Nascar Racing Meets The Tortoise And The Hare

Everyone knows that older children's story of the tortoise and the hare. With the moral of the story as a victory doesn't always go the fastest, but that patience and perseverance can win often. In 1950, Johnny Mantz, California, his version of the old fable about a NASCAR track.

Mantz didn't have a successful career in NASCAR. He was only twelve races over four years and had only one victory. But that victory was one of the most memorable in history. He took the slowest machine in the field to the winners circle. The occasion was the Southern 500 in Darlington to tame the course too difficult. More than eighty cars showed for the race, and it took two weeks to complete qualifying runs. The last field was 75 cars in the back and was Mantz. His qualifying speed was 10 mph slower than pole Curtis Turner. During the training, Mantz noted that the abrasive surface simply torn tires Darlington. So he had the idea of ​​hard tires made trucks. These tires aren't good for speed but are very durable. The strategy has paid for Mantz. While the rest of the field hit the box for the new tire, some are not less than six times, turned the square Mantzthe track. In those days, pit stops chen't stop 12 to 15 seconds, you're getting used to seeing now, instead of a stop often lasted more than two minutes. By the end of the marathon in 6 hours Mantz took the checkered flag nine laps from the legendary NASCAR driver Fireball Roberts.

For this story even more amazing when Mantz presented in Darlington, was without a guide. Nobody knew much about this driver Nano Car West Coast. While he had won his share of races in small cars, had never won a championship. Bill France Sr. NASCAR promoter had a 1950 Plymouth that he used for the purpose of running errands. Mantz went to work bending the ear France if it broke after a while Big Bill, and gave him the car. Mantz won his first NASCAR race with the Plymouth and tens of thousands of dollars buying. In those days, that was a big payday.

Mantz was also another of the organizers of the famous race during his career, Indy Car Owner JC Agajanian joined. Mantz Aggie signed to drive his car Indy in 1948. The new car was without a figure, JC Mantz asked if he had any ideas. Johnny said, I also had much success with the number 98 on the pilot nano so let's nowhere to go. The number 98 was one of the most famous figures in the history of Indianapolis. Troy Ruttman and Parnelli Jones, Agajanian put both cars in the winners circle. And by the way, the winner of Plymouth, who dove Mantz to victory in Darlington, this right number 98.

The moral of this story is that sometimes even in one of the fastest sportpu helpsand the world, NASCAR, the ancient fable of the tortoise and the hare a driver to get to the winners circle.