[Chrysler300] Daytona Beach in 1956.

["Burton Bouwkamp" <northburt@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

RLS,
Thanks for the website address.

Here are my memories of being at Daytona Beach in February, 1956.

Bob Rodger (Chrysler's Chief Engineer) sent me to Daytona as an "observer" with no official duties except to help the Chrysler nameplate - with automotive writers for example - and help Chrysler drivers - like our dealer Brewster Shaw of San Juan Motors - in any way that I could. And also to serve in a liaison roll with Carl Kiekhaefer. We knew that Carl was going to run cars in the Sunday oval race (on the beach and highway) but we did not know that he was preparing a car for the beach speed trials to be driven by Tim Flock the NASCAR Grand National Champion. 

Tim Flock raised the flying mile record by 12 MPH! The car had a manual transmission and was prepared to perfection by the Kiekhaefer organization for the beach run. Carl had the car painted with the Mercury Outboard logo because he knew that he was going to win - and set a new record doing it. He wanted to showup the factory effort - and he did! 

After Tim Flock?s two-way run of 139.4 MPH, Gene Carr (worked for me) and I went over to the Armory to observe the inspection. NASCAR required removal of the intake manifold and one cylinder head so that they could measure carburetor and port sizes, bore, stroke, valve sizes, piston head height and cylinder head combustion chamber volume to assure that the engine was within specifications. Without completing this inspection successfully the results were not official. We waited - and waited - and waited but Tim Flock and the car did not show. NASCAR gave us a time deadline to "produce the car at the Armory or else" so Gene and I went over to the Kiekhaefer rented facility and there was the 300B. Carl said he wasn?t interested in the inspection because he said that he proved what he wanted to prove. After some intense discussion Carl said "take the car". We did and we made the deadline at the Armory - but we did not have any mechanics to disassemble the engine. Gene and I were capable of doing it but we didn?t have any tools. We borrowed tools from mechanics working next to us but it was obvious that wasn?t going to work because we needed the same tools and were interfering with their work. So I called Carl Kiekhaefer and told him that we needed his help. He went through his standard dissertation that his efforts were not appreciated by Chrysler - but within ten minutes Carl came marching in through the open Armory garage door carrying a tool box in each arm and with two mechanics trotting behind him. We were the last ones out of the Armory that evening but the engine met all specifications and Chrysler had the official record - which was broken by six 300F's four years later.

Burt Bouwkamp

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