Bench Racing From the Volunteer State

From 1958 to 1972, the season-ending premier race at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway was the Southern 300. Over those years, racers and fans saw a transition from modified to late model cars as well as a re-design of the track from a low-banked, half-mile to a high-banked, 5/8-mile oval.

Two drivers were killed during the speedway's three years as a track banked steeper than Bristol and Talladega, and many others endured hard hits from blown tires and other accidents.

Following the 1972 season, the track was re-designed yet again. The banks were lowered to 18 degrees which is where they remain today. In addition to the lowered banking, the Southern was extended by 100 laps. Thus fans got to enjoy the 15th annual Southern 400 for the first time on September 30, 1973.

Red Farmer returned for his shot at a third win in his 12th Southern. Farmer has long been known as a founding member of The Alabama Gang. His roots, however, are in Nashville and, more specifically, within spittin' distance of the Fairgrounds track.

To capture his third Southern victory, Farmer would have to go through Darrell Waltrip. Racing a red and gold, Falls City Beer sponsored #48 Chevelle, DW won eleven of the twenty late model sportsman features prior to the Southern 400. He also captured his second track championship and first with car owner and local beer distributor, Ellis Cook.

As expected, Waltrip laid down the lap to beat during qualifying. He had a nose for Nashville when it was steeply banked, and his skills and confidence remained high after the lowering of the turns in 1973.

Waltrip and the rest of the field, however, got a bit of a surprise. Unheralded Randy Bethea of Newport, TN was a hair quicker than Waltrip and scored the pole.

In doing so, Bethea became the first black driver to earn a pole for a NASCAR national championship race. Though I'm not 100 percent certain, I believe Bethea held that distinction until Bill Lester won the pole for a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte in May 2003.

Lining up third was Georgia's Jody Ridley in a one-off deal in R.C. Alexander's reputable #84 Ford. Harry Gant and Jerry Lawley rounded out the top five starters on the first day of qualifying.

Though Bethea's accomplishment earned himself a spot as a trivia answer, he did not want to dwell on it - then or now. He wanted to be viewed a racer and not simply as a black driver. About 31 minutes into the feature, Just Another Racer, Bethea, Brad Teague and others revisit that important accomplishment and the resulting race result.

As had become the case over the years, the Southern field included many top shelf name drivers. The list included included Harry Gant, Jack Ingram, 1970 Southern 300 winner L.D. Ottinger, Sam Ard, Neil Bonnett, Morgan Shepherd, and Jimmy Hensley.

The increased popularity of the race also meant many did not make the show. In 1973, twenty-six drivers loaded early without seeing the green flag. The list included two former NASCAR Cup racers - Bobby Isaac and Sam McQuagg.

Isaac, NASCAR's 1970 Grand National champion as well as winner of the first race on Nashville's high-banked track, was recruited to race when Ellis Cook believed Waltrip would not. Isaac began the year as driver of Bud Moore's #15 Ford. During the Talladega 500, however, Isaac asked for a relief driver, brought the car to pit road, exited, claimed he heard voices to get out, and promptly retired from Cup racing.

Moore hired Waltrip as Isaac's replacement, and Waltrip planned to balance the remaining Cup schedule with his LMS title pursuit at Nashville. With the title secured, he planned to race at Martinsville which occurred the same day as the Southern 400. Isaac was to sub in Waltrip's late model.

Moore then opted not to enter the Martinsville allowing Waltrip to race in the Southern 400 after all. He returned to his regular #48 Chevelle, and Ellis Cook provided a #43 backup car for Isaac. With the switcheroos, Isaac simply wasn't quick enough to make the field.

At the start, Bethea wanted to show his pole win wasn't a one-lap wonder. Instead, Waltrip let it be known it was his track and pulled the field as they barreled into turn one. Within a couple of laps, Bethea's Ford drifted into the clutches of the bottom half of the top 10. His race went from bad to worse as he lost oil pressure from a known leak. He was done before the race was even one-quarter complete.

Early in the race, fans witnessed some quality racing up front with many of the established late model stars. Farmer, however, was not one of them. He qualified mid pack, had trouble early, and loaded with a DNF on lap 64.

Early action with Waltrip, Ingram, Gant & Lawley

Despite the contenders' pursuit, Waltrip held all of them at bay for the first 60 laps. His day then began to unravel. First, he lost a lap during a pit stop tire change. Shortly after, his #48 Chevelle then began overheating. Though he made it to the end, he ended his championship-winning season with an eighth place finish several laps down to the race winner.

Two national championship points races - Charlotte and Martinsville - remained after Nashville. Sam Ard was in a tight points race with Jack Ingram, and both needed to keep each other in sight. Instead, Ard had a day that wasn't needed. A broken spindle sent him to the pits for repairs. Though he lost 50+ laps, Ard returned to action to salvage a few points. His sixteenth place finish presented an even greater challenge as the duo readied for the World Service Life 300 and Cardinal 500.

L.D. Ottinger had one of the fastest Chevelles. His pit work, however, ended up being his biggest challenge of the day. Ottinger could seemingly pass cars with ease, but more than once he relinquished all he'd gained with slow stops. After a roller coaster day through the running order, Ottinger eventually returned to Newport, TN with a P3.

During the middle stages of the race, Ottinger and Ard had their brief time out front. Also getting some time to shine were Brad Teague, Morgan Shepherd, and Harry Gant. When Gant pitted with about 125 laps to go, Ingram's #11 Chevelle went to the top of the leaderboard ... and stayed there.

As many of the expected contenders developed issues, Ingram simply grew stronger - and had exceptional pit stops. Over the final 100 laps, he built a one-lap lead over second running Gant. He cruised the remaining laps and notched his only Southern 400 win. The win may have provided a bit of redemption after having narrowly and controversially lost the 1972 Southern 300.

Most of the photos included in this post were snapped and shared by Nashville racing historian Russ Thompson. Many more from the '73 Southern are included on his website.

Source for articles: The Tennessean

TMC

From 1958 through 1973, Nashville's racing facility was known simply as Fairground Speedways. The property was renamed Nashville Speedway in 1974, and the new moniker remained through 1978.

The name seemed new to many and certainly highlighted the city's name. The former, generic fairgrounds label could be used to refer to many other tracks around the country.

After Lanny Hester and Gary Baker took over from Bill Donoho as leaseholders and promoters in December 1978, they renamed their newly acquired property Nashville International Raceway. In the years to follow with a turnstile of new promoters, the track went through additional name changes including Nashville Motor Raceway and Music City Motorplex. Today, the track's name under promoter Tony Formosa, Jr. reflects the facility's origins albeit with an alternate ending "s": Fairgrounds Speedway.

In other ways, however, the change to Nashville Speedway was a bit of a throwback. Prior to opening the fairgrounds track, promoter Bill Donoho and his partners operated a quarter-mile track near East Nashville. Most referred to the track by its original name, the Legion Bowl. By the late 1950s, however, the track was formally named Nashville Speedways.

In addition to getting a fresh name, the walls got a fresh look as well. Gone was the traditional black and white pattern.With the increased support for Cup and local racing from R.J. Reynolds, the walls were repainted red and white to match RJR's Winston branding.

Credit for both photos: Russ Thompson

Despite the name and paint changes, one song that remained the same was the running of the season-ending, 16th annual Southern 400 on September 29th.

Though the race's schedule placement did not change, the distance almost did. Before the season began, Donoho planned to extend the race one hundred laps to create Nashville's own version of the Southern 500. The race would have been the longest on Nashville's schedule - including its two Winston Cup races.

In response to the nation's energy crisis, NASCAR's Bill France Sr. asked its sanctioned tracks to make measurable cuts as a visible effort to conserve energy. In addition to various other changes, Donoho opted to reduce the Southern by one hundred laps rather than increase it.

Cutting the race would have returned the Southern to 300 laps, the traditional length from 1959 through 1972. For reasons that aren't clear, however, the decision was made later to restore the Southern back to 400 laps.

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Jack Ingram captured the pole during qualifying. Ingram was the defending winner of the Southern 400 as well as the reigning NASCAR national Late Model Sportsman champion.

Darrell Waltrip qualified second. After four seasons driving Chevelle's for owners P.B. Crowell and Ellis Cook, Waltrip moved to R.C. Alexander's Ford in 1974. In doing so, he reversed his former number 48 to Alexander's 84.

Butch Lindley began racing at Nashville in 1974 and liked his results. He won a 200-lapper and finished runner-up to Waltrip in a 100-lap event. Having gained a bit of familiarity with the track, he timed third.

Freddy Fryar returned for another shot at his third Southern and had the fourth quickest lap. Fryar was the only driver in the field with a chance at a third victory as other two-time winners Jimmy Griggs, Friday Hassler, and Red Farmer were not entered.

Top starters Ingram, Waltrip, Lindley, and Fryar

Twin 30-lap qualifying races set the remainder of the 34-car field. L.D.Ottinger and Flookie Buford won the heat races and lined up fifth and sixth, respectively.

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The track offered drivers an incentive to compete for the lead in addition to a healthy winner's purse. Drivers earned $10 for each lap led as a result of support from varying race sponsors.

Though the amount per lap sounds low by today's standards, the lap bonuses caught the drivers' eyes. One could pad the regular race dollars by spending a lot of time up front. Taking a chunk of the extra $4,000 could help pay for tires, travel expenses, or other costs.

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At the start, Waltrip fired off just as he did a year earlier. In the 1973 Southern, Waltrip got the early jump on pole-winner Randy Bethea. A year later though in a different car, Waltrip grabbed the same advantage over Ingram.

Once out front, Waltrip did as Waltrip frequently did at Nashville: lead. He led close to thirty of the first fifty laps and seemed to have the right combination to win his second Southern.

On lap 51, however, Waltrip lost a cylinder and had to park it. He went from having an early command of the race to getting a head start home to Franklin.

Waltrip's departure followed the early exit by a couple of other name drivers. Ottinger hit the wall on lap 11 and finished dead last. Jimmy Means, Nashville's 1974 late model sportsman champion, followed Ottinger to the trailer a few laps later.

With Waltrip and Ottinger sidelined, Fryar reminded the field he still knew how to race in Nashville despite two track re-configurations. He led 131 laps in the middle stages of the race, but his return to Music City ended with suspension issues and a subsequent visit to the wall on lap 245.

Two contenders remained following Fryar's exit: Ingram and Lindley. Ingram led a few dozen laps, but it was Lindley who racked up one ten spot after another as the race continued its second half.

With 120 laps to go, Ingram gained the advantage over Lindley during a pit sequence. Both roared back into action, and Ingram had his hands full with Lindley's #16 red Chevelle in hot pursuit.

As the duo barreled through turns one and two, Buford lost an engine in front of them. Ingram caught the oil and drilled Buford. He continued, but his car suffered a good bit of damage. Lindley saw the problem unfolding, dropped low, and sailed by without incident.

Though Ingram stayed in the race, he was no longer a factor and faded to a sixth place finish. Lindley led the rest of the way, collected $1,900 of the $4,000 lap money, and pocketed his second Nashville win of the season.

Most of the photos in this post were snapped by Russ Thompson, long-time racing fan, participant, and Nashville racing historian. I recommend viewing more of his pictures from the 1974 Southern 400 here.

Source for articles: The Tennessean

TMC

The Southern 300 / 400 races at Nashville Speedway were historically scheduled for late September or early October. Track promoter Bill Donoho decided in early 1975 that he wanted to host the race before the annual Tennessee State Fair rather than after it as had been done since 1958. Consequently, the 17th annual Southern 400 was scheduled for August 30, 1975.

As a result of the change, the Southern 400 was no longer the season-ending late model race as had been the case most years. The week after the Southern, the track scheduled the inaugural Bob Hunley 100 in memory of the former driver killed at the speedway in 1972. Then following the state fair, the Fairgrounds planned to run three October Saturday nights of regular feature races.

In addition to moving up the race by a month, the 1975 Southern 400 was scheduled to be the first one run under the lights on a Saturday night. All others had been scheduled for Sunday afternoons.

A third change in 1975 was to make the event a one-day show with qualifying, a limited sportsman preliminary race, and the 400 lap LMS event all on Saturday. Two days of qualifying were gone as were consolation races.

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Jack Ingram won the 1973 Southern 400 and three consecutive NASCAR national late model sportsman titles. As happened with three-time national champion Red Farmer, however, the grind of chasing another title had become a bit more than Ingram wanted to invest.

In the pre-Busch Series era, a driver willing to pursue the national title had to race seemingly everywhere. Races on back-to-back days often required an overnight tow from the first race. In some cases, national points were available at more than one event on the same day. Performing at a high level and keeping the competition at bay while running as many events as possible took a high toll on the individual as well as his equipment, limited crew, family, etc.

Yet with six career victories at Nashville and the prestige of the Southern 400 on the line, Ingram opted to include the the race on his somewhat reduced schedule.

As Ingram cracked the throttle on his pursuit of a fourth tittle, Harry Gant still had his foot buried. Though he trailed Butch Lindley in the national standings, he continued the pressure by racing everywhere, winning frequently, and accumulating points.

Part of Gant's success in 1975 - including wins in two of Nashville's four 200-lap events - resulted from his car built by racing legend Tiger Tom Pistone. Still active today at age 89, Pistone remained in racing long after his driving days ended. He built cars, served as crew chief for various drivers, and championed the cause of several up-and-comers.

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Lindley, winner of the 1974 Southern 400 and the national points leader, kept the Big Mo rolling by winning the pole for the 1975 edition.

For the second time in three years, Alabama's Alton Jones qualified on the front row alongside the pole winner. Jones claimed the track's LMS title a year later in 1976. Two-time Southern winner L.D. Ottinger, Gant, and local rookie P.B. Crowell III rounded out the top five starters.

Other name drivers in the show included Ingram, Neil Bonnett in a Bobby Allison-prepared Nova, 1974 Nashville track champion Jimmy Means, and Nashville legend turned Cup racer Darrell Waltrip.

Waltrip had a hectic weekend schedule traveling back and forth between Nashville and Darlington. In Nashville, he needed to shake down a new Mercury Cougar fielded by long-time owner/sponsor R.C. Alexander. Similarly in Darlington, DW prepared for the Southern 500 Cup race in only his third outing with DiGard Racing.

Late summer showers arrived after completion of qualifying, and the race was postponed until Sunday. Only one Southern 300 (1963: blog post) had been rained out prior to the 1975 edition. The rain-out also scuttled plans for the first night Southern. Thus, the Sunday afternoon tradition continued.

Lindley got the jump on Jones and the rest of the field as the race got underway on Sunday. A year earlier, Lindley had a strong car; however, his dominant second half run was aided by DNFs by his strongest competition. He planned to control his own destiny in the 1975 Southern.

Waltrip settled into a rhythm of his own in Alexander's #84 Cougar. As Lindley played the rabbit, Waltrip and Ol' Henry rode comfortably in the top five. Something went amiss, however, on lap 71. For the third year in a row, the 1972 Southern 300 winner and two-time track champion left the race early. Rather than make a hasty exit for Darlington's Labor Day race, Waltrip remained at the track.

A couple of drivers needed an assist as the raced entered its final stages. Ottinger developed significant back pain and finally surrendered his car to Waltrip around lap 300. A few laps later, Ironman Jack Ingram needed relief from Joe Thurman.

Meanwhile, Lindley built a full-lap lead over second place as he headed for his second Southern 400 win. With 30 laps to go, however, disaster struck. Lindley puked a motor in his Nova, and he coasted helplessly to the pits.

Waltrip made up the lap deficit and soon had Ottinger's Chevelle in the lead. He led the remaining laps and took the checkered flag over Ingram's car.

Ottinger officially claimed the win, his second Southern, and his second win at Nashville in 1975. (He won the season-opening Winston 200 in April.) Coincidentally, Ottinger finished second in Waltrip's first Nashville win, the 1970 Flameless 300. Bonnett finished third followed by Crowell and Gant.

As the driver who crossed the finish line first headed to Darlington, the winning driver in street clothes loaded his Chevelle for the haul back to Newport, TN.

The 1975 Southern 400 was the the only one held in August. The race returned to its traditional post-state fair scheduling in 1976 and 1977. Also, none of the remaining Southern races were scheduled for a Saturday night.

Alton Jones won the Bob Hunley memorial 100-lap race the following Saturday night. Challenging weather and deteriorating track conditions resulted, however, in the cancellation of the remaining three October nights of racing. Walter Wallace won his second track LMS title over Jimmy Means who sought his second title in back-to-back years.

Source for articles: The Tennessean

TMC

The 18th annual Southern 400 on October 3, 1976, closed the season at Nashville Speedway - a season that brought a changing of the guard.

The early 1970s late model sportsman races at Nashville were dominated by Darrell Waltrip. Other drivers who won features from time to time included Flookie Buford, Alton Jones, Jerry Lawley, James Ham, and Jimmy Means. Waltrip, however, stockpiled 50 feature wins from 1970 through 1975.

Once Waltrip joined DiGard's #88 Gatorade Cup ride in late 1975, his schedule at the Fairgrounds all but ended (except for Nashville's two annual Cup events). His departure created an opportunity for others.

The timing was optimal for the arrival of the Kiddie Corps in 1976. Four teenage drivers - three of them LMS rookies - made an immediate splash with fans. A couple of them had a rich future ahead of them in racing beyond Nashville.

P.B. Crowell, III - 1975 LMS rookie of the year and son of the long-time Nashville car owner and driver
Mike Alexander - son of long-time Nashville car owner and sponsor, R.C. Alexander, and graduate of Nashville's quarter-mile limited sportsman division
Sterling Marlin - son of four-time Nashville track champion and independent Cup driver, Coo Coo Marlin
Dennis Wiser - another limited sportsman graduate and son of long-time Nashville mechanic Kenneth Wiser

L-R: Wiser, Marlin, Alexander, and Crowell

Alexander won 10 features in his rookie season, and Crowell won six races as a second-season racer. Though Marlin and Wiser didn't win until 1977, the two of them along with Alexander and Crowell planned to be contenders in the longest late model race of the season.

In addition to the local shoes, the Southern 400 again drew some big names for the field. Out-of-town aces expected for the race included former Cup driver and 1970 NASCAR champion Bobby Isaac, Harry Gant, two-time and defending Southern 400 winner L.D. Ottinger, three-time national LMS champion Jack Ingram, and 1974 Southern 400 winner Butch Lindley.

From TMC Archives

Isaac hoped for better results than in his previous Southern effort. Simply making the field would accomplish that goal. Car owner Ellis Cook provided a car for Isaac for the 1973 Southern 400. Isaac could not get the needed speed out of the Chevelle during time trials and failed to qualify for the race.

Gant's first Nashville race was in the 1970 Southern 300, and he developed a knack for the track in the years to follow. He won three 200-lap LMS races at Nashville over 1975-1976 - including the Spirit of '76 200 just a few months earlier.

Ottinger towed from East Tennessee to Music City for several big races during the 1970s. He won the first Southern 300 on Nashville's short-lived, high banks configuration. L.D. also took the checkered flag in the World Service Life 200 three weeks before the Southern. During post-race tech, however, officials learned Ottinger's Chevelle had mysteriously lost a good bit of weight. He was disqualified, and Alexander inherited the win.

Ingram raced regularly in the 1970s Southerns. After initially planning to race in the 1976 edition, he made a late decision to opt out of it because of a Nashville connection.

Charlotte's World Service Life 300 was scheduled for October 9 - the week after the Southern. Alexander's win in Nashville's World Service Life 200 earned him a spot in Charlotte's invitational race. Because of a lack of experience, limited prep time, and college class obligations, Alexander declined the invitation.

The invitation was then extended to Ingram who chose to pass on the Southern 400 to prepare for Charlotte's 300. As it turns out, Ingram could have raced in both as the World Service Life 300 was twice postponed by rain until October 23.

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After attempting a one-day show in 1975, the Speedway returned to a three-day event in 1976. Ottinger sloughed off his DQ from three weeks earlier and won the pole for the Southern. Gant timed second to start on the front row alongside L.D.

The next three starting spots belonged to the local racers Crowell, Steve Spencer, and '76 track champion Alton Jones. In a far more successful effort than in 1973, Isaac qualified tenth.

In a bit of a stunner, Lindley blew an engine during qualifying. Without a replacement (or perhaps a rule prohibiting an engine change), Lindley had to withdraw from the race. With Gant making the race and Lindley going home early, the two would swap spots in the point standings behind leader Ottinger.

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With no real surprises during the second day of qualifying, the 34-car field was set for the Sunday afternoon start. Within a few laps, however, fans saw the first incident that somewhat set the tone for the rest of the race.

A six-car accident ended the day for Alexander. Crowell was also involved though he continued. He made repeated trips to the pits for additional repairs, however, and parked it after 132 laps.

Ottinger and Spencer both qualified well, but both were done by lap 60 with engine issues. Ottinger later took over in relief for fellow Newport, TN driver Jack Hill.

Isaac made the show, but that is about all that went well for him. Driving his own car rather than one provided for him, Isaac struggled with it throughout the first half of race. After losing three laps because of the problems and attempted fixes, Isaac finally loaded it up for the ride home at lap 190.

As the race proceeded through its second half, eighteen of the race's 34 starters crashed or fell out of the event. With many of the top cars sidelined, Gant piled up lap after lap as the leader and easily built a two-lap cushion over second place Hill (with Ottinger at the wheel).

Gant had a double-gulp, Oh Crap! moment with sixteen laps to go. His crew missed fuel mileage calculations a bit, and Gant ran dry with the two lap lead. He pulled low and coasted to the pits to get a splash.

With a fresh few gallons to last the difference, Gant's car then would not refire. Meanwhile, Ottinger continued at speed. The crew was finally able to get the #77 car to restart, and off he went to lead the remaining laps and claim the win.

Randy Tissott finished third, and the local rookies - Marlin and Wiser - had solid finishes of fourth and sixth, respectively.

From TMC Archives

Source for articles: The Tennessean

TMC

The last Late Model Sportman race of the 1977 season at Nashville Speedway was the 19th Southern 400 on Sunday, October 2nd. Coincidentally, the race was also the final Southern 400 - a tradition dating back to its first running in 1958.

Locally, Steve Spencer was the story of the track's season. Spencer won five features and claimed Nashville's LMS title.

Fans also witnessed the first career late model wins for rising stars Sterling Marlin and Dennis Wiser. Both were part of the highly touted Kiddie Corps along with Mike Alexander and P.B. Crowell III. Alexander and Crowell scored their first victories in 1976, but Marlin and Wiser needed the extra season before finding victory lane. Coincidentally, Spencer later became the personal pilot for Marlin.

Butch Lindley, 1974 Southern 400 winner and NASCAR's 1977 national Late Model Sportsman championship leader, captured the pole on the first day of qualifying. Rival and good friend Harry Gant timed second in his Buick. Marlin laid down the third quickest lap followed by two-time Southern winner (1970 |1975) L.D. Ottinger and Alexander.

After Friday's qualifying, out-of-town teams towed their cars to local motels. Someone hotwired Gant's truck that night and swiped the truck, trailer, race car, and parts. Though the truck was found in Alabama, everything was missing from it.

Gant borrowed a back-up car from Lindley on the second day of qualifying. His luck, however, went from bad to worse. The throttle hung during a practice lap, and Gant pummeled the wall. The car was destroyed, Gant withdrew from the race, and he headed home wondering about his racing future.

An unseasonably chilly, blustery, fall day helped keep the crowds away on race day. After years of drawing upwards of 15,000 fans, an estimated crowd of only 5,000 arrived to watch what turned out to be the final Southern 400.

With Gant's withdrawal, Marlin moved to the front row to join pole winner Lindley.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

After many years of late race drama, the 1977 Southern delivered little. Cars continually fell by the wayside, and the dominant driver felt little pressure up front.

Track champion Spencer started eighth but fell out of the race on lap 23. Marlin launched from second but loaded after 70 laps. Kiddie Corps member Dennis Wiser elevated his car to an impressive second, but he popped the wall on lap 144.

Many of the out-of-towners fared about as poorly. Bob Pressley was wiped out in a lap 61 accident, and Ottinger lost an engine on lap 85. Randy Tissot and Larry Utsman clocked out early as well. When the day was done, about half of the 32-car field's starters were out of the race.

Alexander won only two 30-lap features in his sophomore season, but his #84 Harpeth Ford-sponsored Cougar went the distance in the Southern 400. As others had issues, Alexander ran smoothly and consistently. When the checkered flag fell, Alexander returned home with a P2 - a far better result than his 31st place DNF a year earlier.

No one had anything for the pole winner, Butch Lindley. All day long, Lindley's Nova was the car to beat. Alexander gave it his best shot, but it wasn't nearly enough. Lindley eased around the track lap after lap and topped Alexander by about a lap and a half.

Butch Applegate finished third followed by Tony Formosa, Jr. in his first LMS start. Today, Formosa is the leaseholder and promoter of Fairgrounds Speedway.

Mike Beam, later a crew chief in NASCAR's top divisions, was a Lindley crewman in 1977 and recalled:

Rick Townsend and I got into a fight during the race about if we wanted to put a 42 treaded tire on the RR or a 46 slick. Butch wanted to pit, but Gene Petty told him he couldn't pit because his pit crew were fist fighting. Butch thought it was funny. Next caution, we pitted and put the 42 on RR and won the race. Rick won the coin toss on which one to put on. After the race when they were taking this picture, we were all friends again much to Butch's amusement. - from Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

A few weeks later, Lindley formally wrapped up his first NASCAR national LMS title. He repeated as champion in 1978. Though he made a handful of Cup starts, most of his success came in the LMS and later Busch / Xfinity Series. In April 1985, Lindley was critically injured in a late model race in Florida and lapsed into a coma. He passed away five years later.

Promoter Bill Donoho felt awful about Gant's misfortune. After working through a couple of scheduling challenges, he finally arranged a Harry Gant Benefit night in April 1978. The idea was to provide proceeds from the night to help offset some of Gant's financial loss. Perhaps as expected because of who he is, Gant politely declined the generous offer.

As noted earlier, 1977 was the final year for the Southern 400. The NASCAR-sanctioned Southern returned in October 1978 as a LMS race, but it was only 200 laps and the preliminary companion event for the Marty Robbins World Open 500.

Jody Ridley won over a sparse field in a final Southern 200 in 1979, originally scheduled as a companion event to the third year of the Marty Robbins race. The Robbins event was canceled, however, because of a scheduling conflict with another major race in Wisconsin.

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Bill Donoho's multi-year effort to construct a Nashville-area superspeedway fell apart in late 1977. Then after denying the track was for sale in spring 1978, Donoho announced the sale of his interest in the track's lease to Lanny Hester and Gary Baker in December 1978. These two events plus the challenge of scheduling the Robbins Open may have led to reducing the Southern's distance and stature on the '78 schedule.

Hester and Baker acquired Bristol a year earlier, and they began making radical changes at Nashville in 1979. Three of the most notable changes included a one-year cancellation of weekly racing, the adoption of a Grand American division and elimination of the Late Model Sportsman cars, and the permanent cancellation of the historic Southern 400.

A new tradition began in 1981 with the All American 400. Rather than have the race tied to NASCAR's national Late Model Sportsman division, the new race (billed as the "Civil War on Wheels") brought together racers from NASCAR, All Pro Series, and ASA.

Source for articles: The Tennessean

TMC

The King, Richard Petty, is unarguably the most successful individual in NASCAR history. His record in totality is unmatched: 200 wins, seven titles, 127 poles, over 500 top five finishes in nearly 1,200 starts, and a first-year inductee to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

That success, however, included some tough accidents and injuries as well including:

1961 Daytona: Sailing over the wall during his 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.
1970 Darlington: Pounding the turn four wall and then nailing the pit wall during the 1970 Rebel 400.
1978 Daytona: Walloping the earthen berm in the 1978 IROC race followed by a savage lick a few days later in the Daytona 500.
1988 Daytona: Flipping against the catchfence during the Daytona 500.
1991 Sonoma: A head-on hit with the concrete wall and tire barrier during the Banquet Frozen Foods 300.

Another accident that really took the wind out of the King's cape occurred during Pocono's Coca-Cola 500 on July 27, 1980.

As Petty sailed into turn two, his right front wheel broke sending him on a direct trajectory to the wall. After the first lick, the STP Monte Carlo ricocheted into the air for a moment before landing hard. Chuck Bown spun to avoid him, but Darrell Waltrip had nowhere to go and centerpunched the driver's side door.

The King exited the car in obvious pain.Interestingly, rescue crews didn't bother putting a neck brace on him or lay him on a backboard. He simply limped to the ambulance with his head tossed back and agony on his face.

Petty returned one week later to start the Talladega 500. Little clinical information was released beyond his having a sore neck. The truth, however, was King had fractured his neck in the crash. Though it was common in that era - and perhaps for another 25 years or so - for drivers to race hurt, King's willingness and ability to belt into the car with a broken neck was remarkable.

Back to Pocono though. The hit destroyed the right front of the car - and Petty's opportunity to notch his eighth Cup championship.

Long-time Petty fan and licensed paramedic, Brian Hauck, attended the race that day. He occasionally assisted the medical response team for Pocono's Indy Car races; however, he chose not to do so for Cup races so he could watch as a fan.

Hauck, therefore, had no choice but to watch the track's medical crew work on his favorite driver from a distance and ask around about his condition later.

When he returned to work Monday, he was still uncertain about King's condition - and bent about the casual way the medical staff handled his neck. Meanwhile, a co-worker began holding court with stories about his weekend trip to the Pocono race. Hauck's ears perked up when he heard the co-worker mention having a piece from Petty's car.

As medical crews attended to Petty and safety crews cleaned the track, Hauck's co-worker foolishly (?) sprinted from his infield position onto the track and retreated hastily with the 43's right front coil spring.

Hauck apparently all but demanded the guy turn over the spring - but got a hell no in return. Some time later, the guy left the company. Hauck fumed he didn't get the spring, and he lost contact with the guy to boot.

In 2018, a mutual friend reconnected the former co-workers. Hauck knew the first question he had to ask - Do you still have that spring? Sure enough, the guy still had it. With the passage of time, he was also willing to part with it for the right reason and to the right person. After nearly 40 years, the coil spring changed hands.

Once Hauck got the spring last October, I received a series of texts and photos from him about it along with a single request: Don't mention this to anyone for now.

On January 24, 2019 - Hauck's birthday - he celebrated a bit differently. Instead of receiving a gift, he gave one. After driving from his home in Trenton, New Jersey to North Carolina, he presented the spring to an unsuspecting Petty and Dale Inman.

Both immediately recognized what Hauck had and couldn't believe he was willing to return it to Level Cross. Inman in particular was flabbergasted the spring still existed. He mentioned the team looked for it in the turn area after the race but never found it. He noted that particular spring had been a good one for set-ups in 1979-80 and joked "I was more concerned about finding that spring than I was Richard's neck."

Initially, King thought Hauck may want his umpteenth autograph to tie to the spring. Once he realized the spring was again his, he held onto it during the remainder of their conversation.

As Hauck wrapped up his visit, King placed the spring atop the Monte Carlo on display in the Petty Museum until a more permanent exhibit spot can be arranged for it.

TMC

A recent birthday advanced me to the year of Lennie Pond.

Richard Petty and Lennie Pond struck a friendship somewhere during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Pond traveled from time to time to Level Cross during his late model sportsman years to buy parts from the Petty shop in Level Cross. His visits and success on Virginia shorts tracks caught King's eye. Lennie eventually moved to NASCAR's Winston Cup ranks with encouragement from the Pettys.

Credit: Donald Evans

In 1978, Petty and Pond helped one another in a relief role in multiple races.

In the Southeastern 500 at Bristol, both Petty and Pond were involved in an early race accident along with Darrell Waltrip and Roland Wlodyka. Petty parked his Dodge Magnum, but Ranier Racing patched Pond's #54 Chevy well enough to continue. The car had staying power, but Pond had a tough time remaining in the seat. The King took over and rallied the car to a top 5 running position. Pond later returned to his car and maintained the track position gained by Petty to finish fifth.

Credit: David Allio / RacingPhotoArchives

When the tour returned to Bristol for its inaugural night race, the two drivers reversed roles. Six days earlier at Michigan, Petty debuted his new STP Chevrolet. His first start, however, resulted in a late race wall pounding. The team borrowed a car from Henley Gray for Bristol, and King did his best to race with a battered ribcage. After Pond fell out 100 laps into the race, he took over the 43 in relief. Pond helped the borrowed ride finish fifth - coincidentally just as Petty did in Pond's car in the spring race.

* * * * *Before joining the Cup ranks full-time, Pond came *this close* to being at the wheel of a Petty car in the 1970 Daytona 500. Kinda. Maybe.

The Petty team was a Plymouth stalwart from 1960 through 1968. The racing community was stunned in late November 1968, however, when Petty Enterprises announced a switch to Ford for 1969. During the one-year run with Ford Motor Company, the team sold a 1968 Plymouth to another Virginian, Don Robertson.

Robertson partnered with another independent driver and fellow commonwealther, Jabe Thomas, to race the 1969 schedule with the Plymouth acquired from the Pettys. The car was painted slate blue and gold, and Thomas started and finished a respectable 14th at Daytona.

Robertson planned to field a second Plymouth in the 1970 Daytona 500, and he originally slotted James Cox to drive it. Cox raced eight times for Robertson in 1969, and Robertson apparently submitted Cox's name on the entry blank for the 500.

While it isn't known which car, if either, was the former Petty Plymouth, the paint on the cars does provide a suggestive clue. Thomas' #25 Plymouth arrived at Daytona painted red and gold.

The second Robertson #23 Plymouth, however, bore the base slate blue that Thomas raced a year earlier. Though the car number, gold accents, and sponsor lettering differed, the blue and gold suggest the second car may have been the Petty Plymouth.

A couple of weeks before Speedweeks, a friend urged Pond to call Thomas about the possibility of racing at Daytona for his second career Grand National start. After discussions with Robertson, all decided Pond would be a good choice to race Robertson's second Plymouth over Cox.

Source: Petersburg Progress Index

* * * * *NASCAR's 1966 Rookie of the Year, James Hylton, had also been a Mopar man in his three Grand National seasons. In the off-season before 1970, however, he sold his Dodge equipment and bought a used Holman Moody Ford previously raced by David Pearson.

Misfortune struck Hylton when he wrecked his Ford during a practice session on Monday before the Daytona 500. The damage was significant enough that Hylton realized his crew couldn't repair it in time for the race.

Robertson and Thomas knew of Hylton's problem - and that he had more experience than Pond. Unlike Lennie, Hylton was a full-time driver chasing points for the Grand National title.

As a nice gesture, Robertson turned the #23 Plymouth over to Hylton for the 125-mile qualifying race. Hylton finished 11th and earned the car a starting spot in the 500. Robertson then withdrew Cox's name as the official driver, substituted Hylton, and kept Lennie on the sideline. Hylton was obviously grateful for the opportunity to race, but he felt somewhat awkward knowing the ride had been promised to Pond.

When the day was done, Hylton finished 22nd in the 500 with teammate Thomas a few spots back in 25th. Cox's opinion about being removed from the car are unknown, and it's not clear if he even went to Daytona.

Though circumstances resulted in Pond's losing the opportunity to race in his first Daytona 500 in 1970, he soldiered on with his late model sportsman career. He moved to Winston Cup in 1973, ran the majority of the races, and narrowly won NASCAR's Rookie of the Year honor over Darrell Waltrip.

That season, Pond finally got behind the wheel of a Petty car for the first time when he relieved the King during the Southern 500 at Darlington.

TMC

Richard Petty captured the Daytona 500 on February 17, 1974. The win was his fifth 500 victory and third in four years. As is always the case in racing, however, you have limited time to celebrate. A week after Daytona, the teams hauled to Richmond to battle 500 laps on the Virginia half-mile bullring.

As impressive as King's Daytona record was, his Richmond stats exceeded it. Coming into the winter '74 race, Petty had 11 victories at Richmond - including the previous seven in a row.

Despite the enviable streak, no win ever comes easy. The Petty Enterprises bunch had to set the Daytona trophy to the side and once again face the challenges of the competition.

The race was billed as the Sixth Annual Richmond 500. Though NASCAR's Grand National / Cup cars had raced on various surfaces and configurations at Richmond since 1953, the track adopted its 500-lap format in 1969.

Bobby Allison, King's long-time rival, captured the pole in his self-fielded Coca-Cola Chevrolet. Cale Yarborough, winner of the season-opening race at Riverside, qualified alongside Allison. Petty and 1973 Winston Cup champion Benny Parsons made up the second row, and 1973 Rookie of the Year Lennie Pond timed fifth.

For about the first half of the season, NASCAR trimmed its race lengths by 10 percent in response to the energy crisis caused by OPEC. From a branding perspective, the track retained the Richmond 500 race name. The first 50 laps, therefore, were "logged" but not scored.

When the field took the green, Yarborough got the jump on Allison to lead the first lap ... err, lap 51 officially. Cale found an early rhythm and led 86 of the race's first 87 laps.

Petty and Cale then split roughly the next 50 laps between themselves - with Parsons slipping in there to lead a lap or two. The STP Dodge then cemented its expected position out front.

Petty's Dodge had found its groove as the race hit halfway. He led a stint of nearly 120 laps before yielding the lead once more to Allison during a pit stop around lap 300. As the Dale Inman-led crew serviced the car, the gasman got the dump can hung in the car. When the jack fell, Petty roared back onto the track - with the fuel can still attached.

King had to make another stop to remove his stowaway passenger, and his sizable lead over Allison was gone.

Petty spent the better part of the next 100 laps clawing back ground he'd lost because of the pit miscue. He finally surged back in front around lap 400 following a caution for Walter Ballard, but his time back out front was brief.

The caution for Ballard was unique and a bit frightening. He had drive train issues and fell out of the race near its midpoint. While making efforts to repair the car to gain a few extra spots and points, Ballard suffered a heart attack. The caution flew so the ambulance could exit the track and head to the hospital.

Remarkably, Ballard returned to race the following Sunday and all the races over the next two seasons. He reduced his driving schedule in 1976 and increased his role as an owner for others. Dale Earnhardt raced Ballard's #30 Chevelle at Charlotte in his second career Winston Cup start, the 1976 World 600.

Back to the race...

During their final stops, Allison opted for four tires whereas the 43 bunch took a gamble with two. The gamble didn't pay off. Allison resumed the point, and Petty spent the remaining laps trying to catch-up with an ill-handling car. As the checkers fell, Allison won comfortably over King. Yarborough finished third, six laps down to the top two finishers.

Allison fans left Richmond with a Coke and a smile. The Petty crowd likely hated to see one slip away. After a seven-race win streak and a Daytona trophy at home, however, most knew it was just a racing deal.

King put the disappointing P2 behind him. He bounced back the following Sunday with a win in the Carolina 500 at Rockingham. He also returned to his winning ways at Richmond by nabbing the next two events - the September 1974 Capital City 500 and February 1975 Richmond 500.

Source: Newport Daily Press

TMC

Beginning in 1966 following the Labor Day 1965 State Fair fire, Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway opened its late model season with the Flameless 300. The tradition continued until 1971 when the track secured Permatex as the race's title sponsor.

The mix of local racers and drivers from NASCAR's national LMS circuit returned to open a new season on April 22, 1972.

The race turned out to be the final opener on Nashville's high banks. After a three-year run of high speeds and questionable tire wear, track operator Bill Donoho chose to lower the track's banking from 35 degrees to 18 degrees following the season-ending Southern 300. That banking remains at the Fairgrounds to this day.

Previous Flameless 300 winners entering the 1972 edition of the Permatex 200 included two-time winners Freddy Fryar (1966, 1968) and Bob Burcham (1967, 1969) as well as local shoe and 1970 track champion Darrell Waltrip (1970). Other name drivers towing to Nashville included Donnie Allison, Red Farmer, Jack Ingram, and L.D. Ottinger. Local racers other than Waltrip included 1971 LMS track champion Flookie Buford and track record holder James Ham.

Waltrip captured the pole though he fell short of topping Ham's track record. Allison timed fifth in his first Nashville start since winning the pole for the 1963 Southern 300 modified race. Fryar arrived late from Chattanooga - too late in fact. Whatever car he expected to race was either assigned to another driver or had left the property. Either way, Freddy's evening was fried.

When the green flag waved, Waltrip took off from his top starting spot and dominated as he frequently did at the Fairgrounds. Despite numerous cautions and restarts, Waltrip continued pulling the field. With about 40 laps to go, Ol' DW had led every lap and a one-lap cushion over second place Allison.

But history then repeated itself. With no pressure from behind, Waltrip's Chevelle broke a rod ending his race. His dominance of the race and engine failure near the end of it mimicked his day six months earlier during the 1971 Southern 300.

After unlapping himself, Allison took over the lead. He led the remaining laps and won his first Nashville race after a nine-year absence.

Of the thirty-far starters, only fourteen cars remained at the end to see the checkers. Most of the out-of-towners did not have a successful night, and the top 10 was comprised largely of local folks.

Donnie Allison
Charlie Binkley
Flookie Buford
Don Anthony
Ronnie Blasingim
Bill Morton
Jack Ingram
Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.
Clyde Peoples
Gene Payne

Source: The Tennessean

TMC

After a three-year experiment as a high-banked, lightning fast, half-mile, the banking of Nashville's Fairground Speedways was cut to 18-degrees where it remains today.

As had become the tradition since 1966, the new season season opened with a big late model sportsman race. The Permatex 200 on April 21, 1973, became the first late model event on the new configuration.

The redesigned track was more than a physical demarcation between Nashville's past and future. Many drivers from Nashville's big late model features of the 1960s and early 1970s such as Freddy Fryar, Bob Burcham, and Red Farmer did not return for the 1973 opener.

The field was comprised largely of local and regional racers such as 1970 track champion Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Flookie Buford, James Ham, Clyde Peoples, Charlie Binkley, and Paddlefoot Wales. A few names, however, made the trek from beyond the immediate area.

Jack Ingram returned to Nashville to accumulate valuable national points. Ingram won NASCAR's national LMS title in 1972 and looked to defend it in 1973. Jimmy Hensley and Sam Ard, two drivers who'd become NASCAR LMS and later Busch Series stalwarts, also made the trip. Newport TN's L.D. Ottinger, winner of the 1970 Southern 300, returned as well.

An unexpected entrant perhaps was Winston Cup regular, Dave Marcis. He brought his Dodge Charger sportsman car to Nashville as the Cup circuit took a break between Darlington and Martinsville. He also needed to earn some pocket change to pay Petty Enterprises for repairs to his Cup car damaged at Darlington.

Source: The Tennessean

Marcis' Dodge was no slouch. The car finished fifth in the Permatex 300 LMS race at Daytona with Alabama's Alton Jones behind the wheel.

Source: Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers

One of the notable offseason moves affecting local racers was a change of scenery for Darrell Waltrip, Nashville's 1970 late model sportsman champion. After several years with P.B Crowell's team, Waltrip moved to Ellis Cook's team with Binkley as a teammate. Cook, a local beer distributor, painted Waltrip's #48 Chevelles the red and gold colors of Falls City Beer. Binkley drove a similarly painted #25 car and built the engines.

The original plan was for Waltrip to race for NASCAR's national LMS title while Binkley competed in Nashville's weekly features. Waltrip's first venture with the team was the Permatex 300 LMS race at Daytona. The carefully prepared car suffered engine woes during the race; however, and the team returned to Tennessee with more to learn.

The team's plans were then modified a good bit. Instead of running for the national LMS title, Waltrip planned a dual focus. He saddled up to pursue Rookie of the Year honors in Cup in addition to running for a second track title at Nashville.

As teams arrived for practice and qualifying for Nashville's opener, Waltrip shook down his newly acquired Chevelle. Something broke during a practice run; however, and things went from bad to worse. As Waltrip sailed into turn 1, his car pitched suddenly to the inside. He clipped the inner guardrail, flipped over it, and then rolled four times to the lower infield that served as the garage area.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History Group

Though stunned a bit, Waltrip was not seriously injured. The team went to Plan B, sent for a backup car from the shop, and thrashed to get it ready for qualifying. Though it wasn't in ideal shape, Waltrip made a timed lap with minutes to spare to earn the sixth starting spot in the field.

Marcis' Dodge delivered as promised in qualifying, and he won the pole. Local racer James Ham was always quick on the high-banked version of the track, and he adapted to the new configuration as well with a P2 lap. Ottinger and Ard made up the second row.

When the green waved, Marcis' heavy Hemi launched him into the lead and a complete domination of the first third of the race. Ottinger ran behind him during that stretch as Waltrip made his way past Ham and Ard in pursuit of the top two. Just shy of halfway, Waltrip made his way past Ottinger and then under Marcis to take the lead.

A caution flag fell shortly after Waltrip took the lead, and it provided the opportunity to pit for fuel and tires. An extended stop, however, resulted in Waltrip's losing two laps. Ottinger made his stop after Waltrip and returned to action without losing a lap.

Throughout the second half of the race, Waltrip did all he could to make up the lost ground. Ottinger, however, maintained a solid pace and kept the local racer at bay. At the finish, Ottinger swept across the line to captured his second career win at the Fairgrounds.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Waltrip still managed to finish second with his backup car. Ard, Marcis and Jack Ingram rounded out the top five finishers.

Source: The Tennessean

Finishing order:

L.D. Ottinger
Darrell Waltrip
Sam Ard
Dave Marcis
Jack Ingram
Flookie Buford
James Ham
Charlie Greenwell
Walter Wallace
Carl Lane
Clyde Peoples
James Veach
Ronnie Blasingim & Jerry Sisco
Phil Stillings
Robert Wales
James Climer
Wayne Carden
John Brown
Windle Webster
Jim McDowell
Neil Bonnett
Dave Sisco
Donnie Roberts
Jimmy Hensley
Charlie Binkley
Donnie Anthony
Jack Hooper
Jim Berry
Dwayne Chaffin
Jerry Sisco
Jimmy Kitchens
Dwayne Cravens

TMC

Nashville's fairgrounds track opened its 1974 season with a recurring race, a traditional pacesetter, a newcomer, and a couple of surprises.

As had been the case since 1966, a NASCAR national late model sportsman feature highlighted the program. The Permatex 200 was held on April 13, 1974.

About 60 drivers arrived on a spring afternoon to qualify for 33 spots. Promoter Bill Donoho had boasted as many as 90 cars might show. Though the number was well short of the projected high, about half of the cars that did arrive got a head start on traffic.

A cast of locals returned for another season of opportunities including Charlie Binkley, Flookie Buford, Bill Morton, Clyde Peoples, and Darrell Waltrip. A larger than usual contingent of Alabama drivers also arrived to make their presence known in Music City. The roster included two original Alabama Gang drivers - Bobby Allison and Red Farmer - along with Neil Bonnett, Dave Mader III, Jimmy Means, Richard Orton, and Paddlefoot Wales.

Mader raced a DiGard-supported Chevelle for Donnie Allison. Donne frequently ran #88, but Mader's car sported #18. The number difference worked well because local racer Buford used #88. (Mader still races and recently competed at age 64 in Daytona's ARCA 200.)

An open weekend between Cup dates at Darlington and North Wilkesboro allowed Bobby Allison to race as well as a couple of other surprise entrants: Buddy Baker and Dave Marcis.

Baker, winner of the 1973 Nashville 420 Cup race, arranged to race Ellis Cook's Falls City Chevelle. The car was the same one local racer James Ham raced in Daytona's Permatex 300 LMS race a couple of months earlier.

Marcis returned with his 1968 Dodge Charger. He raced the same Mopar at Nashville a year earlier and won two races as well as the pole for the '73 Permatex 200.

Since his arrival at Nashville in the late 1960s - including his two LMS titles in 1970 and 1973, Waltrip raced Chevelles for owners P.B. Crowell and Ellis Cook. He made a big change for 1974, however, by joining forces with R.C. Alexander's Harpeth Ford team.

Hutcherson-Pagan built Alexander's #84 Ford, and many believed it rivaled many Cup cars. Waltrip opined the ride was the best one at Nashville, and the seat was open after Alexander and Buford parted ways in late 1973.

Waltrip booked a full load for 1974 by committing to a majority of Nashville's races as well as about half of NASCAR's Cup schedule. In his first start with Alexander's team, he set a track record and captured the pole for the Permatex 200.

The outside pole was claimed by a true outsider. Virginia short-track legend, Ray Hendrick, made his first trip to Nashville and lined up alongside Waltrip. Bonnett, Buford, and Orton rounded out the top starters.

At the drop of the green, Waltrip served notice he didn't plan to surrender his home track to anyone from Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, or anywhere else. He got the jump on Hendrick into the first turn, made it stick, and pulled the field for the first half of the race.

As Waltrip dominated lap after lap, the 33-car field behind him developed all sorts of issues. One by one, drivers began falling out of the race. The list of DNFs included Bonnett, Mader, Marcis, and Baker.

Around lap 115, two-time and defending NASCAR national LMS champion Jack Ingram developed engine issues resulting in a caution. Waltrip hit pit road, and he returned to the track behind Hendrick who pitted about 40 laps earlier.

When the race returned to green, Waltrip dropped into the tire tracks of the Virginian's Flying 11. The two raced nose to tail for the next 30 laps or so with Hendrick keeping as close an eye on his mirror as he did his windshield. Wherever Waltrip's 84 moved, Hendrick shifted likewise.

On lap 155, however, things got real. Waltrip decided it was time to make his move. He went to Hendrick's inside as they sailed down the back straightaway. As they headed for turn three, Waltrip eased ahead of Hendrick. Suddenly, however, his Ford swapped ends and slapped the outside wall as Hendrick spun to the inside.

Hendrick gathered his car, uttered a few choice words on his radio, and soldiered on to rejoin the race. Waltrip's night, however, was done. Whatever words he opted to use were apparently said on the track as he stood near his junked car waiting for Hendrick's return.

After the restart, one of the Alabama Gang found himself on the point. No, not Red Farmer. Red was in recovery mode after looping his car to avoid a spinning Freddy Fryar. No, it wasn't Bobby Allison either. The Alabama leader was the virtual unknown Richard Orton. He pulled the field into turn one followed by Allison.

Hendrick was in third, still in the thick of the action. He turned his focus from mirror driving Waltrip to rapping the bumper of Allison. The extra doinks to the rear of Allison's car didn't go over very well with its occupant. Allison brake-checked Hendrick a bit - or maybe he didn't. Whether he did or not depends on whether you believe Allison's story vs. Hendrick! Regardless of who did what to whom (or didn't), Hendrick made the pass on Allison - albeit with a bent fender.

As Hendrickgate 2.0 unfolded, Orton separated himself a bit. He led the rest of the way, kept Hendrick at bay, and parlayed his top five starting spot to the biggest win of his career.

Source: Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers

Orton returned to Nashville throughout 1974 to compete in several additional features; however, he didn't win any of them. He did not race at the Fairgrounds in subsequent seasons, and his single win remains one of the greater upsets in track history.

A couple of days after the race, Waltrip remained upset about his incident with Hendrick. About six weeks later, however, he extracted some bit of redemption by winning over Hendrick in the 1974 Falls City 200. The race was Hendrick's second and final visit to the Fairgrounds.

Twelve years later in a similar scenario at Richmond, one has to wonder if Waltrip flashed back to April 1974 while battling another hard-nosed, short track racer.

Source: The Tennessean

Fans witnessed Orton's first and only Nashville win, Hendrick's first appearance, and Waltrip's first start in R.C Alexander's Ford. They also saw another driver begin his driving career. Alexander's son, Mike, made his racing debut in the 50-lap limited sportsman race before the 200.

Mike had an ignominious first outing. He tangled with track veteran George Bennett ending his night early. He took the DNF hard in the moment, but he quickly put the experience behind him and focused on the next opportunity.

Source: Nashville Banner / Courtesy of Mike Alexander

One of the lessons learned was to fix what you broke. He repaired his #83 Ford and returned to race another day. Several days actually. As the next few years unfolded, he won a handful of limited sportsman races, nearly 50 LMS and Grand American races, and the track's 1978 LMS title. His Nashville record teed him up for greater success in NASCAR's regional late model series and several opportunities in Cup.

Visit Russ Thompson's page for many more photos from the 1974 Permatex 200.

Finishing Order:

Richard Orton
Ray Hendrick
Bobby Allison
Red Farmer
Jimmy Hensley
Phil Stillings
Paddlefoot Wales
Freddy Fryar
Jimmy Means
Wayne Andrews
Bob Burcham
Steve Spencer
L D. Ottinger
Jerry Sisco
Charlie Binkley
Flookie Buford
Brad Teague
Darrell Waltrip
Bill Morton
Dave Marcis
Jack Inqram
Buddy Baker
Wayne Carden
Dave Mader
Rod Stillings
Gene Payne
Ray Putnam
A.C. York
Neil Bonnett
Billy Hammond
John Utsman
Gary Myers
Clyde Peoples

TMC

Nashville Speedway opened its 1975 season with the 200-lap Winston Salute To America 200 for NASCAR's national Late Model Sportsman division.

Track promoter, Bill Donoho, landed a field of NASCAR's top national LMS drivers including Neil Bonnett, Jack Ingram, Butch Lindley, Tiny Lund, L.D. Ottinger, and Morgan Shepherd.

Several local and area racers entered as well including 1974 Nashville LMS champ Jimmy Means, James Climer, Alton Jones, Rod Stillings, Dorris Vaughn, Paddlefoot Wales, and promising rookie P.B. Crowell III. Fans also enjoyed the return of old school, Nashville veterans Bob Burcham, Freddy Fryar, Coo Coo Marlin.

Donoho made a promotional effort to move the needle even further in his favor by recruiting Cup drivers Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, and Darrell Waltrip. The Cup schedule provided a break between Darlington and Martinsville, and the trio came to middle Tennessee with the promise of a little extra pocket change.

Source: The Tennessean

Butch Lindley set a track record and won the pole - but was then disqualified. In response to noise concerns (an issue the track still faces today with loads of new neighbors), the track implemented a rule requiring mufflers on the car. Lindley's car did not have one nor did Ingram, Ottinger, or Waltrip. All were allowed to add a muffler and re-qualify.

After the round of do-overs, Jones won the right to start first. Waltrip lined up alongside him in R.C. Alexander's #84 Ford.

Donoho's promotional efforts were rewarded as the grandstands were packed for the season opener. Unfortunately, however, the race did not live up to the pre-race hype based on the heavy hitters in the line-up.

First, three-time defending national LMS champion Ingram, failed to make the race because of a faulty distributor. Following the start of the race, Baker wrecked just a half-lap into the event. On the subsequent restart, Waltrip and Jones crashed while battling for the lead off turn four, and Yarborough piled into them. The Cup trio and Jones rejoined the race, but all had loaded their cars on the trailers by lap 20. The casualties continued including:

Bonnett - quarter-mark
Coo Coo - halfway
Shepherd - competitive, but not behind and wrecked while pushing to make up lost distance

Ottinger remained well away from everyone else's trouble and built a comfortable lead. Other than a caution with about 60 laps to go to close the field, the remaining racers presented little challenge to Ottinger. He walked the dawg on 'em and won easily over second place Lund.

Lindley recovered from his rules-snafu to finish fourth, and Crowell notched a solid sixth in his racing debut. After earning rookie of the year honors in 1975, he joined rookies Mike Alexander, Sterling Marlin, and Dennis Wiser in 1976 as a quartet of hot shoes branded the Kiddie Corps.

Speaking of Alexander, he enjoyed the spoils of victory the same night as Ottinger. Driving for his father and Waltrip's LMS car owner that night, R.C. Alexander, Mike pocketed his first career victory by winning the 50-lap limited sportsman division preliminary race on Nashville's quarter-mile track.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

Source: The Tennessean

Waltrip returned to Nashville the Cup race three weeks after the season opener. He captured his first career Cup win in the Music City 420 in his own #17 Chevrolet with crew chief Jake Elder.

Lund made his first start at the fairgrounds since the May 1972 Mr. D's 200 Grand National East race. After two decades of part-time seasons in NASCAR's Cup, Convertible, Grand Touring / Grand American, and Grand National East divisions, Tiny planned to race as many national LMS races as possible in an effort to win the title. Sadly, Lund died in a savage accident during the Talladega 500 in August 1975.

Ottinger won Nashville's 1975 season-opener and captured another signature track victory by winning the Permatex Southern 400 in September with an assist from Waltrip.

Alexander advanced to Nashville's LMS ranks in 1976. With multiple wins at his home track and others across many southern states, Alexander got several Cup opportunities. His greatest break came as the replacement in the Miller High Life Buick in mid-1988 following Bobby Allison's accident and head injuries at Pocono. Unfortunately, Alexander suffered head injuries of his own at the Snowball Derby in Pensacola in December 1988. Though he returned for a handful of Cup races over the next couple of years, he officially retired in 1992.

TMC

Nashville Speedway at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds opened its 1977 season with the Winston Salute To America 200 on April 16th. The 200-lap race was sanctioned as a NASCAR national late model sportsman event.

Times were tough for racers in the mid 1970s - locally and on the national level. L.D. Ottinger, NASCAR's two-time national Late Model Sportsman champion, had done enough barnstorming to accumulate points.

Ottinger continued to race and win, but he longer had the hunger to bounce all over the eastern and southern U.S. to bank points. Jack Ingram reached the same decision after winning his third consecutive LMS title in 1974.

Locally, Nashville's 1976 LMS champion, Alton Jones, didn't return to defend his title. Jones was from Alabama, but he'd raced off and on at Nashville since the early 1970s. He raced the full schedule in 1976 and won the title over rookie Mike Alexander. Because of a lack of sponsorship, however, Jones opted not to return to Music City in 1977.

With Jones gone along with some of the late model veterans of the early 1970s, most expected the storyline of Nashville's 1977 season to be the further maturation of the Kiddie Corps.

Mike Alexander, P.B. Crowell III, Sterling Marlin and Dennis Wiser

All four up-and-comer drivers were second generation racers.

Mike Alexander, Nashville's 1976 LMS rookie of the year, was the son of R.C. Alexander, a long-time owner for winning drivers dating back to the late 1950s.
P.B. Crowell III, Nashville's 1975 LMS rookie of the year, was the son of P.B. Crowell, Jr. a former winning driver who became a prominent owner in the late 1960s when he hired a kid from Owensboro, Kentucky: Darrell Waltrip.
Sterling Marlin was the son of four-time Nashville track champ and Cup independent, Coo Coo Marlin. Before he began his driving career, Sterling worked as a crewman and mechanic on his father's Cup cars.
Dennis Wiser was the son of Kenneth Wiser, a long-time noted car builder and mechanic. Among his other accomplishments, Kenneth built the car raced by 1967 track champ and future NASCAR official, Walter Wallace

Source: The Tennessean

Though many expected the young guns to win their share of races, experienced drivers still planned to have a say in the outcome and leave town with the trophy and the loot. Several big names helped pack the stands for the season opener.

Cup regular and two-time Nashville LMS champion, Darrell Waltrip, flew between Bristol and Nashville to balance practice and qualifying for the Southeastern 500 Cup race and his #88 Gatorade Nova in Nashville.
Ottinger still came to Music City even though he wasn't chasing points.
Ingram finished second in a Friday night late model race in Kingsport, TN before towing to Nashville for its Saturday night feature.
Randy Tissot wrecked his car in the Kingsport race. He came to Nashville anyway with a generous offer by Ingram to race his backup car.

Other out-of-towners included Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Morgan Shepherd, and the son of late model legend Ralph Earnhardt.

Mike Alexander, Steve Spencer, Darrell Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, & Dale Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt arranged to race Waltrip's orange-and-white #17 in his second ever Nashville start. The Robert Gee-painted Nova matched the colors of Crowell's #47.

Though he was young, third-year racer Crowell was already a track veteran. He won the pole by matching the track record of 20.01 seconds. Gant lined up alongside him on the front row.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Nashville hosted three main divisions of weekly racing in 1977: mini-stocks, limited sportsman, and late model sportsman. The track also featured a demolition derby division. The Winston 200 wasn't part of that schedule, but it may as well have been with the way the race unfolded.

Earnhardt's night in his borrowed ride didn't last even a quarter of the race. He spun on lap 40 and collected Marlin with him.

Wiser, another one of the young'uns, popped the wall shortly after halfway, and he too was done - as was Steve Spencer. Fortunately for Spencer, the night did not start a trend for him. He won frequently during the year and captured the 1977 LMS title.

Cup independent and 1969 Nashville LMS champion, Dave Sisco, tangled with Shepherd to end both their nights. And with about 20 laps to go, Crowell's pole-winning car laid down sending his car to the trailer.

With five to go and Ingram leading, Benny Kerley apparently hit a patch of fluid and spun in turn three. Ingram was already past Kerley, but second-place running Gant also hit the oil and clipped Kerley as he tried to avoid him.

As Gant slowed and twitched, he was then drilled in the right side by local racers Ricky Marlin and and Dave Hill. Fast approaching Waltrip and Tissot took evasive action to dodge the three-car wreck.

As Gant's totaled car was towed to the garage, it was apparent to all the roll cage wasn't nearly as strong as required. Handsome Harry was fortunate to return to North Carolina without injury.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

On the restart, Waltrip went high in turn one in hopes of getting momentum to launch past Ingram. His car stumbled, however, and he immediately faded. Ottinger had issues too - at the very moment he didn't need them.

Feeling no pressure from the others, Ingram and Tissot clicked off the remaining laps to finish 1-2. Waltrip and Ottinger remained on track and finished third and fourth.

Fans saw a remarkable and perhaps exasperating 11 cautions totaling 65 laps. Of the 28 starters, only nine cars made it to the end. With so many cars out of the race or many laps down to the leaders, Kerley and Gant still managed to finish fifth and sixth despite their DNFs!

Ingram captured his fifth national LMS win at Nashville and eighth victory overall. He won three more times at the Fairgrounds - a 250-lap national LMS race in 1979 and a Busch Grand National race in 1984.

Source: The Tennessean

Finishing order:

Jack Ingram
Randy Tissot
Darrell Waltrip
L.D. Ottinger
Benny Kerley
Harry Gant
Gary Sircy
Ricky Marlin
Buzzy Reynolds
Dorris Vaughn
David Panter
P.B. Crowell
Thomas Mount
David Hill
Mike Alexander
David Rogers
Jerry Sisco
Dennis Wiser
Steve Spencer
Carl Langford
Terry Vickers
Dale Earnhardt
Art Sommers
Sterling Marlin
Morgan Shepherd
David Sisco
Marvin Joyner
Charlie Whitefield

TMC

Nashville Speedway opened its 1978 season with a marquis NASCAR national late model sportsman race just as it had since 1966. The Winston Salute To America 200 ran on Saturday, April 15, 1978.

Though the 200-lap season-opener held to tradition, fans experienced many changes during and after the season that altered all sorts of traditions.

In December, the track's lease was sold by long-time track promoter, Bill Donoho, to local racer Lanny Hester and businessman Gary Baker. Donoho operated the track since its opening in 1958, but he spent much of his time in 1976-1977 overseeing a project to build a Nashville-areas superspeedway. The track was to have been built about 20 miles south of Nashville. One problem after another arose; however, and Donoho's project was scrapped in early 1978.

The season also turned out to be the final full year for the late model sportsman division. After featuring modifieds as the top division in the early years, Donoho replaced them with the LMS division in 1964. Hester and Baker opted to run only a handful of LMS races in 1979 with the traditional Novas and Chevelles. Then in 1980, the new promoters introduced a new Grand American division featuring primarily Camaros and Firebirds.

Local racer Steve Spencer experienced a bit of change as well. Spencer earned Nashville's 1973 rookie of the years honors and won the 1977 LMS title in an orange Chevelle. In the offseason, he purchased a late model Nova from North Carolina racer Randy Tissott. Furthermore, his sponsor (an avid Vanderbilt Commodores sports fan), asked Spencer to paint the car black and gold.

Source: The Tennessean

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Another local racer, Mike Alexander, had expected a change - though it happened later than originally thought. During his two previous full-time LMS years, Alexander raced a mid 60s Mercury Cougar. For the new season, he expected to race a newly-built Ford Granada. Multiple problems with the car during testing, however, led Alexander to return the car to the builder. Instead, he stuck with his trusty Cougar for the first part of the season.

Source: The Tennessean

In addition to Spencer and Alexander, Sterling Marlin returned for his third season of LMS racing. The trio represented the strongest of the local racer contingent. As a national LMS feature, the race also attracted several out-of-towners as it typically did. The list of Big Dawgs included racers such as two-time national LMS champions Jack Ingram and L.D. Ottinger, 1978 national LMS champ Butch Lindley, Bob Pressley, Morgan Shepherd, and late entrant Donnie Allison.

Despite the presence of several touring pros, the local fellas let 'em know they knew their way around the Fairgrounds track quite well. Marlin won the pole, and Spencer joined him on the front row.

Source: Hemmings.com

Spencer's newly purchased Nova was fast. He got the jump on Marlin at the green and pulled the field into turn one. The 1977 track champ found his early groove and enjoyed the view out front. Lap after lap, Spencer's #27 Chevrolet stayed out front.

Meanwhile, Alexander, P.B. Crowell III, and Dennis Wiser were all gone by halfway. The three drivers along with Marlin comprised the highly touted Kiddie Corps two seasons earlier. Marlin stayed in the hunch though he seemingly had nothing for Spencer. His lack of speed was compounded by pit miscues followed by a tangle with another car late in the race. He still managed a P7 finish - though 10 laps down to the winner.

With 55 laps to go, Spencer had to make his stop to make it to the end. Like Marlin, he too had issues making a clean pit stop. He suffered a painful one-lap penalty for running the pit-out stop sign. And like Marlin, he knicked another car - Ironman Ingram - late in the race. Though he continued to a P4 finish, Spencer realized he'd missed out on a golden opportunity to bank a premier LMS win.

After pit challenges by the local racers, veteran racer Donnie Allison - and his seasoned crew - made his pit stop cleanly. Allison took over the top spot and led the remaining laps that Spencer could not. Donnie captured his third season-opener win at Nashville in seven seasons. His other victories were the 1972 Permatex 200 and 1976 Winston 200.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Many of the local and national racers' names had been touted in the run-up to race day by the track's promotional team. Allison's name, however, was not among the names mentioned because he had not yet submitted an official entry. Some speculated Allison, a NASCAR Cup regular, wanted more show money than Donoho was willing to pay. Allison held back his entry perhaps as a countermove to limit Donoho's use of Donnie's name in marketing efforts.

Source: The Tennessean

Finishing Order:

Donnie Allison
Bob Pressley
Gene Glover
Steve Spencer
Al Henderson
Wayne Carden
Sterling Marlin
Tony Cunningham
John Huskey
David Ray
Charlie Whitefield
Jack Ingram
Morgan Shepherd
Butch Lindley
James Ham
Butch Applegate
L. D. Ottinger
P.B. Crowell, III
Jack Hill
Mike Alexander
Paddlefoot Wales
James Climer
Ken Gay
Dennis Wiser
Marvin Joiner
Dorris Vaughn

TMC

Nashville's fairgrounds speedway opened the 1979 season with many changes and an equal or greater number of questions.

Gone was long-time promoter and track operator, Bill Donoho. Replacing him was the duo Lanny Hester and Gary Baker. Hester formerly raced at the fairgrounds in the mini-stock division and started a few NASCAR Baby Grand National events. Baker was a Nashville tax attorney whose most notable client was Waylon Jennings. The two assumed Nashville's lease from Donoho in 1978 after buying Bristol earlier in the season.

One of the first changes made by Hester and Baker was to rename the track from Nashville Speedway to Nashville International Raceway - perhaps to align it with Bristol's full name. The other significant change was dropping the weekly racing series - a staple of the track since its opening in 1958.

The primary reason given for the elimination of weekly racing was to allow more time for Hester and Baker to implement needed upgrades. As it turned out, few noticeable facility upgrades were made.

Although the track did not run its traditional slate of weekly races, NIR did host two Cup races, two Baby Grand races, an ARCA event, and three national late model sportsman features. The first of the three LMS races was the season-opening CRC Chemicals Nashville 250 on April 14, 1979.

The race was conveniently scheduled on an open weekend for Cup drivers between Darlington and Martinsville. In years past, Donoho often enticed at least a couple of Cup regulars to participate in the first race of each season. For the 1979 opener, however, only Bobby Allison entered.

Hester and Baker had hoped Darrell Waltrip would enter - particularly on the heels of his stirring victory at Darlington a week earlier, but Allison was the lone Cup representative. It's possible the show money wasn't thick enough for some to make the trip - particularly since the race was the night before Easter Sunday.

For much of 1976-77-78, fans grew to embrace four young drivers nicknamed the Kiddie Corps. Two of the drivers - Mike Alexander and Sterling Marlin - had quickly become veteran racers, but the other two kind of faded away a bit. Alexander and Marlin returned as expected winners from the local crowd for 1979 and were joined by 1977 track champion Steve Spencer and rookie Tony Cunningham.

In addition to several changes in track operations, 1978 Nashville LMS champion Alexander surprised many with a big change of his own. From his start in 1974, Alexander raced Fords - primarily because of his father's ties to a Ford dealership. R.C. Alexander fielded competitive Fords for many drivers dating back almost 20 years. Yet when the the 1979 season began, Mike was at the wheel of a Pontiac - a PONY-ACK! as King Richard would say.

Alexander and his dad built the car for Waltrip - but then bought it from DW before it hit the track. Mike raced it for the first time in Daytona's 300-mile LMS race in February. Waltrip coincidentally won the race. Marlin and Alexander finished second and ninth, respectively, in their Daytona debuts.

Source: The Tennessean

Alexander landed more than Waltrip's car. He also picked up some support from him as a sponsor.

Long-time LMS racer Gene Glover of Kingsport, TN won the pole. Glover's son Tony later became well-known as crew chief for Morgan-McClure drivers Ernie Irvan and Sterling Marlin. The field included Allison, the local contingent, and several regional LMS racers including Jack Ingram, Butch Lindley, Jody Ridley,and Morgan Shepherd.

Once the green fell, however, many of the favorites developed all sorts of trouble well before time to show their hand. For starters, Allison developed ignition issues at race time and withdrew before even taking a pace lap. And Jack Ingram fell out after only 24 laps.

Early racing included Asheville NC's Bob Pressley and Alexander in his new Pontiac. On lap 42, however, Alexander got KO'd by a runaway wheel from Steve Spencer's car. Both Spencer and Alexander's new car were finished for the night.

The two "Ley" drivers - Ridley and Lindley - had a good battle as well. Lindley, a frequent winner of big races at the Fairgrounds in the 1970s, was again in the hunt for about two-thirds of the race. Engine issues around lap 180, however, doomed his fortunes.

With the strongest competition loaded on their trailers and a two-lap lead on Glover, Pressley set his cruise control and easily led the remaining laps. He even made a casual late pit stop - just because. In doing so, Glover made up his lost distance but was no threat to match Pressley's car.

Cup driver Richard Childress greeted Pressley in victory lane. Though he didn't drive in the event, Childress's Cup car was sponsored by CRC Chemicals.

Marlin, Ridley, and Shepherd rounded out the top five. Sterling finished one lap down to Pressley, and Ridley and Shepherd were down two laps.

Source: The Tennessean

Pressley had no issues in the race. Actually, his only annoyance the whole day was too much ice in his Co' Cola cup!

Source: The Tennessean

Finishing order:

Bob Pressley
Gene Glover
Sterling Marlin
Jody Ridley
Morgan Shepherd
Tony Cunningham
Charlie Chamblee
Dennis Wiser
Carl Langford
Ricky Diehl
Butch Allen
Bobby Hailey
Butch Applegate
Mike Potter
Butch Lindley
Paul Dean Holt
Mike Alexander
Steve Spencer
Jack Ingram
Phil Spickard
Richard Waters
Bobby Allison

TMC

Fairground Speedways opened in 1958 as a slightly banked half-mile and with modified coupes as its featured series. The track introduced Late Model Sportsman cars in 1964 as its top division.

LMS drivers continued to roar for the next 15 years through a rebuilding of the track to a high-banked, 5/8-mile version in 1970, a third configuration in 1973 to the current 18-degree banking, a name change to Nashville Speedway in 1974, and another change to Nashville International Raceway in 1979.

The familiar and fan-embraced division, however, disappeared following the track's abbreviated 1979 season. It was replaced with a "new" Grand American division - a NASCAR brand re-purposed from its original use in the early 70s. The change had been rumored throughout 1979 and was formalized during an announcement in November of that year.

Source: The Tennessean

As was known to happen from time to time, Larry Woody's reporting in The Tennessean about the announcement included a bit of an error. Most of the Grand American cars were Chevy Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds - not Novas and Venturas. The older model cars were allowed to participate - but they could rarely hang with the sleek, lighter GA cars.

One of the drivers selected to attend the press announcement and 1980 schedule release was a bit peculiar. Sterling Marlin was a full-time, winning LMS racer known well to race fans, so his participation made sense. Part-time racer Don Light, on the other hand, had hardly been a dominating force in the track's mini-stock division.

But...he was that Don Light. On the track, Light was a racing hobbyist who hadn't experienced winning at the Fairgrounds. Off the track, however, he knew winning well. Light managed superstars such as Jimmy Buffett and the Oak Ridge Boys. (Light later managed Kyle Petty during his fledgling music career and founded the short-lived Sound & Speed pre-season NASCAR event.)

Source: Getty Images

* * * * *

The 1980 season began with the CRC Chemicals 200. Though the old LMS division had been retired, Nashville's tradition of opening the season with a big feature pitting local racers against out-of-town heavyweights continued as it had since the 1966 Flameless 300.

CRC Chemicals returned as the race's title sponsor for the second season. CRC also continued their use of motorsports as a marketing platform. In addition to sponsoring Nashville's inaugural Grand American race, CRC sponsored the fall Cup race at Dover and Richard Childress's Cup program.

Promoters Lanny Hester and Gary Baker ponied up some solid bucks to land Cup veteran David Pearson. Though Pearson's long association with the Wood Brothers ended about a year earlier, Pearson raced a part-time Cup schedule in 1980 for Hoss Ellington's Hawaiian Tropic team. He arrived in Nashville fresh off his tenth and final win at Darlington - a race coincidentally sponsored by CRC Chemicals.

Source: The Tennessean

The other out-of-town name for the race was two-time national LMS champion, Butch Lindley. Since traveling to Nashville for the first time in the early '70s, Lindley had pocketed six big wins at the Fairgrounds - two each in 1974, 1977, and 1978.

Source: The Tennessean

Joining Pearson and Lindley as early favorites were a couple of veteran locals in their new rides - Marlin and Mike Alexander. Though several other locals filled the field each race in 1980, Marlin dominated the year with Alexander grabbing his share as well. The two would develop a serious rivalry over the next few years - as well as a solid friendship in the long run.

Lindley didn't arrive in Nashville just to putz around. He set the track record, won the pole, and let the field know his mastery of Nashville in a Chevelle or Nova transferred to his Grand American Camaro.

Though Marlin dominated Nashville's 1980 season, his reign did not begin until after week one. He ran over debris from the car of local racer Dorris Vaughn, cut a tire, and never recovered the rest of the race. Steve Spencer, Nashville's 1977 LMS champ, also struggled and finished deep in the field.

Racing a #21 Purolator Camaro resembling his former Wood Brothers Cup ride, Pearson chased Lindley early. Staying with Lindley, however, was another matter. He ended the race in third - and a distant third at that.

Credit: David Allio / Racing Photo Archives

Alexander was the only driver who could consistently stay near Lindley. But even so, Lindley's #16 gapped him significantly in the second half of the race. When the checkered flag fell, Lindley nabbed his seventh Nashville feature with a two-lap victory over Alexander.

Source: The Tennessean

With two LMS titles and a bushel of feature wins at numerous tracks, many speculated Lindley would be a natural to advance to Cup. Many of his LMS peers had already earned permanent rides or at least a handful of starts including Neil Bonnett, Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Joe Millikan, Jody Ridley, and Morgan Shepherd.

Lindley acknowledged that while he could go to Cup, he didn't want to advance and struggle. He wanted to compete regularly for wins. If that meant towing his car all over the place for points, show money, minimal travel luxuries, and trophies, so be it.

Source: The Tennessean

Lindley did make eleven Cup starts for a handful of car owners - including himself - between 1979 and 1985. His best finish was a P2 to Gant in Martinsville's 1982 spring race. While handling the occasional one-off Cup start, he continued racing the short tracks of the south.

In 1985 during an All Pro Series race, however, Lindley wrecked and suffered a devastating head injury. He languished until June 6, 1990 - just over 10 years from his win in Nashville's inaugural Grand American race.

Results:

Butch Lindley
Mike Alexander
David Pearson
Phillip Grissom
Richard Waters
Al Henderson
Sidney Minton
Tony Cunningham
Phil Spickar
Sterling Marlin
David Jones
Jimmy Williams
Andy Pope
Billy Clinton
Dorris Vaughn
Mark Taylor
Charlie Adcock
Steve Spencer
Mike Montgomery
Dennis White
R.A. Brannon

TMC

Lumberman A.J. King, Jr. of Sevierville, TN joined NASCAR as a car owner in 1967. Over the next couple of years, he fielded Mopars for drivers such as Paul Lewis, Li'l Bud Moore, and Pete Hamilton.

By 1970, however, King folded his tent and exited the Grand National ranks. Though little is known about King's arrival or departure, it's likely he experienced the racing truism of: The way to end up with a small fortune in racing is to start with a big one. (King did return as an owner/sponsor for one race in 1975. Sadly, Tiny Lund was killed in the Talladega 500 in King's Dodge.)

Though King got out of Grand National / Cup racing, Dave Marcis modified one of King's 1969 Dodge Chargers. Marcis raced it as a winged Dodge Daytona in 1970 and then returned the car to its 1969 Charger body for 1971 and 1972.

The car found new life in 1973 in NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman division. In February, Alabama's Alton Jones raced the Charger to a fifth place finish in Daytona's Permatex 300 with King Enterprises on the quarter panel as the sponsor.

Source: Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers

King and Marcis then partnered to run several short track LMS races. Marcis worked them in between his Cup schedule as he raced mostly for himself and part-time for Roger Penske.

One of the first races selected was the Permatex 200 on April 21, 1973 - the season opener on Nashville's newly reconfigured Fairgrounds Speedway. The big ol' Dodge was impressive. Marcis won the pole, dominated the first third of the race, and finished fourth.

Having fared pretty well in his first visit, Marcis returned to Nashville for another shot on Friday, May 12. He brought the '69 Charger to race in the 30-lap LMS feature that accompanied the first round of qualifying for the Music City 420 Cup race.

Though Darrell Waltrip was running for Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, he also ran a full LMS schedule at Nashville. Waltrip had been the Fairgrounds' king of the hill since 1970, and he planned to continue to laissez les bon temps rouler.

After qualifying eighth for the Cup race in his 1971 Dodge, Marcis saddled up in the '69 Charger for the short LMS race. Marcis went to the point on the seventh lap - just about the time a caution flew. On the restart, Waltrip (likely smirking) outfoxed Marcis and grabbed the lead. Just past the halfway point, Marcis regained the top spot.

And so it continued for the next ten laps. Marcis' Hemi launched down the straightaways, but Waltrip's #48 Falls City Beer Chevelle had the edge through the corners. On the last lap, Marcis found just enough oomph and pulled ahead of Waltrip to win by a couple of car lengths.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Source: The Tennessean

The Cup schedule had open dates the next two weekends following Nashville's race. No Dover, Kansas, Richmond, or All-Star Race - just the World 600 on May 27. As a result, Marcis figured he'd return to Music City for yet another go at a trophy.

He and the Dodge returned for another 30-lap feature on Saturday, May 19. Neither Waltrip or Marcis contended for the win that night. Mother Nature scored the W as rain postponed the slate of races to Sunday afternoon, May 20.

A week earlier, Marcis and Waltrip battled tooth and nail under Nashville's Friday night lights. The same pattern held true the following week on a bright, Sunday afternoon.

Waltrip won the pole, and Marcis timed right alongside him. As was the case in the previous race, Marcis' Hemi could haul the mail down the straights, but the car's weight made it more of a handful through the turns. Waltrip's Chevelle, on the other hand, had the perfect set-up to handle the corners, but he surrendered HP to Marcis after they both got back in the gas.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Waltrip rapped Marcis a time or two in an attempt to rattle his cage. Marcis, however, was unfazed and maintained his rhythm. The two weaved around traffic, took alternate lines every couple of laps, yet still managed to stay together until the final lap.

Source: Nashville Area Racing History

Over the final couple of laps, Marcis again found the little extra he needed. He cleared Waltrip and won for the second week in a row. After the race, however, Waltrip's team had a bit of a surprise for Marcis.

Doc Brewington, Waltrip's mechanic, chose to protest Marcis' Dodge. He wanted the big Hemi stripped down bolt by bolt. Brewington even opted to protest the fuel cell. The car only needed a handful of gallons to run the short feature, but Brewington wanted the tear down to be as painful as possible.

With plenty of afternoon sun remaining, the tear-down began as a crowd gathered to watch. In time, Brewington and Marcis got to joking and placing side bets on what may have been legal or illegal. Meanwhile, as the tear-down continued, someone brought in a cooler of Waltrip's sponsor product supplied by his car owner and local beer distributor, Ellis Cook.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Around 9:30 PM, the evaluation was completed. Joe Carver led the inspection and concluded Marcis' Dodge was legal. Carver was the PR director for the Fairgrounds and later became the promoter at Langley Speedway in Virginia.

Marcis hastily loaded his car and gear and headed for a long, late night drive back to North Carolina. Though Brewington and Waltrip lost the protest, they figured a modest win may have been earned. Marcis arrived and won with an intact car, but he headed home with a tub of parts that would need plenty of time to re-assemble.

Source: The Tennessean

Marcis and Waltrip delighted in recapping the sequence of events during a gathering of many of NASCAR's legends at the now-gone NASCAR Cafe in Nashville.

Source: The Tennessean

Despite having to re-assemble his Hemi (or paying someone to do it), Marcis was back yet again in mid-June for the Uniroyal 100 on June 16, 1973. The duo picked up pretty much where they left off a month earlier.

Although Joe Carver was the technical inspector during Waltrip's protest of Marcis, he was still the publicity director at his core. And he drummed up some for the 100-lap event by having the two competitors race bicycles!

Marcis once again won the pole - although L.D. Ottinger flanked him on the front row. Waltrip started eighth but had a nose for the front as usual. The usual suspects were again at the top of the field along with Alton Jones who had piloted Marcis' Dodge back in February.

Credit: Russ Thompson

When the race concluded, Waltrip returned to his customary victory lane location. Alton Jones placed second followed by Marcis. Perhaps as a case of turnabout is fair play, Marcis protested Jones and Waltrip. Jones' team refused to be torn down and was DQ'd as a result. Waltrip's car passed inspection as Marcis' car did a month earlier, and he retained the win with Marcis elevated to second.

* * * * *

A.J. King left racing but continued with the lumber business started by his father, A.J. King, Sr. He and his wife were the first patrons of a new Sevier County, TN library in 1966 - shortly before he entered NASCAR as an owner. King passed away in 1978, and his son Danny continued the family business. In 2010, the county's library moved into an even larger facility - the King Family Library. The King family contributed $2 million of the project's $11.5 million cost, and the library opened on the same spot as the original family lumber business.

* * * * *

Marcis raced the old Dodge a few more times including the 1974 Permatex 200 at Nashville. As his Cup career progressed, however, he moved on from LMS runs with the Charger. The car ended up in a private collector's hands who then restored it to a winged Dodge Daytona as Marcis had raced it.

In the late 80s / early 90s, the car was repainted to resemble Richard Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird. The car toured as a promotional showcar for Goody's Headache Powders.

1992 Charlotte Motor Speedway - TMC Archives

The car then found yet another life in 2003 when it was re-purposed for Winston's final season as the title sponsor of NASCAR's top series. Before the final race of the season at Homestead, King Richard drove the car that originally began as a Charger fielded by A.J. King.

Source: Getty Images

Thanks to Dave Fulton for his assistance in background research on A.J. King, Jr. and SuperbirdClub.com for its post regarding the A.J. King / Marcis Dodge .

TMC

The day after the 1987 Firecracker 400 Cup race at Daytona's superspeedway, the Busch Series regulars and several Cup interlopers raced a few hours north in Jefferson, Georgia.

Georgia International Speedway hosted the Budweiser 200 on July 5, 1987. The track was previously known as JefCo Speedway and would later be known as Gresham Motorsports Park.

Darrell Waltrip promoted the Busch races at the track in the mid 1980s through his company DarWal, Inc. Waltrip won the inaugural Busch Series race at Georgia International in 1986 and entered the first of two 1987 events.

Mark Martin won the pole, and Larry Pearson qualified alongside him. Martin led only one lap after the drop of the green. Third place starter Tommy Houston got by Martin and Pearson to take the lead on lap two. Houston and Brett Bodine combined to lead the next 30 laps.

Pearson then went to the front and began gapping the field. On lap 58, however, a yellow flag resulting from a Patty Moise spin curtailed Pearson's big lead. Cup regular and race promoter Waltrip popped Moise, and Rick Mast got caught in the melee as well.

In the era before full-face helmets became the norm in stock car racing, DW got the worst end of the deal. Race reports suggested he suffered bruises and some facial cuts. Waltrip later told Larry Woody of The Tennessean he did not suffer facial cuts but was extremely sore after taking the hit at full speed.

Pearson re-assumed the lead after the Moise-Waltrip-Mast accident and stayed out front until lap 78. Jack Ingram slowed dramatically to prepare for a pit stop. Brett Bodine checked up to avoid running over Ingram. Not expecting the pace of either car, Pearson nicked Bodine and sent him spinning. Second place running Mike Alexander slipped by Pearson to take the lead as the traffic jam sorted out itself.

A few laps later, Alexander pitted and lost a lap. He made it up, however, as other cars cycled through their pit sequence. Pearson also got his service during this time; however, NASCAR scored him as losing two laps during his stop. Pearson's team argued otherwise, but Pearson was continually placed behind Alexander on remaining restarts.

Alexander was scored as the leader for the second half of the race. When the checkers fell, he claimed his second career Busch Series win. The #84 Action Vans Buick team celebrated in victory lane and then loaded to return home.

Credit: Dick Conway / Second To None by Rick Houston

Unsatisfied with the scoring during his pit stop and the eventual outcome, Pearson's team hollered vehemently that he was on the same lap as Alexander - and ahead of him.

Credit: Conway and Houston

After more than two hours of pouring over scoring records, NASCAR officials determined Pearson indeed lost only one lap during his stop. They ruled he should have been placed ahead of Alexander, reversed their earlier decision, adjusted the lap leaders, and awarded Pearson the win.

Officials phoned Alexander the next day and made him aware of the decision. A request was also made to return the trophy. To this day, however, the visible sign of "winner's spoils" remain on display in a Franklin, TN trophy room.

Source: Spartanburg Herald Journal

TMC

On July 15, 2018, Michael House edged Willie Allen to win a 100-lap Pro Late Model feature at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: @WillieAllen26 and Michael House battle back to the checker on the last lap of the PLM race. Don’t miss the next race on August 4th. Admission will be $5! pic.twitter.com/C503qlToFQ
— Fairgrounds Speedway (@FGSpeedway) July 18, 2018

Forty-five years earlier in 1973, Jimmy Means won his first Nashville Late Model Sportsman race by edging past Bob Burcham to capture the Frank Reed Memorial 100 by an unmeasured yet generally accepted even closer margin of victory.

Neither finish, however, matched the outcome of an LMS feature on July 10, 1976.

Track promoter Bill Donoho did his best on Saturday, July 3, 1976, to juggle racing and bicentennial fireworks while also tackling intermittent showers. Fans got to ooh and ahh over exploding shells and colors and during a handful of races. Most of the second half of the night's events, however, were postponed because of the rain.

As an aside, a day later on the 4th of July - the USA's bicentennial - the track hosted a double-bill of Gary Wright (♫ Dream Weaver ♫) and England's Peter Frampton. Several years later, Frampton became a Music City resident where he remains today.

A week later on July 10, the track's racing slate included a bonus - the remaining laps of a limited sportsman race and the additional LMS race nixed the previous Saturday.

About a month earlier, Alexander wrecked his Mercury Cougar on June 13th. Alexander lost the handle in turn 3 as he pursued race leader and friend, P.B. Crowell, III late in a 30-lap feature. He tried to gather it back, but he popped the wall in turn 4 and came to rest against the inside guard rail.

After a couple of weeks of repairs, Alexander had the Cougar back at the Fairgrounds - albeit without a fresh coat of paint. The primer grey car with a crudely sketched 84 on the sides looked better suited for off-season testing than Saturday night racing.

Alabama's Alton Jones took the lead on the fourth lap of the opening 25-lap feature. Alexander raced in his tire tracks as he looked for a way around the track's points leader. Finally, on the last corner of the last lap, Alexander dove to the inside of Jones. As Larry Warren displayed the checkered flag, Alexander drew even with Jones.

The finish was too close to call, and track officials officially declared it as a tie between the two drivers. Both parked at the start-finish line after the cool down lap as fans were told about the result.

Crowell won the next two 25-lap features that evening. In the second of three races, Alexander popped the wall in his recently repaired but unpainted Cougar.

Cup regular Bobby Allison was coincidentally injured in a wreck during a late model race in Elko, Minnesota the same evening Alexander scored his tying win and P1 in a four-driver match race. A dozen years later, Alexander was chosen as the driver of the #12 Miller High Life Buick when Allison suffered a career-ending head injury in a Cup race at Pocono.

TMC

In racing circles, Franklin, TN may be best known as the home of retired Cup driver and NASCAR on FOX announcer Darrell Waltrip. Franklin was also home, however, to the late R.C. Alexander, owner and operator of Harpeth Ford car dealership - and a successful late model sportsman racing team.

Alexander's Fords raced primarily at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway though they did compete at other regional tracks as well. His roster of successful drivers included Jimmy Griggs, Red Farmer, Flookie Buford, and Waltrip among others. More often than not, Alexander's Fords sported #84.

In the mid 1970s, Alexander's cars gained another occupant - his son Mike. Mike Alexander began his racing career in Nashville's limited sportsman division. After a couple of years of banging around on Nashville's quarter-mile, he moved to the Late Model Sportsman division on the .596-mile oval. Career success - locally, regionally, and nationally - followed; however, the run didn't last as long as many had hoped.

Several of Mike Alexander's racing career firsts are noted below.

First race - April 13, 1974 - Nashville Speedway - 50-lap limited sportsman race, a preliminary event to the season-opening Permatex 200 LMS race. Driving a #83 Ford, Alexander earned a DNF in his first start resulting from an early race wreck. Coincidentally, Waltrip in R.C.'s #84 Ford also exited the LMS race following a tangle with Ray Hendrick.

Source: Nashville Banner

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

First win - April 19, 1975 - 50-lap Limited Sportsman race - Nashville Speedway - preliminary event to the season-opening Winston 200 LMS race

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

First LMS win - May 15, 1976 - Nashville Speedway - 25 lap feature - second feature won by friend and second year LMS racer, P.B. Crowell III (Crowell was not a rookie in 1976 as noted in the article.)

Source: The Tennessean - TMC Archives

Alexander tallied ten more victories in his first LMS season. Though he fell short of capturing the points championship, he easily won the 1976 Rookie of the Year.

First championship - Nashville Speedway - 1978 LMS division

Others outside of middle Tennessee began to take notice of Alexander's numerous wins and 1978 track title. Mike himself began pondering the what-ifs of racing at a higher level. On May 10, 1980, he earned the opportunity to start his first Winston Cup race.

Source: The Tennessean - TMC Archives

Driving for independent driver turned owner D.K. Ulrich in Nashville's Music City 420, Alexander qualified 12th and finished an impressive 10th. As an aside, he also became the first driver with the last name Alexander to start a NASCAR GN / Cup race.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

By the way, the winner of that particular Cup race? Aww yeaaahhh, Ol' King Richard.

After a part-time Cup schedule in 1981, Alexander returned to full-time late model racing the next couple of years. In 1983, he won 51 of 75 late model features and notched his first Winston Racing Series national championship.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

Alexander realized another career milestone the following season. Driving for Dave Marcis, Alexander started his first Daytona 500 on February 19, 1984.

Alexander had engine issues in his 125-mile qualifying twin and made the 500 via an owner's provisional. He started 42nd - shotgun on the field - but had familiar company near him. Starting 41st and to his left was 1974 Nashville LMS champion Jimmy Means. In front of him in 40th was Nashville rival and 1980-81-82 Nashville Grand American champion, Sterling Marlin.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

Alexander's tenure with Marcis was short-lived as were stints with additional underfunded Cup operations over the next couple of years. Mike pushed reset, pursued a different approach, and launched his own team full-time in 1987 in NASCAR's Busch Series.

A few months into his new venture, Alexander captured his first Busch Series win. On May 2, 1987, he won the Hampton 200 at Langley Speedway.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

With solid finishes and another Busch Series victory in 1988, things were again tracking in the right direction for Alexander. In mid 1988, a devastating, career-ending injury for Bobby Allison at Pocono opened the door once again for Alexander.

He took the wheel of Bill and Mickey Stavola's Miller High Life Buick, raced competitively the rest of the season, found a little sump'n sump'n for 1989, signed a deal, changed the car number to 84, and had his best shot with a top-level Cup team.

This post should include a nod to his first Cup win. But it won't.

Racers race - and Mike did. As he'd done since the mid 1970s, Alexander headed to Pensacola in early December 1988 to compete in the Snowball Derby. A savage crash ended his race - and essentially his career. He returned to race in the 1989 Daytona 500 but soon realized he wasn't fully ready for what a Cup ride required.

Alexander continued his recovery therapy, received clearance to return to limited short track racing, and found his way back to Cup in February 1990. After a handful of races, however, he stepped away from Cup. He continued to race at Nashville, but his days at NASCAR's top level were done.

Mike retired from driving in November 1992 - after he won his second track championship at Nashville.

TMC

Nashville's 1973 Permatex Southern 400

Nashville's 1974 Permatex Southern 400

Nashville's 1975 Permatex Southern 400

Nashville's 1976 Permatex Southern 400

Nashville's 1977 Permatex Southern 400

History Springs Back to Level Cross

The King was Fond of Pond

February 24, 1974 - Richmond 500

Nashville's 1972 Permatex 200

Nashville's 1973 Permatex 200

Nashville's 1974 Permatex 200

Nashville's 1975 Winston 200

Nashville's 1977 Winston 200

Nashville's 1978 Winston 200

Nashville's 1979 CRC Chemicals 250

Nashville's 1980 CRC Chemicals 200

Racing, Drinking, Protesting - and there's more!

July 5, 1987 - Budweiser 200

July 10, 1976 - Nashville racers tie one on

Mike Alexander Firsts