A TUMS “FightS back fast”MOMENT
(For each of the 36 races during the 2011 Sprint Cup season, TUMS will provide a brief historical recap of a moment when a team fought back to overcome an obstacle, one that can easily be described as a TUMS “Fights Back Fast” Moment. This week, the focus is on Charlotte Motor Speedway).
LUCK CHANGES, CHARLIE GLOTZBACH GETS FIRST WIN AT CHARLOTTE
The date was Oct. 20, 1968. Charlie Glotzbach was considered a very talented Grand National (now Sprint Cup) driver. However, the record books didn’t reflect that assessment – he was winless in four seasons of limited competition.
NOTE: TUMS is the sponsor of the TUMS Fast Relief 500, the seventh race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, at Martinsville Speedway on October 30.
Glotzbach drove the Cotton Owens-owned Dodge in 22 races in 1968. He finished second three times before collecting his first career victory on that October afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
He started from the pole in the National 500 and was a contender throughout the 334-lap event. He engaged in close fender-to-fender battles with Paul Goldsmith, David Pearson and Bobby Allison.
Goldsmith pitted for tires and fuel with 35 laps remaining, but encountered a problem when he had to swerve to miss a crew member from another team. He spun into the grass in the tri-oval. Heavy rains from Hurricane Gladys had the entire Charlotte area soggy, including the grassy area adjacent to pit road.
Goldsmith’s spin left Glotzbach in command. He led the final 33 laps en route to his first victory.
“Our first win couldn’t have come at a better time,” Glotzbach said in victory
lane. “The cupboard was getting bare, after all the things that have happened to us. I had begun to think that bad luck was going to badger us from now on. But this wipes out all the bad breaks by a long shot.”
