1969 Daytona

The 24 Hours of Daytona (Feb 2, 1969)

Click here to read Owens-Corning Racing's newsletter regarding the preparations for the 1969 Daytona Race.

(The following is a quote from a self-decribed "BMW fanatic working in a Porsche Pit.")

At 3:08 pm on a warm sunny Saturday afternoon the green flag dropped and 62 snarling creations of metal, plastics, rubber and other assorted components began the 24 hours of Daytona. Exactly 24 hours later, 26 cars took the checkered flag behind Chuck Parsons in the Penske Hilton Lola T70, and those 24 hours became part of history. And in the sunshine, the victorious gladiators were drinking champagne and laughing, forgetting for the moment the tension, the sadness, the tiredness and the monotony of all those hours of racing.
Weeks and months of effort and experiment were over, although sooner for some than anticipated, as "to finish" became the name of the game. For a Maserati Berlinetta, the finish was before the start, as he pitted on the pace lap, and retired. On the 23rd lap, an Owens Corning Fiberglass Corvette driven by Tony De Lorenzo (co-driver-Dick Lang, Xenia, Ohio) had a flat tire, and while in the pits, the fuel pump ignited, burning the rear of the car seriously enough to become the first running retirement of the race.

66 Tony DeLorenzo / USA Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Owens Corning Fiberglass DNF-Fire GT+5.0 Dick Lang / USA - DND

*Dick Lang didn't get to drive because the fire occured before he got a chance.


[The tall guy at the top left of the photo of the car after the fire is Dick Lang --looking glum]

Click here to view model car from midlantic models based on that corvette.

An Owens-Corning Newsletter describes the events in detail. Click here to view the complete page.

According to the newsletter, DeLorenzo and Lang moved over to the team's other corvette (#67) and took over. Lang moved the car up to 11th place and then DeLorenzo took over for Lang and moved it up to 10th before he wrecked it into the wall after a blown tire caused him to lose control.  (The flat was caused by crash debris on the track)



 

 

The end of the day:


Oh, here's a picture of actor James Garner at Daytona.

Nice story in Corvette Magazine on the success of Thompson and DeLorenzo with the Owens-Corning team:   Corvette Magazine Story

1969 Sebring

Click on the photo for a larger image of the program cover.

March 22, 1969
In Sebring, Florida, the 12 Hours of Sebring results:
•2nd in Grand Touring +5000: Dick Lang and Gib Hufstaeder in the #2 Corvette.

Interesting note:

Photo by George Boron all rights reserved to him and the outstanding racingsportscars.com

In March of 1969, at the 12 Hours of Sebring, four 69 L88’s raced. Only 3 of these cars were RPO/lightweight cars. The Gib Huffstader /Dick Lang parts car placed 2nd in class, with the Orr Costanzo/Dave Heinz car placing third in class. The DeLorenzo/Thompson car took fourth in class. The Esseks/Lowther L88 car did not finish the race.

1969 Michigan Wolverine Trans American

Brooklyn, MI. Wolverine 4-Hour. May 11, 1969.
Michigan International Speeday.

Qualifying highlights- 1) Parnelli Jones; 5) Mark Donahue; 8)Pete Revson; 10)Jerry Thompson/Don Yenko; 17) Dick Lang

Final Results:
1) Parnelli Jones (Mustang)
2) Mark Donahue (Penske Camaro)
3) Jerry Titus (Firebird)
4) Bob Tullius (Javelin)
5) Dick Lang (Camaro)

Dick Lang with Mark Donahue at the wheel. Click on photo to enlarge.

Dad was a huge admirer of Mark Donahue.   --Not only was Mark a great driver, but he was a great guy -- who helped Dad with his set-up on several occasions.

Dick Brown's Firebird with Lang's Camaro and Titus's Firebird in hot pursuit.
 (photo by Ron Lathrop)

Lang passing Fred Opert's Porsche (photo by Ron Lathrop)

Full Results courtesy of Ultimate Racing History.

For many more wonderful photos of the race with some commentary, check out Ron Lathrop's large collection of photographs.

Wolverine Trans American

SCCA Trans Am race

Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI

May 11, 1969

104 laps on 3.31 mile road course; 344.24 miles

Fin	St	Driver	#	Owner	Car	Laps	Money	Status	Laps Led
1	1	Parnelli Jones	15	Bud Moore	Ford Mustang Boss 302	104	5,000	running
2	5	Mark Donohue	6	Roger Penske	Chevrolet Camaro	103	3,500	running
3	6	Jerry Titus	27		Pontiac Firebird	103	2,600	running
4	19	Bob Tullius	33		AMC Javelin	102	2,000	running
5	17	Dick Lang			Chevrolet Camaro	102	1,700	running
6	18	Larry Harley  Brad Dunn	72		Pontiac Firebird	100	1,400	running
7	14	Rusty Jowett			Chevrolet Camaro	99	1,200	running
8	35	Craig Fisher	7	Todco Racing	Chevrolet Camaro	98	1,000	running
9	36	Ted Roberts  Dick Guldstrand	55		AMC Javelin	97	800	running
10	21	Fred Baker  Dick Smothers			Porsche 911	96	3,000	running
11	22	Gary Wright			Porsche 911	96	1,800	running
12	15	Richard Brown	62		Pontiac Firebird	96	700	running
13	37	Bill Ortega	25		Pontiac Firebird	95	600	running
14	31	Harry Theodoracopulos  Paul Richards			Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA	94	1,500	running
15	26	Ed Wachs			Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA	94	1,200	running
16	23	J.A. Lagod	74		Chevrolet Camaro	94	500	running
17	13	Erhard Dahm  Garrett Van Camp			Porsche 911	94	900	running
18	42	Pete Feistman  Russell Norburn	17		Porsche 911	93	800	running
19	20	Erwin Dollinger  Jim Osborne			Porsche 911	93	700	running
20	28	Maurice Carter	18		Chevrolet Camaro	91	400	running
21	39	Jim Corwin	26		Chevrolet Camaro	91	300	running
22	40	Paul Sanford  Fred Opert			Porsche 911	91	600	running
23	34	Herb Swan			BMW 2002	89	500	running
24	24	Bill Campbell  L. Marty Gifford			Porsche 911	89	400	running
25	9	Bob Bailey  Jim Locke			Porsche 911	88	300	running
26	29	Dean Gregson	28		Ford Mustang	87	200	running
27	27	Larry Bock	11		Chevrolet Camaro	85	150	running
28	33	Tony Adamowicz  Herb Wetanson	20		Porsche 911	87	200	ring/pinion
29	8	Peter Revson	1	Carroll Shelby	Ford Mustang Boss 302	73	150	blown tire
30	4	Milt Minter	37		Pontiac Firebird	71	100	wheel
31	32	Jim Netterstrom  Bruce Jennings	22		Porsche 911	68	100	oil pressure
32	7	Bert Everett			Porsche 911	61	100	did not finish
33		Dan Furey	53		Ford Mustang	56	100	did not finish
34	2	George Follmer	16	Bud Moore	Ford Mustang	52	100	clutch
35		Ron Grable	3	Ronnie Kaplan	AMC Javelin	52		oil pressure
36		John Martin	4	Ronnie Kaplan	AMC Javelin	48		universal joint
37	25	Wilbur Pickett			Porsche 911	40	100	did not finish
38	41	Bob Grossman  Bob Dini	5		Chevrolet Camaro	37		valve
39	12	Joe Buzzetta  Peter Gregg			Porsche 911	34	100	did not finish
40	11	Ronnie Bucknum	9	Roger Penske	Chevrolet Camaro	29		power steering
41	10	Don Yenko	19		Chevrolet Camaro	24		engine bearings
42	3	Horst Kwech	2	Carroll Shelby	Ford Mustang 9F02M148627	8		accident
43	30	Dick McDaniel	32		Pontiac Firebird	4		did not finish
44	38	Wayne Allen	40		Chevrolet Camaro	3		black flagged
45	16	William Lowell	87		Ford Mustang	3		black flagged

Notes: Derwood Fletcher, a fan, was killed in an accident in the infield during the race.

The race had FIA international sanction.

The name of Ed Wachs's co-driver is currently unknown.

Jim McElreath was scheduled to co-drive with Dick McDaniel, but did not arrive from Indianapolis in time.

Time of race: 04:11:00

Average Speed: 85.49 MPH

Pole Speed: 145.1 seconds

Race Purse: $ 34,800

Attendance: 21,648

1969 Lime Rock Park

SCCA Trans Am race
Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, CT
May 30, 1969
143 laps on 1.53 mile road course; 218.79 miles

Fin	St	Driver	#	Owner	Car	Laps	Money	Status
1	1	Sam Posey	1	Carroll Shelby	Ford Mustang 9F02M148629	143	2,500	running
2		Swede Savage	15	Bud Moore	Ford Mustang	143	1,700	running
3		Bob Johnson	9	Roger Penske	Chevrolet Camaro	142	1,300	running
4		John Cannon	16	Bud Moore	Ford Mustang	139	900	running
5		Milt Minter	29	T-J Racing	Pontiac Firebird	138	650	running
6		Rusty Jowett	92	William Jowett	Chevrolet Camaro	137	500	running
7		Tony Adamowicz	20	Herb Wetanson	Porsche 911	135	1,300	running
8		Gaston Andrey	25	Gaston Andrey	Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA 752507	135	800	running
9		Ron Hunter	10	Rocky Mountain Racing	AMC Javelin	135	400	running
10		Bert Everett	14	Bert Everett	Porsche 911	134	700	running
11		Pete Harrison	86	Pete Harrison	Porsche 911	134	600	running
12		Bob Bailey  Jim Locke	52	Porsche of America	Porsche 911	133	500	running
13		Jim Netterstrom	22	PART	Porsche 911	132	400	running
14		Larry Bock	11	Laurel Racing	Chevrolet Camaro	131	350	running
15		Peter Gregg	59	Brumos Porsche	Porsche 911	131	300	running
16		Serge Adams	93	Todco Racing	Chevrolet Camaro	129	300	running
17		Richard McDaniel	32	Howl-Arc Ltd.	Pontiac Firebird	127	250	running
18		Richard Brown	62	G S Racing	Pontiac Firebird	124	200	running
19		Fred Opert  Paul Sanford	73	Fred Opert	Porsche 911	124	200	running
20		Ron Grable	3	Ronnie Kaplan	AMC Javelin	116	200	running
21		Don Yenko	41		Chevrolet Camaro	88	150	did not finish
22		Robert Huber	19	Julius Mayer	Volvo	69	100	did not finish
23		Dick Lang	85	Lang Chevrolet	Chevrolet Camaro	61	150	did not finish
24		Ted Roberts	55	Roberts Racing	AMC Javelin	58	100	did not finish
25		Jerry Titus	37	T-J Racing	Pontiac Firebird	56	100	did not finish
26		John Martin	4	Ronnie Kaplan	AMC Javelin	54	75	did not finish
27		Ed Leslie	6	Roger Penske	Chevrolet Camaro	48	75	did not finish
28		Russell Norburn	17	Russ Norburn	Porsche 911	39	100	did not finish
29		Brad Dunn	72	Howl-Arc Ltd.	Pontiac Firebird	29	50	did not finish
30		Horst Kwech	2	Carroll Shelby	Ford Mustang	19	50	did not finish

Thanks to Ultimate Racing History for this information.
Notes: Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough were originally scheduled to drive Bud Moore's Mustangs, but were denied permission from NASCAR to compete.
Time of race: 02:30:22
Average Speed: 87.27 MPH
Pole Speed: 59.3 seconds
Race Purse: $ 15,000

1969 Mid-Ohio

SCCA Trans Am race
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH
June 8, 1969
100 laps on 2.4 mile road course; 240 miles
DNF
Chevrolet Camaro ‘68 Dick Lang, USA Engine fire

Fin	St	Driver	#	Owner	Car	Laps	Money	Status
1	8	Ronnie Bucknum	9	Roger Penske	1969 Chevrolet Camaro	100	2,500	running
2	2	Parnelli Jones	15	Bud Moore	1969 Ford Mustang	100	1,900	running
3	5	George Follmer	16	Bud Moore	1969 Ford Mustang	100	1,300	running
4	4	Peter Revson	1	Carroll Shelby	1969 Ford Mustang	99	1,000	running
5	11	Ron Grable	3	Ronnie Kaplan	1969 AMC Javelin	99	700	running
6	12	Rusty Jowett	92		1968 Chevrolet Camaro	99	500	running
7	1	Mark Donohue	6	Roger Penske	1969 Chevrolet Camaro	97	900	running
8	17	Larry Harley	73		1968 Pontiac Firebird	97	300	running
9	18	Ted Roberts	55		1968 AMC Javelin	95	200	running
10	7	Horst Kwech	2	Carroll Shelby	1969 Ford Mustang	94	150	running
11	30	Peter Gregg	59		1968 Porsche 911	94	1,300	running
12	25	Fred Baker	29		1968 Porsche 911	94	750	running
13	31	Pete Harrison	86		1967 Porsche 911	92	500	running
14	23	Russell Norburn	17		1967 Porsche 911	92	400	running
15	13	Milt Minter	37		1968 Pontiac Firebird	91	100	running
16	34	Bruce Jennings	71		1967 Porsche 911	90	350	running
17	33	Wilbur Pickett	36		1966 Porsche 911	89	300	running
18	29	Bert Everett	14		1967 Porsche 911	88	250	running
19	3	Jerry Titus	27		1968 Pontiac Firebird	85	100	running
20	16	Ron Hunter	10		1968 AMC Javelin	85	100	running
21	24	Jim Corwin	26		1968 Chevrolet Camaro	84	75	running
22	32	Jerry Peterson	83		1968 Chevrolet Camaro	73	75	running
23	9	Dick Lang	85		1968 Chevrolet Camaro	95	50	engine fire
24	20	Jim Harrell	23		1969 Ford Mustang	90	50	suspension
25	19	Vic Provenzano	97		1966 Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA	74	400	valve
26	22	Jim Locke  Bob Bailey	52		1968 Porsche 911	74	250	halfshaft
27	27	Nick Engles	19		1968 Chevrolet Camaro	73	50	engine
28	14	Brad Dunn	72		1968 Pontiac Firebird	72	50	disqualified
29	26	Gary Wright	41		1966 Porsche 911	69	100	engine
30	10	Don Yenko	47		1968 Chevrolet Camaro	67	50	suspension
31	21	Robert Barg	50		1967 Chevrolet Camaro	46		axle
32	35	Levester Lewis	49		1967 Chevrolet Camaro	41		engine
33	6	John Martin	4	Ronnie Kaplan	1969 AMC Javelin	39		steering
34	15	Larry Bock	11		1968 Chevrolet Camaro	30		engine
35	28	John Moore	22		1967 Porsche 911	27	50	oil pressure

Race Purse: $ 14,800
Attendance: 23,000
Thanks to Ultimate Racing History for this information and this photo from the race by Ron Lathop:

1969 Watkins Glen

July 13, 1969
At the Watkins Glen raceway in Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen Six Hours of Endurance race:.
• 1st in GT+2.0 class: Tony DeLorenzo and Dick Lang in the #14 Corvette.

HERE is midlantic models diecast of the Watkins Glen winner.

#14 with Redman's Porsche 908-2

Program Cover from racingsportscars.com

1969 Mid-Ohio

Mid-Ohio, July 20, 1969

Sports Racers A Class.

lst- Bob Nagel (Lola Ford)
2nd- Art Seyler (Cooper Ford)
3rd- Dick Lang (Genie)

Columbus Dispatch reported:  "Dick Lang of Xenia provided some automotive acrobatics in the sixth race, spinning off into the grass twice then running his outmoded Genie hard and taking third place."

Click on photo to read local newspaper story: