The comments in this post concerning Buick's early racing efforts are really interesting. I have had an interest in the subject for some 45 years now and perhaps I can add a little to the discussion. Buick first entered an organized race in 1904 when Buick's first Chief Engineer, Walter Marr, entered a Buick in a AAA race at Grose Point, Michigan. Marr finished third. From that point on until mid 1908, Buick ran in a number of races and did very well. But in 1908 the Buick team really got organized and showed up to race at the first US Grand Prize race held in Savannah, Georgia. The Buick team used a series of race cars there, some of which had secretly been converted to under slung suspensions in the box car on the way to the track! Shortly after Savannah, Marr presented the Buick team with a series of race cars that he had personally engineered and built. Those race cars allowed Buick to dominate racing in this country for the better part of two years. There were Buick powered straight 8s at Indianapolis. In the early 1930s Red Shaffer became friends with the folks at Buick and engineered a series of Indianapolis cars that did relatively well at Indy. Shafer also won the Elgin Road Race with one of his Buick powered machines. In the mid 1930s the Ford flathead V-8s were absolutely dominating virtually all stock block racing here. The first race on Daytona Beach was held in 1936. Buick paced the race with a 1936 Special Convertible Coupe supplied by the local Buick dealer, but that was about it for Buick in that race. Ford V-8s dominated on Daytona Beach from 1936 - 1939 taking as many as the top 10 positions in some races. In the first beach race held in 1940, Joe Littlejohn showed up with a 1938 Century Coupe and set a new qualifying record. Unfortunately he lost two minutes in a pit stop and finished the race in second place behind a Ford flathead V-8. In the second 1940 Daytona Beach Race, Bill France, the future founder of NASCAR not only won the race with a 1939 Buick Century Sedan, he lapped the entire field with the exception of Littlejohn who was back again with his '38 Century. The two Buicks were so dominant in that race, and the Ford V-8 folks were so upset, that two rules were quickly passed that in effect legislated Buick right off the beach until after World War II. The 1955 Century driven by Fireball Roberts in the 1955 Beach race is one of the most unfortunate stories to come off the beach. Roberts dominated the entire race and won the race going away, but was disqualified the day after the race was won because grinder marks were found on the ends of the push rods in his engine. There was absolutely no intent on anyone's part to circumvent the rules. The push rods were checked with a height gauge when the engine was built, and then a grinder was used (unfortunately) to bring all the push rods to the same length. The 1955 M-1 Buick Fireball drove was not disqualified due to a Fish Carburetor or because the valves had been ground. Bob Fish was one of the sponsors on the car and wanted to run his Fish carburetor in the race, but Bill France wouldn't let him. The car used a stock Buick carburetor during the race. One of the Flock brothers didn't drive the M-1 Buick, Tim Flock was driving the second place Chrysler 300 sponsored by Carl Kiekhaefer. The Kiekhaefer Chrysler was awarded first place after Fireball was disqualified. There was a 1950 Roadmaster entered and driven in several NASCAR events by the Buick dealer in Deland, Florida, J.C. Van Landingham. Van Landingham was also one of the sponsors on the M-1 Buick along with Bob Fish. It did quite well until Van Landingham wrecked and was badly injured. Beginning in 1936 with the Century models, Buick was an extremely strong performer on the street. Some historians point to the 1936 Century models as the first muscle cars because of their light bodies and big engines. Someone mentioned that V-8 Ford flatheads were beating his straight eight Buick in the quarter mile. I wonder if his Buick was maybe a small series car? I drag raced a lot around Michigan, Ohio and Indiana from the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s. There weren't a whole lot of straight eight Buicks running back then, but those that were running were consistent winners. Roberta has posted above a link to a photo showing a 1937 Buick Century at the starting line. The photo was taken in 1957 during the time trials at a drag strip located at New Baltimore, Michigan. This car was a consistent winner at New Baltimore. And Ford V-8 flatheads while they were pretty good running cars, were not often beating the Straight 8 big series Buicks in the lower stock classes, at least not at the tracks I was at. During my last year in college, I found a 1941 Roadmaster Sport Coupe, dual carburetors and all, in a junk yard. I eventually got it running, and went off to the drag races. The car ran extremely well in the lower stock classes and usually took a trophy. I have found early Buick racing to be fascinating. In the February 1996 Bugle I had an article entitled "The Night Before - The Morning After" telling the story of Fireball's 1955 Century. I also had an article in the Bugle, "The Day The Flatheads Died" describing Bill France's win with the 1939 Century, and an article entitled "Something Wicked This Way Comes - The Buick Race Cars From Hell." The Buick Race Cars From Hell details Buick's early turn of the century racing efforts. The Buick engine and the Buick name have meant strong performance right from the beginning of the company. It?s what got a lot of us first interested in Buick! Terry Dunham - BCA #217
