There have been some negative comments from drivers concerning the entry of
Toyota into the 'good ol' boys' NASCAR game. They don't want 'them feriners'
on their turf. This despite the fact that Toyota is already in the Craftsman
Truck Series and that Dodge, which has a long history in NASCAR, is owned by
Daimler-Chrysler which is headquartered in Germany. A recent poll of AutoWeek
readers showed that 41.6% thought it would be good for the sport, 21.7% said,
"The more the merrier", 13,9% not too thrilled, and 22.9% "Ticks me off".
Thus, it was interesting to read the article by William Jeanes in the February
27, 2006, issue titled "Al and Goliath. NASCAR'S first brush with 'imports' ".
Although the article is focused on Al Keller, an East Coast road racer, the
participation of 'imports' revealed some interesting facts regarding our
Healeys and other British cars. Following are some extracts from that article:
"...Toyota's announcement of its 2007 entry into NASCARs Nextel Cup moved
numberless trivia experts to note Toyota would not be the first overseas
nameplate to run with the good ol boys. There have been at least eight
interlopers, with Jaguar leading the pack...
"On June 13, 1954, racing at the Linden Airport in New Jersey, a 43-car field
produced three NASCAR milestones. One, it was NASCARs first road race. Two,
Kellers win in the No. 4 Jaguar XK120 fixed-head coupe remains the only import
win in NASCARs major seriesthen called Grand National. Three, because Keller
had won on an oval in March at Oglethorpe Speedway in Savannah, Georgia, he
became the first NASCAR pilot to win on both a road course and an oval in a
single season. ..
"Twenty-one import makes started at Linden, including Jaguar (13), MG (five),
Austin-Healey (one), Morgan (one) and Porsche (one). Four Jaguars finished in
the top-10 and five finished in the bottom-10. The Morgan finished 41st (in
case youre wondering)...
"NASCARs effort to reach out to the international community ended in 1958 at
the Riverside Grand National race, where a pair of Citrokns, a Renault and a
Goliath competed. The Citrokns finished 18th and 19th, and the Goliath finished
27th. The Renault posted a DNF. The Goliath, still running at the finish, might
have been the last import to cross a NASCAR top-series finish line before
Toyota does so next year...
"Thanks to Toyota, the memory of Al Kellers Jaguar winand Goliaths lone
appearancewill endure. "
I asked Bill Emerson if he had this information in his book and he suggested
that I put it on the list and perhaps someone will get an old newspaper report
and we can see where the Healey finished (and who was driving? LJH).
(The Other) Len
Vacaville, CA
1967 3000 MKIII HBJ8L39031
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