only entered one car - the number 14 of Roy Hall, in which he won the race. While not many races were scheduled for what was left of 1945, the 1946 season of stock car racing had become bigger and better than any of the pre-war years. Dozens of sanctioning bodies along with their promoters were popping up. In fact, there were several different organizations in Georgia alone that all sounded similar. Bill France was slowly making the transition from driver to promoter and soon sanctioning body president. For 1946, France founded the NSCCA - the National Stock Car Championship Association; but not to be confused with Georgia's NSCRA - The National Stock Car Racing Association. It was also around this time when Parks started to realize that he could soon no longer depend on his cousin and one of his original drivers, 'Rapid' Roy Hall. Hall was an outlaw and always got into trouble. One time in particular before winning his first of two Daytona races in 46', he averaged 62 miles an hour traveling from Atlanta to Daytona, and got there in just 6 hours (before interstates). He arrived so early that he was there two days before the actual race. So, he starting cutting donuts on the main avenue of Daytona. He was arrested, and was released to qualify for the race which he later won. When asked why he did what he did, he simply said that he didn't have money for a hotel and jail was the next best thing. Later in the year, Parks would hire Bob Flock to take over the 14 for when Hall wasn't available and later, war hero, Red Byron to pilot Parks' new car, the #22 Ford Coupe. Both Parks and Vogt had seen the eldest Flock race before the war, but they met Byron when he wandered into Vogt's shop one afternoon with his Model A Roadster. He explained that he was a racer from Alabama and wanted to meet Vogt. Vogt then pointed to the corner of the shop where Raymond Parks was standing. The two struck up a conversation and soon, Vogt was planning out Byron's new racecar for Raymond. Byron also offered to give Vogt a 'tour' of his roadster in which Vogt quickly modified several things that would make driving easier for the wounded veteran. Between Parks and Vogt, they soon now had a new team - this time a red/white #14 1939 Ford, for Flock, and a white/red #22 1939 Ford, for Byron. Most people know Red Byron as driving the black Park's Novelty Machine Special, but until late 1947, the 14 and 22 had reverse paint jobs.

Beginning in 1947, Parks instructed Red Vogt to build a third car, as a back-up - #14A. Some say the car was even painted yellow, a rarity for its time. It was meant for if any one of Parks' drivers had car troubles during the race, they could come in and take over the #14A. On two different occasions, Parks himself drove that car - the only two times in Raymond's racing career. It happened at Langhorne in 1947 and Daytona Beach in 1948. Both times Parks was scared to death and both times, all three of Parks/Vogt's cars were leading the top three positions with Raymond closing on the lead. But, as it worked out, one of the other two cars broke down, and Parks surrendered his position in the #14A and gave it to whichever driver needed it. It was also during this time that Vogt stopped putting Roy Hall's name on the cars permanently as he was found guilty in a 1947 bank heist case near Jefferson, Georgia. He was sentenced to two years in Federal Prison and his relationship with his cousin and the best mechanic he knew would suffer.

Besides street customers, Vogt also diverted most of his time to Parks racecars. He even expanded his shop and built a secret room in the back. He fabricated a false wall of cinder blocks to match the interior of his shop. This room was where he experimented on dozens of flathead V8's, primarily for the racecars of Raymond Parks, as well as engines out of trip cars, some even for Parks, too. He built this addition by himself and told no one, not even his most trusted and loyal mechanics. He knew that the Atlanta Law Enforcement usually kept a watchful eye on his Spring Street garage for any activity with bootlegger cars. This way, if a raid was occur, they most likely wouldn't find his secret room where all of the speed was born.

Late in 1947, one of the cars that Vogt put all of his blood, sweat and tears, the car of Bob Flock was involved in a terrible accident in October. The incident was life-threatening and in place, Fonty Flock, driver of the #1 Al Dykes Ford, took over for his brother and went on to win the 1947 NSCRA Championship in the #14 with Red Byron in his #22 coming in second in the final standings.

After their NSCRA championship, "The Team" - Raymond Parks, Red Vogt, Red Byron along with Bob and Fonty Flock attended the first NASCAR meeting in December of 47'. This 5 out of the 25 men that attended contributed to a lot. Vogt suggested to his childhood friend, Bill France the name NASCAR - the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. However, favorite, Red Byron suggested the NSCRA. The vote was majority for Byron, but after a break, was realized that Byron's suggestion was still in use, so they took another vote, and ended with Vogt's original suggestion - NASCAR.

The first race for NASCAR was held on February 21st, 1948. Vogt had built three cars for this race - Byron, Bob Flock, and as I said earlier, the 14A for Raymond Parks. On his way to the race, Vogt traveled to the beach in his Ford sedan with his family in tow. No passengers were allowed to speak. This was Red's 'thinking time' on how to make his engines perform better, etc. During the race, Parks dropped out while running third to hand it over to the disabled car of Bob Flock, while Byron, the disabled war veteran went on to win the first ever NASCAR sanctioned race.

During 1948, Vogt built close to half of the winning cars during the inaugural NASCAR modified season, including the championship with Byron, a great accomplishment for Vogt, an honor in which he would hold close until his death.

Next week, we'll finish out the Red Vogt series picking up in 1949.