Marvin Emil Panch (May 28, 1926December 31, 2015) was an American stock car racing driver. Winner of the 1961 Daytona 500 and 1966 World 600, he won seventeen NASCAR Grand National Series events during a 17-year career.

Early career Born in Menomonie, Wisconsin, Panch relocated to California at an early age. He started his racing career as a car owner in Oakland, California. One week, his driver did not show up, and he raced the car to a third-place finish. He won a championship and several races in six years, including five NASCAR races on the West Coast of the United States.Biography at the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, written 2002, Retrieved November 8, 2007

NASCAR career Panch attempted his first East Coast race at Darlington Raceway in 1953. NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. convinced him to come east for 1954. Lee Petty invited Panch to race in the 1954 Darlington race, where he finished third. The finish impressed Tom Horbison, who hired Panch to race his car during the 1955 season. His 1955 finishes caught the attention of Pete DePaolo, who hired Panch to race in his factory Ford team. Panch won his first NASCAR race on July 20, 1956, at Montgomery after starting on the pole position and dominating the entire race.

Panch 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 legendary Holman-Moody team for the rest of the season. He won three more events in the season and finished second in the final points standings.

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.

Panch was offered a ride by famed NASCAR mechanic Smokey Yunick in the 1961 Daytona 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. During the 1962 season he was offered a ride by renowned car owners the Wood 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. In 1965, A. J. Foyt finished the Atlanta 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 drivers Tiny 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."

Panch was hired by Petty to race for Petty Enterprises for the 1966 World 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 the National 500 at Charlotte in October 1966.

Awards Panch was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. He was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1987, and the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame in its first class in 2002.

Personal life Panch's second wife Bettie founded the Women's Auxiliary of Motorsports. He is the father of four children: Pamela and Marvann, from his first marriage to Hester Herrald, and Richard (deceased) and Marvette, from his second marriage to Bettie Gong.

Following his Daytona 500 win, Panch purchased property in Port Orange, Florida, relocating there after the end of his career. On December 31, 2015, Panch was found unconscious in his car, and was later pronounced dead of natural causes.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series NASCAR Grand National Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 Pts Ref 1951 Marvin Panch 56 Mercury DAB CLT NMO GAR HBO ASF NWS MAR CAN CLS CLB DSP GAR GRS BAI HEI AWS MCF ALS MSF FMS MOR ABS DAR CLB CCS LAN CLT DSP WIL HBO TPN PGS MAR OAK6 NWS GAR16 NMO 36th 371.5 Ford HMS2 JSP ATL 1953 Marvin Panch 06 Dodge PBS DAB HAR NWS CLT RCH CCS LAN CLB HCY MAR PMS RSP LOU FFS LAN TCS WIL MCF PIF MOR ATL RVS LCF DAV HBO AWS PAS HCY DAR28 CCS LAN18 BLF WIL NWS MAR ATL 60th 214 1954 Beryl Jackson 98 Dodge PBS DAB JSP ATL OSP OAK2 NWS HBO CCS LAN WIL MAR SHA RSP CLT GAR CLB LND HCY MCF WGS PIF AWS SFS GRS MOR OAK2 CLT DAR3 CCS 17th 1935 John Fernandez SAN10 Chet Chiroso 15 Plymouth COR9 Beryl Jackson 98 Olds CLT22 LAN13 MAS7 MAR19 NWS6 1955 Marvin Panch 56 Mercury TCS PBS JSP DAB OSP CLB HBO NWS MGY LAN CLT HCY ASF2 TUS16 MAR RCH NCF FOR LIN MCF FON AIR CLT PIF CLB AWS MOR ALS NYF 14th 2812 John Hernandez SAN4 CLT FOR MAS RSP Julian Petty 44 Chevy DAR13 MGY21 LAN4 RSP GPS DePaolo Engineering 98 Ford MAS2 CLB MAR11 LVP NWS23 HBO11 1956 Tom Harbison Olds HCY9 CLT 10th 4680 Ford WSS2 PBS13 ASF4 MGY1 OKL ROA22* OBS SAN NOR PIF MYB POR CSH3 CLT4 NWP21 CLT3 CCF3 MAR2 HCY WIL6 Dodge DAB72 PBS25 WIL ATL NWS LAN RCH CLB 9 Ford CON15 GPS HCY HBO MAR LIN CLT POR EUR NYF MER MAS CLT MCF POR AWS LAN34 POR CLB HBO 99 RSP7 PIF3 CSF CHI CCF DePaolo Engineering 8 Ford DAR3 1957 98 WSS1* CON1* TIC3 DAB5 WIL19 HBO11 AWS16 NWS4 LAN17 CLT2 PIF1 GBF19 POR CCF3 RCH3 MAR8 POR EUR LIN4 LCS4 ASP 2nd 9956 12 CON16 Marvin Panch 98 Ford NWP2 CLB3 CPS PIF19 JAC RSP8 CLT1 HCY12 LCS3 LIN1 OBS4 MYB13 DAR3 NYF AWS7 CSF SCF LAN34 CLB6 CCF2 CLT18 NBR4 CON4 NWS7 GBF21 Herb Thomas 92 Pontiac MAS1 POR NOR16 GLN14 KPC Fireball Roberts 22 Ford MAR16 1958 John Whitford 98 Ford FAY DAB14 CON FAY WIL3 HBO2 FAY CLB31 PIF ATL4 CLT17 MAR5 ODS OBS GPS GBF STR NWS BGS TRN23 RSD CLB19 NBS REF LIN HCY AWS RSP MCC SLS TOR BUF MCF BEL BRR CLB NSV AWS BGS MBS DAR5 CLT BIR CSF GAF RCH HBO SAS MAR31 NWS ATL 18th 3424 1959 Tom Vernon FAY DAY DAY17 HBO CON ATL DAR29 HCY RCH CSF HBO MAR38 AWS NWS CON 66th 352 Don Angel 3 Ford WIL22 BGS CLB NWS REF HCY MAR TRN CLT NSV ASP PIF GPS ATL CLB WIL RCH BGS AWS DAY HEI CLT MBS CLT NSV AWS BGS GPS CLB 1960 Tom Vernon 98 Ford CLT22 CLB DAY26 DAY DAY46 CLT NWS PHO CLB MAR HCY WIL BGS GPS AWS 26th 5268 W.J. Ridgeway 77 Ford DAR10 PIF HBO RCH HMS CLT17 BGS DAY14 HEI MAB MBS ATL17 BIR NSV AWS33 PIF CLB SBO BGS DAR11 HCY CSF GSP HBO MAR NWS CLT48 RCH ATL38 1961 Smokey Yunick 20 Pontiac CLT JSP DAY DAY2 DAY1 PIF AWS HMS CLT43 PIF BIR GPS BGS NOR HAS STR DAY4 ATL CLB MBS BRI NSV BGS AWS RCH SBO CLT26 BRI GPS HBO 18th 9392 John Masoni 3 Pontiac ATL6* GPS HBO BGS MAR NWS CLB HCY RCH MAR DAR6 CLT CLT RSD ASP Petty Enterprises 42 Plymouth DAR31 HCY RCH CSF Owens Racing 6 Pontiac ATL10 MAR NWS 1962 Bob Osiecki 90 Dodge CON AWS DAY DAY20 DAY44 CON AWS SVH HBO 9th 15138 Data not available 20 Ford RCH17 CLB Wood Brothers Racing 21 Ford NWS32 GPS MBS MAR6 BGS BRI26 RCH HCY CON13 DAR2 PIF CLT8 ATL8 BGS AUG RCH SBO DAY3 CLB ASH GPS AUG SVH MBS BRI11 CHT NSV HUN AWS STR BGS PIF VAL DAR3 HCY RCH DTS AUG MAR33 NWS2 CLT15 ATL3 1963 BIR GGS THS RSD DAY DAY DAY PIF AWS HBO ATL HCY BRI AUG RCH GPS SBO BGS MAR NWS CLB THS DAR ODS RCH CLT7 BIR ATL3 DAY3 MBS SVH DTS BGS ASH OBS6 BRR3 BRI4 GPS NSV CLB AWS PIF BGS ONA9 DAR2 HCY RCH MAR2 DTS NWS1 THS CLT3 SBO HBO 13th 17156 121 RSD3 1964 21 CON AUG9 JSP SVH RSD2 DAY4 DAY DAY4 RCH6 BRI5 GPS3 BGS1* ATL14 AWS1* HBO17 PIF2 CLB2 NWS3 MAR2 SVH2 DAR11 LGY2 HCY13 SBO2 CLT29 GPS11 ASH3 ATL29 CON NSV CHT BIR VAL PIF DAY27 ODS OBS BRI7 NSV MBS AWS DTS ONA CLB BGS STR DAR HCY RCH ODS HBO MAR4 SVH NWS1 CLT31 HAR AUG JAC 10th 21480 Holman-Moody 06 Ford BRR4 ISP Bondy Long 71 Ford GLN24 LIN 1965 Wood Brothers Racing 21 Ford RSD3 DAY DAY3 DAY6* PIF ASW RCH HBO ATL1* GPS NWS5 MAR2 CLB BRI4 DAR11 LGY BGS HCY CLT33 CCF ASH HAR NSV BIR ATL1 GPS MBS VAL DAY12 ODS OBS3* ISP1* GLN1* BRI35 NSV CCF AWS SMR PIF AUG CLB DTS BLV BGS DAR37 HCY LIN ODS RCH MAR5 NWS6 CLT35 HBO CAR3 DTS 5th 22798 1966 AUG RSD30 DAY4 DAY DAY26 CAR17 BRI18 ATL16 HCY CLB GPS BGS NWS MAR DAR LGY MGR MON RCH 17th 15308 Petty Enterprises 42 Plymouth CLT1 DTS ASH PIF SMR AWS BLV GPS ATL28 CLB AWS BLV BGS DAR4 HCY RCH HBO MAR NWS CLT6 CAR Friedkin Enterprises 04 Plymouth DAY7 ODS Data not available 22 Ford BRR3 OXF21 FON ISP18 BRI SMR NSV

Daytona 500 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

References

External links

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