: Hall of Fame Hemi Pilots

Buddy Baker, Paul Goldsmith, Chrysler, 1964 Plymouth, 426 Hemi

Posted August 13 2008 06:42 AM by scott_ross
Filed under: Miscellaneous, SCOTT ROSS

Tonight (Wednesday, August 13) the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America will induct its 2008 class.

Among the honorees: Two men who’ve contributed to the legend and lore of Ma Mopar’s 426 Hemi over the years.

Buddy Baker’s contributions to motorsports include the legendary first-run-over-200 mph, which he did in a Hemi-powered ’69 Dodge Charger Daytona at what was then called Charlotte Motor Speedway in March of 1970.

There’s a bunch of pictures of that run on Cotton Owens’ website—find them at http://www.cottonowens.com/photos.html, then scroll down on the first page of photos. Believe me, you can’t miss them--especially the one with Buddy and a pit board on the back of the Daytona showing the speed (200.447 mph) that he ran.

Several years earlier at Daytona, Buddy was driving one of the ’64 Plymouths whose newly-revealed Hemis made a big impression that year, taking four of the first six starting positions and finishing 1-2-3.

Unfortunately, Buddy's wasn’t around in the 500 long (thanks to a blown engine on lap 64—but he DID have a really heavy right foot!).

Fortunately, one of the other Plymouthdrivers blew away the year-old Daytona 500 qualifying speed record by turning a 174.910 mph lap--that was 14 miles an hour faster than the speed Junior Johnson ran in his “Mystery Motor”-powered ’63 Chevy--and finished third, behind Richard Petty and Jimmy Pardue.

That driver, Paul Goldsmith, will also be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America tonight. Here’s a shot of him and that Plymouth, via The National SpeedSport News’ website: http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/gallery/photos-september-19-2007/Nichels1964DaytonaPole.jpg/image_view_fullscreen

“Goldie” was as good a research-and-development driver as there was back then (thanks to his prior motorcycle-racing experience), which helped Ray Nichels in building B-Body Plymouths and Dodges to race on NASCAR’s and USAC’s late-model stock car circuits. Goldsmith won the USAC stock car championship twice, plus he won nine NASCAR Grand National races over his career.

But one story from the 426 Hemi’s development days stands out. (Thanks to www.legendsofnascar.com for having the article, "Region racers at the 500--Paul Goldsmith" by Wm. LaDow --Published in the May 23, 2007 issue of the Post Tribune, a Chicago Sun-Times-owned daily newspaper --on their Paul Goldsmith page.That article is also available at www.SpeedwaySightings.com.)

The most Mopar-related segment of LaDow's article on "Goldie" follows, regarding the top-secret test session at Goodyear’s huge high-speed oval near San Angelo, Texas in November of ’63. That was when Nichels had Goldsmith wring out the all-new, 426 Hemi-powered Plymouth that was fresh out of Nichels’ shop.

“As Goldsmith drove, Nichels, in an effort to find more speed, sat beside him and analyzed every possible chassis combination. As they were running 185 miles per hour, (unheard of in stock car racing at the time) Nichels leaned over and said loudly to Goldsmith ‘You know, there really isn't any sort wall to stop us if we begin to roll over.’

“Goldsmith yelled back at Nichels, ‘Not to worry, if we do roll the car, it will stop by the time we get to Abilene.’

“Nichels asked, ‘How far away is Abilene ?’

“Goldsmith replied, "About 80 miles.’”

By the way: Also to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in their 2008 class: IndyCar racer/team owner Michael Andretti; 14-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force; sports-car ace Richie Ginther, AMA Superbike/FIM World Road Racing legend Wayne Rainey; plus Bonneville Salt Flats racer/Feminine International Aerobatic Champion Betty Skelton.

Get more info about the Motorsports Hall of Fame (and Museum) at www.mshf.com.

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Reader Comments:

1. I read with great interest your note about Paul Goldsmith and your attributing them to www.legendsofnascar.com

However the fact is the Goldsmith & Nichels Texas test sessions info was written and published by me in May of 2007. It is copyrighted by both myself and the Post-Tribune, a Chicago Sun-Times owned daily newspaper. It can be found at www.SpeedwaySightings.com ... more can be learned by visiting www.RayNichels.com

The story in its entirety is below ..

_________________________________________________________

Region Racers at the Indy 500 — Paul Goldsmith
Speedway Sightings

By: Wm. LaDow
Daily Trackside Reports from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Published in the Post-Tribune — May 23, 2007
Speedway, Indiana
_________________________________________________________

It was once said that Paul Goldsmith’s racecars should all have been painted ice blue, to match his “cool under pressure” demeanor when he was behind the wheel. Quiet and reserved outside the car, relentless and calculating inside.

There wasn't anything Goldsmith couldn't race. Motorcycles, Indy cars, stock cars or airplanes, if it could go fast, Paul could pilot it.

Goldsmith raced roadsters at Indianapolis. Paul won stock car races at tracks such as Daytona, Bristol, Rockingham, DuQuoin and Milwaukee to name just a few. He is the only man to win races at the Daytona Beach course and fearsome Langhorne one-mile oval, on both a motorcycle and in a racecar. Goldsmith is one of a select few to have ever competed in the Daytona 200, the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500. He even took the Pole (in record setting time) for the 1965 Pikes Peaks Hill Climb, before he almost raced himself right off the side of the mountain.

Born in 1925 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Paul Goldsmith worked his way up the auto racing ladder the hard way, first racing motorcycles. By doing so, he learned to study every different track he raced on. Paul learned how to adapt his “rides” to the nuances of a given track and capitalize on them. He won five American Motorcycle Association Nationals from 1952-1955. In all, Paul won 27 times with his biggest two-wheel victory being the Daytona 200 in 1953, where he set a course record. Goldsmith made the switch from two wheels to four in 1956, driving a Chevrolet for Smokey Yunick, with his debut at the famed Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. They won six NASCAR races together during a period from 1956 to 1958.

When Goldsmith showed up at Indianapolis in 1958, he had just won the NASCAR Beach race at Daytona the previous February. His entry for the 1958 Indy 500 was the City of Daytona Beach Special and he promptly qualified on the inside of the sixth row for his rookie race. He never completed a lap. A 15 car accident, spurred on by Eddie Elision and Dick Rathmann tangling in the third turn, eventually collected Goldsmith and finished his day. The only remnant he has from his first Indy 500, are the burn scars on his back from the tires of Jerry Unser’s car before it tumbled completely out of the speedway.

Three months later, Semond “Bunkie” Knudsen, CEO of the Pontiac Div. of General Motors asked Goldsmith to drive for Ray Nichels in a Pontiac stock car testing program. Paul agreed and began what would become a long business association with Nichels. In a matter of months, Nichels would hire Paul as his chief Firestone test driver replacing Nichels’ close friend and driver, Pat O’Connor, who was killed in the 1958 Indy 500 wreck that Goldsmith inadvertently was drawn into. Within a few years, Goldsmith would become Vice-President of Nichels Engineering. In 1961, he and Ray would jointly open an aircraft engine business known as G&N Aircraft. Other business opportunities such as the ownership of the Griffith-Merrillville Airport would soon follow. It was during this time that Goldsmith moved to the Region and settled his family in Munster to be closer to the daily operations of Nichels Engineering and G&N Aircraft.

Goldsmith’s and Nichels association paid off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Paul collecting two top-fives (a third in 1960 and a fifth in 1959) in just six races.

His stock car efforts for Nichels Engineering were even more impressive. In 1960, he finished second in the United States Auto Club (USAC) season championship. In 1961, Paul was the 1961 USAC champion with 10 victories, 7 poles, and 16 top-five finishes in just 19 races. In 1962, he and Nichels won their second consecutive USAC championship in 1962 with 8 wins, 6 poles, and 15 top-five finishes in 20 races. The back-to-back championships over this two year period were an exhibition of pure dominance by Goldsmith and Nichels.

Also in 1961, Goldsmith teamed with Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, Joe Weatherly, Marvin Panch, Rodger, Ward and Len Sutton to set a series of 24 hour speed and endurance records (that still stand to this day) at both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway for Nichels Engineering.

In 1963, Paul piloted the Nichels Engineering No. 50 Super Duty 421 Pontiac LeMans to one of the most lopsided victories in Daytona Speed Weeks history, by beating 2nd place finisher A.J. Foyt by over 5 miles in the Challenge Cup 250.

In 1963, Paul’s engineering expertise was a key part of Nichels Engineering and their transition from Pontiac to Chrysler products helping to lead Chrysler to stock car racing dominance in NASCAR, USAC, IMCA and ARCA. Goldsmith’s ability to read a race track and articulate his observations while test driving, along with Ray Nichels’ innate skill to modify the race car to get it to do precisely what Goldsmith needed, proved to be priceless in the development of the Chrysler Hemi engine, Plymouth Belvedere, Dodge Charger, Dodge Daytona Charger and the Plymouth Superbird.

Paul captured the very first 426 Hemi-engine Pole at Daytona in 1964, in a fire-red Nichels Engineering Plymouth Belvedere by beating the previous year’s pole speed by almost 15 miles per hour when he posted a track record of 174.910 mph.

What the racing world didn't know, was the previous November, during a week-long secret testing session at San Angelo, Texas, while he and Ray Nichels were testing the newly developed Hemi engine, “Goldy” would share his cool, dry humor as well.

As Goldsmith drove, Nichels, in an effort to find more speed, sat beside him and analyzed every possible chassis combination. As they were running 185 miles per hour, (unheard of in stock car racing circles at the time,) Nichels leaned over and said loudly to Goldsmith “You know, there really isn't any sort wall to stop us if we begin to rollover.“ Goldsmith yelled back at Nichels “not to worry, if we do roll the car, it will stop by the time we get to Abilene.” Nichels asked “How far away is Abilene? Goldsmith replied “About 80 miles.”

Paul ranks fifth in all time wins in USAC late model competition with 26 wins behind Don White, A.J. Foyt, Norm Nelson, and Butch Hartman. In addition to his two USAC National stock car championships, he finished second in season points on two occasions. Paul’s 11 year NASCAR career consisted of 127 races, 9 victories, 8 poles, 44 top-fives and 59 top-tens.

Goldsmith retired as a race driver in 1969 and continued on in differing racing capacities until his complete retirement in 1972. He is still active with his ownership of the Griffith-Merrillville Airport, G&N Aircraft and a series of other businesses.

Paul Goldsmith was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall-of-Fame in 1999, the Michigan Motorsports Hall-of-Fame in 1986 and was honored by the Living Legends of Auto Racing during Daytona Speedweeks in 2007.

WmLaDow - Posted August 13 2008 04:32 PM

2. Thanks for the info...attribution in my original post has been updated.

scott_ross - Posted August 14 2008 06:45 AM

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