It will be Thunder Road this August when vintage Championship NASCAR stockers mix it up on Laguna Seca’s twisties.
"Look out, Junior," might be the call in the paddock during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion when a group of historic stock cars take the grid. For the first time in the event's celebrated history, stockers with drum brakes will be roaring through the corkscrew at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on August 13-15.
An impressive field of championship cars will be joining Ferrari GTOs, Bugatti Type 35s and Cobra Daytona Coupes in the Laguna Seca paddock at the Reunion. Some of the legendary stockers include two-time NASCAR Champion Ned Jarrett's 1966 Ford Fairlane, David Pearson's 1969 Ford Talladega and 1968 Ford Torino Cobras, Dick Hutcherson's Ford Galaxie, Junior Johnson's 1963 “yellow banana" Galaxie, Dan Gurney's 1963 Galaxie and Bill Champion's 1971 Mercury Cyclone.
"The stock car race will feature a group of cars showcasing a uniquely American race history," explained Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. "To put these stock cars back on the racetrack where they belong will be a treat for our fans."
Stock Car racing has American roots as it was born in the South during Prohibition and by the late 1940s was popular throughout the U.S. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) formed in 1948 to give organization and leadership to the many leagues that had sprung up around the country. The most visible stocker in the paddock will be the #29 Ford Galaxie with its unique white and gold color scheme. The car attracted a lot of attention in the day and Dick Hutcherson finished second in points winning nine races with 37 top tens out of 52 races in 1965.
The 1972 #15 Bud Moore Ford Torino is one of three team cars. This was the Super Speedway car, one of the first team cars to use a small-block engine (351 Cleveland) and the first car to utilize a Banjo Matthews chassis. Bobby Isaac, David Pearson, Donnie Allison and Dick Brooks raced it.
Holman & Moody’s 1969 #17 Ford Talladega helped David Pearson win the 1969 NASCAR championship. Pearson is the second winningest NASCAR driver with 105 wins; he was on the pole in one of every five races! The car has the only surviving 1969 David Pearson /Holman & Moody chassis.
The 1966 #26 Ford Galaxie was nicknamed the yellow banana due to its unique color scheme. The car was owned and built by Junior Johnson to counter Smokey Yunick's 1966 Chevy Chevelle. In the 1966 Dixie 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway while Fred "Flying Freddy" Lorenzen was leading the race, the front wheel broke and it ended up running into the wall. He was then told by NASCAR officials,"Don't bring it back!"
More than 52,000 spectators saw Dan Gurney in H&M’s 1963 #28 Ford Galaxie, win the first stock car road race at Riverside. Gurney won the six-hour race posting an average speed of 84.965 mph. The 1966 #11 Ford Fairlane was raced by two-time Champion Ned "Gentleman" Jarrett with five top five finishes and eight top ten finishes. What is unique about this car is it has adjustable weight jacks inside the cockpit, which later was outlawed by NASCAR officials.
The 1968 #17 Ford Torino Cobra, built by Holman & Moody and driven by David Pearsen, made 48 of the 49 races that year with 12 poles, winning 16 events. Pearson won his second Grand National championship that year. Other stockers with drum brakes scheduled for the event include the 1972 #41 Ford Torino driven by Bobby Unser that was the last car built by Holman & Moody, and the 1973 #12 Chevrolet Chevelle built and raced by Bobby Allison, one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers.
This year the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is honoring one of the true legends of motorsports: Dan Gurney. Among the 19 race groups this year will be a dedicated grid of 40 Bugattis in the Bugatti Grand Prix, and featured races for Trans-Am and Formula 1 cars that competed between 1966 and 1983.
For more information about the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, please visit www.MazdaRaceway.com