| Marvin Panch | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Marvin Emil Panch (1926-05-28)May 28, 1926 Menomonie, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | December 31, 2015(2015-12-31) (aged 89) Port Orange, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Achievements | 1961 Daytona 500 Winner 1966 World 600 Winner | ||||||
| Awards | Named one ofNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2002 - Inaugural Class) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame inductee (1987) Named one ofNASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
| NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
| 216 races run over 15 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1957) | ||||||
| First race | 35th race of1951 season (Oakland) | ||||||
| Last race | 1966National 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| First win | 35th race of1956 season (Montgomery) | ||||||
| Last win | 1966World 600 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| |||||||
Marvin Emil Panch[1] (May 28, 1926 – December 31, 2015) was an Americanstock car racing driver. Winner of the1961 Daytona 500 and1966 World 600, he won seventeenNASCAR Grand National Series events during a 17-year career.
Born inMenomonie,Wisconsin, Panch relocated to California at an early age.[2][3] He started his racing career as a car owner inOakland, California. One week, his driver did not show up, and he raced the car to a third-place finish.[2] He won a championship and several races in six years, including fiveNASCAR races on theWest Coast of the United States.[4]
He attempted his firstEast Coast race atDarlington Raceway in 1953.NASCAR founderBill France, Sr. convinced him to come east for 1954.[4]Lee Petty invited Panch to race in the 1954 Darlington race, where he finished third. The finish impressedTom Horbison, who hired Panch to race his car during the 1955 season. His 1955 finishes caught the attention ofPete DePaolo, who hired Panch to race in his factoryFord team. Panch won his first NASCAR race on July 20, 1956, atMontgomery Speedway after starting on thepole position and dominating the entire race.[2]
He won the two races in 1957 for DePaolo. He added another victory in April before Ford ended its factory support in the middle of the season. Panch joined the legendaryHolman-Moody team for the rest of the season. He won three more events in the season and finished second in the final points standings.[2]
The end of the Ford factory sponsorship hurt Panch's career. Over the next three seasons, he was only able to race in 24 races.[2]
He was offered a ride by famed NASCAR mechanicSmokey Yunick in the 1961Daytona 500. The car was a year old (1960)Pontiac. Panch took the offer and won the 1961 Daytona 500 to put his career back on track.[2] During the 1962 season he was offered a ride by renowned car owners theWood Brothers. He accepted the ride in the Ford factory-sponsored team. Panch had eight wins and 30 top-three finishes in 69 races for the team. He stayed with the team from 1962 to March 27, 1966, when Ford had another dispute with NASCAR.[2] In 1965,A. J. Foyt finished theAtlanta 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a car Panch had started, taking it to victory. Panch received credit for the win.
In February 1963 at Daytona, Panch tried to set a speed record in a Ford-powered Maserati but crashed. He was pulled to safety by fellow driversTiny Lund, Ernie Gahan and Bill Wimble, Firestone's Steve Petrasek, and mechanic Jerry Rayborn. His rescuers were awarded the Carnegie Medal for heroism. Hospitalized with second and third degree burns and serious injuries, Panch asked car owner Glenn Wood to hire Lund. Tiny won the 1963 Daytona 500 in the car that the injured Panch had been scheduled to drive. Lund said of Panch: "Marvin would have done the same for us."[5]
Panch was hired by Petty to race forPetty Enterprises for the 1966World 600 in a year old car. Panch won the race for his final career victory when Petty was his relief driver. Panch raced for Petty Enterprises until he announced his retirement after theNational 500 at Charlotte in October 1966.[2]
Panch was named one ofNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. He was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1987, and theWest Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in its first class in 2002.[4]
His second wife Bettie founded the Women's Auxiliary of Motorsports. Panch is the father of four children: Pamela and Marvann, from his first marriage to Hester Herrald, andRichard (deceased) and Marvette, from his second marriage to Bettie Gong.
Following his Daytona 500 win, Panch purchased property inPort Orange, Florida, relocating there after the end of his career.[6] On December 31, 2015, Panch was found unconscious in his car, and was later pronounced dead of natural causes.[6]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Tom Vernon | Ford | 4 | 17 |
| 1960 | 51 | 46 | ||
| 1961 | Smokey Yunick | Pontiac | 4 | 1 |
| 1962 | Bob Osiecki | Dodge | 37 | 44 |
| 1964 | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 9 | 4 |
| 1965 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1966 | 7 | 26 |
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Daytona 500 Winner 1961 | Succeeded by |