DAYTONA 1961
Lee & Richard, Junior, & Gentleman
Jim
THE DAY STARTED OUT GOOD
FOR BOBBY & JIMMY THEY QUALIFIED BETWEEN RICHARD PETTY & NED JARRETT
Lee Petty Went Out Of The Park
So Did Richard
Junior's Pontiac
Junior Johnson blew an engine spilling oil on the track. Richard went into it and according to Jim Hendrickson who was coming down on them at 140 + mph, here's how he saw it happen.
" I saw Richard go up in the air and I thought he was going to come back down. I don't think anyone thought he was going out of the park!" When I got close I hit the brakes, the light lit and they locked up. When I hit Junior ...he was off the track. Nobody ever told me your not supposed to hit the brakes at Daytona. Had I not touched them I would of gone right by"
This was Jim's third time at Daytona. He ran there on opening day in the Flying A 39 Ford Modified, and in 1960 in a '57 Ford modified #47. That year was marked by the biggest pileup in Daytona's history. 35 cars on the first lap. Jim escaped that one and finished 11th in the rain. In 1961 he qualified for the 500 in a 1960 Chevy with a 348 ci engine. He started right between Ned Jarret & Richard Petty.
JIMMY HENDRICKSON
Dec 24 1924 - Feb 2 1997