Darlington Record Club
The Unocal-Darlington Record Club was a club in the NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series from 1959 to about 2001, based at Darlington Raceway. Membership was achieved based on setting qualifying records during time trials for the annual Southern 500 held on Labor Day weekend. During its heyday, it was considered one of the most prestigious and exclusive clubs in motorsports.[1][2][3]
The club was sponsored by longtime NASCAR sponsor Unocal/Union 76. Previously it was sponsored by Pure Oil. At some time after the 2001 season, the club was quietly retired. The club ended permanently when Unocal left the sport in 2003, and the Southern 500 was removed from the schedule after 2004.
The original eight charter members were selected in 1959: Dick Joslin (Dodge), Marvin Panch (Ford), Joe Caspolich (Oldsmobile), Bob Burdick (Thuderbird), Speedy Thompson (Chevrolet), Richard Petty (Plymouth), Elmo Langley (Buick), and Fireball Roberts (Pontiac). Roberts was selected as the first president; Former Darlington Raceway president Bob Colvin contributed in creating the club. .[4]
Membership qualifications
Drivers were awarded membership in the club based on official time trials for the Southern 500. The fastest single driver of each car make (e.g. Chevrolet, Ford, etc.) each won the membership. The general requirements for eligibility were as follows:[1]
- Car making the qualifying attempt must be a current model year chassis.
- At least three cars from each car make must be entered for that make to have an automatic berth in the club for that year.
- The fastest single driver from each of the various car makes qualified for the club, provided their speed was within 2% of the fastest overall car in the field.
Special provisions were made for other cars:[1]
- If only one car from a particular make is entered, that driver was only eligible if he set a track record for that car make; and was within 2% of the fastest overall car in the field (i.e., the pole position winner for the race)
- If the car was not a current model year chassis, that driver was only eligible if he was the overall fastest driver for that make (i.e., faster than all the current model year chassis of that same make); and he was within 2% of the fastest overall car in the field.
By 2000, the "within 2%" rule was tightened to "within 1%."[2]
Drivers who qualified for the club attended a special dinner and reception and received a special blue blazer. Drivers who entered the club by setting an overall Darlington track record, however, received the more prestigious white blazer. A ring,[5] a plaque and a cash award were also presented. Entry into the club was a lifetime membership, but only active members participated in actual duties. The reception dinner was held on the Friday of Labor Day weekend (two days prior to the Southern 500), and would recognize the drivers who qualified based on the previous year's event.[1][2]
Only records set in the Labor Day weekend Southern 500 were recognized for the club. Any records set during the spring race (known as the Rebel 500 and later the TranSouth 500) were not eligible. Nor were any records that might be set in the Busch Series, Truck Series, or any other support races.[1][2]
Competition Board
Once the membership was established, the active members of the club were eligible for the annual Competition Board. All active members who qualified for the race within 2% of the fastest car in the field (later 1%) were placed on the board. The board's primary responsibilities were to assist NASCAR in training rookies for racing at each race during the season.[1][2]
Once the Competition Board was established, the board members voted amongst themselves to select the Club President and Club Vice-President. Each had a tenure of one year. The president's duties primarily were to lead the rookie training, and conduct the annual Southern 500 rookie orientation meeting/test.[1][2][3] Through the late 1980s, rookies were required to pass a rookie orientation test before attempting to qualify at Darlington. Likewise, they were not allowed to qualify on the first day of time trials, and were relegated to the second round only.[3][6]
Record Club by car make
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Note that in 1959 & 1960, the Ford Thunderbird was categorized separately from Ford.
Alphabetical member list
Bold indicates track record member (white blazer)
Note: Kenny Irwin, Jr. qualified for the club after winning the pole position with a new track record in the 1999 Pepsi Southern 500. However, he was killed in a crash at Loudon on July 7, 2000, prior to his induction ceremony dinner.
One of the award plaques presented to Bobby Allison was featured on the television program American Pickers. It was acquired for display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.[8]
Club presidents
Tenure runs for 12 months, from September to September of each year.
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See also
Sources
- The Official NASCAR Preview and Press Guide, 1994 & 2001 edition
- Rookies get scoop on each track from veteran Rudd, August 31, 2000
- Brooks, Allison, Tyner To Be Inducted Into Record Club
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i The Official NASCAR Preview and Press Guide 1994. Charlotte: UMI Publications, Inc. 1994.
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Official NASCAR Preview and Press Guide 2001. Charlotte: UMI Publications, Inc. 2001.
- ^ a b c d Rudd, Ricky (2003-08-27). "Manic Monday". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2011-09-00.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Dick Joslin Facts
- ^ "Pure Record Club Members". FireballRoberts.com. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ^ "Martin paces 2nd day of qualifying". Times Daily Tennessee Edition. Florence, AL. March 26, 1988. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
- ^ Racing-Reference.info - Race Results at Darlington Raceway
- ^ "NASCAR Challenge". Season 2. 2011-04-11. History Channel.
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