FANTASY NASCAR Racin

was a NASCAR Cup Series driver. He made his debut in February 1957 driving for John Zink and John Whitford at Daytona, racing on the Beach and Road course. Darel Started 6th and he ran well until he had a crash after only nine laps and would finish 46th. He posted three top ten finishes in his initial season with a best of sixth at Columbia. His first top five finish would come at the Daytona Speedway in the second 125 mile qualifying race. He would only race a few races per year and would see little success until 1963, when driving for Bill Stroppe, he won his first race at the final race of the 1963 season at Riverside International Speedway wheeling a car sponsored by Mercury. He would start third but Dave MacDonald would lead 92 of the 148 laps. MacDonald would lose third gear but manage a second place finish one lap behind Dieringer. He would go on to finish seventh in the points. Dieringers second win would come in 1964 at Augusta Speedway. He started fifth and led 201 of the 300 laps beating Bobby Isaac to claim the checkers. Unfortunately this would be the final race for Billy Wade as he would be killed during tire test before the 1965 season started. Dieringer would run the most races in one season in 1965 as he would start 35 of the 55 events. He would have a career best finish of third in the points while winning one of the Daytona 500

qualifying races. He would finish second to Fred Lorenzen in the Daytona 500. The race would be shortened to 133 laps due to rain. Dieringer would also post second place finishes at Darlington, Atlanta, and Richmond. He had ten top finishes. 1966 would be the season that Dieringer won his most races. He would capture the checkered flag for the first time at Monroe NC beating the second place finisher by over 8 laps. His next win came at Weaverville NC when he outdistanced GC Spencer; also by eight laps. He would claim his most prestigious win in the Southern 500 when he would wage a battle with Richard Petty over the last 160 laps. The lead changed hands between the

two on seven occasions and Dieringer would bypass Petty with seven laps to go and hold on to grab the win. In 1967 Dieringer would claim his final win. It would be convincing as he would start on the pole, lead all 400 laps and beat Cale Yarborough by over a lap. He won six poles, and would post three second place finishes along with three thirds. He had mechanical problems in 10 of the 19 races he ran, and in the others he finished inside the top five. Dieringer ran 18 races in 1968 with the same results as in 1967. He fell out of ten races and finished no worse than eighth in the others. He ran one race in 1969 breaking a drive shaft at Macon. He didn't race in the Cup series again until 1975 when he returned to run his final four races. His last start would come at Charlotte in the National 500 when he started 14th. He ran well in his final

Fantasy NASCAR Racing

DAREL DIERINGER - 06/01/1926 - 10/28/1989