I think it was January 1968, Sunday afternoon, and me and my dad were headed to the Little River (SC) Raceway. We weren't racing, this time, just taking the family car, 'cause dad had heard (via the always-amazing racing grapevine) that Little River was racing, they were gonna "run for the gate." The purse would be a percentage of what the track took in at the front gate. That was fine, by me, any racing, especially in the middle of winter, was about as good as it gets.When we got to the track, we just drove right in the infield pit area. Since we were racers, ourselves, we never sat in the stands, and we wanted to see, up close and personal, the new cars that had been built over the winter. Boy, THAT didn't take too long! When we got there, a crowd was already gathered around a '64 or '65 chevelle RACE CAR!Up until that moment, 1968, the latest model race car that had ever been on the coastal Carolina racing scene was, perhaps, a (disastrous) '59 Chevy. Without question the tri-five Chevys, and Fords were the cars of choice. And here was a race car that was only THREE or FOUR years old?! Man, the world had changed, and BIG time, since those long ago days of 1967!It was a familliar red with a black top, number 81 and was neatly lettered with the familiar Central Oil and Machine, Florence, SC banner. Only thing was, the "1" was changed to a "4" with white shoe polish. So, the chevelle was actually #84. There was a couple other notes of interest, in front of the rear fender opening was a new proclaimation: "owned by John Altman & Sam Ard", "Sam Ard" on the roof and (REALLY impossible to miss) on the rear valence: "BIG DADDY".The "crowd" never materialized that sunny afternoon, and the race was cancelled. But, among the critical intellegence that dad and I learned: the chevelle was built by and for (Florence, SC's) Junior Johnson, was on a '55 Chevy chassis, had a 350 engine and had been sold to the new team of Altman and Ard. Just like that, the age old engine rules, 283's and 289's had been removed, and nothing replaced them. Run what you brung! The coastal Carolina racing scene could not imagine and, really, did not have a clue as to how its world had already changed. Forever.Back in my 8th grade class, the next day, I took out note-book paper and began the process of learning to draw a '64 chevelle late model.The ruins of the Twin City Raceway met bulldozer's blade in early 2008. Twin City Raceway was located off US Hwy. 701 between Loris, SC and Tabor City, NC, on modern-day 'Morgan' Road. Forty years ago, Morgan road was narrow, dirt, and it wound past tobbacco fields, woods, and a dirt track with 'heated' grandstands. Built and opened in late summer of 1964, Twin City, was planning on racing year-round and enclosed the stands with roofing tin and placed tobbacco barn burners underneath to provide the comfort. It's difficult to determine if the heating idea was good or not. Managment, almost immediately, ran afoul of the various governmental revenue agencies. Promoters came and went, the on-track action was as wild as possible and the last straw was the ultra-modern Little River Raceway that opened in nereby Little River, SC in the spring of 1966.Twin City sputtered on for a while longer, and on a late April Friday night in 1968 hosted one of their very last events. The new-car sensation had taken hold, and Myrtle Beach's Danny Smith was present that with a brand new Bob Hucks prepared '67 Chevelle. Also in the pits was a new potent '65 Fairlane with hard-charging Lee Edwards at the wheel, as well as Hop Holmes with his short-lived '61 Ford Starliner. Potent.Also in the Twin City Raceway pits, and fresh from winning Leland Raceway's annual and opening night 'Azaela 250', where he had led virtually ALL 250 DIRT TRACK LAPS, was #84 Sam "Big Daddy" Ard. The late model race started, and #84 took command, never being closely challenged. On a customary red-flag-'caution' Sam Ard zoomed off the track, sacrificing the lead and into the pits. In a blur, and I was witnessing this drama first hand, Sam climbed from the cockpit ( Mr. John Altman had already jacked up the rear end) slid underneath the rear axle, removed the quick-change cover, discarded two completely SMOOTH spur gears, replaced them with two GOOD ones, reassembled everything, climbed back in the car, went back, out and won the race from the rear of the field! Unbelievable!I asked Sam Ard in 2004, while he was at Mrytle Beach Speedway with his son's truck racing effort, how he had been so sure of the sheared spur gears at Twin City, all those years ago. He said he just knew, he could tell by the way the car felt.Don't see that too much anymore!