Beach racing gone but not forgotten

By Joe Jennings - Motorsport.com

Racing on the sand at Daytona Beach ended in 1958, but it has not been forgotten. During Speedweeks each year, old-time racers and supporters flock to the beach with their restored cars and their memories to relive the past.

Some 80 old cars appeared on the beach for the Living Legends of Racing parade. The cars and drivers took a leisurely drive on the hard-baked sand to the delight of fans, tourists and friends of the competitors.

A number of former racers including Russ Truelove, "Mad" Marion MacDonald, Johnny Allen, Jim Vandiver, Marvin Panch, Junie Donlavey, Jim Bray and others were on hand to reminisce about the good old days.

In a bus tour sponsored by NASCAR, the media received an in-depth walk-through on the history of racing in Daytona Beach. The buses drove by the original home of Bill France, his gas station, the hotel where France and others met to form NASCAR, and other notable spots. The caravan also stopped at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse where several restored cars were on display and old-time drivers had congregated.

Buzz McKim, NASCAR's resident historian, led the tour and accompanied by many of the legends, the tour was very informative.

NASCAR raced on the beach from 1936 to 1958. From 1936 to 1947, racing took place on a 3.2-mile course that included the picturesque State Highway A1A and the beach itself. In 1948, the course was moved farther south and it was a more rigorous 4.1 miles in length. The turns at each end of the courses were tight and the sand was often quite rugged.

Said Allen, 72, "It was hard to see because of the sand and salt that was flying through the air. The closer you were to the water the better off you were. The best thing you could was to be your wheels on the edge of the water (ocean) by just a hair. Most of the time you had to lean your head out the window to see where you were going."

Allen also raced in the first Daytona 500, starting last without benefit of practice time, he successfully climbed to an 11th place finish.

Truelove, 83, is best remembered as a Mercury driver and he said his cars came off the showroom floor. "It was very exciting to race on the beach," he said. Seagulls were everywhere but they scattered once the races started. The late Tim Flock (another legend) drove convertibles on the beach and he told Truelove the seagulls often dropped their calling cards on the drivers.

1961 Daytona 500 winner Marvin Panch also raced on the beach three times. He observed, "Our biggest problem is that you couldn't see where you were going. We cut holes in our windshields as the sand pitted them quickly." He also indicated the corners were "like a plowed field."

While Panch made the successful transition to the 2.5-mile oval, he said a greater concentration level was needed on the banked track as the wind moved the cars around so much. "It was like flying an airplane; you had to keep it smooth," he said.

MacDonald worked in a gas station owned by Bill France and as a teenager he raced on the beach twice in the late 1930s. "It was fun in those days," MacDonald, now 88, said. "We weren't racing then; we were just having fun. I raced close to home and we often had to steal gasoline to get home after a race."

Everyone involved had a great time talking with the veteran drivers and looking at their restored cars. A year from now, the stories should be even better, which makes one and all look forward to the 2008 reunion. Thanks to Motorsport.com