sam sommers: a legend from the best days of racing...

I am new to this site..I happend upon a blog about sam sommers and how badly he outran some big name drivers at columbia speedway. [ they jokingly blew it up so to speak].I know everybody relates to some drivers and likes their style for one reason or another.I just wanted to say how i personally watched sam around 1972-3 at myrtle beach speedway... it was the '' sun fun 101 ''I was mabe 13 years old.. my brother and myself went over into the pits long before the race and visited with bobby allison in the coke /chevrolet!! he was such a great human being.. we got to ride a lap around the track.. with that busy man! as we came to a stop in the pits ,we looked to the right and bobby was pointing and said'' which one of you boys pull for him? '' it was sam... my brother pointed at me and said '' he does'' !! well, i said ''bobby i like you a lot but, he is the best '' to which bobby replied '' thats what i here''.. sam , you led every lap. You also lapped every car there! some were 2 laps down. i met you, and you always took time to be kind to the little blonde headed kid bugging you. i will never forget the battles with sam ardor the day you blistered allison,petty ,pearson ,yarborough,baker, jack ingram and butch [black diamond coal cars] and any body else who wanted to see what you were made of . somewhere, there is a sun news article that says ''sommers returnes to mb.speedway with new chevrolet and sets track record'' 21.21 it describes how his ford was considered to have an advantage due to the cleveland engine,so,he came back with a chevy! and a new record ! we were living life and never thought to get photos of that..sure was a great gift to find some on this web site .. THANK YOU !....Buddy Whittington

updated by @buddy-whittington: 10/04/18 07:05:49AM

Glad to have you here Buddy. I too watched Sam in the powder blue Fairlane #27 at M.B. Speedway in that time period...

He was the baddest of the bad at that time and place for sure! I was totally surprised and disappointed that M.C. Anderson and he parted ways afterSam's one season in Cup...Sam Sommers was a great driver!

mabe sam had better insights,or was better at prepairing his cars...... i dont know. i do know that , it was what it was ! when his car was working he won. it was just that simple . i will never forget those days.sam was special. he may not get all ofthe attention he is due. I bet he is just fine with having all those great times filed away and knowing he left-his- mark of greatness and did it in an '' honorable fashion ''. mabe i will get the chance to see him some time down the road ! plenty of freinds and family in myrtle beach, still talkin about him.... all our respect !

I spoke with sam back in the day. i asked why he was not getting any further in winston cup? [i was just a kid ] he looked at me with suprise,then thought for a minute , and said '' to much politics, just to much politics i guess. '' i had to ask my father what he meant by that! those days in the ford , and that new nova, setting a new track record were just as good as any race anywhere. the competition was there. He beat them all. I know life can be unfair. Ithink sam would say '' the world is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it!