It was about this time, 7:20 or so, we were told by Dan Scott, the NASCAR honcho at the track, that it was time for our division to practice. I can never forget that feeling of total elation as I climbed in the window of that Plymouth, fastened my helmet (which is on the shelf today here in the Lair) and buckled up the seat belts. I flipped the switch on the dash, pushed the button, and the engine roared to life. I can almost hear that sound now. Easing out of the pits onto the red clay track, still slick from all the water put on the surface was truly a feeling I had anticipated for 16 years and bored the world to tears with the promise that one day I would be a race driver. August 21st was that day.
The story of my first race has been told here a couple million times and is written about in several Forum posts and other blogs I’ve put up during my time here at RacersReunion so I won’t go into more of that. Yes, the first part of this Legendtorial is about me. Pure and simple, it is a recollection of a very special night in my life although it is hard to believe that was 43 years ago. I hope I didn’t bore you with my brief trip through nostalgia. A very short visit to a time when I was young, could get in and out of a race car, and was full of dreams about a future... a future that is now, for the most part, behind me. There is a commercial running on television these days where a woman looking to be in her 40s says “I’m in my sixties and I still have a lot of life ahead”. Well, that may be so, but it reminds of a friend of mine, who was 55 at the time, and was asked if he considered himself to be middle age. His response was that if he expected to live to be 110,then, yes, he was middle age. But, I digress.
Although this Legendtorial starts off as a self-serving reminder of my racing days, or as my dear friend Johnny Mallonee would call them “Memories”, the intent of this evening’s talk is about dreams. My writing this week is a combination of the anniversary of my first race and Cody Dinsmore’s 16th birthday passing last week. I want to talk to Cody, and my grand children, and all those of any age with dreams. You see, I am one of those folks, sort of like Walt Disney, who believes that dreams can, and do, come true when you believe. Oh sure, I am smart enough to know that you can’t dream about flying with just your arms and succeed, but I also know that on August 21, 1969, a dream that began for me 16 years before that came true because I believed in myself. Because I believed in myself, others listened long enough and began to believe in me too. That was the key! The help of others who believed in what I could accomplish and what was possible with enough effort and dedication. Today, at 65, I have different dreams, but I still have folks who believe in me and for that I’m thankful.
Every time I watch a NASCAR race, I wonder if Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, or most of the rest of that field actually followed a dream to get in that car or did it just happen that they became race drivers for the money, or whatever? I know Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon dreamed of winning the Indy 500 but they aren’t even running those cars. So, did they give up their dream or just re-direct the dream?
Cody, Jordan, Kyle, Austin, and a couple dozen other young men I know who have dreams for their future, follow that dream. Cody, you know Elvis made a movie about that very thing. The worst that can happen is that you give it your best and maybe it doesn’t work out just exactly the way you wanted, but what are the chances of it working out if you don’t even try? Some famous hockey player, I don’t remember who it was, said something along the lines of “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t attempt”. [Wayne Gretzky] I know a young man in Maryland who wants, more than anything, to drive a race car. He has made some starts in Legend cars and he has done pretty well. He is in college now but he is giving this racing dream 100%. We have talked before about the difficulty of getting into big league racing these days without the big dollar sponsor, so talking about fulfilling dreams through just shear desire may be folly, but it’s worth consideration.
Cody, you have a dream to work in race announcing. To say that you have the talent would be a huge understatement for sure. Your dream can be achieved through your hard work, dedication, and getting the right breaks. You will achieve what you want. I hope I’m still around when you take D.W.’s place in the booth for the Cup races. For those young men dreaming of winning the Daytona 500, don’t give up that dream. You never know when that certain break will come and put you in a position to do just that. Funny, it was always the Southern 500 I wanted to win and that was the race I dreamed most about winning. Closest I ever came was 1972 when I was leaving the infield and the gate through the back pits was open. I was one of the last to be leaving and the temptation was too much. I eased onto the track from the back pits and headed for turn 3. I came off turn 4 (in the old configuration) really using the 440 cubic inches under the hood of that 1972 Plymouth Fury two-door hardtop. As I screamed down the front straight and passed the pit exit, one of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Department race cars hit the track trying to catch me. I came off turn two watching the mirror and could see him coming off turn two as I was entering turn three. I knew there was an exit just past the covered grandstands so I cut to the bottom of the track and made the turn and blasted through that narrow opening in the concrete wall just in time to run up behind a big truck parked and blocking the exit to the highway. The deputy Sheriff slid in behind me and jumped out of his car. I got out of my car and walked back to meet him as he yelled “If I didn’t have a wreck to go to, I would put your butt in jail”. I recall bowing to him and saying, “do Lord; don’t let me stop you from your duties.” So, I actually won my only competitive laps on Darlington. Nice memory. Wouldn’t have been so nice if that deputy had hauled me in.
So, tonight has been the rambling of an old man remembering how a dream came true for me 43 years ago tonight. I am also wishing for each and every one of you listening, that your dreams, whatever they may be, will come true for you. All these years that have passed for me have been a continuation of dreams I didn’t even know about back then. I have a wonderful wife, two wonderful grown children and six of the greatest grandkids on the planet. Here on RacersReunion I am living the dream of hanging around heroes from my youth. Thanks to RacersReunion, I get to meet other race fans with the same dedication to the sport I have had for 60 years. I get to be a part of events in Columbia, Augusta, Mooresville, and Occoneechee.
Do I still have dreams? You bet ya. I’ll not bore you with those tonight, but let’s just say those dreams are every bit as intense as was the dream of driving a race car. Thank you for indulging me tonight as I recalled that night when it was time to make the dream a reality. Now, all of you out there with dreams, and I pray that is all of you, go out and make those dreams come true!.
-Tim
Email: legendtim83@yahoo.com
Twitter: @legendtim83
If you've enjoyed your visit so far, we invite you to check out the Stock Car RacersReunion site by clicking here. By simply creating a log-in you will have access to over 100,000 vintage racing photos and thousands of articles, stories and conversations, some with legendary participants whose names you will recognize. As part of our racing family, you are free to enjoy the Chat Room and all Forums will be open for discussing your passion for racing with others of like mind. RacersReunion truly is where legends and fans unite.
(Editor’s note: Tim Leeming is a member of the regular cast of the Tuesday evening racing show ” Racing Through History”, presented on Zeus Radio Network by RacersReunion®. Archives can be found by following the link. Live broadcasts can be heard from 7:00-9:00 PM every Tuesday. Please feel free to join us in the RacersReunion® Chat Room for the show.)
