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Tampa, FL – January 27, 2012 – With the 36th Annual Winternationals right around the corner, there is a new campground site adjacent to East Bay’s property. The entrance is on Old 41 and less the 1/4 mile past Burts Rd. on the left hand side. This will also be used as overflow parking and big trailer and race hauler turn-around as well. The photo is where you can enter your big rigs and race haulers to turn around plus will be used for camping and overflow parking. There will be a walk thru gate at the back of the site where all parking and camping is to take place. The entrance will be by the back pit gate entrance. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office.

The NeSmith Late Models plus the 2nd Annual World Street Stocks kick off the 36th Annual Winternationals from Feb. 2nd-4th with their practice on Feb. 1st. Following them will be the UMP/EBRP Open Wheel Modifieds along with the Team USA Mod Lites on Feb. 9th-11th with their practice on Feb. 8th. Sunday Feb. 12th is Practice day for the Lucas Oil Late Models from 6-9 pm. Grandstand Admission is FREE. Then they will start their week long racing from Feb. 13th thru the 18th. Then on Feb. 23rd is the start of the King of the 360′s Sprints with the 11th Annual Ronald Laney Memorial paying $10,000 on Feb. 25th. Practice day for the Sprints will be on Feb. 22nd. On practice nights, all Grandstand Admission only is FREE to the public.

Then the 2012 East Bay Raceway Park’s regular season kicks off on March 3rd with the Late Models, East Bay Sprints, Street Stocks and the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers. March 1st is practice night from 6-9 pm and Grandstand Admission is FREE

Legendary Marvin Panch, the man who drove the first Pontiac to Victory Lane in the 1961 Daytona 500 will be here this weekend to visit East Bay Raceway Park. There may be an Autograph session, so get your memorbilia out and get ready for it to be signed. Updates will be on here as the week goes on.

A litte about Mr. Panch.

Marvin Panch started in the racing world as a car owner in California. In 1949, when his driver didn’t show up, Marvin ended up racing his own car to a third place finish. He continued to race his own cars and had his first big win that same year on July 4th at the Balboa Stadium, a ¼ mile dirt track in San Diego. Panch continued racing the next six years in California winning several races and a championship.

In 1953, Marvin traveled to the east coast to race the Darlington race finishing 28th. Based on his performance, Lee Petty invited him back to Darlington in 1954 to race a Petty car. Marvin finished 3rd in the race capturing the attention of a Pennsylvania Oldsmobile dealer named Tom Horbison who asked Panch to remain on the east coast and drive for him during the 1955 race season. During the season, Marvin ran extremely well, out qualifying and out running the Ford factory cars. As a result, Panch was offered a Ford ride in 1956 by Pete DePaolo.

Panch won his first Grand National (now Winston Cup) race on July 20, 1956 at Montgomery, Alabama. Marvin won the pole and dominated the 100-mile event.

Panch began the 1957 season by winning the first two races of the year. He posted a third victory in April. After Ford pulled out of racing in mid-1957, Panch drove the remainder of the year for Holman-Moody winning an additional three races and finishing second in the points championship. Despite the six wins and 22 top-five finishes in his 42 starts that year, Panch’s career took a major step backward following the departure of the Ford factory team. In the next three seasons, he only competed in a total of 24 races.

“We just didn’t have the money to run our own team, and I was just never able to get back into a good car until Smokey called,” says Panch. “Those were some hard times.”

Smokey Yunick offered Panch a ride in a year old 1960 Pontiac for the 1961 Daytona 500. Panch won the Daytona 500 putting both himself and his career back on track. A little more than a year after his Daytona 500 win, Panch was hired by the Woods Brothers to drive their Ford. This partnership would eventually yield 8 wins, 11 second and 11 third place finishes in 69 starts during the 1962 – 1966 seasons.

“We had a lot of success together,” says Panch. “We won some races and always finished up good when we didn’t win. It was like having money in the bank.” The relationship came to an end on March 27, 1966 when Ford Motor Company again pulled out of NASCAR due to a rules dispute.

Lee Petty offered Panch a ride for the 1966 Charlotte 600 in a year old Plymouth. Marvin captured the Charlotte 600 for his 17th and last career victory. Marvin continued driving for Petty until his retirement after the National 500 at Charlotte in October 1966.

Through his racing career Marvin Panch drove for top car builders such as Smokey Yunick, the Woods Brothers, Ray Fox Holman-Moody and Petty Enterprises. “I feel that I cornered the market when it comes to driving for some of the best car builders in the business. I rate them all very highly,” says Marvin.

Marvin Panch was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1987 and was named one of the top 50 drivers by NASCAR in 1998

Bio provided by www.marvinpanch.com