Lance Reventlow

Story By Willem Oosthoek

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During the 1961 season Chuck was mostly involved with development work on Scarab’s new aluminum Buick V8 engine, although he raced one of the old Scarab sportsracers twice for new owner George Lehmann in the West Coast series. He retired both at Riverside and Laguna Seca.

Story by Willem Oosthoek

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Maserati 250F, chassis 2529

Chuck’s next event was also USAC sanctioned, a 3-heat Formula Libre race at Lime Rock in July 1959. Lucky Casner’s CAMORADI team had entered a 1957 Maserati 250F, acquired by Casner from Joakim Bonnier that summer. It was the very car in which Juan Manuel Fangio had won the 1957 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, while Bonnier had captured the 1958 Watkins Glen Formula Libre race with it.

Chuck Daigh, voted ‘Fastest U.S. race driver of 1960” by Road & Track, always considered himself a mechanic first and foremost, but invitations to race were welcome. (Bob D’Olivo)

Story by Willem Oosthoek

In Part 1, Daigh had gone from racing for Ford, then to GM, then back to Ford in those days before the major manufacturers pulled out of racing. Then along came Lance…

The second Ford spell did not last long. By September 1957 Daigh was hired away by Lance Reventlow’s organization for the Scarab project. Chuck was a perfect choice; he understood the blueprinting process needed for mechanical work and had experience with the new 327 ci Chevy engines in Atlanta.

Chuck Daigh, voted ‘Fastest U.S. race driver of 1960” by Road & Track, always considered himself a mechanic first and foremost, but invitations to race were welcome. (Bob D’Olivo)

Story by Willem Oosthoek

In the annals of motor racing history, the name Chuck Daigh will always be linked to that of the Scarab, the first U.S. built sportsracer to beat the best that Europe had to offer. Multi-talented, Daigh excelled as a race driver, an engine builder and all-round chief mechanic. In fact, he saw himself more as a race mechanic than a driver. In a 2000 interview Chuck mentioned: “I always got a lot more thrill out of working on a car, putting it together and seeing it work. I used to get bored sometimes during a race. I’d much rather chase somebody, but I would get in front and just fiddle around.”