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23 | The Photo Finish Quagmire t the moment of the finish, France and his flagman had not hesitated —Beauchampwon.They waved Petty, whowas claiming victory, out of the winner’s circle. If there had been a photo finish, why had France and Bruner declared the winner with unusual assurance?1 Lee Petty, shunted to the side, mounted a barrage of complaints to the press. “If they let that decision stand,” he grumbled, “it will be the worst under-­the-­table blow ever delivered in stock car racing.”2 The angryaccusations and counteraccusations continued after the ceremony . Petty had some support. Fireball Roberts, who was standing at the finish line, agreed that Petty’s car crossed first. Joe Weatherly inflamed the dispute by asserting that Beauchamp “was the only guy on the track today who wasn’t a gentleman.”3 Weatherly believed Beauchamp should have admitted he lost to Petty. Petty, seizing on Weatherly’s rhetoric said, “If he [Beauchamp] were a gentleman, he would call it like he saw it.”4 Beauchamp maintained his cool. When the press asked him about Petty’s accusations, he insisted he had crossed the finish line ahead of Petty. “I was there by two feet,” he said. “Not Petty. Petty is a real gentleman and a fine driver, but I beat him.”5 In response to these claims and counterclaims, Bill France said only that he would review the situation. Eventually, the press and the crowds melted away. Significantly, it was reported that “fourth place Cotton Owens and fifth place Joe Weatherly were told to stand by. A lap check would be made.”6 France had to review the records to determine if Weatherly finished ahead of Cotton Owens. But no reporter questioned whether Petty was on the same lap as Beauchamp. In fact, the press scarcely noticed that the final order of other finishers in the top five was under review. Once France had a moment from the ceremonies and the press, he asked his photographer, T. Taylor Warren, to develop quickly and bring back an image of the race’s finish.7 Next, France began verifying the comA 126 | Chapter 23 pleted laps of the cars. He gathered all the scorecards from the race, one for each car, with their lap records. Examining the lap count for each vehicle required a substantial amount of time. In fact, Rex White, the 1960 NASCAR champion, recalls that on the occasions when he inspected lap count cards they usually were messy, making it extremely difficult to conclude much of anything.8 In any event, after six hours, France had a preliminary photograph, not definitive but suggesting Petty may have been ahead at the finish; also, by then France probably had confirmed a lap count for the top finishers. After France’s announcement of a review, three days passed while he waited for the mail to bring photographs and film from journalists and spectators. It is likely he continued silently to ponder the lap counting.9 Nevertheless, the press coverage concentrated on the finish of the race, speculating on whether Petty or Beauchamp went across the line first. Those who believed Beauchamp won argued that observer position was crucial and that someone watching or photographing from an angle had a distorted perception. The Greeks understood this aspect of perspective when they built the Parthenon. Among the witnesses were Larry Torson and his father, who were in the infield during the race. They worked all over the United States as welders on large jobs and happened to be in Geneva, about sixty miles from Daytona , the week before the race. They were fans, and so they went to Daytona to see the big event. Because the stands were full, they ended up in the infield, approximately seventy feet beyond the finish line. Torson saw Beauchamp cross the finish line first and claim the trophy. Hewent home certain the Harlan man had justly won.When he heard that the outcome was in question, he was flabbergasted and disgusted—he believed France and his NASCAR organization were trying to steal the race. And he realized that only someone at the finish line could speakwith accurate authority on the outcome. Torson was so upset he positioned cars to mimic the order in which he thought Beauchamp and Petty crossed the line. He put Beauchamp one foot ahead of Lee Petty; next, he moved slightly to the side to create different angles of perspective. Torson said, “One didn’t have to...

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