February 6, 1972
Six Hour Daytona Continental World Manufacturer’s Championship Race
Daytona international Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Grid: 20th (out of 59)
Result: Disqualified after 114 laps
At Daytona we reached speeds of over 200 mph on BF Goodrich street tires with the tread shaved down. Greenwood’s Corvettes had great power, but the tires were no picnic at those speeds. You couldn’t keep the car from weaving on the straights, but when you got to the banking, if you let off briefly, it would take a set, then you could get back into it and motor on.
It was a bit scary to drive on street tires back then at racing speeds. No one knew what they would do, overheat or separate, etc.
Adamowicz collection – Dave Kutz photo
We were leading the race when Goodyear protested us for a push start. The starter got hot, wouldn’t start. A push start was OK to do, however we were supposed to turn the engine off and then restart by the starter.
Adamowicz collection – Barry Tenin photo
Adamowicz collection – Joe Cali photo
John Greenwood preparing to drive as Tony exits the vehicle.
Goodyear had found a way to keep our car from beating “their” cars running Michelin/Goodyear Radials. Goodyear didn’t even have street radial tires at the time. They had to make emergency deals with Michelin to use their race radials on some Corvettes & other cars with GOODYEAR hand painted on the tires. Goodyear traded compounds to Michelin for radial tire technology.
With big full page adds, BFG appeared to be shaming Goodyear into moving forward with radial street tire technology.
Changing brake pads
Adamowicz collection – Bill Oursler photo
The next morning Goodyear officials announced to me at breakfast that I couldn’t drive for Greenwood on BFG tires, even though I wasn’t under contract to Goodyear!
I explained I was slated to drive the Ex-Jackie Stewart Lola Can Am T-260, as John Greenwood had just bought both cars including spares. BFG street radials would have been out of the question for Can Am, so he planned to use Firestones or something from Europe.
John Greenwood was already on the outs with Goodyear, now I was threatened. They said if I continued to drive his BFG Corvettes, they would never provide tires for any cars I drove.
A “tire war” stopped me from driving Jackie Stewart’s Lola T-260 Can Am car.
Adamowicz collection – Pete Lyons photo (petelyons.com)
Adamowicz collection – Autosports Marketing Associates, LTD (autosportsltd.com)
Tony talks with Michael Keyser of Toad Hall and Speed Merchants/Autosports Marketing Associates, Ltd. fame at Daytona.
Later photo of John Greenwood Corvette
Adamowicz collection – Bob Craig photo
Since I couldn’t comply with my contract with Greenwood, I was out of his picture for any rides then or in the future. A lot was pending on me to be involved, so John never raced the Can Am Lolas, in fact I don’t think they were ever raced again.
That hit hard, because Stewart had just won two Can Am races in the Lola, and I had finished 3rd at Mid-Ohio in my Jerobee McLaren right behind him and Jo Siffert. Something to be proud of since my McLaren was a two-year-old design at the time.
Thus I had to struggle to find rides… Amazing how Goodyear shaped the course of my career.
1972 Six Hour Daytona Continental results:
