1954 NASCAR Grand National Series race at Oakland Stadium

On March 28, 1954, the sixth race of the 1954 NASCAR Grand National Series and first race of the 1954 NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model Division, the first ever race of the Pacific Coast Late Model Division, was held at Oakland Stadium, a 0.500 mile (0.805 km) oval track in Oakland, California. At the time of the race, the track was a mix between a dirt track and a paved track. A combination race between the series, it was won by Dick Rathmann, his first win of the Grand National season. In winning, he became the first winner in what is now the ARCA Menards Series West. Marvin Panch finished in second and John Soares rounded out the podium in third.

Race winner Dick Rathmann missed qualifying due to not yet arriving at the track and had to start in last place. On the twenty-first lap after, driver Bill Weiman tore the right rear wheel off his car and flipped three times; it appeared as if he had been crushed during the last two flips, but escaped the accident and was not seriously injured. The wreck brought out the first ever yellow flag in the Pacific Coast Late Model Division and the only one of the race. Polesitter Hershel McGriff dominated the opening 120 laps before being the fifth driver to encounter tie rod issues due to the condition of the track's turns; he lost the lead to Marvin Panch on lap 126 and retired from the event by lap 130. Panch led the race until making a pit stop due to an overheating radiator. Rathmann would score the win by a lap over Panch before running out of fuel 200 feet after crossing the finish line.

Report Oakland Stadium was a 5/8 mile (later 1/2 mile) track located in Oakland, California. The track had banking of 45 degrees on one side and 62 degrees on the other and held racing events between 1946 and 1955 that featured Big Cars, Sprints, Midgets, Roadsters, and Hardtops, as well as NASCAR.

Entry list #DriverOwnerMake1Clyde PalmerAl Neves'51 Mercury3Dick RathmannRay Erickson'52 Hudson4John SoaresCharles Vance'54 Dodge7Jim HeathAllen Heath'54 Ford8Sam HawksJack Beumer'53 Dodge9Hershel McGriffBeryl Jackson'54 Oldsmobile11Dick CarterDick Carter'51 Dodge12Ben GregoryDon Oliver'53 Oldsmobile14Bill WeimanUnknown'51 Oldsmobile15Cliff RobertsChet Chirso'50 Plymouth18Lloyd DaneLloyd Dane'50 Oldsmobile21Bill AmickCarmen Amica'54 Oldsmobile21xBill WilliamsUnknown'50 Plymouth23Richard BrownUnknown'52 Oldsmobile24Bob HavemannBob Havenmann'54 Ford33Bill StammerBill Stammer'53 Pontiac36Vee DentVee Dent'52 Hudson38Art WattsJoe Fisher'53 Dodge42Lee PettyPetty Enterprises'54 Dodge44H. R. KahlUnknown'52 Plymouth48Paul PhippsLes Brand'51 Mercury51Rick HendersonRay Henderson'51 Chevrolet84Robert CaswellLou Mangini'54 Dodge88Woody BrownJoe Mangini'50 Oldsmobile90Jim CookArley Scranton'50 Ford98Marvin PanchBeryl Jackson'54 Dodge99Joe ValenteJoe Mangini'50 Oldsmobile

Practice and Qualifying A one-hour practice session was held, followed by qualifying. Hershel McGriff won the pole with a speed of 55.624 mph. Vee Dent flipped in qualifying and was treated for facial lacerations before being released from a hospital. He was the only driver who failed to qualify for the race. Dick Rathmann, who missed qualifying, had a bracket break on his gas tank and borrowed the gas tank from Dent's wrecked car in order to start the race.

Race results FinSt#DriverOwnerMakeLapsLedStatus1263Dick RathmannRay Erickson'52 Hudson250108Running2598Marvin PanchBeryl Jackson'54 Dodge24917Running334John SoaresCharles Vance'54 Dodge2470Running4111Clyde PalmerAl Neves'51 Mercury2380Running5918Lloyd DaneLloyd Dane'50 Oldsmobile2340Running6242Lee PettyPetty Enterprises'54 Dodge2320Running7108Sam HawksJack Beumer'53 Dodge2300Running81924Bob HavemannBob Havenmann'54 Ford2280Running9187Jim HeathAllen Heath'54 Ford2260Running102090Jim CookArley Scranton'50 Ford2260Running11412Ben GregoryDon Oliver'53 Oldsmobile2220Tie Rod12899Joe ValenteJoe Mangini'50 Oldsmobile2200Tie Rod132351Rick HendersonRay Henderson'51 Chevrolet2170Running141284Robert CaswellLou Mangini'54 Dodge2100Running151715Cliff RobertsChet Chiroso'50 Plymouth1940Running161633Bill StammerBill Stammer'53 Pontiac1900Running172444H. R. KahlUnknown'52 Plymouth1740Running182511Dick CarterDick Carter'51 Dodge1710Running191448Paul PhippsLes Brand'51 Mercury1670Running2019Hershel McGriffBeryl Jackson'54 Oldsmobile129125Tie Rod21721Bill AmickCarmen Amica'54 Oldsmobile1240Tie Rod222123Richard BrownUnknown'52 Oldsmobile1180Tie Rod232221xBill WilliamsUnknown'50 Plymouth1130Running241388Wood BrownJoe Mangini'50 Oldsmobile520Tie Rod25638Art WattsJoe Fishr'53 Dodge520Tie Rod261514Bill WeimanUnknown'51 Oldsmobile200Accident

References