Marvin Panch Bio

Legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick did not expect Marvin Panch to win the 1961 Daytona 500. His hopes were on Fireball Roberts, who was driving a brand-new Pontiac, and Yunick did not even plan on running the car that Roberts raced in 1960.

Regardless, several of Yunick’s mechanics prepared the year-old car, and he let them go ahead — even though he did not think the car would be competitive. Yunick would not even let Panch draft with Roberts in the race. Roberts dominated the event, leading all but 17 laps before dropping out with a blown engine with 13 laps remaining. That gave the lead to Panch, who held on to win by 16 seconds.

Panch did not get to defend his Daytona 500 victory. Trying to set a speed record for the Wood Brothers 10 days prior to the Daytona 500, the car crashed and rolled. Tiny Lund — who was rideless for the Daytona 500 — helped pull Panch from the burning car. He was given the injured Panch’s ride for the Daytona 500, and went on to record a storybook victory.

Panch had been the first Western NASCAR star to move East and succeed in the sport. A native of Wisconsin, he began his racing career in California and moved East in 1957, when he finished second behind Buck Baker in the NASCAR championship. Panch quit racing to concentrate on business in 1966 after winning the World 600 at Charlotte for Petty Enterprises — his 17th career victories at NASCAR’s highest level. He now is enjoying his retirement, living in Daytona Beach, where he has restored the No. 20 Pontiac he drove in the biggest victory of his career — the 1961 Daytona 500.