Two Significant Richard Petty NASCAR Stock Cars To Be Displayed At Motorsports 2017
By HERB ANASTOR

OAKS, PA – The excitement of Richard Petty’s appearance at the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2017 Race Car and Trade Show Fueled by Sunoco Distributed By Insinger Performance on Jan. 21 from 1-3 p.m. here at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center will be added to throughout the weekend by the display of two of his most-significant NASCAR Cup Series cars.

Each of these No. 43 Petty Enterprises-built racing machines – his 1967 Plymouth Belvedere and 1972 Dodge Charger – mark a special point in Petty’s long and colorful driving career (1958-1992) and they also help to tell important parts of the NASCAR story.

The Petty Blue No. 43 1967 Plymouth Belvedere holds a special place in Petty Enterprises and NASCAR history as it was the car that Petty used to win 27 then-NASCAR Grand National races, including an amazing and never-duplicated 10 victories in a row.

These efforts, of course, took place when NASCAR’s premier touring series raced on several dirt and asphalt short tracks, asphalt speedways of various sizes and on a road course or two. And this Stock Car is also unique in that Petty used it during the year that he became “The King.”

Although Petty started out 1967 with three brand new cars, they just didn’t perform as expected. So, after a few races Richard, his engine-building brother Maurice and patriarch Lee decided to hang some new sheet metal on one of their 1966 chassis and things quickly turned around.

Richard had done very well with his 426-cubic-inch Hemi-powered 1966 chassis and that continued once the 1967 sheet metal was added to it. But certainly no one expected the kind of results that the car recorded once the season was over.

With his “face-lifted” Petty Blue Plymouth, Richard competed in 41 of the season’s 48 races and won 20 poles, was in the top-5 an amazing 38 times and in the top-10 on 40 occasions.

The 1967 season was also special for the family operation from the small rural town of Level Cross, North Carolina, as Richard’s Rebel 400 win with the car at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on May 13 was the first time a Petty had ever won on “The Track Too Tough To Tame.” Plus, it was his 55th victory, one more than his father’s previous career-record of 54.

Then, to show his Darlington win was not a fluke, Richard – who used a de-stroked 404-cubic-inch Hemi to save 200 pounds of weight and tires – won the pole for the September 4th Labor Day Southern 500 (143.437 mph) and led 345 of 364 laps to win the race by five laps over a very strong 44-car field in 3 hours 50 minutes and 15 seconds at an average speed of 130.423 mph.

As might be expected, Richard won the second of what would eventually be his seven (1964, 1967, 1971-1972, 1974-1975 & 1979) NASCAR Cup Series Championships with a car that ran under some different rules from previous years.

Now: the minimum weight of a NASCAR Grand National Stock Car was 3,500 pounds, a drop of some 500 pounds; the frames could be reinforced or altered for safety; and, cars with unit-body construction (like the 116-inch wheel-based Plymouth Belvedere) could have a purpose-built frame as long as the body’s original dimensions remained.

In addition: the hood height was lowered to 27 inches from the ground; engines had to use a production intake manifold, but the 426 Hemi could only use one 4-barrel carburetor; disc brakes were allowed; fuel cells were required; and, two sidebars were mandatory on the passenger side of the roll cage. And, interestingly enough, 1967 was also the second year that NASCAR made seat belts, crash helmets and shoulder harnesses mandatory.

Overall, the chassis under this historically-significant Plymouth Belvedere won 30 races in two years (the last part of 1966 and all of 1967). And when he was once asked what made it so special, Dale Inman – Richard’s cousin and crew chief – simply said, “Damned if we know.”

While the Petty Enterprises 1967 Plymouth Belvedere gets the gold star for its fantastic number of victories, its 1972 No. 43 STP Dodge Charger is rather noteworthy for the sponsorship that it had which forever changed the business model of American motorsports.

As the Pettys and all other teams knew prior to the end of 1971, 1972 was going to be a difficult year as all of the manufacturers were officially withdrawing from factory-backed racing. So how to move forward under such conditions was going to be a considerable task.

But something took place at the old 2-mile Texas World Speedway in College Station in early December which would help the Pettys with regard to their approaching lack of support from Chrysler Corporation.

There, while preparing for his December 12 victory in the last 500-mile race of the season, Richard had a casual Garage Area conversation with STP Corporation CEO Andy Granatelli.

Granatelli was an ex-racer and colorful character with lots of famous friends who was also a master self-promoter and promoter of his company’s products, especially at the Indy 500 where his pit crews wore pajama-like coveralls covered with STP logos.

But on a more-serious side, he and his brothers Vince and Joe were knowledgeable racers and mechanics who had been involved at the Indianapolis 500 for years, most famously in 1967 with the Parnelli Jones-driven four-wheel-drive No. 40 STP-Paxton Turbine that had victory in hand until a $6 transmission bearing failed with just three laps to go.

So, the day after their Texas talk, Granatelli called Richard and asked him to come to Chicago to discuss STP being the No. 43’s sponsor. And this plan was readily accepted, especially since Petty Enterprises was looking for more financing than what might come from local sources.

When Granatelli and Petty got together in the Windy City, they easily agreed on their initial $250,000 deal, plus a $50,000 bonus for winning the championship. But the flamboyant Granatelli wanted the car painted entirely in STP’s Day-Glo Red; a situation that Richard firmly resisted even though it would get him an extra $50,000. So the Petty Blue/STP Red color scheme was created and it is still one of the most famous paint jobs in auto racing history.

It must be understood that Petty Blue was something that was very important to Richard and his family. And it came about quite simply when Lee once didn’t have enough blue to paint one of his cars, so he mixed some white with what he had and the distinctive hue was born.

Now that the Petty Blue and STP Red livery was agreed to, things were able to move forward and Petty’s STP sponsorship proved to be a major motorsports milestone as it was the first such lucrative funding that was given to what was then a NASCAR Grand National team.

But the first car to be decorated in the iconic two-tone design was not the 1972 No. 43 STP Dodge Charger as Richard began the year in his 1972 No. 43 STP Plymouth Road Runner.

However, even though the Plymouth was doing quite well, on May 7 the STP Dodge – with a restrictor plate on its 426-cubic-inch Hemi engine – ran its first race at the Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega where Richard started third and finished seventh. And he went with the Charger body style as he felt that it had a slight aerodynamic advantage over the Plymouth; a brand that he had successfully raced for 14 seasons (1959-1972).

To that end, a look at the Charger shows that it is cleaner than the Road Runner with a smoother roof line and a sort of rear spoiler built into its deck lid, all of which helped with handling the air and corning at high speeds.

Originally built as a 1971 Dodge Charger for teammate Buddy Baker, Richard raced this 3,800-pound entry – with “The Racer’s Edge” in Petty Blue on its white front chin spoiler – 11 times during the 31-race 1972 NASCAR season. Yet while he did not win any races with it, he: won the pole (157.608 mph) at Michigan (August); was second in 500-milers at Dover (June) and Atlanta (July) and in the 400-miler at Daytona (July 4th); and, was third in the 400 at Michigan (June) and in the 500s at Darlington (September) and Texas (November).

With these results and the eight wins and two poles that he got in his Plymouth, Richard won the Winston Cup – the fourth of his eventual seven (1964, 1967, 1971-1972, 1974-1975 & 1979) NASCAR Cup Series titles – and that was a great way to start his association with STP.

STP’s Oil Treatment – and its other aftermarket products – was Richard’s primary sponsor for an unprecedented 21 seasons (1972-1992) as a driver (64 wins) and later through 2000 as a team owner. And that relationship continues today on a personal level with the seven-time (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973-1974, 1979 & 1981) Daytona 500 winner.

Plus, STP is an associate sponsor on the Ford Focus NASCAR Cup Series racers for Aric Almirola (No. 43) and Brian Scott (No. 44) and on Jeb Burton’s No. 43 Ford Focus NASCAR Xfinity Series ride that all come from Richard Petty Motorsports in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Ron Bouchard drove this Race Hill Farms NASCAR Cup car to victory in the Talladega 500 in 1981

Bouchard began his NASCAR career in 1981 in the No. 47 (Race Hill Farm team). He captured the 1981 NASCAR Rookie of the Year title even though he only raced in 22 of 31 events.

He posted 12 top 10 finishes in the 22 races, including his only career win, in the Talladega 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Running third to Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte on the last lap, he swooped under both of them as they battled side-by-side out of the final turn. The three cars crossed the finish line nearly simultaneously, with Bouchard winning in a photo finish.

After the race, Waltrip, who had been watching Labonte and not seen Bouchard pass him, asked, “Where the hell did he come from?”

Waltrip has stated in interviews over the race that part of the reason he lost was because he did not try to block Bouchard as he believed that Bouchard was a lap down.

Bouchard’s victory is considered by many as the biggest upset in NASCAR history and the win essentially clinched the Cup Series rookie of the year award for Bouchard.

OAKS, PA December 14, 2016 . . . The memories of Allentown, PA’s Dorney Park Speedway live on despite the track being long gone. Many of the yesteryear stars that raced at the popular facility will be part of the Dorney Park Reunion which will be a big part of the three day (January 20-22) Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2017 Fueled by Sunoco Race Fuels and Distributed by Insinger Performance Race Car and Trade Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.

Even Mario Andretti, the Indy 500 winner in 1969, raced midgets at Dorney Park back in the early sixties. The track, operated by the late Jerry Fried, was displaced by the theme park when the space was needed to expand the amusement park facility.

Dorney Park Reunion organizers Bob and Dale Snyder have been working overtime in recent weeks to round up former drivers and race cars to be part of the event.

“We have about 35 drivers and at least 15 cars lined up and the list is growing,” said Bob Snyder.

The Reunion will feature such outstanding racers as Tony Hirschman, Floyd Santee, Ward Crozier, George Wambold, Hal Renninger, Jack Follweiler, Eric Beers, Russ Frantz, Roger Heffelfinger and a long list of others. And cars that will be on display include the Wambold #81 Sportsman, Tom Arntz Three Quarter Midget, Lorin Arthofer’s #71 Sportsman, Preston Henry Jr. #48 Coupe and more.

Well known photographers Henry and Sue Wilt will have their Dorney Park Memorabilia Collection on display.

Motorsports 2017 show promoter Len Sammons said, “The interest has been outstanding for the Dorney Park Reunion. It will be a huge part of our show. The Park display will include three quarter midgets, sportsman, late models, midgets and much more. This is going to be a must see part of the show.”

An autograph and interview session will take place on Saturday, January 21.

Snyder has also indicated that he is working on a major surprise to be added to the event.

A featured guest at Motorsports 2017 will be seven time NASCAR Premier Series champion Richard Petty considered the King of NASCAR.

Many other well-known racers and personalities will be appearing at the show with details to be announced.

The 3-day show will again fill 250,000 square feet of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center with just about everything imaginable in motorsports available for attendees to see.

Over 250 race cars, representing many different segments of the sport, will be on hand. In addition hardcore vendors will be part of the show along with many racing facilities offering information on their 2017 season.

Again, as in the past, free industry seminars will be offered.

Exhibit space is filling quickly so now is a good time to reserve a display area. Call Danny Sammons at 609.888.3618 or danny@aarn.com.

For complete show details, ticket prices and more check in at www.aarn.com and go to the Motorsports link.

Posted by: Herb Anastor – December 22, 2016

OAKS, PA – It has always been the goal of Len Sammons Productions to present something new and different at the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2017 Race Car and Trade Show Fueled by Sunoco Distributed By Insinger Performance here at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.

Well, when the show takes place from Jan. 20-22, visitors will see something along with that thinking as on display for the entire weekend will be the 2016 dark-grey, light-grey and red-toned Ferrari-powered/Dallara-chassied Haas F1 VF-16 Grand Prix Race Car.

And what makes this high-tech racing machine such an important item is that it was the first car to be entered in the Formula One World Championship by an American team since 1986.

The Haas F1 Team was created in April 2014 after a lot of research and consideration by industrialist Gene Haas who has an impressive résumé in the business and motorsports world.

In the first case, Haas founded the Oxnard, California-based Haas Automation in 1983 that designs and manufactures a variety of precision machine tools and specialized accessory tooling with its main focus on computer numerically controlled (CNC) items such as vertical machining centers and horizontal machining centers, lathes/turning centers and rotary tables and indexers.

Yet while Haas Automation has operations in Belgium, China and India, most of its production and manufacturing process occurs at the company’s main facility in Oxnard and it is one of the largest tool builders in the world.

The second interest that Haas has is Stewart-Haas Racing that he co-owns with three-time (2002, 2005 & 20011) NASCAR Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart who retired from NASCAR competition at the end of 2016.

Originally founded in 202 as Haas CNC Racing, in 2009 Haas offered Stewart a 50-percent ownership in his team in return for his driving services. And this year Stewart-Haas Racing will provide Ford Fusion/Roush-Yates Engine-powered entries in NASACR’s premier touring series for Kevin Harwick (No. 4), Danica Patrick (No. 10), Clint Boyer (No. 14) and Kurt Busch (No. 41), and the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.

The Haas motorsports operation has an interesting organizational plan. Although the Haas F1 Team does have a shop in Banbury, England, in order to be closer to the European center of Formula One Racing, both it and Stewart-Haas Racing are officially headquartered on the same sprawling campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

As far as the Haas F1 VF-16 Grand Prix Race Car that will be on display at Motorsports 2017 goes, it represents the two cars that were used last year in 21 Grand Prix races by a pair of veteran drivers – Frenchman Romain Grosjean and Mexican Esteban Gutiérrez.

The car has a carbon-fiber and honeycomb composite-structure chassis that was built by Dallara Automobili in Parma, Italy, which also builds the IndyCar chassis. And it is powered by a $200,000 Ferrari 061 turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 hybrid engine – with an Energy Recovery System (ERS) – that is limited to 15,000 rpm and lubricated by Shell Oil products.

The ERS dramatically increases the overall mechanical and fuel efficiency of the 900-plus-horsepower engine by harvesting and redeploying heat energy from the exhaust and brakes that would usually go to waste. Plus, it accounts for an additional 160 brake horsepower.

Carbon fiber also makes up the bodywork on the 1,544.4-pound/702-kilogram (with driver) single-seat, rear-engined racing machine. While its quick-shift transmission – with eight gears plus reverse – features a Ferrari servo-controlled hydraulic limited-slip differential with a semi-automatic sequential gearbox all controlled by a standard ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

The car also has four-wheel independent suspension, Ferrari steering and instrumentation and a carbon fiber driver’s seat that is custom-molded to each driver’s contours. An integral roll hoop protects the cockpit and a six-point Sabelt safety harness secures the driver.

Any of five 13-inch-wide dry-weather slick Pirelli P ZERO tire compounds – as well as grooved intermediate and grooved wet-weather tires used under appropriate conditions – are mounted on 13-inch OZ Racing Wheels while Brembo carbon-fiber disc brakes, pads and six-piston calipers handle the stopping chores.

And there is one more thing about this car that is very interesting.

Formula One World Championship Races are held on some of the most-historic, beautiful and interesting road-racing and street circuits in the world. But no matter where these events take place each one is approximately 305 kilometers/190 miles in length and they are run under a strict competitive time limit of two hours.

There is also no refueling during these races; scheduled three-second pit stops are only for tires. So the Haas F1 VF-16 racers – which have a top speed of 225 mph – started each event with 100 kilograms (36.6 gallons) of unleaded Shell Racing Gasoline in their ATL fuel cells.

In 2016, the Haas F1 Team was cited for its outstanding effort as a new operation in what is the most technically-sophisticated automobile racing series in the world. And this was highlighted by Grosjean scoring an impressive 29 Formula One points; an effort that helped Haas F1 to finish 8th in Team Standing and Grosjean to finish13th in Driver Standings.

The car to be seen at Motorsports 2017, though, is now really a museum piece as this year the “more aggressive” Formula One racers will be a little wider, a little longer and a little lower. Plus, in the interest of improving lap times, the tires will be 2-3-inches wider.

And there will be another change to Haas F1 when the season begins on March 26 in Melbourne, Australia, as Grosjean will have a new teammate, veteran Danish driver Kevin Magnussen.

OAKS, PA October 21, 2016 . . . “The King” is returning to the Motorsports Race Car and Trade Show. After a 30 year absence Richard Petty, the winningest driver in the history of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, will be appearing at the hugely popular Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2017 Race Car and Trade Show Fueled by Sunoco Distributed By Insinger Performance which takes place at Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA January 20-22, 2017.

Winner of 200 Cup races, the last one at the 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway with then President Ronald Reagan in attendance, Petty continues to be one of the most popular figures in motorsports.

Now a NASCAR Sprint Cup car owner, fielding the Smithfield Foods Ford for Aric Almirola and Goody’s Powder Ford for Brian Scott, Petty is presently involved in a yearlong celebration of his 80th birthday which will conclude on his actual birthday, July 2, 2017.

During the peak of his career Petty was able to do something that most likely will never happen again and that was in 1967 when he drove to victory in 27 Cup races, 10 of them in a row. That car will be one of two of Petty’s famous race cars on display all three days of the show.

Petty will be doing an interview in front of the fans talking about his long career in motorsports and will be signing autographs, free of cost to ticketholders. Richard has one of the most artful autographs of any sports figure and it is very much sought after.

The exact time and location of his appearance will be announced shortly.

Many other well-known racers and personalities will be appearing at the show with details to be announced.

The 3-day show will again fill 250,000 square feet of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center with just about everything imaginable in motorsports available for attendees to see.

Over 250 race cars, representing many different segments of the sport, will be on hand. In addition hardcore vendors will be part of the show along with many racing facilities offering information on their 2017 season.

Again, as in the past, free industry seminars will be offered.

Exhibit space is filling quickly so now is a good time to reserve a display area. Call Danny Sammons at 609.888.3618 or danny@aarn.com.

For complete show details, ticket prices and more check in at www.aarn.com and go to the Motorsports link.