Dub Clewis, purchased one of the Petty Plymouths in 1968; Richard Brickhouse would be his driver. The fledgling Grand National team painted their new racer bright red, emblazoned it with "03" and "Burnswick Motor Sales", and entered Rockingham's "Carolina 500" that June. The local daily news, "The Wilmington Star-News" covered the new team's exploits, reasonably well. Thursday's edition (preceding Sunday's race) the "Star"detailed the team's Rockingham entry and qualifying hopes. Monday's edtion screamed in bold, black headlines: "BRICKHOUSE FINISHES 4TH AT ROCKINGHAM". It was true, incredible, surprising, and unlikely, but still true. The fact that it was Richard Brickhouse's FIRST EVER RACE ON PAVEMENT makes it all the more impressive.The Clewis-Brickhouse team would enter seven Grand National races in 1968. On three occasions, the team encountered mechanical problems and failed to finish. BUT, when they finished, their results speak for LOUDLY for themselves: Rockingham(Carolina 500): 4th...........Daytona(Firecracker 400): 17th...............Darlington(Southern 500): 9th...............Rockingham (American 500): 11th............. for an average finish of 10th!.............. TENTH............a rookie driver that had never driven on an ashphalt or on any track longer than 1/2 mile, who was racing a '55 Chevy hobby stocker in 1964, had an average finish of T E N T H...........in NASCAR's GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION!Seven Grand National races were hardly enough to satisfy Brickhouse's enthusiam for stock car racing. He had built a '66 Chevelle late model, the previous winter, and was slinging dirt with the rest of 'um on Saturday nights at the non-sanctioned Leland Raceway. One hot August Saturday night, the Brickhouse team hit pay dirt, out running Sam Ard, Hop Holmes, Jackie Rogers, and all the rest, and won Leland's late model feature race. Results from the Leland Raceway were covered in "Southern Motor Racing".........a vital information source. As soon at the "SMR" news made the rounds, Richard Brickhouse was expelled from NASCAR.Very high on Big Bill France's black list, right after rain-outs, and driver unions,.........were traitors, interlopers, or carpet-baggers. It was a penalty as old as NASCAR, but any extra-curricular-non-NASCAR activity, on the part of any NASCAR driver, ESPECIALLY a Grand National one, would not be tolerated. The penalty was expulsion: "race with us or find someplace else..........." Brickhouse's success had definitely caught the eyes of the NASCAR establishement, he was "known", he would feel their wrath, and he would learn to understand the lay-of-the-land, if he chose to remain. Not surprisingly, he chose to remain.In a strange twist of fate, and the irony of ironies, when Brickhouse began the process of redeeming himself, he quickly discovered ....." I started calling around, trying to find out what I needed to do.........when I finally got up with everybody, they was all over at that new track.....at Talladega." It was August 1968. One year later, "everybody" would be at that new track again...................... How prophetic.What he "needed to do" was to sit down and receive a severe toungue lashing, pay a monetary fine, and promise to never even think about such a judgement lapse. Truthfully, Brickhouse was a racing addict. He could not quit, or at least, he did not. Even after his close call with NASCAR, he continued to race at Leland. Ganted, he tried to camaflouge his activity by driving for Wilmington car owner, Billy Todd, instead of his own car, and he had Ernie Wayne, Leland's announcer, call him..........."John-Henry-George-James", but everybody knew the story.By 1969, everybody DID know the story, the REAL story: Richard Brickhouse was the real deal. Through early August, the Dub Clewis/Richard Brickhouse team had entered 16 Grand National events with their '67 ex-Petty Plymouth. Their attrition rate was 50%, but, again, the races the team completed, resulted in an average finish of 10.875. Impressively, the list included: Daytona 500: 12th,........ Daytona Firecracker 400: 7th,................. Atlanta 500: 8th............By that August, Ronney Housholder and the rest of Chrysler's racing brass had seen enough, at Michigan International Speedway's August event, Richard Brickhouse drove the #14 Bill Ellis factory backed Plymouth. The team finished 7th.