The title of this was a popular song, sang by Country Outlaw, Waylon Jennings. This past weekend we witnessed at Daytona, once again another father and son duo to tear up the track! Most of you know that I am an Elliott fan, especially now with Chase, who just recently turned 18 is going to compete in the Nationwide series this year for JR Motorsports, but that was last weeks topic. Starting on Friday, we were provided several days worth of primer colored cars practicing at the legendary Daytona International Speedway. While the younger Elliott's only experience at the 2.5 track was a previous ARCA test there last December, his father, the 1988 Winston Cup Champion and two time Daytona 500 winner, Bill Elliott, has had quite the career at the storied facility. For the two days that the Nationwide series practiced at Daytona, Chase had quite the instructor. Bill Elliott was tabbed by Dale Earnhardt Jr, the son of one of Bill's competitors to practice the #5 Chevy that Dale will be racing next month. JR Motorsports had three cars for the test - the two Elliotts, and Regan Smith in the #7. Running by themselves, all were fair in times, with the exception of Chase who had a time good enough for 17th. But once all three Camaro's ran together around the track, it was something quite amazing. At the end of day one, Chase was the fastest car, with his father in second, and just in front of their teammate, Smith. By day two, Chase was second and Bill was fourth fastest. While this was just a test and Bill has no current plans to compete in any races this year, it was really something to see a father/son team running around the track. And that's what today's topic is about, a few of the many father's and son's to compete at the top level of NASCAR.

The first team that really sticks out in my mind would be the Petty's. Lee, who was a three time Grand National Champion had two sons - Maurice and Richard, who are all now inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. When Richard was a teenager, he wanted to race, like many his age. He knew he could ask his father, get a car, and go to local tracks. To Richard's surprise, his father, Lee, told him to not ask him again until he was 21. A disgruntled Richard would wait until the summer of 1958 when he , his brother, and his father built a 1957 Oldsmobile and painted it with a #43. Lee was #42, so it only made since. However, some of Richard's early cars also had #142 on it.  One race in particular was the 1959 NASCAR race at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. A young Richard was flagged as the winner. All was well until Lee walked into the makeshift victory lane. The young Petty thought he might be happy about his first victory, however, when Richard found out that there had been a protest against his car, and was made by his dad. Lee explained that he had actually lapped Richard and he was the winner. Another story goes that NASCAR put up a $500 bonus to any driver to win that race with a current year car. Lee was driving a 1959 model, while Richard had a 57. Lee told his son that $500 could go along way to their racing team. Lee would finish out that year as the Grand National Champion for the third and last time in his career. His driving would come to an end during the 1961 Daytona 500, when he and another racer crashed through the guard rail and landed in the parking lot. Richard would go on and become the King of NASCAR by winning 200 races, and 7 Championships, in addition to 7 Daytona 500 victories. Richard also had a racing son, Kyle, who had a promising start as one of the only third generation drivers of his time. The first time that Kyle even drove a race car, he won! It was the 1979 ARCA race at Daytona, the weekend of his father's 6th Daytona 500 victory. From then until the early 80's, the two Petty's would compete in cars #42 and #43 in reverse paint schemes of each other with the same sponsor of STP. You couldn't ask for a better story, however, Kyle just wasn't as successful. His first win came in 1986, driving for a different team. He would have decent success until the early 90's, when he was a somewhat contending force for wins. Kyle's last victory came in 1995. Kyle too, had a son, Adam, who when he started racing became the first and only (at the time) fourth generation athlete in any type of sport. Adam's first race occured in 1998 at what was then Peach State Speedway, in Jefferson GA. Adam really turned heads. He won in ARCA and was making several Busch series starts into the year 2000. He ran his first and only Winston Cup race at Texas in 2000, just weeks before his great-grandfather Lee, passed away. Again, just weeks after the Petty Family Patriarch passed away, Adam was killed in a racing accident at Louden, New Hampshire in July of 2000. At the beginning of the year, the Petty family was looking to be back on top and making history, just 7 months later, the Petty's only had two racers.

Another father/son duo to re-write the record books was the Jarretts. Ned Jarrett, got his foot in the door in the 1950's by competing in NASCAR's Sportsman Modified Division, winning the 1957 & 58 Championships. In 1959, trying to pursue a Grand National career, he found a Ford, once owned by Junior Johnson for $2000. He didn't have the money to buy the car, so he waited until Friday after the bank closed to write the check. He raced the car on Saturday and Sunday, and won both...earning enough money to prevent the check from 'bouncing'. Ned's first victory came in 1959 at Myrtle Beach, and won five races the following year. He would win the 1961 Grand National Championship driving a 61' Chevy. For the 1962 season, he would switch to Fords, and gained the nickname "Gentleman Ned" after he sold his Chevy to fellow racer, Wendell Scott, who was the only African-American racer in a time that the sport was dominated by post- Jim Crow South drivers.  Ned would have another great year in 1965, when he won that year's Southern 500 by 14 laps in addition to that year's Grand National Championship in his Bondy Long owned Ford Galaxie, again number 11. Ned would retire from driving after the 1966 American 500 at Rockingham after hearing that Ford would be pulling Factory Support to NASCAR teams. To this day, he the only defending champ to retire. He would later begin announcing racing in 1978 for the Motor Racing Network where he worked as both a radio and TV announcer for decades to come. Ned has two sons - Glenn and Dale. Glenn would attempt to be a racer in the 80's, starting in the Busch series and making several Winston Cups starts. Dale had a more successful career, winning three Daytona 500's and the 1999 Winston Cup Championship. One Daytona race in particular, Ned was able to call his son Dale to the finish of his first 500 win. Ned also was the announcer for Dale's first victory in 1991. Dale also had a son, Jason Jarrett, who made several Busch and Cup series starts, in addition to several ARCA series victories.

The last father/son dynasty for tonight will be as expected the Earnhardt's. It all started with Ralph Earnhardt, beginning his racing career in 1949 as a hobby. In 1953, it became his full-time job. In 1956, he won the NASCAR Sportsman Championship. He had a son, Dale, who like Richard Petty, wanted to have his dad allow him to race, however, Dale had to work to build his first car, which was a Pink 1956 Ford. Dale eventually made a name for himself on the Carolina dirt tracks, taking up from where his father left off, after passing away from a heart attack in 1973. Dale would make several Winston Cup starts in the late 70's, making his full season debut in 1979. He would be named the Rookie of the Year, and would win his first Cup Championship the very next year in 1980. Throughout his lifetime, Dale would win a record-tying 7 Championships along with 76 victories before his death, during a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, while trying to protect the field from gaining to his cars, one driven by his son, Dale Jr. After Dale's death, media and fans turned to Dale Jr to be the next great driver. For about four years after, Dale Jr was a competitive force and finished well in the points. Dale had another son in addition to Dale Jr, Kerry, who himself competed in racing. He would win some ARCA races, but he just wasn't successful. Kerry has two sons that both race, Bobby Dale, and Jeffery, who are now fourth generation drivers.

Throughout the history of auto racing, there has been many father/son combinations to make history, even some to race against each other. Some I didn't mention were the Bobby Hamilton and his son, Bobby Jr. Bobby Allison, with his two sons - Clifford and Davey. (Bobby was even able to win the 1988 Daytona 500 in a last lap battle with Davey). Tony Bettenhausen with his sons Gary, Tony Jr, and Merle. Geoff and Barry Bodine; Neil and David Bonnett; Wally Dallenbach with his sons Wally Jr and Paul; Ken Ragan with his son, David;  David Pearson along with son, Larry; Martin Truex, with sons Martin Jr and Ryan. Finally, one of the largest American racing family's - The Unser's, who started with 5 racing brothers, who then had 10 children between them, that all raced at one point.

Like I said, there are dozens more father/son combinations to be successful in auto racing, and now we have another - Bill and Chase Elliott. Bill's father George, was a car owner, but not a racer. The Elliott's from Dawsonville are a small family, but has been involved in racing for three generations. I can go ahead and say, you'll be hearing the Elliott name like it was the 80's once again!