy and the trophy girl after winning the 1965 Daytona 500 on February 14, 1965 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Getty Images Archive
1964: Fred Lorenzen had an incredible season on the NASCAR Cup circuit. His Holman-Moody team entered him in 16 Cup events, and he won half of them, including five starts in a row. He won both Cup races held at the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway and the Martinsville (VA) Speedway. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Fred Lorenzen, winner of the 1961 and 1964 Rebel 300s. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Winning Percentage Ranks Fifth All-Time
Note: This release is part of a series in advance of the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 30, broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White are the five 2015 inductees.
Fred Lorenzen’s NASCAR career was brief, just 158 premier series starts over slightly more than a decade.
The Elmhurst, Illinois, native never ran a complete season, his Holman-Moody Ford team choosing only to compete in the schedule’s most prestigious events.
But when Lorenzen did buckle into his white, No. 28 Ford, it could be argued the rest of the field was running for second place. He was the “Golden Boy.” Continue reading →
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