Miss Tennessee, Jenny Thomas, poses with the 1960 Southern 300 trophy in a promotional photo.
By Kyle Ealy
Nashville, Tenn. – What started as a local event would soon evolve into one of the premier short track races in the southeast. The Southern 300 would run from 1959 to 1972, and as the race grew in popularity and stature with drivers and race fans, it soon began to attract many regional and national racers.
The half-mile, paved Fairgrounds Speedway would open for business on July 19, 1958. Three weeks later, the track would play host to a 200-lap NASCAR event, won by Joe Weatherly.
In addition to their weekly racing, the season was capped off with a 200-lap modified race on October 19. Although the race didn’t have an official name, it became known as the Southern 200. Jimmy Griggs of Donelson, Tenn., would win the race, shortened to 163 laps because of darkness, before a crowd of 5,146.
Jimmy Griggs is shown accepting his trophy after winning the 1958 Southern 300. Griggs would also win the 1959 race as well.
In 1959, the event would be extended another 100 laps and formally name the Southern 300. With the exception of a couple of years, it was always the season-ending race at Fairgrounds Speedway.
This is where the story starts…
On October 11, 1959, Jimmy Griggs would successfully defend his title, pushing his Cadillac-powered race car to victory in the grueling 300-lapper before a record crowd of 8,574. For his efforts, Griggs earned a whopping $1,000 and a five-foot-tall trophy.
Griggs would grab the win when Bob Reuther, who had led for the last 100 laps, yielded his front spot to Griggs on lap 283 because of fatigue.
“I just couldn’t take it any longer,” Reuther explained afterwards. “I was worn out and could hardly gripped the steering wheel any longer.” In evidence, he held out his hands, covered with broken blisters. “No excuses, I was just pooped,” he added.
Griggs ran the race as he had planned. He started the race in the 11th position, slowly worked his way to the front of the field and came into contention with 100 circuits left. He led briefly at the 200-lap mark, pitted for gas, and then proceeded to dog Reuther’s bumper until passing him on the south turn.
Reuther settled for second place while Friday Hassler of Chattanooga took the final podium spot.
Seven of the 10 fastest qualifiers never finished the race, and of the 37 starters, only 20 received the checkered flag. Earl Abts of Birmingham, Ala., who set a new qualifying record of 21.17 seconds (81.19 mph), was the early leader of the race but lost his steering on lap 102 and hit the wall. Charlie Griffith of Chattanooga, one of the track’s successful weekly racers, was leading on lap 146 when a grease seal blew and his transmission blew up, knocking a large hole in his gas tank.
In one off the weirdest crashes, Malcolm Brady slammed into a stalled Jack Marlin while running at full speed in the south turn. “I had the throttle on the floor,” Brady remarked. “And wasn’t even braced for the crash. My windshield was so dirty, I didn’t even see Jack.”
Track promoters, though, were lavish in their praise following the event. “Everyone followed the rules. They drove like pro’s and gave the crowd a fine race.”
Malcolm Brady is all smiles after winning the 1960 Southern 300.
Malcolm Brady watched car after car “drop like flies,” as the Columbia, Tenn., driver outlasted 35 other competitors in winning the second annual Southern 300 on October 2, 1960.
A whopping 26 starters failed to finish. Numerous laps run under caution held the average speed down to 61.42 miles per hour. Brady averaged over 82 miles per hour in time trials.
Two-time and defending champion Jimmy Griggs finished second but wasn’t even close at the finish, almost a half-lap behind Brady. After that, the eight other cars on the track had been lapped at least once.
For the first 150 laps, the 9,172 fans in attendance saw a fantastic race but for the last 150 circuits, they watched Brady and Griggs moving in circles, and it didn’t look like they belonged in the same ones.
A total of 36 cars started and by lap 4, the field was cut down to 30 after a six-car pileup. Brady started on the pole and led the first 44 laps. Charlie Griffith took over on lap 45 and held it until lap 54 when he spun out.
Dave Mader of Birmingham was the next leader until the 84th circuit when his car snapped a pinion gear. Brady would regain the lead and never relinquish it from there.
At that point, Brady had Bobby Celsor, Friday Hassler, Coo Coo Marlin, Griggs, L.J. Hampton, and Bobby Allison in hot pursuit. Before the race ended, all, with the exception of Griggs, found their way to the graveyard, which was also called the infield, where more cars were standing at the end of the race then what was on the racetrack.
For a while, Brady didn’t know if he would make it to the checkers. “The car was holding up great, but I wasn’t holding up too good. I didn’t think I was going to make towards the end.”
For car owner Charlie Stoffel, the victory was sweet for the two other cars owned by him were wrecked. “We really needed the money,” he said.
1961 winner, Bob Reuther, is joined by Miss Southern 300, Pat Schmidt.
Bob Reuther would turn on the steam on a cold day, October 1, 1961, to win the third annual Southern 300. For the 14-year racing veteran, it was his biggest win to date. According to many who had seen Reuther race throughout his career, he was never better than that day.
An impressive crowd of 7,814 turned out despite cloudy skies that dripped rain during most of the morning and cut the race to 270 laps.
The victory as protested by L.J. Hampton, and it took 75 minutes, until all of the scorecards could be double-checked, and an official decision reached. Hampton finished four seconds behind Reuther at the end with Charlie Stoffel finishing third, three laps behind, and Friday Hassler taking fourth, five laps down.
Red Farmer of Hueytown, Ala., the polesitter, took the lead on the opening lap and held it until lap 57 when a broke jack shaft sent him to the sidelines. With Farmer out, Jimmy Griggs took over first place and held it until his engine gave way on lap 77.
Herschel “Crash” Bond took over and it looked like he might stay there the rest of the afternoon until his car developed rear end trouble and he exited on lap 132. That was when Reuther got his first taste of being up front and he held the top spot until he pitted for fuel on lap 207.
While Reuther was fueling up and losing almost three laps, Hampton, who had already made a pit stop for fuel, took the lead. At the 210th mark Hampton was officially 19 seconds ahead of Reuther.
But one could get a good idea on how fast Reuther was traveling. By lap 220, Reuther was 11 seconds behind Hampton and on lap 230, he was on Hampton’s bumper. On lap 232, Reuther powered to the inside of Hampton for the lead and never looked back.
In addition to his dominating victory, Reuther also showed an exemplary act of sportsmanship earlier in the race, when Red Farmer, who was leading on lap 69, attempted to pull to the bottom of the track, obviously in trouble. While other cars let the red-headed driver fend for himself, Reuther dropped off the high bank, positioned his car behind Farmer’s and pushed him to the pit area.
Raymond “Friday” Hassler would beat Malcolm Brady by less than half a lap to win the fourth annual Southern 300 on September 30, 1962. Fifteen of the 38 starters finished the final race of the season before a crowd of 7,656.
Brady seemingly had the race in the bag, but his crew misjudged his fuel mileage, and he ran out of gas on lap 265. The former winner coasted to the pits, picked up five gallons of gas, and roared out. By the time this took place, however, Hassler had flown by and taken the lead, and eventually the win.
It was the second time for Hassler to lead the race. Donnie Allison of Hueytown, Ala., the polesitter, had led the race for the first 108 laps until he suffered a blowout of his right rear tire. Red Farmer then took over until he went to the pits for fuel on lap 147.
It was then that Hassler got his first glimpse of the top spot until he pitted for fuel on lap 173. That put Brady in the catbird seat until his costly stop.
“I could have used a caution flag there at the end,” Brady said. He had already made three pit stops during caution flags, thus not losing a lap. Hassler only required one put stop, also during a caution flag, and his too, was for only one lap.
Bobby Allison, who lost six laps after blowing a right rear tire seven laps after the same fate had struck his brother, was pushing Coo Coo Marlin for third on lap 295, when he got a little too close, rammed Marlin from behind and shoved them both into the guardrail on the frontstretch.
The costliest lap of the race was on lap 107 when the steering broke on Jimmy Griggs’ car, sending him crashing into the backstretch guardrail. His car shot back out into oncoming traffic and took Bud Fox, Jerry Lawley, Fred Thompson, Jack Marlin, and Charlie Parrish out with him. Only Marlin emerged from the wreck and was able to continue.
One of the most popular drivers ever to compete at Fairgrounds Speedway, Raymond Lee "Friday" Hassler won the 1962 and '63 Southern 300.
The fifth annual Southern 300 was slated for September 29, 1963. When racers and fans arrived on Saturday, September 28 for practice and qualifying, they were greeted by soaking rains. The race was rescheduled for October 6. It would be the first of only two Southern 300’s postponed by rain.
When the day arrived, it was unusually warm and the shirt-sleeved crowd of 7,985 watched as Friday Hassler successfully defended his Southern 300 title. He edged past the finish line three seconds ahead of Malcolm Brady.
Hassler and Brady were the only two drivers on the same lap for the last 50 turns of the half mile paved oval. Brady applied pressure like a boxer stalking his foe before a knockout, but Hassler proved to be too clever and held off the numerous advances of the veteran chauffeur.
Brady believed he had won and asked for a recheck of the scoring cards, which was granted. The check revealed that Hassler made one pit stop, with it coming on the 157th lap while the green flag was out. It took 1 minute and 40 seconds.
On the other hand, Brady took three pit stops all during caution laps. He was in for 40 seconds on lap 76, 76 seconds on lap 170, and the pit stop that killed him came on lap 230. It required almost 2 minutes and when Brady got back out on the track, he was behind Hassler by seven seconds.
The yellow flag waved six times with the worse wreck occurring on lap 80 when Freddy Fryar, Crash Bond, Martin Sharpe, and George Bonee were involved in a six-car collision and eliminated from the race. Bob Burchman and Charlie Parrish were also involved in the melee but were able to continue.
Red Farmer, one of the pre-race favorites, departed when his right spindle front broke on lap 24. Joe Lee Johnson was out after 125 laps with a broken crankshaft. Donnie Allison, the polesitter, led the first 36 laps before leaving with a blocked fuel line.
Hassler picked up $1,000 while Brady’s runner-up finish netted him $750. Another former winner, Bob Reuther, drove a steady race and finished third, four laps behind the leaders.
Changes were in store for not only the Southern 300 but Fairgrounds Speedway as well. After six years of modifieds being the feature division, the track was moving to the full-bodied late models beginning in 1964. The change was in line with the other short tracks in the region.
Future hall-of-famer Bobby Allison would win the 1964 Southern 300.
Bobby Allison would take advantage of every break that came his way to win the Southern 300 on October 4, 1964. Driving a 1956 Chevrolet, Allison picked up the $1,000 winner’s check.
A chilly day brought the crowd numbers down, with only 4,500 diehards attending the sixth annual event.
They would have to wait a little longer after the race when Joe Lee Johnson, the second-place finisher, protested the finish. As Allison was getting his picture taken in victory lane, Johnson said, “Let him have the pictures, I’ll take the money. I won the race.”
There would have been no argument over who won if Bob Burcham, the polesitter from Chattanooga, hadn’t suffered a cruel fate two laps away from the finish. The engine on Burcham’s 1958 Plymouth expired and he limped home to a third-place finish.
Charlie Binkley, one of the local hotshots, drove better and faster than anyone on the track but his engine let go on the 254th lap. Binkley had passed the top three drivers twice but was still a lap behind a the time of his misfortune because of two pit stops for fuel.
Coo Coo Marlin lost one position, coming in at fifth instead of fourth when his 1958 Chevrolet ran out of gas with five laps left. Red Farmer, who weathered all kinds of adversity, finished fourth in his 1958 Ford.
The Fairgrounds Speedway grandstands are ablaze just weeks before the 1965 Southern 300.
The eight running of the Southern 300 was set for October 3, 1965. Two weeks before the race, however, the Fairgrounds suffered a disastrous blow. Sparks from faulty wiring ignited the exhibit halls behind the speedway’s grandstands. Within moments, fire consumed the top side of the fairground’s property and heavily damaged the track’s grandstands.
With the track having lost its PA and scoring system, and suffering extensive damage to restrooms and concessions, promoters Bill Donoho and Bennie Goodman were left with no choice to cancel the Southern 300 as well as the 400-lap open competition race.
With a new grandstand, PA, and scoring system in place, the Southern 300 was back again after a one-year absence.
.jpg)
Clifton "Coo Coo" Marlin won the 1966 Southern 300.
The seventh annual event took place on October 2, 1966. Coo Coo Marlin, who already had a dozen trophies on his shelf from 1966, was one of the pre-race favorites. The other was Red Farmer, who didn’t race week to week like Marlin, but was always competitive at the half-mile track.
From the moment the race started, and ended, the favorites didn’t disappoint as Marlin outlasted Farmer before a record crowd of 9,000 screaming fans. The two drivers waged a battle that the fans had been hoping for.
Farmer led for the first 79 laps with Marlin hugging his bumper the entire time. Marlin took the lead for the first time and led until he pitted on lap 143. Farmer went back in front until lap 175 when he pitted. Jack Marlin took over for two laps and then Bob Burcham went in front for two more.
Coo Coo was back out front on lap 182 and led until the 234th circuit but when the Columbia farmer made his second pit stop, Red was back in command again. Marlin would bring the fans to their feet when he attempted a pass on Farmer for the lead on lap 240 and almost lost control of his car in the final turn.
On lap 252, Farmer’s right front tire would blow, and Marlin would fly by Farmer on the frontstretch for the lead – he wouldn’t relinquish it. The victory was worth $1,100 to Marlin and insured of him of repeating as the local NASCAR point champion. He also took home the huge Pepsi-Cola trophy. He averaged 65.08 miles per hour and the speed was slowed by 10 caution flags that ate up a whopping 102 laps.
Jack Marlin, Coo Coo’s brother was second with Gary Myers third, eight laps behind the winner.
Farmer, who had seen his share of heartbreak at the race, never looked more dejected as he climbed from his car. “I let Coo Coo go by when I felt the car shaking. The flat caused a bent tie rod.” Red revealed that he was running a new 289-cubic inch engine, and said, “I believe I could have won if I didn’t have the trouble.”
Marlin felt fortunate to get the win. “That spin almost caught me. I got it straightened out, but he just took off and I couldn’t catch him.”
Marlin added, “The car kept burning fuel. If Red had stayed in the race, I believe I would have had to make another stop for fuel and I don’t think I could have passed him again.”
The top four fastest qualifiers of the 1967 Southern 300 pose with the winner's trophy. From left to right - Red Farmer, Coo Coo Marlin, Marty Robbins, and Jimmy Griggs.
The ninth running of the Southern 300 would take place on October 1, 1967. A few days before the race, promoter Bill Donohos had received 72 entries for the event. With only 33 cars starting the 300-lapper, that meant that over half of the entrants would be loaded before the green flag dropped.
Red Farmer returned for another shot and, once again, was fast off the trailer, capturing the pole for the second consecutive year. To no one’s surprise, Coo Coo Marlin, the defending Southern 300 champion, was second fastest. Turning heads, however, was the third fastest qualifier, singing star Marty Robbins, driving the #777 Plymouth. Local racer and two-time Southern 300 winner Jimmy Griggs was fourth fastest.
But it was former track champion (1964) Freddy Fryar, now of Baton Rouge, La., carting home the $2,000 first prize and the Pepsi trophy at the end of the hot afternoon. For Fryar, it was his 34th feature victory of the season.
Glancing at the trophy. Fryar wiped the perspiration from his face as the sun continued to blister the 10,500 in attendance and said, “That will get me a ride in a Grand National next year.”
Explaining the comment, Fryar said he drives for a man who owns a concrete company and “All I have to do is put that trophy on his desk Monday morning and it will get me a ride,” Fryar said.
Fryar wouldn’t have been celebrating much if Red Farmer hadn’t been sidelined by a freak occurrence. Farmer was two laps ahead of the field when he hit the third turn wall on lap 209.
“Donnie’s (Allison) plug came out of the rear end, and he dropped grease on the track. I skidded into the wall and busted a ball joint in the right front.”
Pushing back his straw hat, Red lamented, “It was running perfectly, handling perfectly. I already made my pit stop for fuel and wasn’t going to come in again.”
He walked away mumbling, “$2,000, gone.”
Fryar eased through Allison’s mess and was sitting pretty when the green flag returned. With the top four qualifiers sidelined as well as half of the remaining starters, Fryar put it on cruise control for the final 90 laps.
Local favorites Jimmy Griggs and Coo Coo Marlin were running 2-3 when they retired within laps of each other. Griggs departed first with rear end issues on his ’58 Ford after 101 laps. Marlin exited on lap 132 when his engine quit on his ’62 Chevrolet. Marty Robbins was in the fourth spot when he departed with a broken spindle.
After years of frustration, Alabama's Red Farmer finally got to kiss the trophy girl after winning the 1968 Southern 300.
After multiple poles and back-to-back years of having the dominant car but nothing to show for it, Red Farmer finally closed the deal in the tenth edition of the Southern 300, held on September 29, 1968. Surviving a hairy first lap would be toughest part of Farmer’s 150-mile journey as he finally captured the race that had eluded him for so long.
A sunbaked gathering of 10,042 watched one of the slowest contests recorded, with 127 laps of the 300 laps under caution.
Undaunted by the numerous yellow flags, however, Farmer, driving a 1964 Ford, survived “seven or eight scares” and legitimate threats from Charlie Binkley, Coo Coo Marlin, and Bob Burcham.
Coo Coo, driving one of his best races of the season, finished second, while Burcham, charging like a madman, finished third. Walter Wallace, relief driving for Binkley who passed out in the heat, finished fourth, and Jimmy Griggs finished fifth, making it a big day for car owner R.C. Alexander.
Alexander owned the cars driven by Farmer and Griggs, and R.C. was a happy man but not as pleased as Farmer, who was all smiles in victory lane.
“I’ve waited three or four years, maybe longer, but it was worth it. I’ve never finished a 300-lapper here before,” said Farmer, who earned $2,000 for winning.
A year after winning the race, Freddy Fryar had plenty of challenges just to make the starting field. During qualifying, Fryar blew his engine. The crew swapped out engines just in time for Fryar to race in the 20-lap consolation. Starting dead last in the 41-car field, Fryar worked his way quickly through the pack, avoided a couple of accidents, and won the race to advance to the 300. He would finish 30th.
A kid from Owensboro, Ky., saddled up for his first Southern 300 start. He lasted 87 laps, finished 28th and took home $70 for his efforts. Two years later, P.B. Crowell, who would win the point’s championship in 1968, would hand the keys of his orange-and-white, creamsicle-painted #48 over to the kid named Darrell Waltrip.
Legendary driver Freddy Fryar won the Southern 300 twice - in 1967 and again in '69.
Freddy Fryar would pick up his biggest paycheck in 17 years of racing, when he would win his second Southern 300 on September 28, 1969. Fryar would collect $3,925 for winning the 11th annual event at the Fairgrounds Speedway.
The day was brightened by a brilliant sun, warm weather, and an enthusiastic crowd of 11,000 but dulled by two violent wrecks and scoring mix-ups.
Long after the race had ended, no less than four drivers laid claim for the second-place money that paid $1,750. The runner-up position was finally awarded to Bobby Walker with Bunkie Blackburn credited with third place. Part of the argument from other drivers was neither of those drivers were listed on the track scoreboard that supposedly listed the top four drivers throughout the day.
A day later, however, a recheck of scoring by chief scorer Frank Canale showed that Flookie Buford finished second with Joe Mangrum taking third. Walker was dropped to fourth and Blackburn credited with fifth.
The first bad wreck involved the popular and two-time Southern 300 champion, Jimmy Griggs. Grigg’s 1964 Chevelle blew a tire going into the first turn. It tagged the wall and then slid back out into the middle of the track where a car driven by Ronnie Blasingham crashed into the side of Grigg’s vehicle. Griggs was rushed to an area hospital and put in intensive care with chest injuries and was listed in critical condition. It would effectively end Grigg’s racing career.
The second wreck occurred in the same spot on lap 297 when Barney Karley blew a tire, smacked the guardrail, and then collected James Climer, Dave Sisco (the ’69 track champion) and Charlie Binkley in the melee. Karley and Sisco were sent to an area hospital and were listed in fair condition.
Binkley, one of the race leaders, was finished for the day. He made a strong bid for the $3,000 first prize but was thwarted by his pit crew, and then the accident.
Fryar started on the pole position after setting a new track record in qualifying with a time of 20.82 seconds. He led he first 165 tours of the race until he pitted for fuel.
Binkley took over the top spot and remained in front from laps 165 to 280 when his car ran out of gas. He took on some gas, rushed back onto the track, and was back again after a few laps – he was out of gas.
“They only put in four or five gallons on the stop, and they should have filled it,” a disappointed Binkley said afterwards. “I’ll have a new pit crew next time, they just killed me.” Asked who was in the pits, he replied, “My brothers, all fighting with each other.”
Nevertheless, “Chargin” Charlie collected $575 in lap money along with $350 for his seventh-place finish.
For Fryar, the track champion and Baton Rouge and Jackson, Miss., for 1969, the victory was his 35th of the season. “This $18,000 purse is the best thing that ever happened to late model sportsman racing. I hope to coast this winter now and do a little deer hunting.”
“I lost a cylinder early in the race and the car lost about half a second. I wouldn’t have been able to pass Binkley if he hadn’t run out of gas. The gear shift lever fell off and I had to drive in high gear towards the end. It was tough with all those restarts. I almost burned up the clutch.”
Red Farmer, the defending champion, and expected to be a challenger, left early with valve trouble. P. B. Crowell ran a strong second and challenged for the lead before leaving on lap 167.
It was announced that a new 5/8-mile track would replace the present structure for the 1970 season. In addition to lengthening the track, the banking would be higher as well. Also, track operators installed a new metal overhang, covering the grandstands that replaced the wooden ones from the ’65 fire.
Larry Doth Ottinger, better known as "L.D.", won the 1970 Southern 300.
Because of construction delays, the season didn’t start until mid-July so there was no Grand National race but the 12th annual Southern 300 returned for its traditional autumn spot on October 4, 1970. Unlike most years, the Southern wasn’t the final race of the season. Because of the delays, a 100-lap late model invitational and an ARCA race preceded the Southern.
Several drivers from the Grand National and late model ranks were a little leery of the newly designed Nashville track. They had raced high-banked tracks before but not with shorter straightaways.
Local racer James Ham, however, took to it like a duck on water. In races prior to the 300, Ham was routinely setting new records in time trials. Sure enough, Ham was first out for qualifying for the Southern and laid down the fastest lap (119.250 mph), daring anyone to beat his time. Flookie Buford and Alton Jones qualified third and fourth. Freddy Fryar, the defending champion, timed only fifth best. Darrell Waltrip, winner of five of the eight features at Fairgrounds Speedway that season could muster no better than ninth fastest.
Yet, there was one driver left, and Red Farmer took the challenge, setting a new track record (119.872 mph) in nipping Ham’s time, capturing the pole position, and starting on the front row of the Southern 300 for the fifth straight year.
In addition to those drivers, some of the other “hot dogs” competing were Richard Brickhouse, who won the inaugural Grand National race at Talladega in 1969, Jack Ingram, Bosco Lowe, and Sam Sommers.
Come race day, however, L.D. Ottinger of Newport, Tenn., watched all of the hot dogs and the “Ham” sizzle, steering his Chevelle to victory lane. More than 13,000 sectators watched as Ottinger took the lead on the 231st lap and held it to the checkered flag.
Pacing (and dominating) the race in the early going, Ham led from laps 6-22, 338-111, and 139-182. But he, and some of the other hot dogs left with various mechanical issues.
Ham was the victim of a spin out in front him involving Farmer and Charlie Binkley. “I had it in the bag. The car was running perfectly. Binkley’s motor blew and Farmer spun trying to avoid him,” Ham said. “I tried to go below but Red just slid down and there was no opening.”
Richard Brickhouse decided to take the lead after Ham’s exit. He led a stretch of 50 laps and built up a five-second lead in the process. But as the Rocky Point, N.C. driver was sailing along, his tire blew on the frontstretch, heading into the first turn, and Brickhouse greeted the concrete wall.
Though Brickhouse left the race, he remained posted as the leader for the next few laps as the second-place car, Ottinger, unlapped himself. Once he did, he had a clear path to his first Nashville win.
Ottinger drove the entire race with a splitting headache and at one time considered having Jim Hunter relieve him. Ottinger had to be given oxygen in victory lane, he said his head felt like it was going to burst open.
“The car was running great, but my head was going to explode, he said, as he accepted his $2,000 paycheck, plus accessory awards.
In his first Nashville start, Harry Gant, the track champion from Taylorsville, N.C., was second and earned $1,100. Gary Cook of Springfield finished third and took home $700. Darrell Waltrip, who led laps 112-138, finished fourth.
A disappointed Darrel Waltrip is consoled by his crew after losing the 1971 Southern 300 in the last few laps. Waltrip had dominated the contest before dropping out with transmission problems.
The day of the race, before a sun-drenched crowd of 15,500, Darrell Waltrip was as good as advertised, leading 282 of the 300 laps. The race was his but the trophy and the first-place prize of $4,015 went to Alabama’s Red Farmer.
Suddenly, 13 laps away from the finish, Waltrip’s Chevelle, which had been by far the fastest car on the track all day and was a lap ahead of the rest of the field, jumped out of gear and just like that, the transmission was toast. And so was the race for Waltrip.
Walking dejectedly from his car, looking at the ground and trying to hold back tears, Waltrip remarked, “I’ll never live it down. Damn it, I was sitting in the car, counting the money. Nobody was running as fast as me – except my shadow.”
Farmer, receiving a kiss from his wife in victory lane, said, “Everyone has days like that in racing, I know that better than anyone.”
“I feel sorry for Darrell, but glad for me. He sure set the pace all day. We all ran faster than we wanted to do just to keep up,” said Farmer.
Takin second place and earning $2,025 was defending Southern 300 champion L.D. Ottinger. He agreed with Farmer about Darrell, stating, “That Waltrip was really flying. He made me run a lot harder than I wanted to.”
Ottinger took the lead and led the first five laps before Waltrip took over. It was Waltrip from laps 6 to 287, then Farmer from lap 288 to the checkers. The average speed was 79.346 miles per hour as the caution flag dropped 13 times for 119 laps.
Farmer, whose reputation as one of the best short track drivers – asphalt or dirt – in the nation, almost blew his opportunity with a mistake on his pit stop. He took too long while the caution flag was out and failed to escape the pit area before the pace car made a full lap. This cost Farmer a lap and possibly any chance at the win if Waltrip hadn’t experienced agony at the end.
Darrell Waltrip reaps the spoils of victory after winning the 1972 Southern 300.
Waltrip would get his revenge when the 14th running of the Southern 300 returned to Nashville on October 1, 1972, but not without some confusion. Waltrip won the race even though Jack Ingram crossed the finish line first and declared himself the winner.
The confusing finish came when about on the final lap of the race which was run under caution. Ingram said he never saw a caution flag or light. He raced past Waltrip, who had slowed for the caution, and crossed the finish line first.
“The caution flag wasn’t displayed,” Ingram said after the race. “The only flag I saw displayed was the white flag. I crossed the finish line first. The way it’s been explained to me, that means you won the race.”
But Waltrip saw it differently.
“You normally don’t race under a caution light,” he explained.
The final laps turned into the kind of Waltrip-Ingram duel the fans expect every time the duo had been on the track. Waltrip jumped out at the start and led the first 150 laps. At the break he was still in front. With Ingram in fourth behind Jerry Long and Donnie Anthony.
But Anthony had troubles and wasn’t able to come out for the restart. Shortly after 190 circuits, Long was in trouble and slowing. Ingram moved into second place, but Waltrip was way out in front.
On the 229th lap, Waltrip caught up with Ingram and passed him, putting himself a lap up over the field. He continued to put asphalt between he and Ingram. However, Waltrip, who always found trouble at Fairgrounds Speedway when he had a big lead, held true to form, and found trouble.
Leading big on lap 241, Waltrip was coming through the third turn when his front wheel popped off and took a bouncy roll down the front straightaway. Waltrip carefully followed the rolling tire, managing to keep his car under control as he headed to the pit area. In what must have been a record time, his crew had a new tire on and Waltrip was back on the track.
However, Waltrip had dropped from his comfortable lead and was now in third place, behind Ingram and Charlie Binkley. On lap 278, there was a caution because of debris on the track.
On the restart it happened.
Red Farmer explained, “I was coming down the straightaway and all of a sudden, Jerry (Sisco) blew an engine. Some sort of milky stuff hit my windshield and I was in the dark. I couldn’t see anything.”
“I pulled to the left to get out of traffic, slowing because I couldn’t see. Of course, on the restart, everyone is going full throttle. Some car hits me, then Charlie Binkley hits that guy.’
Binkley’s car would catapult over the retaining wall at the end of the grandstand near the first turn. His car was completely destroyed but Binkley escaped unhurt.
On the next restart, lap 280, Waltrip would sneak up on Ingram, hugging his rear bumper, and on lap 282, pass him for the lead in the second turn.
“For once, we were lucky,” Waltrip said. “We needed that caution to catch up. And for once in my life, I enjoyed a good pit stop.”
Red Farmer, driving in relief of L.D. Ottinger for the second half of the race, put on a passing display. When he took over, he was in sixth. He finished third despite having to pit for a dragging door that had to be removed. Jimmy Hensley was fourth followed by Tony Bettenhausen Jr.
Waltrip earned $4,150 for his victory.
Ingram’s protest was disallowed. However, there was some consolation for him. The second-place finish assured him of the NASCAR late model sportsman national championship.
The 1972 Southern 300 was the final race on Nashville’s high-banked track. After three-year run which saw two deaths and a slew of safety concerns, Fairgrounds Speedway reconfigured a second time. The banking was dropped 18 degrees and the shortened from a 5/8-mile (.625) to .596-mile, although it’s still referenced to as a “five-eighths mile”.
That would be the end of the Southern 300.
With the track reconfigured, the Southern was extended by 100 laps. Thus, fans got to enjoy the 15th annual Southern 400 for the first time on September 30, 1973. Jack Ingram would get a measure of revenge and win that day.
The race would continue for another six years. Butch Lindley would in 1974 while L.D. Ottinger would collect his second Southern trophy in the 1975 race. Harry Gant would win the 1976 edition and Butch Lindley would come back and claim his second Southern title in 1977.
1977 was the final year for the Southern 400. The NASCAR-sanctioned Southern returned in October 1978, but it was only 200 laps and the preliminary event for the Marty Robbins World Open. Jody Ridley won over a sparse field in a final Southern 200 in 1979, originally scheduled as a companion event to the third year of the Marty Robbins race. The Robbins event was canceled, however, because of a scheduling conflict with another major race in Wisconsin.
A new tradition would begin in the fall of 1981 with All-American 400, which continues to run to this day.
