1:22 Nice shot of the Pontiac driven by David Pearson. I never knew Pearson drove a Pontiac at any time in his career. This is why I like watching these old NASCAR videos; you find little gems like this from time to time. The 366 engine I suppose was a Ram Air-V tunnel port and was probably very powerful. But couldn't last the distance. Can't say it's a small block because that term doesn't apply to Pontiacs in 1971.
@@seannolan9857He also drove a Chevrolet in place of an intDale Earnhardt in 1979 and won the southern 500 and Hoss Ellingtons Hawaiian Tropic Chevrolet in 1980 and won the Rebel 500 both at Darlington.
NASCAR died the moment the rulebook allowed for cars to be easy to drive, NASCAR is all about driving overpowered ill-handling cars. Oval racing without ill-handling vehicles is rather boring...
Even though Ford pulled all factory sponsorships, they still managed some good competition. The Golden era of NASCAR is over (the domination of Ford-Mercury vs Dodge-Plymouth) GM fans can now begin to follow NASCAR. By 2000, real NASCAR fans toss up their hands and begin walking away. By 2018, Dodge is long gone, Ford has too few entries and NASCAR has lost almost 50% of their fan base . . . while bending over for Chevrolet and Toyota. I know I haven't watched a race for 15 years, and haven't attended a race for 20 years. I won't be back, either. Got that, NASCAR?
Look what you see at a Local car show........and that,s the reason G.M. focused on sales on the street.they pulled the plug when they were on top with the S.D. 421...G.M. BRASS.
NASCAR had restrictor plates that choked Hemi-Headed engines more than wedges. The small blocks had even less or no restrictor plates. So Ford and Chrysler went back to the wedge 427 and 426's. The 366 was a short lived formula that eventually led to today's 358 cubic inch engines. Restrictor plates originally came into play during the second half of the 1970 season when the wing cars and the Torino Talledegas and Mercury Spoiler II's were raced. The Pontiac that Pearson drove was built by Nickell's engineering and financed by Chris Vallo who spent a big splash of money and the vanished leaving many people in the sport, including Nickels holding an empty bag.
@16:25, someone's got their head buried in Miss Hurst's giant chest. CLASSIC! Pearson's '71 LeMans/GTO sure looked sharp, but the experimental small block wasn't up to it. Can't beat the thunderous roar of the 426s but FoMoCos seem to be a fraction of a seconed faster. Even if you're running 5th or 6th, you still have one helluva car! Cool to se a 2 or 3 yr old Torino in the race. Good body style for this. As well dircted as many Hollywood films, Thanks for the show!!!
I wonder if Bobby Allison #12 car ever thanked Ron Grana in the #5 Blue / Black hood 1970 Chevelle for blocking out Bobby Issac as Ron followed Richard Petty and took the momentum away from the #71 Car to give Allison the lead for good with just a couple laps left. Ron finished 14th after starting 28th. He earned $920. Not bad for an ARCA driver back in the day.
I'm wondering why the vallo team went with a .60 over 350 when it looks like everyone else is running big blocks and hemis.oops,and blew it up trying to tangle with them.like they said back then, theres just no substitute for horse power/cubic inches.
Good question. It may have been financial. Ray Nichels did all the engineering work, he may have just had ready access to 350's. I remember they went to Talladega in August with a 429 but failed tech inspection before qualifying. In the end Vallo was just playing an elaborate shell game, he promised millions to Ray Nichels, Dan Gurney and others and then declared bankruptcy when it came time to pay the bill.
Yes, back then many guys were sponsoring themselves moreso than any sponsors they did have would fund the entire car. Also, for some of the tracks, many of the drivers decided it was more beneficial to have the lighter small blocks for some of the handling-based tracks.
The enthusiast in me would like to believe that they used the 366 RamAir V engine, which would have been a destroked 400. This was in the time period just after Pontiac had developed the RA V and would have had crate engines available. That engine would have been competitive with the Hemis if they could have gotten it to live at 8000 rpm.
It sickens me, when I see these cars and oh how I remember how special stock car racing, and I emphasize stock cars! You know what make, number placement and solid colors! What you see today, well, well well? And furthermore, you could actually look down inside the car as it passed, and you know who's driving!!!!
G.M. just got back into Nascar after pulling the plug around 63 to focus more on street cars which why you see mostly G.M. cars to date.........sold alot....and held there on.Sad....especially Pontiac tearing up the track in the 421 s.d. The Monte Carlo was the car of choice in the early 70,s with the 427..........and the rest is history....A Chevelle with a TUXEDO!!!
big bore 4.180 ,short stroke 3.330 = higher rev, GM was experimenting with the harmonic variable for the Z 302 and Firebird. High rev ( top end ) but really bad harmonics = scaterville Basically a 60 0ver 400 block with a destroked small journal crank using bastard rods . Slow piston speed on paper looks good it just creates a really bad wave length .
Sounds like you are descibing a day in the life of H.B. Bailey back.in.the.day. I remember seeing similar Pontiacs in USAC and you could visually SEE youre perfect, accurate description. And if you could SEE it you could begin to actually HEAR it after 5 laps on Milwaukee Mile with tire wear..
Bobby had a 427 too - I know NASCAR had restrictor plates for all the bigger tracks in 1971 - the 427 must of had bigger holes in the plate than the 429.
Most of the Mercury drivers were using the 2 yr old 69 models, better aero or at least more proven than the 71 models. Ford I believe had pulled out & Chrysler only sponsored 2 cars (Petty's Plymouth & Baker's Dodge). Many of the independents ran /69/70 model vehicles. I think the hand writing was on the wall for the 7 litre big blocks.
I can't remember exactly why. I think it could have been that Ford had dropped out of NASCAR, and maybe they were no longer supplying Boss 429 engines, and research, and the Ford teams had plenty of 427s available. It could also have been that NASCAR had placed restrictor plates on the Boss and MOPAR Hemi engines for '71.
Nascar started trying to phase out "exotic" bodies and engines in 71. They restricted the Hemi's and boss 429's with carb plates. The Ford teams found they could get more power from the older design wedge 427's than the restricted Boss 429's
Loved NASCAR back in the day, haven't watched in 30 years.
Great racing, great to see these cars on the track as I still drive both a 1970 Plymouth Satellite and 1969 Dodge Charger.
1:22 Nice shot of the Pontiac driven by David Pearson. I never knew Pearson drove a Pontiac at any time in his career. This is why I like watching these old NASCAR videos; you find little gems like this from time to time.
The 366 engine I suppose was a Ram Air-V tunnel port and was probably very powerful. But couldn't last the distance. Can't say it's a small block because that term doesn't apply to Pontiacs in 1971.
Pearson's first three wins in '61 were in a Pontiac. I know the '61 World 600 is on UA-cam.
421's ruled back then
@@seannolan9857He also drove a Chevrolet in place of an intDale Earnhardt in 1979 and won the southern 500 and Hoss Ellingtons Hawaiian Tropic Chevrolet in 1980 and won the Rebel 500 both at Darlington.
More people at that race than there is at any track now days. Thanks Brian France Jr for screwing up NASCAR
NASCAR died the moment the rulebook allowed for cars to be easy to drive, NASCAR is all about driving overpowered ill-handling cars. Oval racing without ill-handling vehicles is rather boring...
You said it all How can they in such a short time destroy the golden goose fools.
Agreed 100 percent, but I don’t know what the fix is 😢
Even though Ford pulled all factory sponsorships, they still managed some good competition. The Golden era of NASCAR is over (the domination of Ford-Mercury vs Dodge-Plymouth) GM fans can now begin to follow NASCAR. By 2000, real NASCAR fans toss up their hands and begin walking away. By 2018, Dodge is long gone, Ford has too few entries and NASCAR has lost almost 50% of their fan base . . . while bending over for Chevrolet and Toyota. I know I haven't watched a race for 15 years, and haven't attended a race for 20 years. I won't be back, either. Got that, NASCAR?
SO True man.
Look what you see at a Local car show........and that,s the reason G.M. focused on sales on the street.they pulled the plug when they were on top with the S.D. 421...G.M. BRASS.
My thoughts exactly! Well said. I think you speak for thousands of former fans.👍
Same here I went dirt late model
NASCAR had restrictor plates that choked Hemi-Headed engines more than wedges. The small blocks had even less or no restrictor plates. So Ford and Chrysler went back to the wedge 427 and 426's. The 366 was a short lived formula that eventually led to today's 358 cubic inch engines. Restrictor plates originally came into play during the second half of the 1970 season when the wing cars and the Torino Talledegas and Mercury Spoiler II's were raced. The Pontiac that Pearson drove was built by Nickell's engineering and financed by Chris Vallo who spent a big splash of money and the vanished leaving many people in the sport, including Nickels holding an empty bag.
@16:25, someone's got their head buried in Miss Hurst's giant chest. CLASSIC! Pearson's '71 LeMans/GTO sure looked sharp, but the experimental small block wasn't up to it. Can't beat the thunderous roar of the 426s but FoMoCos seem to be a fraction of a seconed faster. Even if you're running 5th or 6th, you still have one helluva car! Cool to se a 2 or 3 yr old Torino in the race. Good body style for this. As well dircted as many Hollywood films, Thanks for the show!!!
I wonder if Bobby Allison #12 car ever thanked Ron Grana in the #5 Blue / Black hood 1970 Chevelle for blocking out Bobby Issac as Ron followed Richard Petty and took the momentum away from the #71 Car to give Allison the lead for good with just a couple laps left. Ron finished 14th after starting 28th. He earned $920. Not bad for an ARCA driver back in the day.
Bobby Allison's 22nd Career NASCAR Winston Cup victory
I'm wondering why the vallo team went with a .60 over 350 when it looks like everyone else is running big blocks and hemis.oops,and blew it up trying to tangle with them.like they said back then, theres just no substitute for horse power/cubic inches.
Good question. It may have been financial. Ray Nichels did all the engineering work, he may have just had ready access to 350's. I remember they went to Talladega in August with a 429 but failed tech inspection before qualifying. In the end Vallo was just playing an elaborate shell game, he promised millions to Ray Nichels, Dan Gurney and others and then declared bankruptcy when it came time to pay the bill.
Yes, back then many guys were sponsoring themselves moreso than any sponsors they did have would fund the entire car. Also, for some of the tracks, many of the drivers decided it was more beneficial to have the lighter small blocks for some of the handling-based tracks.
The enthusiast in me would like to believe that they used the 366 RamAir V engine, which would have been a destroked 400. This was in the time period just after Pontiac had developed the RA V and would have had crate engines available. That engine would have been competitive with the Hemis if they could have gotten it to live at 8000 rpm.
Damn fine race. Close
This commentator sounds like a young Steve Evans.
Who ordered the background music? Was that really necessary? LMAO!😂👍
It sickens me, when I see these cars and oh how I remember how special stock car racing, and I emphasize stock cars! You know what make, number placement and solid colors! What you see today, well, well well? And furthermore, you could actually look down inside the car as it passed, and you know who's driving!!!!
Real men driving real cars real hard
Pearson always had a pack of cigarettes in the race car. Bobby Allison drove for everybody Holman-Moody ,Junior Johnston , The Wood Brothers
BONS TEMPOS
Bud always favors the Mopars
Where are all the Chevy's I don't see one Chevelle.
G.M. just got back into Nascar after pulling the plug around 63 to focus more on street cars which why you see mostly G.M. cars to date.........sold alot....and held there on.Sad....especially Pontiac tearing up the track in the 421 s.d. The Monte Carlo was the car of choice in the early 70,s with the 427..........and the rest is history....A Chevelle with a TUXEDO!!!
2:19
Look at that 366 ci Ray Nichels pontiac that Pearson drove in that race. Why?
big bore 4.180 ,short stroke 3.330 = higher rev, GM was experimenting with the harmonic variable for the Z 302 and Firebird. High rev ( top end ) but really bad harmonics = scaterville Basically a 60 0ver 400 block with a destroked small journal crank using bastard rods . Slow piston speed on paper looks good it just creates a really bad wave length .
Sounds like you are descibing a day in the life of H.B. Bailey back.in.the.day. I remember seeing similar Pontiacs in USAC and you could visually SEE youre perfect, accurate description. And if you could SEE it you could begin to actually HEAR it after 5 laps on Milwaukee Mile with tire wear..
Donnie Allison's hood said 427....wonder why they didn't have a Boss 429 under the hood...interesting
Bobby had a 427 too - I know NASCAR had restrictor plates for all the bigger tracks in 1971 - the 427 must of had bigger holes in the plate than the 429.
Most of the Mercury drivers were using the 2 yr old 69 models, better aero or at least more proven than the 71 models. Ford I believe had pulled out & Chrysler only sponsored 2 cars (Petty's Plymouth & Baker's Dodge). Many of the independents ran /69/70 model vehicles. I think the hand writing was on the wall for the 7 litre big blocks.
I can't remember exactly why. I think it could have been that Ford had dropped out of NASCAR, and maybe they were no longer supplying Boss 429 engines, and research, and the Ford teams had plenty of 427s available. It could also have been that NASCAR had placed restrictor plates on the Boss and MOPAR Hemi engines for '71.
Nascar started trying to phase out "exotic" bodies and engines in 71. They restricted the Hemi's and boss 429's with carb plates. The Ford teams found they could get more power from the older design wedge 427's than the restricted Boss 429's
Bending over for Chevrolet!!,I must be watching a different nascar, they haven`t made the final chase in 3yrs
Maybe they haven't lately, but they definitely favored the Chevies from the early 70s well into the 2000s.
@@joett84 aMEN
Money always trump racist
Winston cup series better
I must say some of these guys were almost as good as me