The incredible atmosphere around Wednesday night at North Wilkesboro already has us feeling pretty nostalgic this Thursday, and that's before a single car hits the track this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Let's add to that with this week's edition of Throwback Thursday.
- In 1952, Fonty Flock won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (SC). Flock led 341 of the 400 laps and won by more than a lap over Johnny Patterson. Flock started on the pole and got the win while Patterson came from 42nd to finish second in the race that took almost seven hours to run. 66 cars started the race, but there were over 40 still running at the finish.
THE THIRD TURN: 1952 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
- Jerry Cook headed to Vermont to pick up a Late Model Sportsman win at Catamount Stadium on the day in 1966. Cook won the 25-lap dash over Rene Charland and Don MacTavish. Cook won twice that season, both times at Catamount Stadium. MacTavish only had three wins, but it was enough with other strong finishes to win the points title in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Championship.
- Winning the 1975 Labor Day 100 at Winchester Speedway (IN) for the ASA National Tour was Bob Senneker out of Michigan. Senneker beat out Rodney Combs for the win. Senneker loved Winchester Speedway, having won the Winchester 400 seven times. Overall Senneker had 19 regional event wins at Winchester in 36 starts. In those events, he ran over 7500 laps.
THE THIRD TURN: 1975 Labor Day 100 at Winchester Speedway
- In 1985, Bill Elliott won the Million Dollar Bonus from RJ Reynolds after winning the Winston Million at Darlington Raceway (SC). Elliott did start on the pole, but he had to earn the win after a series of crazy events including Cale Yarborough blowing a power steering line right in front of him near the end of the race.
THE THIRD TURN: 1985 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
- In 1996, Jean-Paul Cyr won the only Vermont Milk Bowl in his historic career. Cyr started ninth at Thunder Road (VT) and led 31 laps to be the overall winner in the three-race style format. Greg Blake was second and David Whitcomb was third. Cyr won 19 ACT races, and he had six wins at Thunder Road, but only once was he able to put it all together in the Milk Bowl.
THE THIRD TURN: 1996 Milk Bowl at Thunder Road