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October 2, 1949 - Petty Legacy Kicks Off in Pittsburgh

October 2, 2013, 5:42 am
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October 2, 1949: In the seventh race of NASCAR's first season for its Strictly Stock series (known later as the Grand National and Cup series, Lee Arnold Petty of Level Cross, NC wins career race number one. The race was a 200-lap, 100-mile event on the half-mile, dirt Heidelberg Speedway near Pittsburgh, PA. Petty won 53 more Grand National races over the remainder of his career.

Al Bonnell won the pole but finished last in the 23-car field. The rest of the starting line-up and the race's lap leaders have been lost to history.

Dick Linder had a five-lap lead on the field with five laps to go in the race. But he lost a wheel and was apparently done for the day. Petty made up the five-lap difference and completed the full 200 laps. Linder was awarded second place based on his 195 laps completed. The third place finisher, Bill Rexford, was seven laps down to Petty and two behind Linder.  

Petty's winning trophy is on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.

Credit: Uni-Watch.com
Greg Fielden recapped the race in his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Vol. 1:
In the first Strictly Stock event in Charlotte in June, Lee Petty entered a bulky Buick Roadmaster. The enormous automobile was fast on the straights, but it wobbled like a tank through the turns. Just past the halfway point, Petty rolled the Buick a number of times....[T]he North Carolina speedster vowed never to drive a heavy vehicle in competition again.

In the 100-mile event at Heidelberg Speedway, Petty driving his number 42 lightweight Plymouth, was five full laps ahead of his nearest competitor. 

Dick Linder's Kaiser finished second but was in no position to challenge the fleet Petty.

Bill Rexford finished third, Sam Rice's Chevrolet was fourth with relief driver Glenn Dunnaway at the helm. Fifth place went to Sara Christian, the first time a female driver has cracked the top five in a premier NASCAR event. ~ pp. 20-21
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Google News Archive

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October 5, 1957 - Lee Petty Shines in Charlotte

October 5, 2013, 5:42 am
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October 5, 1957: Starting from the pole position, Lee Petty wins a 200-lap, 100-mile race at the half-mile, dirt Southern States Fairgrounds in Charlotte, NC.

The rest of the top five in qualifying were Speedy Thompson, Joe Weatherly (driving car #2X), Johnny Allen and Fireball Roberts.

While its unknown the leaders of each lap, Petty apparently led a large portion of the race - including taking over the for good around the halfway point of the race. As noted in the following article, Petty managed to go the full race - leading most of it - without making a pit stop.

Perry Allen Wood recapped the race in Silent Speedways of the Carolinas:
The third visit for the 1957 came on Saturday, October 5th, the day after the Russians launched Sputnik and two days before Dick Clark launched American Bandstand. Lee Petty took the pole and led most of the way in an Olds, edging Fireball Roberts' Ford... Petty won the $900 first prize in just under two hours. The next afternoon, there was a sweepstakes race in Martinsville, VA, for 250 miles. What a schedule! ~ p. 198
Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal via Google News Archive
As Wood noted, the Grand National series made an overnight dash to Martinsville. Many of the same drivers competed in a 'sweepstakes race' - one that included drivers and cars from NASCAR's Grand National and Convertible series. Petty backed up his win at Charlotte on October 5th with a third place finish at Martinsville 24 hours later.

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October 5, 1958 - Lee Petty Stakes Claim to Salisbury

October 5, 2013, 6:42 am
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October 5, 1958: Lee Petty wins a 160-lap, 100-mile race on the .625-mile, dirt Salisbury Super Speedway in in Salisbury, NC. The promoter of the race way back then is still well known to contemporary race fans: O. Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc.

As an aside, one of our Schaefer Beer Hall of Famers bears a strong resemblance to Smith. Accordingly, he earned his member nickname Bruton.

But I digress.

Gober Sosebee won the pole for the Salisbury race. The rest of the starting line-up and the race's lap leaders, however, were apparently not documented. Or if they were, someone forgot to hold onto the paperwork. Lee's son, Richard, entered the race. It was his seventh career Grand National race.

Credit: Salisbury Post
In Silent Speedways of the Carolinas, author Perry Allen Wood notes:
...Atlanta's old 'shine-runner Gober Sosebee put his black Cherokee Garage 1957 Chevy 50 on the pole... The green fell on Sosebee and 20 others around 3:30 that afternoon and almost 1 hour and 43 minutes later, Lee Petty completedthe scheduled 160 circuits firstin a '57 Oldsmobile with Buck Baker the only man on the same lap. It clinched the 1958 Grand National Championship for Petty over Baker, the Randleman veteran's second of three... Third was [Cotton] Owens, fourth George Dunn, and fifth [Roy] Tyner... Richard Petty made fifty fish for swimming home in 22nd place, only 23 laps behind in his father's '57 Olds #2. He had used two other numbers so far, he had not hit on 43 yet. ~ p. 132
Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

NASCAR's history at Salisbury was short-lived. The track hosted only two major NASCAR-sanctioned races: a September 1958 convertible race won by Bob Welborn and the October 1958 Grand National race won by Lee Petty. Interestingly, Welborn's car was fielded by Lee's brother, Julian Petty. Richard was one of several drivers who ran in both races (though Lee and Welborn raced only in their respective events.)

The Salisbury Post published a lengthy article in September 2011 about the history of the speedway and even a short recap of Lee's win in the 1958 GN event.



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October 11, 1959 - Lee Petty Wins Weaverville

October 11, 2013, 5:42 am
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October 11, 1959: Starting fourth in his #42 Plymouth, Lee Petty motored to the front and won the 200-laps, 100-miles event at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in North Carolina. Coincidentally, the race was the 42nd event of the 1959 season.

Tommy Irwin won the pole. With the race nearing half-way, however, he lost an engine and finished 28th - one spot ahead of Bob Welborn, who made several starts in NASCAR's Grand National and Convertible series driving for for Lee Petty's brother, Julian. (He also started a handful of GN races for Petty Enterprises.) The previous race at Asheville-Weaverville was the Western Carolina 500 just a couple of months earlier in August 1959. Welborn won the race, but he finished 29th - dead last in the October one.

Lee's son, Richard, started eighth and improved to a fifth place finish. The October race was the future King's second event at the track with the previous one being August's Western Carolina 500. Not only did Richard improve during the race, but he also improved in all areas from the first race to the second. In the August race, he qualified 22nd, crashed, and finished 26th. So the October race was far and away a marked improvement.

NASCAR kept records for qualifying and the finishing order. The lap leaders, however, remain unknown - other than Lee Petty's leading the final one.

Several other future NASCAR Hall of Famers raced in the event including:
  • Glen Wood - 2nd
  • Ned Jarrett - 8th
  • Junior Johnson - 9th
  • Cotton Owens - 11th
  • Buck Baker - 12th
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October 15: Some NASCAR firsts and lasts

October 15, 2013, 4:43 pm
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In the month of October, we're Halfway to Halloween. But until I started studying some of NASCAR's history a bit closer, I didn't realize how many firsts and lasts bookended this day's races.

1950 Martinsville Speedway

NASCAR Hall of Fame member Herb Thomas leads more than half the race and claims his first career Grand National win in a 200-lap race at Martinsville.

Also, Leon Sales finished last in the race after crashing Hubert Westmoreland's #98 Plymouth. The car was wrecked just six weeks after Johnny Mantz finished first in it in the inaugural Southern 500.

1967 National 500 - Charlotte Motor Speedway

Buddy Baker wins his first NASCAR Grand National race by capturing Charlotte's fall race in Ray Fox's Dodge.

 
Baker's long-awaited win was coupled with Richard Petty's early exit. A failed engine relegated Petty to an 18th place finish and ended the King's 1967 consecutive winning streak at 10 races. (Interestingly, the highest finishing Petty Enterprises entry was journeyman G.C. Spencer who finished 5th in a #42 Petty Plymouth in the 2nd of his 3 starts for the team.)

1989 Holly Farms 400 - North Wilkesboro

The King lasts only 124 laps, crashes, and finishes 32nd and last. Painfully, son Kyle Petty develops ignition problems, goes out the same lap, and finishes 31st - next to last.

Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt waged a classic battle in the waning laps to see who would finish first. Instead, they BOTH spun on the last lap giving first place to Geoff Bodine. This type of hardscrabble action is what's missing from today's NASCAR cookie-cutter, play-it-safe racing. (Be sure to watch and listen through the post-race interviews.)

 
Coincidentally, Bodine was in his last season with Hendrick Motorsports and would be replaced by Rudd in 1990. The race was also the first race for Winston Cup cars to run Goodyear radial tires.

2000 Winston 500 - Talladega Superspeedway

Dale Earnhardt pulled off what seemed like an impossible win. He came from deep in the field with just a few laps remaining to win. Though he finished first, it was his last Winston Cup victory.

Fellow Schaefer Hall of Famers Philly and Paducah joined me that day at Talladega. After many trips to the track, however, the race remains our last one there.


So as you reflect on the racing history of October 15th - and just life in general - remember the timeless and challenging guidance of Reese Bobby...


Edit 2013-10-15: Overlooked another October 15th first. Ricky Craven won his first Winston Cup race in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville on October 15, 2001. HT to @ClassicNASCAR on Twitter for tweeting about Craven's win.


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October 17, 1954 - Lee Petty Masters Martinsville

October 17, 2013, 5:42 am
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October 17, 1954: Starting from the pole in his #42 Chrysler, Lee Petty wins at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

The race was scheduled for 200 laps and 100 miles; however, officials displayed the checkered flag at 165 laps because of darkness.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive
The record books indicate Petty won the pole; however, the rest of the starting line-up is unknown. Papa Lee dominated the shortened race by leading 157 of the 165 laps. The remaining 8 laps were led by ageless Hershel McGriff who finished second. McGriff later ran a handful of races in the early 70s for Petty Enterprises.

The victory was also meaningful for Petty because it clinched him his first of three NASCAR Grand National series championships.

Greg Fielden recapped the race in his book Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Vol. 1:
Lee Petty locked up his first Grand National driving title with a victory in the scheduled 100-miler at Martinsville Speedway.

Hershel McGriff finished in second place, in the the same lap with Petty and in a position to challenge for his fourth win of the year. Third place went to Buck Baker, Dick Rathman took fourth and Jim Reed was fifth with relief help from Herb Thomas.

Three caution flags broke the action. The most serious altercation occurred in the 34th lap when Dink Widenhouse and Glen Wood flipped their cars simultaneously in the third turn.

44 cars started the event which produced some tight traffic jams from start to finish. Twenty-six cars finished the race. ~ p. 163
With only three cautions and Martinsville's having a few years of races under its belt to estimate average race times, its unclear why NASCAR and track management couldn't run the full race. Based on the race article above, the race was slated to begin at 2:30 PM. Perhaps race day rain delayed the start - or ominous rain clouds and accompanying darkness moved in during the afternoon.

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October 18, 1959 - Lee Petty Wallops Wilkesboro

October 18, 2013, 5:42 am
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October 18, 1959: Starting second in his #42 Plymouth, Lee Petty wins the Wilkes 160, a 100-mile race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. Son Richard finishes third in only his second time at the track.

Lee swept both Wilkesboro races in 1959. Richard also developed a knack for the track. His third place finish in only his second trip there was a harbinger of good things to come. He eventually racked up 15 wins and 33 Top 5s in 66 starts over his career.

In his book Silent Speedways of the Carolinas, Perry Allen Wood wrote:
...26 stockers went to the post led by [Glen] Wood's '58 Ford and [Lee] Petty's '59 Plymouth. Bob Welborn spiced up time trials by tumbling down the front stretch in his blue '59 Impala 49. In the race, the other two dozen did not much matter as Papa Lee led all 160 laps, winning handily over [Rex] White and son Richard, both also doing all 100 miles. For the Old Man, it was his 48th career victory, tying him for the all-time lead with Herb Thomas, who won his last on June 3, 1956... Thee minor cautions flew in front of less than 6,000 fans. ~ p. 257
Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal via Google News Archive

Richard Petty ended his career with 200 GN / Cup victories. He became NASCAR's winningest driver in 1967 when he won his 55th career race, and he kept on a'winning until #200. His 55th win in the Rebel 400 at Darlington surpassed the previous record of 54 wins held by his father. Lee himself tied the record for most career victories by winning at Wilkesboro. Going into the race, Herb Thomas had earned 48 wins. Lee's win tied Thomas' mark. Lee went on to set a new record by winning 6 more times through 1960. His record stood 7+ years before his son initially broke it and eventually shattered it.

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October 20, 1957 - Billy Myers Wins Wilson

October 20, 2013, 6:08 am
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October 20, 1957: Driving a #88 Petty Engineering Oldsmobile, Billy Myers wins a 200-lap, 100-mile convertible race at the half-mile, dirt Wilson Speedway in Wilson, NC. Myers had a six-year career in NASCAR's Grand National and convertible divisions. He was the uncle of Danny 'Chocolate' Myers, long-time crew member for Richard Childress Racing.

Perennial contender in the convertible series, Bob Welborn, won the pole position. Myers started fourth in the 19-car field. Gwyn Staley started seventh in a Chevy convertible owned by Julian Petty (Lee's brother, Richard's uncle).

In his book, Rumblin' Ragtops - The History Of NASCAR's Fabulous Convertible Division, Greg Fielden writes:
Billy Myers of Germanton, NC drove the Petty Engineering Oldsmobile to a well earned victory in the 200-lap convertible race at Wilson, NC.

Myers outran Possum Jones in the late race showdown to win the $900 first prize. Paul Goldsmith came in third, and Bob Welborn clinched the 1957 convertible championship by taking fourth. Fifth place went to Glen Wood.

Myers averaged 60.050 MPH on the half-mile dirt track. ~ pp. 81-82
Glen Wood is still alive and well in 2013. Over the decades, he had great success first as a driver and then as a car owner with his brother Leonard. Both Glen and Leonard are now in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

While I don't have a photo of Myers at Wilson, his 88 Petty Oldsmobile likely resembled this die-cast version. Several drivers piloted the convertible in 1957 including Bill Lutz, Johnny Dodson, Julian Petty, and Ralph Earnhardt.

Staley finished 8th, one spot better than he qualified. Ken Rush and Darel Dieringer, who at one point in their careers drove a Petty car, finished 13th and 16th, respectively.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive
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October 27, 1996 - The 43 Rises Again in Phoenix

October 27, 2013, 5:43 am
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October 9, 1983. Charlotte Motor Speedway. That date represents the final Petty Enterprises win with King Richard behind the wheel. 1983. Thirty years ago. Three-Zero. And the truly unfortunate part of Richard's 198th win is that its tainted because of an oversized engine and illegally mounted tires.Yet the King raced on. He left the family team, raced two years with Curb Racing, picked up wins 199 and the magical 200, returned to Petty Enterprises in 1986, and raced with few top finishes and zero wins through 1992.

Petty Enterprises really wasn't in the hunt for victories from 1984 through 1995. The car was rarely competitive, and the team didn't (or couldn't) hire top drivers for it. An inexperienced Kyle drove the family car in 1984. Others including Rick Wilson, Wally Dallenbach Jr., John Andretti, and an aged King really had no shot at returning the 43 to its rightful place in victory lane.

But then in 1996, things suddenly began to look a bit brighter. Nashville, TN's Bobby Hamilton was beginning his second year with the team. Hamilton cut his teeth on Nashville's fairgrounds speedway. He was later hired as a driver by the producers of the movie Days of Thunder and landed rides with Triad Motorsports' Country Time Lemonade and SABCO Racing's Kendall Oil teams.

Petty Enterprises hired Hamilton in 1995, and the pairing began to return the Petty team to a level of respectability over the next three seasons. In the second race of the 1996 season at Rockingham, Hamilton seemed to be on track to be the first driver in decades other than Richard Petty to win in car number 43. But a nudge from Dale Earnhardt in the waning laps resulted in the driver of the black 3 taking home the trophy instead.

Though disappointed, Hamilton's easy-going and big-picture demeanor allowed him to slough off the near-miss at Rockingham as that's racin'. The team spent the rest of the season seeking opportunities to take advantage of the intersection of preparation and opportunity (i.e. luck).

On October 27, 1996 - the second to last race of the season - the team seized on one of those opportunities in the Dura-Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

The key storyline entering the race wasn't the Petty team at all. With only two races remaining in the season, all eyes were on the championship contenders Dale Jarrett and two Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon. In a Friday practice session, Labonte had a hard crash, totaled his primary car, and broke his left wrist. With some hospital care, a Rube Goldberg'esque hand brace and steering wheel, and plenty of race-day injections, the Ironman suited up and raced - just like race drivers do (or at least used to do).


Hamilton qualified mid-pack in the 17th position. But he began to move towards the front as the race progressed and hung around all day. He led a total of 40 of the 312 laps. With the laps winding down and the sun beginning to set, Hamilton decided it was time to go. He went to the point, led the final 30 laps, and returned the 43 to victory lane for the first time in 13 years. His win was exceptionally popular for everyone - fans, other teams, the King of course, the media, etc. Behind him, Texas Terry finished an incredible third. He finished 5th in the season-closer at Atlanta and won his second championship over Gordon and Jarrett.

Some time later, Richard and Kyle restored the winning Pontiac and presented it to Hamilton. Bobby displayed the car in the lobby of his Bobby Hamilton Racing offices where I was fortunate enough to see it a few years ago.

Hamilton passed away on January 7, 2007, after bravely and gracefully battling cancer. In 2008, Mark Aumann revisited Hamilton's 1996 win on NASCAR.com.


Motor Racing Network has made their full radio broadcast of the race available on-line. You can find it along with many other MRN classic races at their website or iTunes or by listening/downloading below.

The Schaefer Hall of Fame will be represented for the first time at Phoenix by Philly, Rookie, Uncle Dave and myself in a few weeks for the 2013 Advocare 500. As a long-time Petty fan, I'd scream myself hoarse and fly home without the need for an airplane if Aric Almirola could win in the 43 as Bobby Hamilton did on October 27, 1996.

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October 27, 1997 - Hamilton Rolls At The Rock

October 27, 2013, 5:55 am
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October 27, 1997: Exactly one year after Bobby Hamilton raced the #43 STP Petty Enterprises Pontiac to a win in the Dura-Lube 500 at Phoenix, he again piloted the 43 to a win - his second and final one with the Petty team - in the AC Delco 400 at Rockingham.

With his win, Hamilton got some measure of redemption from Rockingham after a heartbreaking bump-and-run by Dale Earnhardt in the 1996 GM Goodwrench 400. In great racing rarely seen anymore in the Cup series, Hamilton and Earnhardt traded the lead back and forth over the course of several laps (pick up video around 10 minute mark). The familiar nudge from the bumper of the black 3 then made its appearance as it was known to do with other drivers (around 12:05), and Hamilton had to wait another day for a victory at The Rock.


The 1997 race, scheduled for Sunday, October 26, was rained out. Instead, the teams raced on Monday the 27th allowing Hamilton to win on the same date in back-to-back years. As he did at Phoenix in 1996, Hamilton qualified poorly with a 28th starting spot. And as was the case in his Phoenix win, he again led very few laps - 37 of 393 - but he led the final 16 to claim the win.

Pole winner Bobby Labonte led 93 laps, second place finisher Dale Jarrett led 73, and third place finisher Ricky Craven (now a NASCAR analyst for ESPN) led the most laps at 139.

In the first half of the 1990s, Kyle Petty frequently dominated Rockingham when driving for SABCO. In 1996, he returned to the family team - kinda of. He formed a Petty Enterprises satellite team called pe2 with sponsorship by Hot Wheels. He qualified 5th and led a couple of laps, but he finished two laps down in 22nd.

When the checkers fell, none of that mattered because the 43 was out front and Hamilton was again the victor.

Source: Augusta Chronicle
Source: Kentucky New Era via Google News Archive
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October 29,1950 - Lee Petty Hauls In Hillsboro

October 29, 2013, 5:42 am
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October 29, 1950: In the final race of NASCAR's second season for its Strictly Stock / Grand National division, Lee Petty has a consistent day, leads the final 43 laps, and wins a scheduled 200-lap race on the one-mile, dirt Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, North Carolina.

As mentioned below, darkness caused the race to be shortened by 25 laps. Fonty Flock won the pole and dominated much of the race by leading 124 of the 175 laps. But a broken engine mount ended his day, and he finished a disappointing 20th. Lee qualified 15th in the 29-car field, but he was patient enough to know when to go to nab the win.

Perry Allen Wood recaps the story of the race in Silent Speedways of the Carolinas:
The second Hillsborough visit of 1950 occurred on the cool autumn afternoon of October 29th. It was the 19th and last race of the season and packed with drama. Bill Rexford had a slippery grip on the first Grand National points title because if he faltered and Fireball Roberts recorded a strong finish, the young Floridian would steal the championship. Time trials saw Fonty Flock sizzle with a speed of nearly 96 miles per hour for the pole. Fireball took second and Rexford was a dismal 29th, dead last! Needless to say, things looked good for Roberts.

Louise Smith almost ended her day before it started during time trials when she launched her Nash off the first turn, touching down among the underbrush with the wheels pointing skyward. Remarkably, the car was repaired well enough to start 25th. Turner and Paschal fell out right away with point leader Rexford joining them, saddling him with 26th. Bill Rexford had done everything in his power to gift-wrap the title for Roberts.

However, they did not call him Fireball for nothing, Yes it is a baseball moniker, but he refused to stroke his way to the title unlike the "big picture" racers in the modern era. Roberts put his Olds 11 out front on the 72nd circuit for six laps until Fonty in Bob Flock's Olds took it back. Then Roberts led, then Flock, then on lap 125, full aware of the stakes, Fireball blew the engine in Sam Rice's Rocket and the race and title were gone. Only six laps later, Flock fell out with mechanical trouble, with Ms. Smith and Herb Thomas parking too.

With no lights and the sun setting behind the hills, the chilly day ended 25 laps early with Plymouth-pushing Lee Petty claiming his second career win, the first in over a year. Second was Buck Baker still looking for those first checkers, still over a year away. Third was Weldon Adams, fourth Tim Flock in the Plymouth that won the first Southern 500, and fifth came Bill Blair in Olds number 41.5. Bill Rexford became the youngest Grand National Champion at 23, a distinction he still holds as of this writing. Fireball Roberts was never nearly this close to a title again...and neither was Rexford. ~ p. 103
Throughout Lee Petty's career, he came out on the victorious end of many controversies. In 1950, however, he was on the losing end of one. Rexford claimed the championship over Fireball, and he remains the youngest NASCAR GN/Cup champion ever - a few months younger than Jeff Gordon. Rexford needed a bad finish from Roberts at Occoneechee in the last race of the season to claim the championship. But he also benefited from Lee Petty having his points stripped during the summer by Bill France, Sr. for running non-NASCAR events.

Greg Fielden writes in Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Vol. 1:
Lee Petty was another driver bitten by NASCAR's iron hand. During a three-week lull in the Grand National tour in July, Petty wandered outside the NASCAR sanctioned boundaries and paid dearly for it. Through eight races the Randleman, NC Plymouth driver had accumulated 809 points, which was good enough for third place in the standings. He was only 24.5 points out of first place in the wide-open scramble for the lead. After NASCAR took all his points away, he had to start at zero in late July. ~ pp. 24-25
Had France not assessed Petty the large points penalty, Lee likely would have been the 1950 champion rather than Rexford. He rallied from zero points in late July to finish third in the standings behind Rexford and Roberts by season's end.

Interestingly, the defending series champion - Red Byron - finished 1950 with zero Grand National points. Despite France's edict to run only NASCAR events, Byron raced as he saw fit. And true to Big Bill's adage of "you need us worse than we need you", he penalized Byron not just once but twice during the season. And by the way, Byron just happened to be the one who came up with the sanctioning body's name and acronym: NASCAR - National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.)

Source: Youngstown Vindicator via Google News Archive
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Phoenix race trip - five days to go

November 3, 2013, 6:43 pm
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The Cup guys are finished with Texas Motor Speedway. Other than learning Jimmie Johnson won, I have no idea how the race unfolded as I didn't watch it. Why? Because my sights - as are those of the teams - are set to the southwest at Phoenix International Raceway.

For representatives from the Schaefer Hall of Fame, its five days to go. Four of us will arrive Friday, November 8th. The Four Horsemen of the Hall. Wait. (Hmm, maybe it will be the four asses. I'll have to check my notes.) Regardless... Philly, Rookie, Uncle Dave and yours truly will soon arrive in Arizona.

The track is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary year beginning with next weekend's races. Coincidentally, the Schaefer Hall of Famers will be celebrating the 50th anniversary year of Philly's birth beginning the same weekend!

Please comment if you have any Phoenix must-do's:
  • Best taqueria
  • Top sports bar
  • Great tailgating location
  • Must eat restaurant
  • Ideal place for local music on Friday or Saturday night
Meanwhile, here are the top five racing reasons I'm jazzed about this trip 5 days before we arrive.

Number 5: Atlanta, Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Daytona, Dover, Homestead, Indy, Kentucky, Loudon, Michigan, Martinsville, Richmond, Rockingham, Talladega, Texas, Vegas.

What's missing from this list of tracks visited by representatives from the Schaefer Hall of Fame? PHOENIX! We've never been - and the track will soon be added as a notch on our gun.

Number 4: Alan Kulwicki - The 1992 Winston Cup champion - Underbird - scored his first career Cup win at Phoenix in 1988 in the track's first sho'nuff Winston Cup event! Fellow SHOF co-founder Philly and I were fortunate to see AK:
  • start from the pole at Atlanta in 1991 in his first race with Hooters as his sponsor
  • win on a cold, blustery day at Bristol in 1992 - one year before he was killed in a plane crash, and
  • his calculated run to the championship in the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta. 
Going to the track where Kulwicki won his first Cup race in the track's first Cup race will be special.

Source: Wikipedia
Number 3: Kyle Petty. So many folks know of Kyle as a talking head on FOX Sports and the guy who only replies to hate-tweeters. Few contemporary fans know of his racing legacy - and sadly fewer even care to learn about him. Kyle wasn't as prolific a winner as King Richard or many other drivers for that matter. But he piled up a ton of starts and top finishes with esteemed teams such as Petty Enterprises, the Wood Brothers, and SABCO.

His racing skills were really on display during the early to mid 90s with SABCO Racing. In 1997, he left SABCO and returned to the family team...sort of. He formed pe2, a satellite team of Petty Enterprises, and raced with Hot Wheels as a sponsor - a natural racing sponsor if there ever was one. In November 1997, Kyle made a milestone start - his 500th - at Phoenix.

Source: Wikipedia

Number 2: Bobby friggin' Hamilton.

Misery. That was October 1983 - October 1996. Thirteen years without the 43 in victory lane. The shine of the King's crown was no longer as bright, and he eventually called it a career at the end of 1992. Drivers who followed him including Rick Wilson, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and John Andretti couldn't quite get it done. But then Petty Enterprises latched onto Bobby Hamilton - from Nashville, TN no less - to pilot the 43. In his second season with the team, Bobby returned the 43 to its rightful place in victory lane. And he did so by winning the Dura-Lube 500 at Phoenix.


Number 1: The 43 rises from the ashes. Richard Petty won the 1977 Firecracker 400 at Daytona. As a fan (and I'm sure RP as a driver), I had no way of knowing that would be last victory for a good stretch of time. The King claimed no additional wins in the second half of 1977. In 1978, he raced the albatross Dodge Magnum for about two-thirds of the season with limited success and zero wins. As the season entered its final triad, Petty Enterprises joined the GM crowd and fielded STP #43 Chevy Monte Carlos for Richard. Still, he remained winless in Cup competition. After the season-closing race at Ontario, the Petty team went to Phoenix for a Winston West race. And there, the losing streak ended. It wasn't an official Cup win - but it was a victory nonetheless.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive
He banked the momentum; had some off-season surgery; returned in 1979 to win the Daytona 500 as Cale, Bobby and Donnie fought; and eventually defeated Darrell Waltrip to claim his 7th and final Winston Cup title. I truly think the Phoenix win helped the team get off the schnide and believe it was again possible to win as a team.

Photo courtesy of Ray Lamm

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November 4, 1962 - Paschal Banks Birmingham

November 4, 2013, 5:41 am
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November 4, 1962: Plymouths from Petty Enterprises take top honors in the Birmingham 200 - a 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile, paved fairgrounds speedway in Alabama. Jim Paschal won, and Richard Petty finished second.

Driving #41, Paschal won the pole and dominated the race. He led 192 of the 200 laps and lapped the field en route to the win. Sixth-place starter Petty in his familiar #43 led the remaining 8 laps leaving nothing for the rest of the 21-car field. Maurice Petty - Richard's brother, Petty Enterprises engine builder, and soon-to-be-inducted NASCAR Hall of Famer - started ninth in a third #42 Petty Plymouth but finished 14th after spinning and getting clobbered by Ned Jarrett.

Source: Wilmington Morning Star via Google News Archive
The 1962 Birmingham race was actually the first race of the 1963 Grand National season. The pattern first began with the 1955 season and was repeated several times from the mid-1950s through the late 1960s. Brandon Reed wrote a nice column about NASCAR's approach to its season opener for GeorgiaRacingHistory.com. Petty cars generally fared well in those season openers:
  • 1955 - Lee Petty wins at Tri-City Speedway in High Point, NC in November 1954.
  • 1959 - Bob Welborn wins at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville, NC in November 1958 driving a Chevy for Julian Petty.
  • 1963 - Jim Paschal wins in Birmingham in November 1962.
  • 1966 - Richard Petty wins in Augusta, GA in November 1965.
  • 1967 - Richard Petty wins again in Augusta, GA in November 1966.
  • 1969 - Richard Petty wins in Macon, GA in November 196.
TMC
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November 7, 1954 - Petty Starts 1955 On High Note

November 7, 2013, 5:42 am
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November 7, 1954: Lee Petty dominates the 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile, dirt Tri-City Speedway in High Point, North Carolina. Starting third, Petty took the lead on the seventh lap and led the remaining 194 laps en route to victory.

Though held in November 1954, the race was the 1955 Grand National season opener. The 1955 season was the first time NASCAR began a new season in the fall of the previous calendar year. The pattern was repeated several more times into the late 1960s. Brandon Reed wrote a nice column about NASCAR's approach to its season opener for GeorgiaRacingHistory.com.

Tri-City hosted only two Grand National races. The first one was in June 1953 and won by Herb Thomas. Perry Allen Wood describes the 1954 race and Tri-City's history in his book, Silent Speedways of the Carolinas:
Two weeks after the 1954 season ended, the Grand National circus got off to a frigid start for 1955 here for their final visit. Sunday, November 7, 1954, found 21 drivers attempt to break the ice and get another yawner for their efforts. Herb Thomas took the pole ... with Rathman's Blue Crown Spark Plug Hudson outside. Behind them were [Lee] Petty in a Chrysler and Gober Sosebee ... [Dick] Rathman led six laps until Petty snatched it away for the final 194.

This track has most assuredly made it all the way back to nature because no trace of it could be found by speedway archeology. However, this one has a history beyond (its) two Grand National races... Lloyd Seay of Dawsonville, GA stopped by to win on August 31, 1941, and then won the next day in the big Labor Day race at Lakewood in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the next day, his cousin ... started a fight with Lloyd over a sugar debt for the still and put a bullet right through the 21 year-old's pump. ~ pp. 211-212
In his master's thesis (PDF) at University of North Carolina - Asheville titled And Here They Come to the White Flag: The Piedmont-Triad’s Role in Early NASCAR History: 1940 - 1958, student William Tate wrote:
After the war, many new tracks began to emerge alongside the old dirt tracks. These new tracks were faster and more reliable. In the Triad, one such track opened in 1947. Named Tri-City Speedway, the track was built, owned and operated by the Blair family, including local driver Bill Blair. The track was built on land owned by Blair’s brother, Bob. Eventually, Bill Blair dissolved his part of the partnership with his brother and sister-in-law, but he still raced at the track in several races. Blair’s sister-in-law, Mary Lee, handled promotion for the 100-mile event. “Big Bill” France commonly allowed local track owners to handle promotion of a hometown race, while he supplied the famous drivers, cars and purse money...

The popularity of the local tracks with both fans and drivers brought other famous drivers from the South, as well as other parts of the nation, coming to race during the 1954-1955 seasons. Only one other NASCAR sanctioned, strictly-stock race was conducted at Tri-City Speedway. Greg Fielden describes this race as a “100-mile Grand National lid-lifter for the 1955 season…” Promoted by Oscar and Vernon Ellington, the race was scheduled for November 7, 1954 as the first race for the 1955 season. Various big name drivers were slated to run for the $4,100 purse, including, “a brand new Cadillac, to be piloted by North Wilkesboro’s Junior Johnson.” The High Point Enterprise reported that the Ellington brothers had leased Tri-City for the event, noting that, “they plan to keep the track, rated one of the best in the Piedmont, alive and buzzing in the future if things go well.” The brothers even printed a letter addressed to the racing fans of High Point asking fans to come out to the race, promising to live up to their word on providing drivers and to run all the laps as advertised. Unfortunately, the race did not meet the great expectations of the Ellington brothers as only 2,000 attended the race due to wintry weather conditions. Local driver Lee Petty won the race and a winner’s purse totaling $1,000... This was the final strictly-stock NASCAR race at Tri-City, but racing continued there for several years. Bill Blair, Jr. recalled that, “probably the last race was ran there in 1957 or thereabouts, possibly 1958.” The track was dismantled shortly thereafter and turned into a golf course, while other parts of the land were sold for other purposes.
While fortune smiled on Lee Petty as he began the defense of his 1954 Grand National championship, the same can't be said for his brother. Bob Welborn finished 20th in the 21-car field in a Plymouth owned by Lee's brother, Julian Petty.

Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal via Google News Archive (nav to p. 4)

TMC
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November 20, 1960 - Lee Petty's Final GN Win

November 20, 2013, 5:42 am
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November 20, 1960: In a 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile dirt track at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, FL, Lee Petty wins what turns out to be his 54th and final career NASCAR Grand National race. His son Richard finished fourth and within a few years would surpass his dad's records to become the King of NASCAR racing.

Though the race was in November 1960, it was actually the second race of the 1961 season. Junior Johnson won the pole but lost a distributor and finished dead last in the 22-car field. Though Lee won the race, he started in the 'unlucky' 13th spot.

Virginian Tommy Irwin had a career day. Irwin only started 99 GN races in his career, but he had 23 top 5's (though no wins). He qualified third for the Jax race, dominated the race by leading 166 laps, but finished second to Lee - tying his career best.

Though Irwin didn't have an extensive GN driving career, his racing affected at least one driver: Tiger Tom Pistone. Nine months earlier in a qualifying race for the 1960 Daytona 500, Irwin spun off the track and ended up in Lake Lloyd.

 
Though he escaped, the car sunk into the lake where it remained until Speedweeks concluded. Pistone - admittedly not a great swimmer - rigged up an oxygen mask for the 500 in the event he should wind up in the same situation as Irwin.

Photo courtesy of Chrissy Pistone
But I digress...

I'm uncertain as to how or why Irwin surrendered the lead - perhaps through a pit miscue. Regardless, Lee took over the top spot with 18 laps to go and led the rest of the way to take the checkers.

 NSSN headline and ISN article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire
Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal via Google News Archive
As referenced in the beginning, Lee's win at Speedway Park was his final GN one. Just a few months later in February 1961, he was critically injured in a qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal via Google News Archive



While the 1960 win at Jacksonville was Lee's final GRAND NATIONAL victory, it wasn't his final win overall. On February 19, 1961, a few days before the Daytona qualifying race wreck that effectively ended his career, Lee won a compact car race at Daytona.

Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal via Google News Archive

TMC
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November 22, 1962 - Jim Paschal Tastes The Turkey

November 22, 2013, 5:41 am
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November 22, 1962: Driving a #41 Petty Enterprises Plymouth, Jim Paschal wins the Turkey Day 200 at Tar Heel Speedway in Randleman, NC. Maurice Petty finished fifth in his #42 family team Plymouth, and Richard finished 11th after losing a transmission with 12 laps to go.

Though run in November 1962, the race was actually the third event of the 1963 season. Petty Enterprises was on a roll by winning all three races - and racking up top 5s to boot:
  • November 4 at Fairgrounds Raceway in Birmingham AL - Paschal wins, Richard 2nd
  • November 11 at Golden Gate Speedway in Tampa FL - Richard wins, Paschal 2nd
  • November 22 at Tar Heel Speedway - Paschal wins, Maurice 5th
The race was the first of only three Grand National races run at Tar Heel - all as part of the 1963 schedule. Each race was 200 laps and 50 miles on the tight quarter-mile, paved track. Paschal won this first one, and he backed it up on May 5, 1963 with another victory in the second one. Richard finally broke through with a win on October 5, 1963 in the third and final race.

Glen Wood won the pole in his family team's #21 Ford, and Paschal started alongside him. Jimmy Pardue and Ned Jarrett made up the second row. Petty cars claimed three of the top 6 starting spots as Richard and Maurice timed 5th and 6th.

When the green flag waved, Wood set sail. The NASCAR Hall of Famer from Stuart, Virginia dominated the day by leading the first 173 laps. But with victory in the caution-free race seemingly in sight, Wood blew a tire, exited the race, and faded to a 15th place finish. Paschal took over the top spot and cruised unchallenged the remaining 27 laps to the win.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

Source: Spartanburg News Herald via Google News Archive

Parts of the speedway remain on a farm owned by the family of the late Frank Millikan. In May 2012, fellow Schaefer HOFer, Philly, and I gave it our best to visit what is left of the track. We found it - but had to leave before getting a chance to explore it.

This post concludes my 2013 series about wins by Petty Enterprises drivers other than by The King. If you've read one or more of the posts, tweeted about them, posted a link to Facebook, commented, emailed me, told someone about them, etc., THANK YOU. I've thoroughly enjoyed researching each of the races and finding supplemental information like photos, articles, program covers, etc. to add.

I'm not sure what direction I'll go next after having blogged about all of Richard's 200 wins and now the victories by other Petty Enterprises drivers. I'm open to ideas though - so let me hear them. Until then, GO 43!

TMC
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November 23, 1980 - Petty Pockets Phoenix

November 23, 2013, 5:43 am
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The first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway was in 1988 and won by Alan Kulwicki. The track's history, however, goes back decades before to the mid 1960s. From now through November 2014, Phoenix will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary year.

From 1977 through 1984, NASCAR's Winston West series ran an annual 250-kilometer, 156-lap race at Phoenix. The races were always scheduled the week following the season-ending Winston Cup races at Ontario Motor Speedway and later Riverside International Raceway. Several Cup regulars raced in Phoenix's Winston West event before heading back home to the south.

Richard Petty made himself at home over a multi-year stretch at Phoenix. He won three of four races between 1978 and 1981 - including the Arizona Winston 250 on November 23, 1980.

King Richard won the pole for the 1980 event, and another Cup ringer Bobby Allison qualified second in a car borrowed from Cup journeyman D.K. Ulrich. Bill Schmitt, a Winston West regular, timed third. Joe Ruttman, who raced USAC stock cars, ARCA, and just about any other stock car with 4 wheels, lined up fourth in an Oldsmobile fielded by Jim Stacy. Coincidentally, Ruttman got the nod to take the seat of Stacy's #2 Cup car about nine months later when Dale Earnhardt left Stacy's team after it had been purchased from Rod Osterlund.

A couple of next-generation young drivers who would have a future impact in Cup racing also made the Phoenix event. Bobby Allison's son - Davey - qualified 11th in his father's hand-me-down AMC Matador, and Kyle Petty qualified 7th in an STP Chevy Caprice.

Richard took the lead at the green and led the first 27 laps. Canadian racer Roy Smith then took over a few laps - as did Richard's son, Kyle, for six laps. Second-place starter Allison led the middle third of the race for a streak of 50+ laps. 

Richard raced a Chevy Monte Carlo and Kyle raced the Caprice - presumably the same cars they raced at Ontario in the Cup race a week earlier. Allison is shown here in Ulrich's #4 Monte Carlo.

As the race headed for its conclusion, R. Petty and Allison battled for the lead though Richard led all but one lap down the stretch to capture the win. Allison finished where he started - second, and Kyle stayed competitive all day to come home third as the final car to finish on the lead lap. Davey Allison crashed early in the event and ended up 29th in the 30-car field.

GNS cover and article courtesy of Russ Thompson
Though Petty's victory is logged as a Winston West one only and not included in his tally of 200 Grand National / Winston Cup wins, its always a good time when a Petty car can occupy Victory Lane in any series.

TMC
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November 26, 1978 - The desert ends the drought

November 26, 2013, 5:43 am
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Richard Petty won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona on July 4, 1977. The win was his 5th victory of the season, it was his 185th overall, and he was challenging Cale Yarborough in pursuit of his 7th NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National title.

Instead of the Big Mo' continuing, it just stopped. The 43 accumulated up a few more top 5s, poles were won at Wilkesboro and Ontario, and Petty finished second in points to Cale - though the chasm between first and second was huge. But after Daytona, Petty couldn't find victory lane the remainder of the season in his venerable 1974 Dodge Charger.

When the 1978 season began, Petty Enterprises had to mothball the beautiful Charger and trot out the sled-like Dodge Magnum.

Compared to Petty's historical norms, the car was underwhelming to put it mildly. Petty's losing streak grew - finally hitting one year at the 1978 Firecracker. A few weeks later, the announcement was made that Mopar was out and Chevy was in. Playing from behind, Petty Enterprises acquired a couple of Monte Carlos and then began building their own.

Yet the losing streak continued. In the next-to-last race of the season, the crowd went crazy when Ol' Blue took the checkered flag. Petty nipped Dave Marcis at the line to take the win ... or so it seemed. Donnie Allison, however, was ruled ahead of both cars and awarded the win.

Petty extended his losing streak with a dismal 34th place finish in the season-ending race at Ontario the following week. The King's winless 1978 season was his first ... since 1959! But the King had another racing obligation before calling it a year. On the way back from Ontario, Petty and a few other Cup regulars elected to participate in the Arizona NAPA 250 Winston West event at Phoenix International Raceway as some had done the year before.

Though he lost an engine and finished 34th at Ontario, the Petty crew installed a fresh one for Phoenix. In his first time on the track, Petty won the pole. Fellow Cup ringers Neil Bonnett and Bobby Allison started second and third. Winston West regular Bill Schmitt timed 4th in his Old Milwaukee Oldsmobile.

When the green flag flew, Petty began his domination of the race. He led the first 36 laps, the final 25 circuits, and 48 others in the middle for a total of 109 of the race's 156-laps, 250 kilometers distance.

The big guns are shown here working traffic as they come out of what I think is turn 4 - at the base of what is known as Rattlesnake Hill. Petty is followed by Bonnett in the Armor All Monte Carlo. Allison is behind Bonnett in his #1 AMC Matador racing alongside Winston West regular Ray Elder in one of the albatross Dodge Magnums.

Though the victory was scored as a Winston West (now K&N Pro Series West) series race and not included as part of Petty's record 200 Cup / GN wins, at least the year-and-a-half long losing streak was over. A win - any win - helps raise the spirits and morale of a team.

The win had the likely extra bonus of putting the King in a better mood health-wise. Having suffered from stomach ulcers for some time, Petty could stand them no longer. About two weeks after his Phoenix victory, he had the needed surgery.

Source: Florence Times Daily via Google News Archive
He was able to recuperate well enough to answer the bell when the 1979 season opened at Riverside. A few weeks later with additional healing, Petty's CUP losing streak ended when he captured his sixth Daytona 500 in the legendary race in which Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison wrecked on the final lap.

TMC
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November 29, 1981: Petty 3 of 4 at Phoenix

November 29, 2013, 5:43 am
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Having completed the Winston Cup season's final race at Riverside International Raceway's road course, most teams returned south. Bobby Allison celebrated his race victory, and Darrell Waltrip's Junior Johnson team likely had serious morning headaches for a few days after the Mountain Dew team won the 1981 championship.

A few teams, however, made a side trip on the way home. Richard and Kyle Petty and representatives from the Alabama Gang - Bobby Allison and Neil Bonnett - stayed over a few days out west to participate in the Warner Hodgdon 250 Winston West race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Bonnett won the pole for the race - his second in seven Winston West races at the track from 1977 through 1982. Not surprisingly, Bonnett along with Richard Petty and Allison had the most success in the string of annual races during that period. Petty had three wins in the six Phoenix races he ran. Bonnett and Allison each had a win in the seven races they ran, and both finished in the top 5 all seven times.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive
When the green dropped, Neil took advantage of his top starting spot by leading the first 33 laps. He surrendered the lead for a handful of laps - presumably during a cycle of pit stops. But soon after, Bonnett's #21 Ford - coincidentally also sponsored by Warner Hodgdon - went back to the point for another 34-lap segment.

After Kyle Petty led for 2 laps - again likely because of a Bonnett pit stop - Neil took the lead for a third time to lead for 17 laps. On lap 94, however, King Richard who had been running with Bonnett all day took the lead and never gave it back. The 43 STP Buick led the final 63 laps to take the win in the 156-lap, 250-kilometer race.

The victory was the King's third in four races at Phoenix having won previously the 1978 Arizona NAPA 250 and 1980 Arizona Winston 250. He led the most laps but finished third to Bonnett in the 1979 race - otherwise, he could have possibly "four-peated".

Although Richard won the race and Cup regulars claimed the top four spots - Richard, Neil, Kyle and Bobby - there was still the "race within the race". Canadian Roy Smith finished sixth in the race and secured the 1981 Winston West series title.

The win capped a pretty nice year for Petty as victories for him became more scarce as he chased #200. He started the year by capturing his seventh Daytona 500, won his final career short-track race at North Wilkesboro, pocketed another win at Michigan, and picked up some walking-around money by free-lancing at Phoenix.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive
 TMC
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Happy Schaef Year!

January 15, 2014, 5:43 pm
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Welcome to 2014. For most, the start of a new year for whatever reason seems to be THE time to look forward with goals and resolutions - and look back at events of the past year.

In keeping with that tradition, how about a tour through some of the fun times had by the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor over the last six months of 2013.

TMC, Bruton and his brother extended the 4th of July holiday into a long weekend with a 2-day trip to Daytona Beach and back for the Coke Zero 400. The summer race was my first at Daytona since 1992 and my first at the track since the 1997 Daytona 500.

In preparation for the long ride there, we all agreed it was going to be a great trip where Schaefer would be enjoyed - once we arrived of course.

We crafted our own sort of public service announcement with a warning not to drink and drive - or else.

But since we were drinking and racing, the PSA really didn't apply to us.

Bruton and I did our best to proudly represent the Schaefer Hall of Fame - though there were plenty of empties around us - seats and cans at our feet. We never did quite figure out Roxy's deal, and we're pretty sure her significant other was thinking "Never ever will I order a race date from Craigslist again."

I switched over to Schaefer Light because I was trying to maintain my figure: round.

In August, SHOFer Kuzzin Kari traveled to Groton, Connecticut and eye-spied Schaefer at a convenience store. Incredibly, however, beer isn't sold on Sundays there. She had to pull back a curtain to snap the pic, but she couldn't walk out with a 12-pack in her hand. Madness!

Having relocated the Cleveland, Ohio SHOF chapter to south Florida, SHOFer Uncle Dave is clearly hating life amongst the sun and surf. Life truly has taken a turn for the worse when you get to wear cargo shorts year-round and catch a nice hug from a roller derby chickie. We feel for ya Uncle D.

SHOFers Paduch and The Rev took in the final Cup race of the "regular season" at Richmond in September. They Schaefervangelized many at the track. Within a matter of a few sips, they had many Schaefer noobs proudly declaring the SHOF slogan: Hey, its not that bad!

On September 22nd in the Sylvania 300 at Loudon, Matt Kenseth became only the second NASCAR Grand National / Cup driver to win in his 500th start.
Also in September, SHOF co-founder Philly attended his annual White Trash Weekend near Athens, Georgia. He talked Brad Keselowski into giving up a Miller Lite for a Schaefer. Hey, ITS A JOKE! OK? C'monnn mannn.

He also got to take in the Georgia Bulldogs vs. South Carolina game - much to the disdain of fellow SHOFer and Dawg-For-Life Rookie who couldn't attend.

In late September, TMC made a work... err, leisure... yeah, work visit to Phoenix. Ya know, to get acclimated to the weather and all for a November race trip with the SHOF...and to get some work done.

The Schaefer Hall of Fame hit the big time on the small screen in October. The SHOF was included in a FOX Sports South episode spotlighting the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. FSS used footage of the SHOF tailgating experience recorded in May 2012.


SHOFers Philly and Cuba hosted the tailgating festivities at Charlotte for the fall race, and they ended up expanding the Schaefer Ring of Honor to another country and a U.S. territory!

T-Mart, son Squirt and others in their family traveled from Australia mate to spend an extended holiday in the States. While here, they went to races in Dover and Charlotte. Naturally, they are Marcos Ambrose fans - and now T-Mart is a Schaefer fan and in the Schaefer Ring of Honor and chairman of the Australian Chapter.

He fit right in with other blokes from the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor.

North Carolinian by way of Puerto Rico, Big Mo, and friend Nelson (who needs a nickname) happened upon the Schaefer festivities and affirmed Puerto Rico's love for Schaefer. Big Mo now oversees the Schaefer Ring of Honor Puerto Rico Chapter. With his size, I believe his leadership will go unchallenged.
Cerveza Schaefer, es la mejor cuando se toma mas de una
Schaefer beer is best when you drink more than one


As 2013 hit turn four in October, Bruton headed back to the beaches of central Florida for fall break. Ormond Beach was once packed with daredevils looking to set speed records on the packed sand. Today, its a relaxing locale to savor a cold Schaefer.

Or perhaps a Schaefer Light if the sun's rays get a might too warm.

Being a lifelong, die-hard Petty fan, Bruton couldn't resist the opportunity to have his pic made with a Schaefer alongside the King's car number and current manufacturer choice, Ford. That is until the proprietor of this froo-froo dining establishment yelled the business equivalent of "Hey kid, get off my lawn!" (Not really - but it sure would have made the photo-op a lot funnier.)

 
I'm not exactly sure the message Philly was trying to convey with this can of Schaefer. But it was Halloween, and Philly had likely enjoyed a prodigious amount of Schaefer. So message received: loud and obscure.

And then came November. Four Horsemen of the SHOF rolled into Phoenix, Arizona for a fantastic weekend of racing.

Once three of us landed, the brainstorming commenced. Our fourth would not arrive for four more hours. Our hotel would not be ready for three more hours. What to do? Where to go? Where else - a racing bar! We found Starters, a great local watering hole in Tempe who boasts Jägermeister as its house wine. The bar is owned by Doug and Marcia - a fun, feisty couple who wisely retired to the desert from the winters of Minnesota with a deliberate plan to open a racing-themed sports bar.

As expected, Starters doesn't serve Schaefer. So we settled for PBR and an explanation of the house rules for race day. During a race whenever the yellow flag waves, someone in the bar yells CAUTION! The house is then served their choice of a shot of Jäger or Fireball. We could only imagine the place on days when Bristol or Martinsville are run.

Having now understood the tradition, we were asked our preference. Before we knew it, a practice run was on. From the bar, someone yelled CAUTION!, a miniature yellow flag was displayed, and shots were set before us in addition to the PBR. The place was great fun in the limited time we were there.

 
Knowing we still had to rendezvous with our fourth horseman, we parted ways at Starters, said we might return, and started getting our race and beer strategy together. Our recon and intel gathering in the weeks prior to the weekend revealed Arizona had no Schaefer for us. So what do SHOFers do in such a situation? We took the Schaefer to Arizona! Upon our arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by a case of Schaefer tallboys shipped from the east. Not a single one was lost during the 2,000 mile long journey.

Next stop: Phoenix International Raceway. We were in high cotton all weekend with complimentary tickets and hot passes that ensured we could go anywhere we wanted - or at least we convinced ourselves as much.

At Friday night's truck race, SHOFer Rookie was delighted that his favorite race meal turkey legs were sold in Arizona even if Schaefer wasn't.

The Schaefer Hall of Fame shirts were sported on Sunday morning, and we invited some nice folks to enjoy a cold one with us. Marc and Robyn drove a couple of hours to take in the race. Two great folks who were relatively new to racing and brand new to Schaefer. Marc, as is his prerogative as the chairman of the newly formed Schaefer Ring of Honor Arizona Chapter, created a new slogan after trying one: Schaefer...It tastes kinda like a Coors.

I love traditional NASCAR racing in the south. But for wonderful weather, incredible scenery, and track hospitality, Phoenix ranks right up there amongst the best race trips I've ever experienced.

Following Sunday's race, there was only one logical place to go - back to Starters. We wanted to see how many folks were left after a day of racing and cautions. Turns out the place had a different vibe than we expected. Doug and Marcia had left for the evening, and most of the race crowd was gone as well. But think that stopped the Schaefer Hall of Fame? No way.

Besides, this guy from Cleveland was there. We wanted to put him in the Schaefer Ring of Honor simply based on the coolness he exuded.

As 2013 reached its end, Big Mo celebrated with a return to Puerto Rico. Though we're having a tougher time than ever finding Schaefer in the US, Big Mo let us know its still available if you just know where to look for it.

He had a full case shipped back home to North Carolina. Twenty-four TEN ounce cans - apparently the norm for beer cans in Puerto Rico. Who knew?

So now that the calendar has flipped to January, may you have a Schaefer-filled 2014.

If you've made it this far - and are a fellow fan of Schaefer - and know where to buy it - please email me at toomuchcountry (at) gmail (dot) com. Its more challenging than ever to find Schaefer these days, and the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor will appreciate every available tip available to restock our supply.

Now if only this winter weather would quickly end, I'll return to wearing my pink Schaefer thong.

TMC
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