Curtis Turner held off a late charge by Lee Petty to win the 150 lap NASCAR Grand National race on the 3/4 mile dirt Charlotte Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pole winner Fonty Flock led the first 46 laps in the "Red Devil" Olds 88 before Turner took the lead in his factory backed Nash Ambassador. Flock later retired with overheating problems. Turner took the checkered flag 1 second ahead of Petty's Plymouth to give Nash it's first and only GN win. 1949 Indy 500 winner Bill Holland escaped with a cut hand after nearly destroying his Plymouth in a flip with 10 laps to go. Holland was racing with NASCAR while serving a one year suspension imposed by the AAA for driving in an unsanctioned charity race at a Florida short track.
Sam Hanks won the AAA Midget race at the Pomona Speedway, Pomona, CA.
Parnelli Jones , driving the #1 Fike Plumbing Chevy, won the CRA Sprint Car race at the Ascot Stadium, Los Angeles, CA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Rex White won the darkness shortened NASCAR GN 'Richmond 250' on a muddy 1/2 mile dirt Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds track in Richmond, Virginia. White took the lead from Ned Jarrett on lap 172 and the race was flagged 8 laps later. White and 2nd finisher Jarrett both drove Chevrolets. Ralph Moody's long retirement ended, but he parked his overheating Ford after 1 lap. Rain forced drivers to draw for starting spots and Herman "The Turtle" Beam drew the pole. On the pace lap, Beam drove into the pits and waited for the field to pass, later saying that he didn't want to start in front of all those "hot dogs".
David Pearson in his Ford won the NASCAR Winston Cup race at Atlanta, Georgia. Bobby Isaac was second in a Dodge.
George Snider won the 40 lap USAC Sprint Car race at the Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, OH. Johnny Parsons finished second followed by Rollie Beale, Joe Saldana and Larry Dickson.
Jan Opperman, in the Bogar # 99, won the Super Sprint Car race at the Susquehanna Speedway, Newberrytown,PA. Kenny Weld finished second followed by Van May, Paul Pitzer and Smokey Snellbaker.
Dale Earnhardt took his first career NASCAR GN win in the 'Southeastern 500' at Bristol International Raceway. Earnhardt, in the Rod Osterlund Chevy, took the lead with 25 laps to go and crossed the line 3 seconds ahead of Bobby Allison's Bud Moore Ford. Earnhardt's first win came in only his 16th start and the team's 3rd race with Jake Elder as crew chief.
Gerald Chamberlain won the Modified Stock Car race and Bob Haswell won the Small Block Modified Stock Car race at the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway , Reading, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Ed Bellinger won the Super Modified race and Ron Bouchard won the Small Block Modified Stock Car race at the Thompson Speedway , Thompson, CT. ( Click here for the race report. )
Mario Andretti drove a Lola-Cosworth to victory in the CART Indy Car 'Long Beach Grand Prix', the first time Indy Cars had raced on the Long Beach Calif. street circuit. Geoff Brabham finished second and Tom Sneva third. Emerson Fittipaldi made his Indy Car debut.
Darrell Waltrip wins the Valleydale 500 over Terry Labonte at the Bristol Motor Speedway , Bristol, TN.
Geoff Bodine won the Country Squires Homes 200 NASCAR Busch Grand National race over Mark Martin at the Darlington Raceway , Darlington, SC. ( Click here for the race report. )
Alan Kulwicki... Died ... NASCAR Winston Cup racecar driver. He arrived at the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States, with only a borrowed pickup truck, a race car, no sponsor, and a limited budget. Kulwicki was a perfectionist and liked doing things his way: his scientific methodology approach to NASCAR racing inspired the way teams are currently run.He is known for driving for his own race team during most of his NASCAR career. Kulwicki was the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and won the 1992 Winston Cup by the closest margin in NASCAR history. In 1998 he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers] and he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002. Kulwicki's nicknames were "Special K" and the "Polish Prince". Kulwicki died in a plane crash on April 1, 1993 at age 38. He was returning in a Hooters corporate plane from an appearance at the Knoxville Hooters prior to the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Jumpin' Jack Johnson... Died ... Northeast modified legend Jack Johnson passed away after his long battle with ALS, he was 76. His iconic orange 12a is forever linked to his home track Fonda Speedway where he is the all-time win leader and owns most track titles. Jack was also the first New Yorker to win Syracuse. During a career that spanned 43 years Johnson won 428 races at 35 different tracks in 10 states and two Canadian provinces.
ONE DAY
To report wrong information, click here to send E-Mail to webmaster@wheelsofspeed.com 
Back to the Wheels of Speed home page