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Malcolm Campbell
Bill France Senior |
Blast From The Past... By Lone Star In the beginning, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Coast of Florida, there was a strip of wet firm sand. It was peaceful and quiet. In 1902 the roar of engines would shatter the quiet and begin to rule this area. In 1902 speed trials had arrived at this hard packed strip of sand between Ormond and Daytona Beaches. This firm sand was a perfect place to set world speed records. From the early days of 1902 world speed trials sped through the 30’s right along with speeds approaching 300 miles per hour. In the early spring of 1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell brought his Bluebird rocket car to Daytona Beach. He hoped to set a another new speed record of 300 miles an hour. He never achieved his 300 miles per hour record, however he did manage to run 226.82 mph. Later in 1935 he did get the record after moving the speed trials to Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. After Campbell left. the City of Daytona officials wanted to keep bringing racing events into the area. This led to Bill France getting his start in promoting races in late 1935. Later in the fall of 1935, the first race that was run was a 3.5 mile, 78 lap race sponsored by the American Automobile Association with a purse of $5,000.00. The winner was to receive a $1,700.00 purse. The biggest problem was that people arrived before the ticket takers and just picked any spot to watch the race. The turns became blocked and almost impassable causing scoring disputes and technical protests. The race was finally called after 75 laps declaring Milt Marion the winner. Bill France finished 5th. This was the last race sponsored by the City of Daytona. Well, how would you feel if you just lost $22,000.00 from one race promotion. |
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