Vintage NASCAR-NAGE Video: Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp Leave the Ball Yard in 1960By Brian Lohnes Posted 01/08/10
First we'll say that it defies logic that either of these men lived, let alone both. This is another piece of old nascar footage from Daytona. It was also shot in 1960, like the large wreck of the Modified field we showed you earlier. This is a famous crash not only because it is so dramatic, but also because it effectively ended the career of Lee Petty as a competitive driver.
Johnny Beauchamp was Lee Petty's huckleberry. The year previous to the monster wreck, Beauchamp was named the unofficial winner of the first Daytona 500, the problem was that Lee Petty actually won the race and was given that honor a few days later when the photos were developed.
The following year, this wreck happened. When the cars smash the wooden guardrail and head skyward, Petty drops out of sight pretty quick, but Beauchamp's car literally takes flight and corkscrews through the air. We're not talking a short flight either, we're talking about a trip the Wright brothers would be proud of.
Listen to the commentary given by Richard Petty who was there when all of this happened. It is wild stuff. We're going to give you two angles to watch this from because it is just that nuts.
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Written by JRoberts Jan 08 2010
Those guys were tough. There is just no other word for it. Lots of drivers were not as lucky as Petty and Beauchamp were on that day. I wonder how much longer Lee Petty would have been racing were it not for this accident. In Richard Petty's autobiogrpahy ([i]King of the Road[/i] I think is the name of the book.) he talks about his dad's involvement in racing and how he guided Richard into the sport. Very good read.
Written by BangShift Forum Admin Jan 08 2010
http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Vintage-NASCAR-NAGE-Lee-Petty-and-Johnny-Beauchamp-Leave-the-Ball-Yard-in-1960.html
Written by Rebeldryver Jan 09 2010
anyone know what Lee did after the wreck. Was he Richard's crew chief?