Maynard Troyer’s NASCAR career was short. He only had two active years, 1971 and 1973. Two years before calling it quits seems strange, but not so strange as the gap year in between, right? Well, let’s clear up the confusion right now: the footage you will see below probably explains why Troyer took 1972 off entirely. He was running in the Daytona 500 in a 1969 Ford Torino when, on lap nine, the engine called it a day while Troyer was at full chat. The rear wheels locked up and Troyer went on one of the nastiest rides we can think of ever seeing. The Torino slid down off of the banking, dug in and proceeded to go over and over fifteen times at speed before the car finally, mercifully, landed wheels-down. Reportedly, Troyer only suffered a concussion in the ordeal, but could you blame him for packing it up and taking a year off to do anything else?
NASCAR has made incredible gains where safety is concerned since the “early days” where basic roll cages inside of factory-made machines was all that really was required. But watching the Torino pinwheel down the straight is testament enough to the level of safety that was present even back then.
You make it sound like Maynard Troyer was some guy who just dabbled in NASCAR. Maynard was one of the very best Modified drivers on both dirt and asphalt. He founded Troyer Engineering in 1977, which is still cranking out chassis and completed race cars to this day. Hardly a “short NASCAR career”.
Wish bang shift would research story’s they post.
The shot of the cars pitting, you see Richard Brooks 1969 Charger Daytona, only winged car in the race, it had to run a 305 cubic inch motor, NASCAR’s attempt to ban the car. It ran near the front until the little motor let go. No 426 HEMI for him.
Wow for the most part the car stay in one piece not like the car’s of today.