Los Angeles, California The banked 5/8 mile dirt Legion Ascot Speedway opens.
1929
Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, Jr.... Born ... Despite having his career cut short and having never won a Grand National title, Fireball Roberts was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.
1952
Troy Ruttman won the AAA Pacific Coast Big Car (Sprint) race on the 1 mile dirt Bay Meadows horse track in San Mateo, California.
Tim Flock after starting from the pole, drove the Ted Chester owned Hudson Hornet to victory in the 100 mile NASCAR Grand National race on the 1/2 mile dirt oval at the South Florida Fairgrounds. Flock was followed by Lee Petty's Plymouth and the Olds 88 of brother Fonty Flock.
1963
Dan Gurney drove a Holman-Moody Ford to victory in the 'Motor Trend 500' NASCAR Grand National race at Riverside International Raceway. Gurney earned $14,400 for his first NASCAR GN win, leading 110 of the 185 laps in a race which took 6 hours to run. A.J. Foyt's Pontiac was 36 seconds behind. 3rd through 10th was a who's who: Troy Ruttman, Fireball Roberts, Bobby Johns, Ned Jarrett, rookie Billy Wade, Jim Pardue, West Coast champ Danny Letner and Joe Ruttman in his first start. Richard Petty tried an automatic transmission, but it broke on lap 27. Point leader Jim Paschal flipped a dozen times, was unhurt, but fell to 14th in points. Pardue took over the points lead ahead of Jarrett.
1967
Billy Foster ... Died ... The first Canadian to ever race in the Indianapolis 500. He was the 1965 USAC Rookie of the Year, and died in a crash while practicing for the 'Motor Trend 500' NASCAR GN race at Riverside International Raceway. Foster's Rudy Hoerr Dodge crashed hard into the turn 9 wall after the brakes failed at the end of the mile long backstraight. The 29 year old driver from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, finished 9th in Champ Car points in 1966 and impressed with a great drive in the season ending non-points race at Fuji, where he retired while leading late in the race after battling (and passing) Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart.
1973
Tony Romit wins the Three Quarter Midget feature at the indoor Atlantic City Convention Hall.
1979
Phil Davoulas wins the Three Quarter Midget feature at the indoor Atlantic City Convention Hall.
1980
Lenny Boyd wins the Three Quarter Midget feature at the indoor Atlantic City Convention Hall.