Triumph At Daytona

the Daytona International world's fastest Motor Speedway into the CLA 5400 featuring America's fastest drivers in stock cars competing before thousands of racing fans for the richest prizes but in all the history of the famous Daytona Raceway the most incredible event was run before empty Grand stands there were only a handful of cars and yet they were destined to rewrite the pages of [Music] History it was called the comet durability run a Triumph at [Music] Daytona behind it a red white and blue idea specially equip and prepare a team of American racing cars for high speed driving start them around the world's fastest track at record-breaking speeds pause only for pit stops and see how far they could run a public torture test that would help to build better safer cars for tomorrow and an openly staged allout assault on the world's speed and distance records which now rest abroad to be official any speed or endurance run must be sanctioned by proper authorities the top Organization for international speed records is the Federation International automobile FIA and its American agent the automobile competition committee for the United States Aus the National Association for stock car racing NASCAR would supervise the United States record attempt the cars were powered by the optional new Comet Cyclone high performance 289 cubic in V8 engine they also were equipped with optionally available heavyduty Transmissions driv shafts and axles and with variable rate autolike shock absorbers and their suspensions were especially stiffened to cope with the extraordinarily steep banks of the Daytona track racing tires and roll bars were also installed according to NASCAR safety regulation when the cars had been checked in tune by expert mechanics they were turned over to NASCAR and FIA officials to be sure all safety precautions were observed and all parts were conformed to product certification filed with the sanctioning bodies and then it was H hour at Daytona on the morning of September 21st time for one last official briefing session for the crews the NASCAR officials who would not leave the track until the last car called it quits and the longine timers Veterans of the world's top sports events who would be responsible for exact timing of each car for every lap and then final instructions for the drivers who would go night and day as long as the cars would run and the mechanics who would gas and service the cars around the clock now the traditional slap on the roof our good luck and the cars roll off into formation the green flag a flying start and an endless series of left [Music] turn drivers stretch out and the cars Thunder by lap after lap the opening Pace a dizzy 112 miles [Music] hour white 42 259 44 yellow 42 29 from the mobile timing unit begins the special code and sounds of an important International trial from the first lap each car records its lap speed as it passes through the electric eye 44 times each hour the automatic tape registers each car speed spotters identify the cars allowed as they complete each lap batteries of timing devices check speed to the 100,000 of a second this official timing procedure continues minute by minute 24 hours a day for the duration of the [Music] Run radio contact between driver and engineer provide a valuable record of the car's performance as it builds up tremendous stress and strain during the [Music] Run by pre-plan at the end of the second hour and every two hours thereafter the pit crew is alerted and the cars peel off one at a time for a pit stop refueling routine maintenance any necessary repairs and a change of drivers via the window because doors are bolted shut for NASCAR safety regulation other rules prescribe that all maintenance or repairs be carried out in the pit area with standard tools that all spare parts must be carried in the cars themselves any major repair to a car will make it ineligible at that point for World Records NASCAR officials are on hand at every Pit Stop to see that the rigid regulations are [Applause] observed the crews work fast because pit time is included in running time but maintenance procedures are those used in the comet owner's manual six pit stops later and the run is 12 hours old and daylight Fades into a purple Florida sunset at night with the tail lights ahead and the guard rail lights as a guide the cars roll [Music] on and against the sky a giant Daytona sign board Paces the car through the first long night [Music] hit stop the change of drivers official checkup and gradually the routine is set the drivers and cars charge on through the darkness Dawn the lead cars run 2200 miles at an average speed of over 106 mph hour including time for [Music] ruing now a bright new morning that seems to slip by in a slow overcast second afternoon mile after mile lap after lap into the second flylight the sign board totals the average speed for the first 40 hours [Music] drivers remembered only as the first of the rain swept night Dawn a new day another and [Music] another September 26th the fifth day with 12,600 M under the belt timing vigil continues as lap after lap is compiled in the official log [Music] books pit stops sunsets crazy patterns of guard rail lights New Dawn brief stops the time begins to run together [Music] now and suddenly it's the 11th day with a team logging over 28,000 miles more than once around the earth and still on and on they streak through day and [Music] night can you give us your gug readings please everything is 104 and somehow it's the 16th day the cars have passed 39,000 grueling miles and hour by hour now new world speed and distance records are being tabulated for final FIA [Music] approval a few hours later the cars break the 40,000 mile Mark with it subject to final FIA approval 19 high-speed endurance records formally held by foreign cars come to America four nights later October 10th on the 20th day 50,000 miles flashes on the record [Music] board and hurricane Flora flashes into the news and still the comments race on into the teeth of the Gale winds and hour after hour of tropical downpour and now the strain of nearly 500 hours of run is beginning to tell but out of the buildup of fatigue a kind of toughness and pride begins to [Applause] grow as the day days pass and the cars incredibly race on they know that they are part of something to talk about to brag about for the rest of their lives on they drive day and night and the run is 26 days old with over 67,000 mil at an average speed of over 107 m per [Music] hour how much farther no American car has ever attempted an endurance run of over 50,000 M before hours later the coma team blast the 70,000 Market over 40 m an hour faster than the previous world record holder and on they [Music] race [Music] trouble at 76,5 46 Mi a broken valve spring and engine repairs closed the official record books at this point for the fourth car but after repairs it too continues the run and now it's 82,000 Mi off October [Music] 22nd 990,000 M on the [Music] 26th 98,000 M on the [Music] 29th and it's October 30th the 40th Day Dawning bright with a good omen and there's a special cocky Bloom on every face ours away is an unbelievable Goal Round the track again again and the engines Roar full throat minutes away now finally one more lap and the lead car clicks past the 99,99 99 M [Music] Mark and flashes toward and under the flag stand where it all began a fantastic continuous Journey more than 40 days ago over 960 hours [Music] ago space through the day the three remaining cars take the checkered flag th ending what must be counted as one of the most founding performance in automobile history why 100,000 miles well they had to stop somewhere could the cars have continued much further the drivers and mechanics say yes how far no one guesses what happens now the cars go back to Detroit for engineering analysis which will guide the design of new and even better SA safer family cars for tomorrow final scoreboard all four participating comets finished the 100,000 M run at an average speed of over 108 mph three of them will establish pending FIA and NASCAR approval over 100 world speed and distance records the comic durability run an American World Triumph at Daytona [Music]