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1962:

Weatherly Top Petty in Title Tilt

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By Ben White

Former motorcycle champion Joe Weatherly, of Norfolk, Virginia, proved to be the class of the field and was crowned NASCAR Cup Series champion in 1962 with nine wins and 45 top-10 results.

As the 1962 NASCAR Cup Series season began, the Automobile Association of America was still claiming that stock car racing should be banned as too dangerous, a movement that began in 1957. The resolution had been adopted by the Big Three automakers after receiving Congressional pressure on the basis that promoting speed and horsepower wasn’t safe for the general public, especially teenagers.

But the automakers had assembly lines of cars to sell and racing on the high banks of Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta and Charlotte provided perfect venues. A way around the moves to ban racing was to supply the teams “under the table” in secret. By June, Ford Motor Co. withdrew from the AAA, as did the other manufacturers.

The cars to beat that year were the Pontiac driven by Weatherly and fielded by team owner Bud Moore, and the Petty Enterprises Plymouth driven by Richard Petty with eight wins to his credit. Weatherly’s additional eight top-five results and six top-10 finishes made the difference in championship points over Petty.

Weatherly was very superstitious. The Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was a big problem for the NASCAR star. The race was the 13th annual event and Weatherly told track president Bob Colvin that he would not compete. 

Colvin had a handshake deal with Weatherly and demanded that Weatherly honor the agreement, but Weatherly refused to have anything to do with the No. 13. Colvin angrily appeased Weatherly by renaming the 1962 Southern 500 the “The 12th Renewal of the Southern 500.”

1962

PRESIDENT: JOHN F. KENNEDY

NO. 1 AT THE BOX OFFICE: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

MOVIES TO WATCH: THE LONGEST DAY AND WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?

NO. 1 SONG: “STRANGER ON THE SHORE” BY ACKER BILK

GALLON OF GAS: 31 CENTS

POP CULTURE: THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WAS ON A CONSTANT RISE. THERE WERE SIX MAJOR BANDS, INCLUDING BOOKER T. & THE MG’S, HERMAN’S HERMITS, THE ROLLING STONES AND ELVIS PRESLEY, WITH HIT SINGLES SUCH AS “RETURN TO SENDER,” “I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU “AND “CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE.”

BEST DRIVER

Joe Weatherly, driver of the No. 8 Bud Moore Engineering Pontiac, won nine races – all on short tracks – while finishing outside the top 10 only seven times in 52 starts. His union with Bud Moore seemed a bit magical in the sense that they were strong at every race they entered. Weatherly’s seven pole positions also sent a message to his fellow competitors that 1962 was his year to claim NASCAR’s coveted Cup Series championship.

BEST RACE

Driving the Lewis Clements No. 4 Chevrolet, Rex White admitted he had “little to no chance” of winning the Dixie 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he drafted off of faster cars and logged his 28th-career victory in the final race of the season. White conserved fuel and made one less pit stop. The pre-race strategy worked to White’s advantage when leader Marvin Panch had to pit in the closing laps.

TOP CARS

Joe Weatherly’s No. 8 Bud Moore Engineering Pontiac went to Victory Lane nine times and had 45 top-10 finishes.

Richard Petty, driving the No. 43 Petty Enterprises Plymouth, recorded eight wins and 38 top-10 results in 52 starts.

1962 Season Recap

DATE | LOCATION | WINNER

Nov. 5 | Concord Speedway | Jack Smith

Nov. 12 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway | Rex White

Feb. 16 | Daytona Int’l Speedway | Fireball Roberts

Feb. 16 | Daytona Int’l Speedway | Joe Weatherly

Feb. 18 | Daytona Int’l Speedway | Fireball Roberts

Feb. 25 | Concord Speedway | Joe Weatherly

March 4 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway | Joe Weatherly

March 17 | Savannah Speedway | Jack Smith

March 18 | Orange Speedway | Rex White

April 1 | Richmond Raceway | Rex White

April 13 | Columbia Speedway | Ned Jarrett

April 15 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | Richard Petty

April 19 | Greenville Pickens Speedway | Ned Jarrett

April 21 | Rambi Raceway | Jack Smith

April 22 | Martinsville Speedway | Richard Petty

April 23 | Bowman Gray Stadium | Rex White

April 29 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Bobby Johns

May 4 | Southside Speedway | Jimmy Pardue

May 5 | Hickory Speedway | Jack Smith

May 6 | Concord Speedway | Joe Weatherly

May 12 | Darlington Raceway | Nelson Stacy

May 19 | Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds | Ned Jarrett

May 27 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Nelson Stacy

June 10 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Fred Lorenzen

June 16 | Bowman Gray Stadium | Johnny Allen

June 19 | Augusta Speedway | Joe Weatherly

June 22 | Southside Speedway | Jim Paschal

June 23 | South Boston Speedway | Rex White

July 4 | Daytona International Speedway | Fireball Roberts

July 7 | Columbia Speedway | Rex White

July 13 | New Asheville Speedway | Jack Smith

July 14 | Greenville-Pickens Speedway | Richard Petty

July 17 | Augusta International Speedway | Joe Weatherly

July 20 | Savannah Speedway | Joe Weatherly

July 21 | Rambi Raceway | Ned Jarrett

July 29 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Jim Paschal

Aug. 3 | Boyd Speedway | Joe Weatherly

Aug. 5 | Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville | Jim Paschal

Aug. 8 | Huntsville Speedway | Richard Petty

Aug. 12 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway | Jim Paschal

Aug. 15 | Roanoke Raceway | Richard Petty

Aug. 18 | Bowman Gray Stadium | Richard Petty

Aug. 21 | Hub City Speedway | Richard Petty

Aug. 25 | Valdosta 75 Speedway | Ned Jarrett

Sept. 3 | Darlington Raceway | Larry Frank

Sept. 7 | Hickory Speedway | Rex White

Sept. 9 | Richmond Raceway | Joe Weatherly

Sept. 11 | Dog Track Raceway | Ned Jarrett

Sept. 13 | Augusta Speedway | Fred Lorenzen

Sept. 23 | Martinsville Speedway | Nelson Stacy 

Sept. 30 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | Richard Petty

Oct. 14 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Junior Johnson

Oct. 28 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Rex White 

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