The great Talladega drivers walkout

[Ghoste]

Okay, for no other reason than because I'm bored on a Monday night but my Irish blood is telling me I still need to satrt something on March 17, how does everyone feel about the great Talladega drives walkout?  Do you all really feel it was a mutual thing among the drivers because of safety concerns or do you buy the somtimes whispered rumors that it was provoked by Ford because they didn't want their cars running against the wings?

[Aero426]

Okay, for no other reason than because I'm bored on a Monday night but my Irish blood is telling me I still need to satrt something on March 17, how does everyone feel about the great Talladega drives walkout?  Do you all really feel it was a mutual thing among the drivers because of safety concerns or do you buy the somtimes whispered rumors that it was provoked by Ford because they didn't want their cars running against the wings?

It absolutely had nothing to do with Ford versus Mopar.    I've never heard anything about rumors that Ford did not want to race against the wing car.   Had the factory Ford teams raced at Talladega, it is very likely they would have won that first race.    No matter how much testing you do, it isn't all that often that a brand new car comes out of the box to win.   

I once asked Donnie Allison if he ever felt at a disadvantage driving a Talladega against the winged car.    He all but laughed at me and felt he could run with them on any given day.

As time went on, when everything was all set up and dialed in, the wing car could claim a clear advantage in certain situations.    

[learical1]

Okay, for no other reason than because I'm bored on a Monday night but my Irish blood is telling me I still need to satrt something on March 17, how does everyone feel about the great Talladega drives walkout?  Do you all really feel it was a mutual thing among the drivers because of safety concerns or do you buy the somtimes whispered rumors that it was provoked by Ford because they didn't want their cars running against the wings?

It absolutely had nothing to do with Ford versus Mopar.    I've never heard anything about rumors that Ford did not want to race against the wing car.   Had the factory Ford teams raced at Talladega, it is very likely they would have won that first race.    No matter how much testing you do, it isn't all that often that a brand new car comes out of the box to win.   

True, true, true, but the Spoiler II won it's very first race, and it was also the very first race for the Boss 429.  A double newAero Car/new engine win for Cale.  But I agree with Doug, it wasn't a Ford vs Mopar thing.  Too many of the boycott racer were Mopar for that to be true.

[Aero426]

Yes, and the Boss 429 could have been an issue in that first Atlanta race.     I don't think they ever saw a lot of engine failures. 

[Ghoste]

What about Big Bill's assertions that Ford was putting the pressure on the tire makers first to pull out and then when Goodyear wouldn't leave that Ford was telling their drivers to load the trailers?

[nascarxx29]

PDA was Petty and other drivers .Wasnt something to do with safety.The track surface was to rough for those day low tech tires they drove on

[Aero426]

What about Big Bill's assertions that Ford was putting the pressure on the tire makers first to pull out and then when Goodyear wouldn't leave that Ford was telling their drivers to load the trailers?

Since there were no tires from either Goodyear or Firestone that would last for any length of time over 190 mph,  both Chrysler and Ford left the decision to race or not with the individual teams.   The track was so rough that Glotzbach broke an A-frame on Friday during a tire test.   The PDA drivers voted not to race.        

Goodyear was persuaded to stay by Bill France.   Initially they were going to leave with Firestone.

The only factory Daytonas who ran were the cars of Isaac and Brickhouse.  Isaac was not a member of the PDA, and Brickhouse bolted the PDA for the chance to run the Nichels 99.   The other Daytonas did not race.    

[Ghoste]

So why did France blame Ford not long after?  (and as for Petty, well, he was Ford at the time  )

[Aero426]

So why did France blame Ford not long after?  (and as for Petty, well, he was Ford at the time  )

Well, Petty was the elected President, and voice of the PDA.      France clearly blamed the PDA.

As far as France blaming Ford,  where have you seen this?     

[Ghoste]

Most recently, Bobby Isaacs biography (sorry, I forget the title just now) but I'd heard it or read it somewhere else once.

[Mike DC]

Well, the incident has definitely gone down in recorded NASCAR history as purely a safety/tire/surface issue. 

If Ford's disadvantage on the wing cars played a role in it, you'd have to get that story from indivudual people.

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I personally think it was just the track issue. 

The wing cars were built, they were declared legal, and Ford was a long way away from putting out any counter-attack yet.  The wing cars were gonna hit the tracks sooner or later and they were either gonna win or lose.  Buying Ford another week wasn't gonna change that.  (If anything, the Daytona teams probably benefited from the extra time more than the Fords did.) 

And if it was really a Ford/Mopar issue at the core, I don't think there would have been a very unanimous agreement from the PDA among both sides of the aisle.  As history tells it, basically everyone (who wasn't being forced by their factory) was in agreement with sitting it out.

[MOPARHOUND!]

I take it the race was run.  How many tires came apart causing wrecks, and what was the finish order?

[moparstuart]

I take it the race was run.  How many tires came apart causing wrecks, and what was the finish order?

The track was brand new right ? did they just do a crappy job making the surface ??

[Aero426]

Correct.   The Fords had to face the Daytona sooner or later.   They did at Charlotte and won.   Then they did at Rockingham and won.   It wasn't until the Texas race that the Daytona had a win against real competition.   

The Isaac book states that France asked Charlie Gray to force his Ford teams to run.   Charlie refused to do so as even his "factory" teams were all independent contractors.    Page 79.

[Ghoste]

I hafta take your word for it Doug because I'm not even sure where my copy is right now.