April 17, 1966
“Gwyn Staley 400”
Top 5 finishers.....
Attrition, attrition, attrition—that’s the word of the day, or at least it was on April 17, 1966. There were 37 cars entered in the race. When the checkered flag waved 2 hours, 50 minutes, 22 seconds after the first green flag waved, only 14 cars were running. Cars were dropping as early as lap 5 and as late as lap 382 (of 400). The 10th place finisher was 50 laps off the pace!
The winner was Jim Paschal—by 6 laps!!! It was the largest margin of victory at North Wilkesboro in NASCAR’s top division. It was his 20th career Grand National win. Paschal started the race from the pole position with a record time of 21.91 seconds/102.693mph. Paschal led 308 laps in the race. Paschal, also a furniture finisher, had been driving in NASCAR’s top division since the first Strictly Stock race at Charlotte in 1949.
Grover Clifton (“G.C.”) Spencer finished 2nd. He started the race from the 7th position. In 415 career Grand National races, Spencer never saw victory lane. He played the role of “bridesmaid” 6 times. This was his fourth time doing so. It was Spencer’s only top 5 showing at NWS. He raced 22 times at the track. According to Spencer, what got him interested in racing was when he was in the Navy. While serving his country, he was the head mechanic in a Naval Fire Department at a base in Norman, Oklahoma. G.C talked his Chief Officer into letting him take the fire trucks out once a week on the asphalt road that ran around the base to blow the carbon out of them. He would take them out and run them wide open around the road, “assuring the carbon was blown out of them.”
Despite losing an engine on lap 382, the 1966 Grand National Champion, David Pearson, finished 3rd. Pearson started the day from the second starting position.
Moving up 22 spots from 26th to a 4th place finish was Wendell Scott. It would also be Scott’s only top 5 finish at NWS. He also made 22 Grand National starts at the track. Scott finished 22 laps behind Paschal. I could state the obvious, but that is not what Wendell Scott was about. Scott loved cars, working on cars and racing cars. He did so on a very small budget and with “used” equipment. Over a certain 10 year period, Wendell Scott raced an average of 46 times per season, and as many as 56 races in 1964, often traveling with his wife and six children. A former taxi driver, Scott served in the Army and was a mechanic. Scott was a true racer. No matter what the circumstances, he showed up on race day. He eventually earned the respect he deserved from other drivers. The driver who probably gave him the hardest time was Jack Smith. The battle came to an end when on a pace lap of a race, Smith pulled up beside Scott and started pointing his finger at Scott. Scott in turn pulled a pistol out and pointed it back. He never had trouble with Smith again. Wendell Scott raced in 495 Grand National races in his career. He finished in the top ten 147 times. His only lead lap finish was his lone victory at Jacksonville in 1964. Originally credited with a 3rd place finish in that race, he actually ran two laps over the scheduled distance and two laps more than any other driver. He was eventually credited with the win, although bittersweet.
Clarence Henly Gray gained 20 spots during the day. Gray started 25th and finished 5th—25 laps down. It was also his only top five finish at NWS. What a great day for the underdogs! As with G.C. Spencer and Wendell Scott, Gray also ran on limited funding, but enjoyed the sport anyway. Gray made 374 Grand National starts, never finished on the lead lap, only had 60 top ten finishes and just five top fives. But he continued to show up on race day. Henley Gray must have had an eye for talent though. In October of 1977, Gray had a driver race in his number 19 Belden Asphalt Chevy Malibu at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That driver was Dale Earnhardt.
Scott and Gray moved up 22 and 20 positions respectively in the race, but the most positions gained on this day was 27. Neil “Soapy” Castles started 35th and finished 8th. Richard Petty was the only other driver, besides Paschal to lead any laps in the race. Petty’s car was out front 92 laps. He was running at the finish in 11th, 53 laps behind Paschal. The race was slowed for caution 8 times for 48 laps. 13 drivers made their NWS Grand National debuts in the race. Among them were Bobby Allison, J.D. McDuffie, James Hylton, “Big John” Sears and Bill Seifert. This was also the last NWS race for Bobby Johns.
Jim Paschal takes the checkered in the 1966 Gwyn Staley 400 race at
North Wilkesboro Speedway. His car was the only one in the picture....literally