Getting a chance to see the Petty Blue Hemi Barracuda Drag car. It does exist but was hurt in a strip wreck at the track, buried and dug back up. It has been a long time but I think a fan may have been killed and 9 injuried. Dave H. I realize you were in your 60s back in 1965 but what do you remember? Yellow River GA wreck.
It was a little boy that was killed.Richard to this day says he can still see it as if it were yesterday.That is pretty much why he went back to Nascar.
Don't remember that one Did see a Duster or Dart go amock and run up into the bleachers and got somebody a few years back, though. It was covered on TV. Think it was white. Mopars yesterday, SUV's today? What's with all these cars being buried? Arnie Beswick, Hurst Hairy Olds, etc. One of my friends here keeps talking about a 1956 Olds Starfire convertible that's buried upside down up in Northern Michighan at one of his relatives. ????? Heard a song the other day entitled: "Let's dig up Elvis and see if he's dead". I buried a bunch of flathead and old Olds parts in my Mom's garden when I left home to go to college. Couldn't haul everything to the dump. 3 trailer loads did go, though. She found them years later and was amused. Dad was still pissed. Had a 40 Deluxe Sedan and a 41 convertible and enough parts to build 2 or 3 more.
Somehow we are talking about 2 seperate incidents. Yellow River was bad, knew some people that were there. Petty's crash was at Dallas, Georgia. The Hardy Family owns that track and the oldest son, Johnny is the one that bought the 71 GSX in my avatar and is also the one that we found his original car and re-built. (Buickstreet article and Musclecar Enthusiast Mag.) The family have become friends of mine and still own the track. Only run 1/8 mile now.
Here is some additional information on the Yellow River dragstrip accident. According to what I'm reading, it wasn't Petty who went into the stands and killed 12 (which closed this track forever) - he was in the other lane. It was a driver named Houston Platt.
I don't understand the "Burial Process". What car did Beswick supposedly Bury? The "67 Untameable Tiger" has been restored, I spotted the car at a swap meet YEARS ago, as there were 2 cars Built 1 was Beswick's, and the other was the Gay Pontiac Infinity, of Don Gay. Don had James Osteen check it and it wasn't Infinity, so he let it go. (Price was like $1500) I would HOPE the "43jr Car" would be preserved for historic reasons, dispite the tragic history. Bernstein's Le Sabre funny was sold a few years ago when a Galveston Museum was closed, would be another one to be saved, especially for Buick History.
Houston Platt was a "factory driver" for Ford during the era running some hot 428 CJ Mustangs and Boss 429 cars. I saw him on a couple of "American Muscle Car" shows. I guess it goes to show that you learn something new everyday. I never knew about Yellow River or Petty's Incident.o No: My bad: Hubert Platt!
Yeah, I don't think 'The American Musclecar' would highlight such an event. Today's safety rules are based on yesterday's happenings. It's a shame that a tragedy has to occur before stricter safety rules are implemented.
That's true with EVERYTHING. Right down to the Stop sign at the corner, which doesn't go up until there have been enough accidents or someone gets killed.
His Grocery Getter 63 Tempest wagon was the one that was buried. Someone dug it up a few years ago and is/has restored it. Last year I saw a restored painted shell at a race, I believe it was the real one. After the accident he just pulled the good parts off and threw the rest in his scrap pile, when the scrap pile is full he just buried it. Few years ago in one of the Pontiac Mags they had some pictures of it when they un-buried it, It was just a lump of metal, I have no idea how they ever could have restored it...... o No:
They probably located some "special" rivet's, and did a little bit of rust repair around the vin tag:Brow:
Parts is parts, whether you weld in another quarter panel, full floor, or change a complete body. There was a part number assigned to that bare body shell (without a VIN) when the car division "bought" it from Fisher Body. :grin: :grin:
But spectator safety seams to only be a concern in America. I am sure you have all sen them blooper of the road races with 500 people standing on the side of the road. inches away from cars trying to go as fast as possible o dirt. And sooner or later a whole group of them gets wiped out. But you know even after a bad crash, the uninjured get right back up next to the road to watch the next car.
Unless you're in Arkansas! Here's some pictures from George Ray's, with "lack of safety" being the general theme... Here's a nice shot of the right hand lane. "Yes", those individuals on the right are spectators just hanging out at the starting line. Just how close would you like to get...? And here's a shot of the left lane starting line. Notice the people sitting "up close and personal" on the log... Here's a shot of the "hi-tech" timing equipment on hand at George Ray's. There is only 1 set of timing lights, so whoever leaves first starts it, but whoever finishes first stops it...and the winner, and only the winner, gets a "slip" with an ET hand written on it... Here's a nice shot from down track. Yep, that is indeed a 2x6 hidden by a trash can in the center of the track. First one to the trash can wins...[notice lack of fencing/barrier on camera side of track] How about a nice shot FROM THE FINISH LINE, IN THE CENTER OF THE TRACK! The best seat in the house...:eek2: -------------------------- Hillbilly Racing Team "Woman, round up the kids, we're goin' racing!"
It's all perspective.......... Wish I had some pics of the 2 lane "blacktop" roads that my older brother and his friends used to race on in Western Ky. (I was too young (12). This would be a boulevard compared to that. They had hills, curves, dead possum, live snakes, big trees overhanging both shoulders, side streets, driveways, mule teams, and oncoming traffic to contend with! State cops kept their cruisers at their own houses and also participated in some of them. One of my friends was racing another guy and went around a curve on Hiway 95 just North of Benton and lost it into a road grader that was coming the other way. Went under the front axle and accordioned into the blade underneath....and he lived. Lots of others didn't, though. Different world today. Streets of Detroit looked like that a coupla years back. Even the local cops sat and watched.
Found a nice little write-up on some of the outlaw tracks here in my neck of the woods, with the most famous being "George Ray's"...http://www.dragracingonline.com/special/vi_10-gr-c.html Here's a picture of the right lane at George's (from the article)...and to think, the guys at Atlanta had a fit over my sleeveless shirt...
