Gurney was the sport's first 'road-course ringer'

With the Nationwide Series heading south of the border this weekend, attention once again turns to "road-course ringers," drivers who specialize in turning both left and right. And perhaps the greatest road-course ringer in NASCAR history might be Dan Gurney.

The son of an opera singer, Gurney and his family moved from Long Island to Riverside, Calif., after his high school graduation. And it was at nearby Riverside International Raceway where Gurney was almost unbeatable when it came to stock cars. All five of his career wins came on the twisty, turny 2.7-mile road course -- in 500-mile races, which incredibly, took more than five hours to complete.

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Surprisingly, the well-known Formula One star made his NASCAR debut not on a road course, but in a qualifying race for the 1962 Daytona 500, finishing fourth. He started seventh in the 500-miler and wound up 27th when the engine on his Holman-Moody Ford let go two-thirds of the way through the event.

But Gurney quickly found Victory Lane his next time out. Starting 11th in the 1963 Riverside 500, Gurney grabbed the lead for the first time on Lap 43 passing Fred Lorenzen, then went on to lead 120 of the final 143 laps, beating A.J. Foyt by 36 seconds.

Gurney was busy with Jack Brabham's operation and missed the second Riverside race that season, but driving a car for the Wood Brothers, Gurney made things look even easier in 1964. He led 142 of 185 laps, including the final 131, lapping the field as Marvin Panch, driving the No. 21, made it a 1-2 sweep for the folks from Stuart, Va. That victory was marred by the death of two-time defending champion Joe Weatherly.

Gurney made it 3-for-3 at Riverside in 1965, once again starting 11th and driving the No. 121 Ford, beating Junior Johnson by 27 seconds. And in 1966, Gurney started on the front row in the Motor Trend 500 and led 148 laps, including the final 101, to beat David Pearson by nearly an entire lap in what was Mario Andretti's NASCAR debut.

Gurney's Riverside victory streak was snapped in 1967 when engine problems sidelined him after he led 36 laps. He still wound up 14th behind eventual winner Parnelli Jones, as only 12 of the original 44 starters were running at the finish. He then drove the No. 121 Wood Brothers Ford to his fifth and final NASCAR win in the 1968 Motor Trend 500, leading 124 laps with Pearson some 36 seconds behind.

Gurney retired from full-time competitive racing in 1970, but made his final NASCAR appearance in the 1980 Winston Western 500, driving as teammate to Dale Earnhardt. While the Intimidator, a pretty fair road racer in his own right, finished second to Darrell Waltrip, Gurney had transmission trouble and wound up 28th.

If Gurney wasn't America's driver of the century, he was certainly the most versatile. In addition to winning races in NASCAR, Indy-car, Formula One and sports cars, he was equally talented as a driver, car builder and team owner. (Continued)