1971 - Richard Petty puts on a dominating performance at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway to earn his 133rd career NASCAR Winston Cup victory. He wins the pole with a track record, leads 400 of 420 laps, and cruises to a 4-lap win over James Hylton in the Nashville 420.
Bobby Allison qualified second and took the lead from Petty on lap 2. He led the next 20 laps but then broke a suspension part, was done for the night, and finished 27th out of 30 cars.
Russ 'Calhoun98' Thompson captured some neat video from the race - including a view of the iconic Skyliner roller coaster seen behind turn 4. The white, wooden coaster was a staple for years at the neighboring Fair Park low-budget theme park. My mother and siblings enjoyed several days there before the opening of Opryland.
However, don't bang your computer's speakers as the clip doesn't have any audio with it.
1968 - Starting second alongside pole-winner Bobby Isaac, Richard Petty leads 161 of 200 laps and wins the Smoky 200 at Smoky Mountain Raceway in Maryville, TN to collect his 85th career NASCAR Grand National victory.
1969 - Richard Petty dominates the Nashville 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Tennessee. He wins the pole, leads 398 of 400 laps, and rolls to victory over second place Bobby Isaac.
I found this great photo on the web some time ago of Petty's pole-winning Ford staged on the starting grid. I tagged the source in my filename as paulwatsonjr and made sure to watermark the image that way. Regretfully, however, I can't recall the website or message board where I found the photo. So Paul, if you are out there - I hope its OK to use your picture.
Petty's 98th career victory was probably closer than it should have been. Despite leading 398 laps, his margin of victory over Isaac was less than a car's length. Of the 24 starters, only 9 cars were still running by the end of the race.
As Petty was cruising, Isaac had a memorable night as he tried to track down the King. Greg Fielden wrote in his book Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 3:
Isaac made up almost two laps in the last half of the race and wound up second, a half car length behind Petty's Ford... On lap 130, Isaac pitted under the yellow flag and collapsed behind the wheel. Crew chief Harry Hyde dragged Isaac out of the car and flagged down Dave Marcis. By the time Marcis had hooked up the safety gear, he had lost a lap... Within 70 laps, Isaac was back behind the wheel, "Never since I've been racing has the heat gotten to me like that," he said later... Isaac rapidly made up lost ground and got back in the lead lap when he tapped Petty into a spin on lap 334. The final 10 laps had the crowd of 15,846 on its feet. ~ pp. 245-246
Photo courtesy of Russ Thompson
To me, the Union76 girl to Richard's left resembles actress Dawn Wells who played Mary Ann on the show Gilligan's Island. And I've always preferred Mary Ann over Ginger anyway.
1969 - Starting third, Richard Petty leads 127 of 200 laps, and wins the Smoky 200 at Smoky Mountain Raceway in Maryville, TN.
Racing his Petty blue Ford Torino, Petty won by one car length over career rival and race pole-sitter, David Pearson. The King's win on the East Tennessee, half-mile, paved oval was his 99th career Grand National victory - one shy of a 100-win signature plateau.
Fellow Petty fan and middle Tennessee resident, FallsCity48, remembers:
Every year my parents would take vacations around the time of the late summer Bristol, Maryville and Nashville races. The family could all get away and see 3 races plus spend some time in the Smokies. I always called it the Tennessee tour: Bristol on Sunday, Maryville on Thursday and of course Nashville on Saturday night.
In 1969, we were in Maryville for their race on Thursday night. Just before the race started, a huge thunderstorm came out of nowhere and rained the race out. It was rescheduled for a Sunday day race. So we decided that we would travel back to Maryville on Sunday to see the race after Nashville's Saturday night race.The '69 Nashville 400 was a great race with a great duel with Bobby Isaac for the win. As you know, Richard won.
Next morning we all got up early and traveled back to Maryville. We beat most of the teams back to the track as well. I was able to to wander thru the pit gate just as the Petty team pulled up with the car on the trailer, and I watched them unload the car. Oddly the only thing they did to the car for preparation for the race was Dale Inman changed the oil in the engine plus a slight chassis adjustment and new tires.
To make a long story short, Richard won at Maryville as well with the race ending around 3-4:00. With the Nashville race ending around 11:00 on Saturday night and Maryville ending Sunday afternoon, Richard won 2 Grand National races in less than 24 hours!! I have NOT checked all the records, but this may be a feat that has never been duplicated.
FallsCity48 also provided a couple of photos from Maryville - from a clear-sky Thursday before the rains arrived to postpone the race until Sunday.
1974 - After qualifying second, Richard Petty leads about one-third of the laps (94 of 328) and wins the Dixie 500 at Atlanta International Raceway in Georgia.
A few laps past half-way, Petty cut a tire and went a lap down. He needed another 70 laps to unlap himself. When he did, he led all but four of the remaining laps and claimed his 160th career NASCAR Winston Cup victory. David Pearson in the Wood Brothers Mercury also led about a third of the laps and finished second to Petty. The Dixie 500 was the fourth consecutive superspeedway race where Petty and Pearson finished 1-2 with each driver taking two wins.
The race was the fourth in a row in the 1974 season involving a bit of controversy.
On the 4th of July, Pearson jumped out of the gas on the white flag lap while leading Petty in the Firecracker 400. Some thought his engine had failed. Instead, he wanted to be in second so he could slingshot past Petty to get the win - knowing the King had the same idea in mind. While Richard didn't like the tactic, Pearson's moved worked.
Cale Yarborough won the next two events - short-track races at Bristol and Nashville.
Buddy Baker cried foul when Cale slammed past him on the last lap at Bristol for the win. Baker unsuccessfully lobbied that Cale was a lap down vs. the race winner.
At Nashville, Bobby Allison protested Cale made up an extra lap and that he was the actual winner. Allison believed it so fervently that he hustled to victory lane before Cale. After four days of deliberation and scoring re-checks, NASCAR announced Cale was indeed the winner.
When the Winston Cup Series arrived in Atlanta to qualify for the Dixie 500, some had settled down but others had not.
"I feel left out," said Petty, "We've had two straight protests, and I haven't been involved." He grinned and said, "Well, I only get involved in controversies at the big tracks." ... He heard Bobby Allison complaining Friday to some writers. Petty picked up a piece of tape, walked up to Allison and taped his mouth shut. Everyone laughed. ~ Spartanburg Herald-Journal, July 28, 1974
Pearson qualified in the top ten - but not without some quick-thinking on his part, head-scratching by the competitors, and laughter by many watching.
The turmoil on the stock car circuit continued in qualifying for this event when Pearson steered his car around the 1.52 mile track in the wrong direction. "When I see a guy going around the track backwards, don't ask me anything about racing," said Petty. "In my 25 years of racing, I've never seen anything like the last two or three races." ... Pearson's trip around the track the wrong way wasn't that unusual when the facts became known. He was on the first of two qualifying laps and thought he had a flat tire and pulled off the track on pit road. When it was determined he had no flat, Pearson returned in the opposite direction to avoid passing the time clock that would have placed him on his last qualifying lap. He then built up speed and averaged slightly more than 152 MPH to gain the no. 8 starting position. ~ Rome News-Tribune, July 28, 1974
Pearson ... went from 12.161 MPH to 153.311 MPH in two qualifying laps and wound up 8th... He did a lap of 12.161? Old-timers among the viewing audience Friday said they had never seen a qualifying run like Pearson pulled off. He took the green flag for his first of two qualifying laps but already realized something was wrong with his car. He came back around almost to the start-finish line but did not cross it. He turned around and drove in the opposite direction to the start-finish line but did not cross it. He turned around again, headed in the right direction and got a flying leap on completing his first lap. The time for his first lap was 7 minutes, 30.512 seconds or a speed of 12.161 MPH. With the car wound up, Pearson turned a 153.311 MPH lap on his second lap. ~ Spartanburg Herald-Journal, July 27, 1974
In victory lane, The King was greeted by the Governor and a future President, Jimmy Carter. Some questions remain about whether the Union76 Racestoppers lost their eyesight that day from the July Georgia sun reflecting off those two sets of teeth.
The King of NASCAR also met a future king of the jungle. A lion cub from Atlanta's Lion Country Safari park was presented to Petty, named in his honor, and then returned to the park to grow. In my two visits to the Richard Petty Museum, I fortunately did not spot a stuffed lion cub with RP's autograph on his fur.
Petty's win and Pearson's humorous qualifying effort were feature in Stock Car Racing magazine's December 1974 issue.
1967 - Starting second alongside pole-winner Dick Hutcherson, Richard Petty leads 131 of 400 laps and wins the Nashville 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, TN.
He passed Chattanooga, TN's Friday Hassler with about 130 laps to go and banked his 65th career NASCAR Grand National victory with a 5-lap win over second-place finisher James Hylton.
In this photo published in The Tennessean, Petty is shown looking over his engine before the race as a crewman stands nearby.
The crewman is Joe Millikan. About 7 or 8 years later, Petty Enterprises fielded late model sportsman and ARCA cars in selected races with Joe as the driver. In 1979, Millikan joined L.G. DeWitt's Winston Cup team to compete for Rookie of the Year. He had a reasonable year as he finished 6th in the points (tops among all rookies ... and many veterans), won the pole position for Nashville's SunDrop 420, and collected 20 top 10s in 31 starts. The bad news was he was in the same rookie class as Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte and Harry Gant, arguably the top rookie class in NASCAR history - and his car owner was looking to exit the sport. Earnhardt won a race and finished 7th in points despite having missed four races because of an injury suffered at Pocono. And in early 1980, DeWitt folded the team, and Joe was out of a full-time ride.
1963 - Richard Petty notches his 24th career victory by winning the Pickens 200 on the half-mile, dirt track at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.
GPS was a fixture on the NASCAR Grand National circuit from the mid-1950s through 1971. The track's races, like many others, were trimmed from the series in 1972 as part of the newly-branded Winston Cup Series.
The track itself, however, continues operating to this day. The dirt was replaced with asphalt in 1970, and local drivers still hone and prove their skills on the half-mile bull-ring.
Petty won the Greenville-Pickens race in car number 41 - one of his half-dozen or so wins in a car numbered other than 43. Richard finished second two days earlier at Bristol in number 43, and teammate Jim Paschal finished third in number 42. Perhaps the turnaround time was too short to adequately prepared the 43, and the 41 may have been raced in its place. (Paschal did not enter the Pickens 200.)
Long-time, independent driver Frank Warren finished tenth in car number X. He ran the number just one more time - a week or so later at Columbia Speedway in a race coincidentally also won by Petty.
As a kid, my uncle introduced me to racing in the early 1970s and strongly suggested I become a fan of the King. I didn't have the opportunity to see him race or know much about his beginnings in the late 1950s or his rise to greatness in the 1960s. But I learned quickly about his appreciation for his fans by signing autographs.
I think its interesting the writer of this article makes note of that point - in 1963! (As an aside, the writer's name was Rocky Stone? Really?)
"I wasn't worried about my gasoline because I had a pit stop after 65 laps. What I was worried about was my tires," Petty said while signing a host of autographs.
1966 - Continuing his mastery of Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway, Richard Petty nabs the pole, leads all 400 laps, and captures the Nashville 400 for his 47th career NASCAR Grand National victory.
Petty swept the track's two races in 1964, won the one event he entered in 1965, won this race by 5 laps over second place Buck Baker in 1966, and three-peated in 1967. He won four more races between 1969 and 1980. In addition, Jim Paschal three-peated from 1961-1963 - the first one with car owner Julian Petty (Richard's uncle) and the next two with Petty Enterprises. Yeah, I'm pretty sure those Level Cross fellers had that place figured out.
With Richard's domination of the event, one has to dig deeper to find additional storylines for the race. But dig I did and found three - all with a connection to of all drivers, Henley Gray.
The 1966 Nashville race was the first Grand National start for country music singer and racing enthusiast, Marty Robbins. Marty made frequent starts at Nashville in late models, and many of his races had to be worked around his scheduled appearances on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. While Marty is most remembered for his um... uh... err... unique purple and yellow painted #42 Dodges, he made his first GN start in a plain white #53 Ford. Starting behind Robbins in car #74 was independent driver Henley Gray.
Photo credit Fred Marchman ~ Provided courtesy of FallsCity48
Marty ran about three dozen Cup races from the late 1960s through 1982. Sadly, he suffered a heart attack and passed away in 1982. For the spring 1983 race, the track memorialized Marty's gifts and passion for racing by naming the race the Marty Robbins 420. I spent time at the track for this event rather than go to my high school prom. I've never regretted the decision to do so.
Program cover courtesy of Russ Thompson
Henley Gray earned a career best 4th place finish in the race. In a career spanning 14 years and 374 starts, the journeyman garnered only five Top 5 finishes - with the '66 Nashville finish being the best one. For me, Henley will always be known as having one of the best combovers in all of NASCAR - right up there with the late Benny Parsons.
Also making his first NASCAR Grand National start was one of middle Tennessee's iconic racers - Coo Coo Marlin from Columbia, TN. Coo Coo was a weekly race regular at the fairgrounds and was a four-time late model sportsman champion there (including in 1966). His first Grand National start, however, didn't come until this race. For the first couple of seasons as Coo Coo increased his number of GN starts, he ran #07 Chevrolets. Beginning in 1972 and for the rest of his career, he doubled his number to 14. For his first career start, however, he started and finished 8th in a #97 Ford owned by ... yep, Henley Gray.
Photo credit Fred Marchman ~ Provided courtesy of FallsCity48
My how times have changed. How many drivers today would help unload a car from the hauler? Or wash it? And with a smile!
1965 - In only his second Grand National race back after a six-month sabbatical from NASCAR, Richard Petty wins the pole, leads 335 of 400 laps, and wins the Nashville 400 by six laps over Ned Jarrett at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, TN to claim his 37th career NASCAR Grand National victory.
NASCAR banned Chrysler's high-performance hemi engine following the 1964 season. As a consequence, Chrysler Corporation withdrew its factory-supported Grand National teams for 1965 - including the Petty Enterprises' Plymouth team. To stay busy, be competitive and earn money, Richard and his team went drag racing for much of 1965 racing a #43 Jr. Plymouth Barracuda.
Once Bill France, Sr. and the Chrysler brass worked out their differences, Chrysler rescinded its boycott. Petty Enterprises was free to return to the world of left-handed turns. Petty's first race back was in the Volunteer 500 at Bristol. Nashville was the next event, and Richard won by six laps over second-place finisher, Ned Jarrett.
While the Nashville race was Petty's second NASCAR Grand National race of 1965, it was his third stock car race. On May 2, 1965, the 43 team raced in the USAC stock car series Yankee 300 at Indianapolis Raceway Park and finished 14th in the 22 car field.
Long-time Dodge driver (and Virginia moonshine hauler), Buddy Arrington, finished third in the race - a career-best matched by another third place finish fourteen years later in the 1979 Winston 500 at Talladega.
Arrington was the hand-me-down beneficiary of older Petty cars and parts for years, and his son Joey Arrington builds a lot of the high-performance, after-market engines installed by Petty's Garage in customer Mopar vehicles. So in some respects, I kind of view Buddy's third place finish at Nashville as a quasi-Petty top 5.
Once Chrysler chose to lift its boycott and allow its factory-supported race teams to return, Lee Petty intimated Richard might make his return in the July 4, 1965, Firecracker 400 at Daytona.
For whatever reason, Petty Enterprises didn't field a car for Richard at Daytona, and he made his return a couple of weeks later at Bristol. That doesn't mean, however, the Petty team wasn't involved at the beach. Red Vogt hired Nelson Stacy to run the race in a Petty Enterprises-prepared Plymouth, and Richard's brother - Maurice Petty - led Stacy's crew for the race.
In preparing the car for Nashville (and presumably for Bristol) on relatively short notice, the Petty team didn't even bother to paint a 43 on the driver's side door.
August 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012. Whew. A year. 200 wins by Richard Petty, 200 posts ... almost. Plus, I threw in a couple of bonus posts for his first professional racing start, his first NASCAR Grand National start, and his first racing win - a convertible race at Columbia Speedway.
As a kid, my uncle took me to my first race - a late model sportsman event - at Nashville Speedway in 1974. At the time, he drove a light blue Plymouth with a hood as long as a Kansas prairie. And he'd started following a young driver named Richard Petty in the early 60s because the guy drove Plymouths.
My uncle told me I better become a Richard Petty fan if I planned to follow Winston Cup racing and have him take me to races - so I did beginning in 1975. I immediately began accumulating photos, postcards, decals, newspaper articles, programs, tickets, die-cast, magazines, autographs, patches, etc. (And my uncle did take me to my first Cup race at Nashville in 1978 and my first Daytona 500 in 1980.) Over the years, I often wondered how I could share my interest in racing with others. Before Al Gore invented the interwebs, it was pretty much impractical. But I kept wondering. More recently, I wondered how I could share my specific interest in the history of Richard Petty with others.
I started by trying to compile a list of Petty-related, daily trivia nuggets. While I still don't have 365 days' worth, I'm pretty close. The trivia I have compiled rotates daily as a side panel here and has been there pretty much since this blog began 3+ years ago.
Then I met Jerry Bushmire, a fellow Petty fan, through JalopyJournal's H.A.M.B. and TrackForum.com. It didn't take me long to realize Jerry was a bit more ... um, uh, ahem ... seasoned than me.
A friendship started immediately with our common interests in racing in general and the Pettys specifically. In one e-mail, I told him my brain fart about wanting to do something about my interest in the team from Level Cross. Who knows - maybe a blog about each of his wins or something. But I would need content. His response was "I think I can help make that happen."
Over the next few weeks of winter and spring 2011, my inbox received a deluge of new messages from Jerry with scans of Petty related articles and photos from his archives going back to ground zero of Richard's career. And I thought it was me who was consumed with The King's history.
So off I charged. I'm no Raymond Babbitt, but I originally thought I could hold my own with a lot of Petty trivia. But I learned a ton of new information over the last year. I also got input from a bunch of existing friends - as well as from a few new ones. Many are fellow Petty fans. Some didn't pull for him but respected him and still had memorable stories or other information to share. I soaked it all in and tried to work in the various anecdotes and other contributions where I could. Hopefully, I was solid in giving attribution as appropriate throughout the last year.
As the dust settles, I posted something for 198 of the King's 200 NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup victories. Two wins eluded Jerry and me. Neither of us had anything in our collections nor was the web much help for RP's 10th win on August 15, 1962, in Roanoke, Virginia or his 40th win on September 17, 1965, in Manassas, Virginia. Got anything on these two wins? If so, pass 'em along to me at toomuchcountry (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll feature them ASAP.
So at the risk of leaving someone out, I'm going to attempt to list the names who helped make an enjoyable project for me become a reality.
First of all - The King himself - Richard Petty. The cat was cool and talented from the time I was first lectured by my uncle to follow him. And he remains so today.
Secondly, Jerry Bushmire. Without your contributions, I would not have undertaken this effort. You are the wind benea ... No, wait. Scratch that. Not going there. Thanks and we'll leave it at that.
Travis Atkison Former Petty Enterprises crewman, Billy Biscoe Johnny Boone Bumpertag Photographer, Al Consoli Retired journalist, Buddy Chapman Photographer, Brian Cleary of bcpix.com Crabber1967 Journalist, writer, musician & lifelong David Pearson fan, Monte Dutton Writer, Greg Fielden and his great series of books - Forty Years of Stock Car Racing FallsCity48 Mrs. Margaret Frank Dave Fulton Randy Gilbert Gamecock43 Founder of RacersReunion.com, Jeff Gilder Lee Greenawalt Former Petty Enterprises crewman and NASCAR crew chief, Steve Hmiel Chris Hussey Brian 200WINZ Hauck Writer, Tom Higgins William Horrell Writer, Rick Houston Lynn Hughes NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief, Dale Inman Ray Lamm Tim Leeming Former NASCAR Grand National driver, Paul Lewis Charlie Lovell Rebecca Moffitt Doug Murph from Petty's Garage NBickley1 Leon Phillips Ed Sanservino Stephen Sanders Smyle Media owner, Don Smyle Robbie Solesbee Harvey Tollison Russ Thompson Ron Willard Bobby Williamson Writer, Perry Allen Wood Paul Woody Philly, My fellow Schaefer Hall of Fame co-founder and brother from another mother The staff at the Richard Petty Museum The staff at the Riverside International Automotive Museum All the great, anonymous folks and your YouTube videos All the folks who sold Petty related things on ebay and didn't watermark your images
I raise a hearty Schaefer scha-loot to each and every one of you. Hopefully, I'll see some of you at the track.
Finally, thanks to everyone who has read a post, left a comment, sent me an e-mail, re-tweeted a link, texted me, featured me on Facebook, etc. about these entries. I'm glad they were enjoyed.
As my personal odometer continues to roll over year-by-year, the less I remember - or really even care - about what life was like back in my youth. But in thinking about it a bit, 1980 was a fun, interesting and even challenging year for me:
I went to my first Daytona 500 in February 1980 and saw Buddy Baker win his only 500 in Harry Ranier's #28 "Grey Ghost" Oldsmobile 442.
My first trip to Disneyworld was in May 1980 - at the expense of missing King Richard win the Music City 420.
In December 1980, a surgeon performed full-blown knee surgery on me. If only arthroscopic techniques had been more widely available back then, perhaps I wouldn't be hobbling around today like Festus from Gunsmoke.
Our high school annual featured a candid of me wearing of course....
In late July 1980, an eventful race took place at Pocono - the Coca-Cola 500. Full recognition of the race's relevance didn't fully resonate with me - or likely others - that day. The race's story lines included a King's crash, the rise of a promising prodigy, the farewell of a contemporary trailblazer, and the Cup debut of a non-traditional but incredibly talented and impactful racer.
Richard Petty had a forgettable 1978 season, but he returned to form in 1979 to snag his sixth Daytona 500 victory and seventh Winston Cup championship. He had fewer wins at the mid-point of the 1980 season than in 1979, but he was hanging tough in the points standings. He was giving three-time champion Cale Yarborough and reigning rookie of the year Dale Earnhardt a good run for their money as he tried for his eighth Cup.
And then Pocono..
On lap 57, a wheel broke on Petty's #43 Monte Carlo, the back end came around, and he backed it into the boiler plate wall - HARD. The hit was in the era long before SAFER barriers or H.A.N.S. devices were even visioned much less designed and installed.
Chuck Bown spun himself to avoid hitting Richard, but then Darrell Waltrip ended up nailing the 43 right in the door.
The safety crews extricated the King from the car. But they didn't backboard him or put any sort of neck brace on him. They simply walked him to the ambulance as he grimaced in pain.
Officially, Richard suffered a 'strained neck' and pulled back muscles. The Petty team said it, Joe Mattioli from Pocono repeated it, and the media reported it.
Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire
Even though Richard's day ended with a painful thud, Petty Enterprises still had some success in the race. Richard's son Kyle made his Pocono debut. Having run only a handful of races from late in 1979 through the mid-point of 1980, Kyle was still very much a rookie. Yet he seemed to take to Pocono like a duck to water and finished a very respectable 7th.
Each year, Indianapolis 500 officials recognize a 'rookie of the race'. In 1980, a promising young driver from Ashland, OH named Tim Richmond won the award. Sponsored by UNO playing cards (one of the best games ever in my opinion), the personality-laden driver finished 9th in his Indy 500 debut. His performance in the 500 caught the eye of Pocono's owner Joe Mattioli. He negotiated a deal with driver and car owner D.K. Ulrich to put Tim in a stock car for the 1980 Cup race. (As a reminder once again, Ulrich was the car owner of the Schaefer beer sponsored Buick driven by Al Loquasto one year later in 1981 at Pocono.)
Tim finished a very respectable 12th in his first Cup race - five spots behind Kyle Petty. Richmond returned to Indy a second time in 1981 and finished 12th while driving for Super Tex, A.J. Foyt. But with urging from his mother, he then turned to NASCAR full-time and raced stock cars full-time until 1987 when his health situation worsened dramatically. Complications from the AIDS virus he contracted and protracted legal wranglings with NASCAR's brass sidelined Tim permanently, and he finally succumbed to AIDS in 1989.
Schaefer Hall of Famer Rev. Randy recently sent me some great photos from the 1980 race given to him and shot by co-worker Jim Jandrasits.
Jim was able to snap a photo of what would be another relevant story line to the race - the final Winston Cup start for Janet Guthrie.While not the first female race driver in NASCAR, she did break some barriers by racing with some amount of relative success - both in Indy cars and in NASCAR - as both racing series gained more popularity across the country. Guthrie started 33 Cup races from 1976 through 1980, and the 1980 Pocono event was her final one.
As a Petty fan, I'm fortunate today that Jim took some great shots of the two-car team 30+ years ago. Rookie Kyle is seen standing near pit wall near his father's 43 Monte Carlo as the cars were rolled to the starting grid.
Years before pit wagons became the norm in the pits, 'extravagance' in the pits was limited to an umbrella and an Igloo cooler of cold water. Here, King Richard can be seen talking to his crew as Kyle likely gets the punchline of a joke from NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman (wearing the Ray-Ban sunglasses).
Taken from a great vantage point, Kyle is seen making a pit stop with his alternate day-glo red on Petty blue #42 scheme.
Before his vicious wreck, the King was challenging for the lead. Here here is sandwiched between the #88 Gatorade Monte Carlo of Darrell Waltrip and eventual race winner Neil Bonnett in the #21 Purolator / Wood Brothers Mercury.
Jim also had the presence of mind to snap a pic of the 1979 Rookie of the Year, Dale Earnhardt, as he pitted next to the 1979 Winston Cup champion, King Richard. Coincidentally, Earnhardt pounded the wall at Pocono a year earlier in his rookie season just as Richard did. He broke both collarbones and had to miss a couple of starts. But he returned to still claim the 1979 Rookie of the Year award.
And yes Earnhardt fans, that is Earnhardt driving a #2 car above. He didn't drive the famous #3 from the get-go because someone else was already driving with it - future car owner Richard Childress.
As Neil Bonnett headed for victory lane, second place Buddy Baker and third place Cale Yarborough call it a day and head for their haulers.
With apologies to the late Paul Harvey, here is ... the rest of the story.
Richard - The reality of Richard's injures weren't revealed until much, much later. Richard had indeed suffered a fracture in his neck. Incredibly and stubbornly, he soldiered on and did not miss a start. Had NASCAR known this - or had the information been leaked, its likely their hand would have been forced to sit Richard until doctors cleared him to race. Early in the next three races at Talladega, Michigan and Bristol, he turned the car over to former Petty crewman and driver, Joe Millikan.
Kyle - After a solid Pocono debut and a few other starts in 1980, Kyle began racing Cup full-time in 1981. He eventually notched a Pocono win in 1993. After the death of his son and Richard's grandson, Adam Petty, at New Hampshire in 2000, Pocono named the track's garage area as the Adam Petty Garage in his memory.
Earnhardt - With Richard's championship hopes all but gone, it was up to the veteran Yarborough and the Junior Johnson team to snag their fourth championship. The Rod Osterland-owned team with Jake Elder as the crew chief and Earnhardt as the driver, however, may have bent but didn't break. The team withstood a strong challenge by the Yarborough team, but in the end Earnhardt earned the first of his seven Cup championships.
Richmond - After racing a part-time schedule by hopping rides with multiple car owners in 1981 and 1982, Tim finally landed with car owner Raymond Beadle and his Old Milwaukee Beer sponsored Pontiac team in 1983. After a moderately successful three year run with the Blue Max team, Tim moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 1986. He and crew chief Harry Hyde caught lightning in a bottle about a third of the way through the season. With seven wins to their credit but without the Cup, the 25 team was among the favorites heading into the 1987 season. But as Richmond's undisclosed illness began to take over, he all but faded away. Tim made an abbreviated but remarkable comeback midway through 1987 by winning back-to-back races at Riverside and Pocono. After that, however, he wasn't super-competitive and raced for the final time late in mid-August 1987.
As I've noted before, I really enjoyed blogging over the last year or so about each of Richard Petty's 200 wins. Not only did I learn a tremendous amount about Petty history, but I also stumbled over some other meaningful minutia and NASCAR nuggets. One example soon to follow...
My memories of 1965 are pretty fuzzy - well, let's just say non-existent. I'm pretty sure its because that was the year I was born. Sleeping, eating, filling my diapers and crying took up the majority of my time. But from what I later learned as a Petty fan, 1965 is remembered as the year The King went drag racing because of Chrysler's boycott of NASCAR. For the first six months of year the year, that's about right. For the second half of the year, differences were resolved, the boycott was rescinded, the Plymouths and Dodges returned, and Petty resumed his winning ways in NASCAR.
By the time I was introduced to Richard Petty, he had over 150 wins and five NASCAR championships. I didn't know about other larger-than-life NASCAR legends such as Fast Freddy Lorenzen, Fireball Roberts, and Curtis Turner. But I learned.
Turner and Roberts were arguably the most iconic NASCAR heroes in the early 60s. Sadly, Fireball lost his life in July 1964 - about six weeks following a gut-wrenching accident and fire in the World 600 at Charlotte. I've heard some suggest his death was felt more acutely by the NASCAR fan base than the passing of Dale Earnhardt - albeit in fewer numbers.
Curtis Turner was a timber man first, a good-time-haver second, and a damn fine race driver third. Legend has it that Curtis could fly over a forest and nail an estimate of how many board feet he could yield from harvesting it. Several stories have also been published about his partying days with fellow driver Joe Weatherly. I only wish I could share a beer with someone who knew about the unpublished stories.
What many don't realize is he was the lead force behind the building of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bruton Smith will claim otherwise, but Curtis brought that track to life. Bruton tried to build a competing track nearby but was unsuccessful. He eventually partnered with Turner to complete, open and operate CMS.
Curtis had the vision for the project and a name and the stones to get it rolling. What he didn't have as much as was needed was cash. He needed loads of it to operate the track and re-pay construction loans. He apparently signed a deal with the Teamsters Union to invest in the track. In exchange for the cash infusion, Turner agreed to do what he could to help organize drivers into the union. Bill France, Sr. was livid and banned Turner "for life" in 1961.
Four years later, the "life" sentence was rescinded. With the deaths of Roberts and Weatherly and the Chrysler boycott that sidelined the two new superstars - Richard Petty and David Pearson - France needed help.
From the mid-1950s until he was banned in 1961, Curtis was generally known as a Ford driver. He drove other makes in the early 1950s and near the end of his career, but he was most associated with Ford. When his banishment was rescinded by France, he quickly proclaimed he would resume his racing at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartanburg, SC driving ... a Plymouth ... fielded by Petty Enterprises.
Richard had been sidelined from stock car racing himself because of Chrysler's boycott of NASCAR. When he was ready to return, Lee Petty contracted long-time NASCAR car builder Red Vogt to build a Plymouth Fury for Richard to race in the Firecracker 400. For reasons unknown to me, the Pettys didn't make the trip to Daytona. Instead, Richard returned three weeks later at Bristol and then won at Nashville a week later in the Vogt-built Plymouth.
The Spartanburg race scheduled for August 14, 1965, conflicted with a drag racing event Richard in which he had agreed to participate before Chrysler's stock car racing boycott was lifted. Lee Petty and Turner agreed to have Curtis race Richard's Vogt-built, Nashville-winning Plymouth for his return to NASCAR.
Credit: Spartanburg Herald - August 7, 1965 (via Google News Archive)
One criticism of today's racing is that its too bland. Few legitimate rivalries exist. Everyone plays nice to placate their sponsors and NASCAR's TV image. But back in the day before corporate America and TV arrived, feuds were plentiful and often long-lasting. Turner's return to racing also had the potential of re-kindling rivalries from four years earlier.
Credit: Spartanburg Herald - August 11, 1965 (via Google News Archive)
When NASCAR's finest raced in Spartanburg, however, it ended up as much ado about nothing. Turner did show - and he did lay down the third-fastest lap in qualifying. But after smacking the right rear of the Petty Plymouth on his second lap, he put the car on the trailer and left before nightfall. Just another chapter in a long list of Curtis Turner head-shaking, memorable, funny moments.
Credit: Spartanburg Herald - August 15, 1965 (via Google News Archive)
Curtis finally made his return - probably as he'd truly planned anyway - in the Southern 500 at Darlington a couple of weeks after Spartanburg. And he did race a Plymouth. It was fielded by car owner Sam Fletcher vs. Petty Enterprises. Fletcher entered a grand total of seven Grand National races - all in 1965, and Turner was his driver for the last of those races.
By the way, check out the book Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of Curtis Turner if you want to learn more about this larger than life NASCAR character. Nothing in it for me - just recommending a solid book I really enjoyed.
Now if only I could score a picture of Curtis sitting at the wheel of the famed Petty Plymouth...
With Labor Day in the rear view mirror, its time again to reflect on the many Schummer Schelebrations and Schindigs enjoyed by the Schaefer Hall of Fame, members of the Schaefer Ring of Honor, and other distinguished Schaefervangelists.
April - Going back to late spring, fellow Petty fan Revilo happened upon Miles The Monster from Dover enjoying a double-fister.
Errr, Miles pound Schaefer. Taste not bad. Where Ring of Honor shirt?
May - The Schaefer Schummer season got under way in grand fashion. TMC visited Denver, Colorado and had the opportunity to take in a Rockies baseball game at Coors ... err, Schaefer Field.
Then on Mother's Day weekend in Darlington, SC, SHOFers Philly and Cuba and SROH member Pat spent the weekend at Bryan's Race Party hosted appropriately enough by one of our Schaefer Ring of Honor members. On the first night, Philly texted TMC: "First thing seen in Darlington" accompanied by this photo:
A couple of weeks later, the SHOF hosted a pre-party of sorts at the NASCAR All Star Race in Charlotte. The sho-nuff, official, 20th Anniversary Schaefer Schelebration happened at the Coca-Cola 600. But the crew still had loads of fun the weekend before.
SHOFer Rookie invited his cousin to the weekend's race. Not only did he show - but he drove from New By-Cracky Hampshire to race. Annnnd, he brought 3 cases of Schaefer tall boys to boot - something not previously enjoyed by the SHOF or SROH.
And when a feller rolls up with three cases of bullets, you just know folks are going to enjoy themselves.
As the guys got ready to buckle down for race time, two new members were initiated into the Schaefer Ring of Honor.
Left to Right: Boston's RG3 (SROH), Philly (SHOF), Cuba (SHOF), Rookie (SHOF),
Rev. Randy (SHOF), Cousin Gary (SROH), Paducah (SHOF)
Last fall at Dover, Philly and TMC ended up trading a guy a Schaefer for a Sagres, a Portuguese beer. Coincidentally during the 2012 All Star Race tailgating ceremonies, a Portuguese guy happened by and enjoyed a Schaefer. No question about it - he went directly into the Schaefer Ring of Honor.
June - As one might expect, the enjoyment of Schaefer gets amped up as the calendar turns to June. Vacations, outdoor concerts, family get-togethers, yard work, etc. Here are just a couple of examples:
Two SHOFers, Philly and Rev. Randy, and Philly's Wonder Wife Lanie took in the Jimmy Buffet concert.
Wasting away in Schaeferitavaille
Searching for my keys and phone again
Some people claim that NASCAR's to blame
All I know's we still ain't hit the Glen
For 20 years, Schaefer has been the preferred domestic beer of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor in these here 50 domestic states. But SROH member Chet took Schaefer to an international level as the 21st anniversary began.
When I received this photo, I was immediately struck by two things:
One, the magnificence of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Two, how many times I've leaned like that in stumbling back to the car after a Charlotte night race.
Let's pause here for a moment. For almost four years, I've blogged frequently about the pleasures of Schaefer. On more than one occasion, I've articulated Schaefer unifies vs. divides. Also, Rev. Randy has waxed magnificently "Schaefer...Its not just for racing anymore." And, a core belief espoused by the Schaefer Hall of Fame is that one simply cannot drink a Schaefer without having a good time. Kind of like trying to lift your ring finger independently of the others - it cannot be done.
Admittedly, these opinions are unabashedly biased and have been shaped by two decades of having fun and enjoying the Schaef. But watch and listen to this unsolicited and independent review of Schaefer by Louisiana Beer Reviews on YouTube.
OK, back to it.
As always, the North Carolina Chapter brings it strong each summer. SHOFers Philly, Rookie, and Rev. Randy always enjoy a Schaefer-laden beach trip to the Carolina coast.
I attempted to represent as well along the Gulf of Mexico during a work trip to Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. Sadly, I was crushed to learn Schaefer is no longer distributed or sold there.
SHOFer Rookie scored the summer hat trick: beach, dogs and Schaefer. In a Rube Goldberg-esque photo moment, Rookie's Schaefer was guarded by his Irish Setter, Belle - who in turn was restrained by the bumper of the truck - which then provided shade for Belle's water bowl - and provided a visual block for Rookie's pink shovel and green crabbing net???
The newest member of Rookie's family is his new pup appropriately named - yep, Schaefer.
As the calendar turned to July, the temps soared and so did the consumption of Schaefer.
Newly inducted SHOF member Bruton jumped in the air and clicked his heels when he stumbled upon Schaefer at the Publix in Ormond Beach - just a few clicks away from the Daytona International Speedway.
To my knowledge, Bruton was the lone representative of the SHOF/SROH at the Coke 400 at Daytona. A hearty SCHA-LOOT! to ya brother for your annual trip to the beach for fishing, racing and Schaefering. We all appreciate your infectious grin with all that is going on in your photo: Old Glory flying in the breeze ... Schaefer ... the Braves ... fireworks smoke ... SHOFer Cuba's company Core VIS, (contact them for your visual inspection needs in power generation, petrochemical, heavy industry, general manufacturing, and aviation markets to limit downtime, maximize safety, increase productivity and operational time) ... and um, uh, err, ahem, a khaki-covered butt cheek. Nice um timing pal.
Gentlemen! Drink. Your. Schaefer! *vroom, vroom*
(read sound effect with mental image of 850 HP)
When Matt Kenseth's #17 Ford was passed by teammate Greg Biffle in his #16 Ford about half-way through the race, I toasted the lead change with my own 16.
Rev. Randy and family also hit Daytona in July for some much needed time away (after all, he'd just been to the beach a month earlier). His timing fell just a bit later than the Coke 400, but he had his choice of seats to enjoy a cold one and soak in the aura of the speedway.
And a trip to Daytona probably isn't complete without pausing a moment to pay one's respects to The Man In Black.
The Rev even showed off his culinary skills by pairing a Schaef with homemade mini-pizzas.
Speaking of food, SHOFer Bruton never disappoints with his food and Schaefer pairings - except that he is never in the right location at the right moment to share with others.
Hot wings and fries - fantastic. Or so we've been told.
And then a batch of battered and fried, freshly caught fish - complete with hush puppies of course.
Also in July, SHOF Philly and The Rev. gathered for an evening of cut-throat ... friendly ... competitive poker. Joining them was Some Other Guy who vanquished the two SHOFers to become Chip Bully Champ for the night. SOG first appeared on Bench Racing in a photo from the fall 2011 Charlotte race.
As July neared its end, the big story in NASCAR was the failed drug test by A.J. Allmendinger. After being temporarily suspended based on a failed A sample, the Dinger Posse (careful how you say that) rolled into Nashville to oversee the testing of his B sample. TMC went to Aegis Labs to lend moral support for A.J. and to offer him a Schaefer. No downside, right? Enjoy one to celebrate - or down one as you face the question of "what now?". Unfortunately, no one took me up on the offer - so I enjoyed the Schaef myself. Their loss - my gain. Burp
After bidding adieu to A.J. at the lab, TMC headed to the airport for a flight to Kansas City, MO. In some advance recon, I learned Schaefer is still widely sold in upstate Missouri. But in the KC market? Fuhgetaboutit. A buy-out and consolidation of beer distributors in the area wrongly squeezed out Schaefer. But not to fear. TMC is a SHOFer and made provisions for just such a situation. The SHOF still represented during a drive-by visit to Kansas Speedway.
And remember folks - its never a good idea to drink and drive. Unless of course, you have control of the Official Pace Car of Kansas Speedway. Just be sure to have it in you cup holder instead of on top the light bar.
Speaking of racing in July, a quick history lesson. In the 1982 Mountain Dew 500 at Pocono, Tim Richmond and Dale Earnhardt tangled in turn 1. Earnhardt hit the wall hard and went for a wild tumble and slide. He was able to extricate himself from the upside down car and hobbled with the assistance of Richmond to the ambulance. But take a close look at the signage on the wall where Earnhardt's car came to rest. Dat's right: Schaefer!
August - As the final month of summer unfolded, TMC wanted to ensure the Dog Days of Schummer were well represented by the SHOF. I trekked to Philadelphia, PA for a few days. For Schaefer novices, Pennsylvania was the second major home to F&M Schaefer Brewing after it moved from Brooklyn, NY.
With a bit of advance scouting and cooperative assistance from the area distributor, I was able to pre-arrange a purchase of a Schaefer 30-box from Franklin Beverage. Upon arrival at the airport, I told the third-world cab driver my hotel name - but that a side stop at Franklin Beverage was required. Sure enough, the folks there expected me and had a cold 30-box waiting for me in their chiller.
Folks, if you find yourself in the City of Brotherly Love - the home of the Liberty Bell - the Cradle of Independence - connect with Franklin Beverage before you arrive. They communicate well and will help you schatisfy your Schaefer needs.
With Schaefer in my lap and a smile on my face, I told the cabbie to proceed to the hotel. I loved rolling up to the front door of the hotel with my suitcase, rolling computer bag and a 30-box of beer. What's up my man, I am HERE baby. Here is a fiver, just get me to my room.
The last night in the city, three of us took in a Phillies game. I thought I had my game plan to snag a photo-op similar to the one I had in Denver. My Schaefer can was parked snugly at 12:00 in my waistband. I got the pat down of my pockets as expected, and I chatted up the Rent-a-Barney security guy a bit. I was all but clear, but as he drew back his left hand from the pat down he just nicked the can. He grinned and asked "what's that?" I tried to tell him it was my belt buckle. He just laughed and said "aww man, gimme that can o' beer boy." Sadly the jig was up, and I was reduced to drinking house beer such as Miller Lite and Bud Light Lime.
We nabbed fantastic seats near home plate and enjoyed a pleasant evening at the ballpark. But as the game was about to begin, I thought to myself "Dadgumit, I bet that dang Phanatic character is sharing my Schaefer with the ump."
Nevertheless, I returned home with 29 more Schaefer cans than I started. So the Best of Philly was made a good bit better with my trip.
As the night time temps now begin to fall, football dominates the weekends, and leaves return to a palette of colors, I trust the SHOF and SROH will continue to represent well throughout the autumn season.
October 15 - Today is Schaefer Hall of Fame member Cuba's birthday!
October 15 is also the anniversary of the final career win by Dale Earnhardt. He came from deep in the field to the head of the pack in just 3 laps in the 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega. I was at Dega that day along with fellow SHOFers Philly and Paducah.
Though I was never a big Earnhardt fan, I always respected what he could do behind the wheel. I was as stunned as everyone else when he lost his life just four months later in the 2001 Daytona 500.
The 2000 Dega race is easily in the top 5 races I've been fortunate enough to attend. Back in 2009, I blogged about my memories of the race - and some of the stories that unfolded after it.
And here is a revisit to the last few laps of a remarkable finish.
So while thinking of great memories from Earnhardt's final victory, the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor wish fellow Schaefer brutha Cuba a Happy Birthday! SCHA-LOOT!!
Back in April, I blogged about Richard Petty's second career win. He won the Virgina 500 at Martinsville on April 10, 1960.
Finishing second in that race was Jimmy Massey from Mebane, NC - about half-way between Greensboro and Raleigh-Durham. In a 10-year, part-time career, Massey made 51 NASCAR Grand National starts and 57 NASCAR convertible series starts. Between the two series, he banked three convertible wins and 32 combined top 5 finishes.
His top finish in Grand National competition was second - two times. The first one was in 1957, and the second and final time to finish second was in the 1960 Virgina 500. In both instances, he drove a Ford for the famed Wood Brothers team.
Recently, a friend tipped me off to a tune by the songwriting duo of Doug and Telisha Williams titled Massey's Run. They are from ... yep, Martinsville, VA and now living in East Nashville.
The lyrics seem to have sprung from a what-if scenario. What if Massey had held off the Randleman Rocket that day?
Here are a couple of versions to enjoy...
The lyrics fly by pretty quickly - and are a bit tough to understand in the couple of YouTube videos I found available. But to fully appreciate the tune, one needs to read the lyrics while listening to them. The Williams may have taken artistic liberty with Petty's career by putting him in a red, white, and blue STP car in 1960 as Richard's association with STP didn't begin until 1972. As they say, however, never let the facts get in the way of a good story song.
Listen again as you read the following.
Massey's Run - Doug & Telisha Williams
Well, he's the one they always talk about the name that's always thrown around He's the best that's ever held a steering wheel
With his straw hat and feathered cowboy crown he's the King of going around and 'round If you're out front, he's nipping at your heels
After all the races that he's won All the tires he musta spun Its no wonder folks still go on about him
But with twenty-six laps In the spring of 1960 He was behind me
Chorus: Right there in my mirror That red, white and blue STP If it hadn't been for the number 43 I coulda been the King
I held him off through every turn My tires were bald and my brakes were burned I took everything ol' 21 could give
He was coming up the inside fast And I knew he was gonna try to pass So I got down low and I kept him there behind me
Until the final time around turn four He finally got me door to door And that paperclip, it turned into a drag race
But with twenty-six laps In the spring of 1960 He was behind me
Chorus
I drove it like a demon On that final death-wish track
And I know I almost had him 'til I crossed that checkered flag He was behind me
Chorus
Well I crossed the line in second place The day Petty won his second race Since then, he's won a hundred-ninety-eight more
But I like to think I did pretty well Raced him tight and gave him hell He probably don't think about me anymore
Sometimes at night I still dream Still hear those pistons scream I can still see that Petty blue
I'm crossing the line In the spring of 1960 He was behind me
Chorus
And with 26 laps In the spring of 1960
Doug and Telisha have been performing the song during several 2012 performances, but the track hasn't been officially recorded and released yet. As an effort to help raise the money needed to cover the costs of recording the songs they've written (including Massey's Run), Doug and Telisha set-up a Kickstarter project. If the funds can be raised, they hope to record and release their next album in the first half of 2013. Consider joining me in helping them out if you like what you've heard and dig what they're doing.
October 25 - Happy Birthday to 2012 Schaefer Hall of Fame inductee, Bruton!
October 25 is also the anniversary of Kyle Petty's dominant win in the 1992 AC Delco 500 at Rockingham. For younger readers and/or novice NASCAR fans, the pony-tailed, goatee-sporting, hat-wearing, talking head you see on Speed's Trackside, Raceday, and Victory Lane shows was once a pretty good driver. Though he had only eight career Cup wins, Kyle had a lengthy career and was in the points hunt a couple of years in the early 1990s. Driving for SABCO Racing and sponsored by Peak Antifreeze and Mello Yello, the 42 Pontiac was almost unstoppable at Rockingham from the late 1980s through the early 1990s.
In the 1992 fall Rockingham race, Kyle's father - Richard Petty - made his final start at the track. The King started every race at Rockingham from its inaugural event in 1965 through his 1992 retirement season, and had eleven wins in his 54 starts.
Fittingly, Kyle won the pole for his father's final Rockingham start, and he then led all but eight of the 492 laps en route to victory.
Perhaps because I remember Kyle's win, 1992 doesn't seem that long ago. Yet its been 20 years - 2 decades - since his win. The passage of time and advances in technology, however, can perhaps best be illustrated by looking at the cell phone Kyle used to call car owner Felix Sabates from victory lane. An iBrick?
Before NASCAR's premier series was sponsored by Sprint (and Nextel before that), R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes brand was synonymous with the sport for more than twenty-five years. I'm reminded in the following photo of the cute and classy Miss Winston ladies. No knock on today's Miss Sprint Cup girls but having them dressed in firesuits is just dumb.
The Petty family and racing are inseparable. For many of Richard's wins - especially those at tracks in North Carolina - his family was able to join him in victory lane.For Kyle's Rockingham victory, he was continued the tradition. Interestingly, the one person noticeably absent from the group is the King himself.
Here is a revisit of the final few laps of the race and Kyle's victory lane interview. The YouTube clip is timed at about one hour; however, the content ends around the 30 minute mark.
So as we reflect upon Kyle's dominating day at The Rock in 1992, the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor wish Bruton a Schaeferiffic birthday. Just don't live too large Bruton - we'd hate to see you fade early.
Its the birthday of Philly - Schaefer Hall of Fame co-founder, executive committee member, and president of ticketing supply chain operations!
November 9 is also the anniversary of Bill Elliott's final career Winston Cup victory. After being competitive but not a leader for the first half of the race, Elliott led the majority of the second half of the 2003 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Or as us old schoolers referred to it - The 'merican 400 at Rockin'ham. I was at The Rock that day along with fellow SHOFers Philly and Paducah.
Bill's salad days were in the #9 Coors / Melling Ford; however, his final win came in a Ray Evernham-owned #9 Dodge. As an owner, Ray had a solid day with his second car driven by Jeremy Mayfield finishing third.
Elliott was voted by the fans as NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for many consecutive years during his career. He was cheered by many as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville. Neither Philly or I ever much cared for him, and both of us referred to him as Awful Bill. Yet, we begrudgingly have to recognize Awful Bill as the reason for the founding of the Schaefer tradition.
November 9, 2003, was a milestone birthday for Philly as he notched his 40th annual lap. So what did I get him for a present? An autographed photo of long-time MRN announcer, Eli Gold, naturally!
I leveraged the web to my advantage, got in touch with Eli, told him a story or two about race adventures by Philly and TMC, let him know about Philly's 40th, and requested the photo. Within a matter of days, he was kind enough to send me the autographed glossy.
What? You think I should have done more? For crying out loud, we drink SCHAEFER together. Its about $15 per CASE. Did you really think I'd spend MONEY on a gift for him?
I tailgated so to speak with SHOFers Philly and Paducah. Brrrrr, it was colder'n all get out on race morning. We bought a small rick of wood, a fire starter brick, and a box of fried chicken from Harris Teeter grocery store. After parking, we built the meager fire as quickly as possible, buried the chicken, and spent the next couple of hours sitting in lawn chairs and leaning forward to within about 6 inches of the fading fire in an attempt to supplement our body heat.
In an rare occurrence for us, we couldn't score any Schaefer that weekend. As a worthy substitute, we pounded several Miller High Life pony bottles. Swigging cold beers didn't exactly help our efforts to stay warm - but they sure hit the spot anyway.
Flyin' Ryan Newman won the pole in Roger Penske's Dodge. His #12 car sported a throwback paint scheme - a nod to Penske's early days in NASCAR with drivers such as Mark Donahue, Dave Marcis and Bobby Allison.
None of the three of us were huge fans of Newman, Penske, or those drivers who piloted Penske's red-white-blue Matadors in the early 1970s. But we cheered the car lustily simply because of the cool tribute.
Ignorant fans around us were totally lost as to the reason for our WHOO's. We tried to explain - Penske? Mark Donahue? Bobby Friggin' Allison? Yet that gaggle of contemporary fans who likely glommed onto the sport during the Earnhardt or Gordon era with no knowledge of the past - or interest in it - never understood.
Interestingly, we reacted the same way a day earlier - and got the same reaction from those around us - when Martin Truex, Jr. hit the track in a throwback Ralph Earnhardt color scheme in the Busch race. He was racing a limited Busch schedule for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s Chance II team (later to become JR Motorsports).
You had a Dale Jr.-owned car sporting the colors of his legendary grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt. Yet we had folks around us wearing black "3" hats who simply didn't understand the relevance of the scheme or respect shown by the team.
A nice surprise during the race was a 30-lap segment led by Wahd Buhton in the Gene Haas #0 NetZero Pontiac. Though Ward later faded to a mid-pack finish, his time at the front was popular with the crowd. Fast forward a half-dozen years, and Gene Haas' struggling team was reinvented as Stewart-Haas Racing.
The rags to riches transition of the Haas team within just a few years got me to wondering about others who had come and gone in the few years since the 2003 Rockingham race.
We no longer have drivers in the field such as:
Sterling Marlin
Jeremy Mayfield
Terry Labonte
Robby Gordon
Ken Schrader
Ricky Rudd
Johnny Benson
Some drivers active in 2003 continue to be active in the sport but with a microphone including:
Kyle Petty
Ricky Craven
Dale Jarrett
Rusty Wallace
Jimmy Spencer
But its also amazing who weren't yet active Cup drivers in 2003:
Kasey Kahne (who later took over Evernham's #9 Dodge from Elliott)
Kyle Busch
Carl Edwards
Denny Hamlin
Brad Keselowski
Clint Bowyer
Joey Logano
One driver finishing fourth in the 2003 Rockingham race - and still racing competitively today - was Matt Kenseth. Matt's Rockingham finish earned him enough points to win the final Winston CupSeries championship with one race remaining.When the teams returned in 2004, the series had Nextel as its new sponsor and a new points system.
So while recalling great memories of a cold North Carolina day, Awful Bill's final victory, and the crowing of Matt Kenseth as the final Winston Cup Series champion - the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor wish fellow Schaefer brutha Philly...
Nearly 1,200 starts 200 wins Over 550 top 5 finishes 123 poles 7 championships Countless autographs Untold mayonnaise sandwiches Many spectacular wrecks including 1970, 1980, 1988, and 1991 20 years ago: The Final Ride
My uncle first introduced me to racing in general and Richard Petty specifically in the summer of 1974. The first race I remember watching on TV was Benny Parsons' victory in the 1975 Daytona 500. My first Cup race to attend and see the day-glo red and Petty blue Dodge in person was the 1978 Music City 420 in Nashville.
My uncle told me I had to be a fan of Ol' Blue if I wanted him to take me to races. It didn't take me long to want to become a fan of the King. From the mid-70s - through the end of his driving days in November 1992 - through today in his limited role as a car owner, I remain a fan.
Twenty years ago today, November 15, 1992, The King made his final Winston Cup start as a driver in the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. I was there to witness it, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
Many say the 1992 season-ender at Atlanta is arguably the top NASCAR Cup race of all time. If not the best, its certainly in the top 5. The race had multiple storylines:
The King's final start
A 5-way championship battle between Davey Allison, Bill Elliott, Alan Kulwicki, Harry Gant and Kyle Petty
The first career Cup start for predicted phenom, Jeff Gordon.
The final race for Dick Beaty, NASCAR's long-time chief technical inspector.
I don't plan to recap the race and the way it played out because so many others have done such a great job of it - then and since. Instead, I'm going to revisit a few of my own memories from that day.
Two days before the race, a statue of The King was dedicated near the track's ticket office. Rather than portray him in victory lane, the sculptor created a lasting image truly fitting of his legacy - his appreciation for the fans.
The Atlanta race was the culmination of the year-long Richard Petty 1992 Fan Appreciation Tour where corporations of all kinds joined The King to be an associate sponsor - including Gwaltney hot dogs.
Fellow Schaefer Hall of Famer co-founder Philly and I ate our share of Gwaltney dogs in 1992 as we hit about 25 percent of that year's races and camped at a few of the - the most ever in a season for me. Twenty years later, Smithfield Foods, Gwaltney's parent company, joined Richard Petty Motorsports as sponsor of driver Aric Almirola in the famed 43.
On Saturday night before the race, the country (?) band Alabama performed a concert in tribute to The King at the Georgia Dome. (Richard and his family often watched Alabama perform in Myrtle Beach, SC in their early bar band days.) While Philly and I committed to buying tickets to The King's final race months in advance, we held out for freebies to the concert - tickets that unfortunately never fell our way. Thanks ebay for providing the image of a show we didn't attend.
Early on race morning, we drove from Chattanooga, TN to Atlanta. We stopped at a friend of ours where my uncle stayed the night. The two of them also hadn't made the concert, but it was obvious they'd visited many watering holes around the Georgia Dome. Between a late night's finish and an early morning's start, my uncle was slurringly raddy to anjoy da Kang's wast racef.
For the last 2-3 years of Petty's driving career, I wore a cheap but comfortable STP Racing Team trucker's cap. By the final race of 1992, it weighed about 10 pounds because of my various hat pins and race weekend sweat-stained salt. I committed to retiring the hat once Richard exited the car for good. I still have the hat - and it hasn't been worn in 20 years.
Philly and I sat on the backstretch - on the opposite side of where the pre-race activities took place. Much of the grandstands where we viewed the race were built just in time for the 1992 fall race. A few years later, track owner Bruton Smith reconfigured the layout of the track. Our cheap seats in 1992 were pretty close to where the modern-day start / finish line is.
Neither Philly or I had our Uniden scanners back then. Instead, we wore our our standard issue Winston Racing radio headsets. As soon as we got situated, he put on his radio and tried to find the Motor Racing Network AM broadcast.
If you never had the pleasure of owning one of the Winston radios, you really missed something... not. The volume control was on one earpiece, and the station dial was on the other. One needed fingers with the sensitivity of a safe cracker to find a station with the scroll wheel, and you often needed to hold your head at a certain weird angle to maintain signal strength.
Because of the excitement buzzing throughout the stands, EVERYONE was standing. Soon our standing was put to good use in the form of reverence as the track played Ray Charles' Georgia on my Mind which then led to the invocation.
We all bowed our heads. Actually, Philly's head was already bowed, eyes closed, and senses acutely tuned to his continued focused pursuit of the MRN broadcast. As the prayer began following the final notes of Ray's classic, Philly found what he'd been searching for. Suddenly, he blurted out loudly enough for three southern states to hear:
WHOO! ELI's ON!
I immediately buried my elbow in his rib cage and gave him the shush sign - most reverently of course. As I alluded to in a previous post about the 2003 Rockingham race, I got an autographed photo of Eli for Philly's 40th birthday. I wrote Eli and recapped the story to him. He must have enjoyed it because he signed the photo "Whoo, Eli's on. Happy 40th." To this day - twenty years later - all races we attend begin with the crack of a cold Schaefer and a boisterous yell of Whoo! Eli's On!
We snickered a good bit more during the prayer and national anthem about Philly's speaking in tongues. But we were soon silenced and had our breath taken away as the engines roared to life. Several Apache helicopters rose from behind our grandstands and began circling the track - hovering just a few dozen feet above the cars as they made their pace laps. I've been awed by many military flyovers - at races, football games, and air shows. But nothing has compared to the quietness of ascent and jaw-dropping, low-flying demonstration by those Apaches.
As we settled in our seats on the backstretch, future friend and fellow Petty fan Jerry Bushmire enjoyed a race morning stroll through the garage area. Despite the crush of folks wanting access to Petty in his final race, Jerry had the good fortune to walk the garage and get a final-start autograph from the man himself.
Photos courtesy of Jerry Bushmire
The norm for most of the second half of the 1992 season was to have The King lead the field on the first pace lap. Then he would fall back to his rightful starting spot. In his final start, he not only got to pace the field - but also had the privilege of having his children give the command to Start Your Engines!
TMC Archives
A fairy tale ending for the race would have been victory number 201 for The King. Racing, however, isn't a fairy tale (unless you are blogging about Jeff Gordon stories). Petty was caught up in a wreck started by others and cruised through turn 1 on fire before coming to a stop.
Bushmire was in a prime spot to capture a photo of the 43 going out in a blaze of glory.
Photo courtesy of Jerry Bushmire
From our seats, we were unclear as to what was unfolding on the frontstretch and into turn 1. We knew from MRN the King was involved, but we initially didn't know about the fire. Once the safety crews extinguished the fire and checked him over, Petty got out and made the most obvious gesture. He acknowledged the fans. Every driver today should have the following photo in their hauler and motorcoach because sadly many have ignored the reality that its the fans who enable them to use their talents and c.o. jones to race.
TMC Archives
The King's day - and career - were seemingly over. *Poof* Just like that. The rest of the race, however, was tremendous. What we didn't know at the time was the Petty Enterprises crew thrashed in the garage to give Richard a final opportunity to circle the track.
Sure enough, with a handful of laps to go, the 43 re-entered the track. From the backstretch, we heard an incredible roar from the front grandstands. A few moments later, we realized why as the 43 rounded the second turn and started down the back straightaway.
Photo courtesy of Ray Lamm
Bill Elliott was flagged as the race winner, and Alan Kulwicki won the championship. As they were presented their well-deserved trophies, the King made another lap or so. As a ton of fans of all drivers rushed for the fence to wave goodbye, I still remember the literal chills running up and down my spine and the tightening in my throat.
The remains of The King's final car were returned to Atlanta Labor Day weekend in connection with this year's Advocare 500. I've seen the car twice at the Richard Petty Museum in Randleman, NC, but nowhere else. Sure enough, the guy watching over it said the car hadn't been out of the museum in the 20 years since Petty's final race.
Once the race was over, Philly and I knew traffic would be hell. Hey its Atlanta - and bad race traffic has always been a given. We took a leisurely walk from the backstretch to the front of the track and roamed the front grandstands. From there, we had a better view of the media center - including where Kulwicki and The King were giving press interviews.
We didn't know future Schaefer Hall of Famer, Bruton, back then. But some number of years later when introductions were made, we learned he too was at the King's final race.
I had long ago given up hope for one more win. While I hated the thought of no Richard Petty on the track after that event, I was glad he wouldn’t be putting himself at risk (in a race car anyway) once that day was done. It was also fun to see him be the center of attention one more time as a driver. Kyle had qualified well ahead of Richard and it was neat to watch him fall to the rear of the field with The King as RP settled into his starting position. Kyle, of course, returned to the front of the field after a lap or so. Finally, when The King took his ‘thank you’ lap we all stood there cheering. I had sunglasses on and that is important. With tears in my eyes, I asked my brother if he was crying (I knew he was.) He said no. I lied right back, “Me either.”
Richard's daughter, Rebecca Moffitt, is Executive Director of the Petty Family Foundation. When asked about her memories of The King's final ride, she told me:
What a crazy day, week, year that was. All I really remember was just how bittersweet the whole experience was. Of course it was sad to see my Dad give up something that he loved so much, but we all were happy to know that he went out on top and was going to be fine. Because racing is his one true love, he could never retire totally. So for the past 20 years, his schedule has been the same - just his job duties are different. I love my Dad because he is my father, but it made me very proud to see and know how much other people love him - not just because of the success that he had over the years, but because of the man he is.
If you want to read, see or hear more about this truly memorable race, here are are few suggestions:
MRN's original radio broadcast can be streamed at their website.
Yes-sirree - December 3rd - its Schaefer Hall of Famer Rev. Randy's birthday!
Future (at the time) Schaefer HOFers, Bruton (L) and Rev. Randy (R)
The Rev shares a birthday with two legendary racing greats:
Rick Mears (1951) - four-time Indianapolis 500 winner
Bobby Allison (1937) - 1983 Winston Cup champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner
In addition to his impressive racing résumé, Bobby was also the first driver to win a NASCAR Cup championship with a beer brand as his primary sponsor. His DiGard Buick carried the colors of Miller High Life - the preferred back-up beer for the Schaefer Hall of Fame when Schaefer isn't available - to his one and only Cup championship.
This blog's passionate but part-time research staff learned no significant races of interest have ever been run on December 3rd. A few days later on December 7th; however, TexasInternational Speedway in College Station - any Aggie fan readers?- hosted its inaugural NASCAR event, the 1969 Texas 500.The track was later renamed Texas World Speedway.
The race was Richard Petty's final race in a Ford. When NASCAR's Grand National series returned in January 1970 for a new season at Riverside International Raceway, King Richard was back behind the wheel of a traditionally familiar 43 Plymouth - the winged Superbird. Yet, for Petty fans of that era, I understand it was awfully tough during the one season to see The King sport the blue oval.
Bobby Isaac won the Texas race - his first major win on a superspeedway other than two Daytona qualifying race wins which counted as official series wins in the 1960s.
The aforementioned Bobby Allison lost an engine in his Coca-Cola Dodge and finished 23rd - one spot behind his #22 car number. His brother Donnie, however, finished 2nd two laps down to Isaac.
Buddy Baker led over half the race in Cotton Owens' Dodge - but wrecked while while trying to read his pit board as he led the race.
Long-time NASCAR writer and friend of Baker, Tom Higgins - writing at the time for ThatsRacin.com recalled in a 2010 column:
While running at Texas World Speedway, where NASCAR staged seven races at the Cup Series level from 1969-81, Big Buddy once seemed to have Victory Lane awaiting him. But a crash while under caution took him out of contention. He ran into James Hylton on the frontstretch. "We didn't have radio communication between the cars and the pits in those days," recalls Baker. "I momentarily took my eyes off the track to try and read a message the crew was giving me on a big chalk board. Hylton was going a bit slower than me, and I hit him." The chalked message? "You've Got It Made!"
Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2010/06/24/39227/mistakes-that-cost-them-the-race.html#storylink=cpy
James Hylton's winged Dodge Daytona before he got plowed:
For the other side of the story, Hylton - who soldiered on to finish 4th - remembers:
Buddy Baker ran into me under a caution. Bent the hell out of my car but tore his up completely and he couldn't finish the race.
On a website documenting the history of Cotton Owens, a separate page for Buddy's uh-oh moment recaps this bizarre but funny way to lose a race. An excerpt from it reads:
We find our hero leading the 500 mile Grand National race, which is running under caution.Pit stops have been made, and the cars are lined up behind the pace car leisurely circling the track with Buddy, leading the race but following closely behind James Hylton behind the pace car. Cotton is busy flashing Buddy a pit board every time by. But the message was too big for one pit board so Cotton wrote on two boards and showed both to Buddy at the same time. This was to much for poor Buddy, he had to do a double take ... while leading the race, which was under caution, Buddy Baker CRASHED into the back of James Hylton and busted the radiator in Cotton's wonderful Dodge. Oh, Cotton's message? P1 take it easy.
The site also includes a couple of photos originally published in Motor Trend magazine.
In his book Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 3, Greg Fielden writes:
Dodge officials were visibly upset when Baker crashed out under the yellow flag. The only race Dodge had won on the big tracks (TMC: in 1969) was a tainted 500-miler at Talladega. Crew chief and car owner Owens slung the pit board like a frisbee as he watched Baker take himself out of the race. ~ p. 263
Future three-time Cup champ and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Cale Yarborough endured a tough ending to the 1969 season. Again, in Fielden's book, he writes:
Cale Yarborough was seriously injured when his Mercury blew a tire and slammed the concrete wall on lap 143. The Timmonsville, SC drive suffered a shattered shoulder blade, an injury doctors said would him keep out of action for nine months. "When this bone is broken this badly," said one doctor, "usually the patient is dead. Its a miracle he survived such a hard crash." ~ p. 264
Cale was always known as a tough ol' bird. He wasn't killed in the Texas accident, and he wasn't out of action for nine months. The bit of good fortune he had was that the race was the final one of the season. When NASCAR's Grand National cars returned in 1970, Cale again buckled in the famed Wood Brothers' #21 Mercury. In a limited schedule for the team, Cale entered and started six of the first 10 races of 1970.
Credit: AP as published here (via Google News Archive)
So while thinking of the thrill of victory by Bobby Isaac and the agony of defeat by Buddy Baker,the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor wish fellow Schaefer brutha Rev. Randy...
Happy Birthday! SCHA-LOOT!!
The SHOF in 2011 (L to R): Paducah, Rev. Randy, Rookie,Tick,
Cuba (with understudy filling in), Philly, and Uncle Dave
December 10th - And that can only mean one thing. Its Schaefer Hall of Famer Paducah's birthday!
SHOFers Bruton (L) and Paducah (R) with syndicated NASCAR beat writer, Monte Dutton
As was the case with Rev. Randy's birthday, I... *ahem* ... our team couldn't determine any significant race ever held on December 10th. So we'll roll back a couple of days to December 8 to revisit a race that is at least in the ballpark of Paducah's annual 29th birthday: the 1968 Alabama 200 at Montgomery Speedway. The race was the second of the 1969 season and the last of six NASCAR Grand National races at Montgomery. (The 1969 season was the last one for NASCAR to open its Grand National / Cup season in the fall of the previous calendar year.)
The race was originally scheduled for November 24, 1968 - a week after Petty's win in the 1969 season-opener at Middle Georgia Raceway near Macon, Ga. But after back-to-back Sunday rainouts, the race was re-scheduled for what turned out to be a cold day on December 8.
Richard Petty, dominated much of the 200-lap, 100-mile race. Bobby Isaac led a couple of segments for a total of 50 laps, but King Richard always returned to the point.
In his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Vol. 3, Greg Fielden recaps:
Bobby Allison, hopelessly out of the running with just nine laps to go, took advantage of a timely caution and nabbed Richard Petty at the finish line for victory ... The slim crowd of 2,800, braving a bitter, icy wind, watched stock car racing history as both Allison and Petty were taking their last rides in Plymouths ... Petty had taken first place from Allison in the 168th lap and was pulling away. On lap 191 of the 200 lapper, Roy Tyner blew the engine in his Pontiac ... Allison ducked in the pits and got two new tires ... Petty opted to take track position and keep the lead ... When the green flag came out with two laps to go, Allison rapidly made up the deficit and was sitting on Petty's rear bumper within a lap. Coming off the final turn, Allison dived (sic) inside of Petty and won by four feet. ~ p. 218
For Petty fans, the narrow loss had to be tough to handle. The race was The King's final start in a Plymouth. His contact with Chrysler Corporation apparently ran through the end of calendar year 1968, so he ran the first two races of the 1969 season in a Mopar. When the calendar page turned to January 1, 1969, Petty became a full-time Blue Oval guy. Well, for one season at least...
Coincidentally, the race was also Allison's final race in a Plymouth. Largely a Chevy guy, Allison raced just about every car brand throughout his career. In late 1968, however, he signed on to drive Tom Friedken's Plymouths. In a limited time as a car owner, Friedken's Plymouths were raced by some great drivers including Jim Paschal (also a former Petty Enterprises driver) and Curtis Turner.
As I understand it, Friedken's #14 cars were generally painted somewhat of a slate-blue such as the one shown here from 1968.
From what I've gleaned, however, the colors were changed when Allison joined the team for a handful of races in late '68. While I was unable to find an actual photo from the race, I learned this very nice model build is an indication of how great the car looked.
The paint scheme foreshadowed Allison's future a bit. From 1970 through 1974, Bobby drove a Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet for different car owners but with common sponsorship by Coca-Cola. The scheme Friedken ran on Bobby's Montgomery-winning Plymouth turned out to be very similar to the one used during the early 70s.
All wasn't lost, however, for Petty fans committed to Mopar. After only a single season with Ford, the King returned to Plymouth and its iconic Superbird in 1970. And despite losing its NASCAR GN races in the late 60s, Montgomery Speedway (web and Twitter) continues to operate today with its slate of regular feature races.
NSSN headline and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire
So while thinking of the close finish by Bobby Allison over his rival Richard Petty and the head-shaking resignation by Petty fans that Plymouth was gone and Ford was in,the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor wish fellow Schaefer brutha Paducah ...
Happy Birthday! SCHA-LOOT!!
SHOF Co-Founder, Philly (L) and SHOF entrant #3, Paducah (R)
