Video: Racing on the beach at Daytona, 1957

[Guest Magoo]

Really nice newsreel-type coverage of the 1957 Daytona Beach racers... when they still ran on the beach...great closeups on Ray Nichels, Smokey Yunick, Bill Stroppe, etc...Old Pontiac promotional film in excellent condition -- bright, colorful, and crystal clear.

Video: The 1957 Daytona Beach Races | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

[Guest]

Here is a link to the race and win for Pontiac, driver Cotton Owens, and builder Ray Nichols of Nichols engineering;

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CC4QtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUMf_98Fk8NQ&ei=GW26UfTKNOK90gGkgoHYDA&usg=AFQjCNG1iwWateri4ER4dKhYyyjOLf1MDQ&sig2=uMguNC714O3zGp6kGotryw

[Guest straight shooter]

Thanks for sharing this with us. I enjoyed watching the video.

[Guest Magoo]

Here is a link to the race and win for Pontiac, driver Cotton Owens, and builder Ray Nichols of Nichols engineering;

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CC4QtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUMf_98Fk8NQ&ei=GW26UfTKNOK90gGkgoHYDA&usg=AFQjCNG1iwWateri4ER4dKhYyyjOLf1MDQ&sig2=uMguNC714O3zGp6kGotryw

Small world! Edited version of the same film. Great stuff either way.

[Guest]

Having been bested by Cotton Owens/Ray Nichols for the 57 race, Paul Goldsmith/ Smokey Yunick would return in 1958 (last year on the sand) to win the the Grand national with one exception.....Yunick switched from Chevrolet to Pontiac. These years from 1957 to January of 1963 would see a great collaboration between Nichols Engineering, Smokey Yunick and Pontiac Engineering. This would end in Jan 1963 When GM's Ed Cole stopped all racing efforts by GM. This action led Pontiac whose racing efforts had landed it a solid #3 in sales behind Chevy and Ford to do something desperate to try to remain #3 in sales. What Pontiac was forced to do was take it's performance off the track and put it on the street and that is the REAL reason the Pontiac GTO came about.

[Guest Magoo]

Having been bested by Cotton Owens/Ray Nichols for the 57 race, Paul Goldsmith/ Smokey Yunick would return in 1958 (last year on the sand) to win the the Grand national with one exception.....Yunick switched from Chevrolet to Pontiac. These years from 1957 to January of 1963 would see a great collaboration between Nichols Engineering, Smokey Yunick and Pontiac Engineering. This would end in Jan 1963 When GM's Ed Cole stopped all racing efforts by GM. This action led Pontiac whose racing efforts had landed it a solid #3 in sales behind Chevy and Ford to do something desperate to try to remain #3 in sales. What Pontiac was forced to do was take it's performance off the track and put it on the street and that is the REAL reason the Pontiac GTO came about.

Ray Nichels is one of my heroes. Doesn't get as much attention as Yunick today but he sure accomplished a lot, both in Indy cars and stock cars.