May 9, 1970: A rough day for Ol' Blue at Darlington

Today is the anniversary of one of The King's most vicious wrecks. Richard Petty pounded the inside wall during the Rebel 400. I'm sure many in the stands and along pit road that day thought he was gone. Fortunately - and a bit miraculously perhaps - Petty only suffered a dislocated shoulder & some bumps and bruises.

I've often wondered if Papa Lee gave Richard a verbal lashing for wrecking 3 racecars in that one weekend - once he learned he was going to be OK of course.

I was sitting on the trunk of my car against the fence in turn four that day, shorts, no shirt and barefoot. As usual, my eyes were always on the 43. When it happened, I started running in the direction the car was flipping. Got to where it stopped and jumped on the back of a guy's pickup where 6 or 7 guys watching the race. I could see the crew trying to get him out. Watched in shock. Then the guy who owned the truck told me to "get the hell off his truck, I was bleeding all over it". I looked down and blood was pooling everywhere. I had apparently run over glass running barefoot. I got off the truck and walked over to where I could see the infield hospital. I stood at that fence the entire time. When they bought him out on the gurney to take him to the hospital, I could see that he was "ok" or as ok as you could be after that. I walked back to the car and we used my t-shirt to stop the bleeding and washed my foot off with water from the ice chest. I limped for a couple weeks from that cut. Was a deep one. Long time ago but the memory of that day makes my foot hurt even now.

I well remember ole Buck Brigance. He worked for Radiator Specialty on Wilkinson Boulevard in Charlotte and had raced motorcycles with Dick Beatty. One of the classic stories in all of racing is about the wreck Dick & Buck had near South Boston, Virginia driving back to Charlotte after racing motorcycles on the Richmond dirt half-mile.

Dick's nose was cut off and when Buck hollared from the weeds asking Dick if he could see his motorcycle anywhere, Dick hollared back asking Buck if he could see his nose anywhere. Two passing nurses from Rex Hospital in Raleigh helped in getting Dick's nose reattached.

Buck's daughter, Darlene worked in the Marketing Dept. at CMS. The late Buck usually wore one of those Dick Bergerenn-type "go-to-hell" caps. He was a funny guy who was as round as he was tall. He worked a little around the Bull Frog knits deal in the early 80s.

Of course the big deal to come out of that vicious wreck was the mandatory driver side window net in all cars.

The wreck also brought to light the fact, as you pointed out above, that Richard chewed and sucked on a shop rag while driving. Many observers thought he was bleeding from the mouth at the conclusion of the crash, but they were seeing the shop rag in his mouth.

Jim, I have to know. Did you ever get the RP Superbird poster replaced. I goggled it and there's several listed for sale from 1970 and 1971. With The King still around I sure hope you got it replaced with a signed replacement.

That's pretty funny Jim. I'm not much of a gambling man beyond driving in rush hour traffic. But one year at Talladega as the green was about to unfurl, one of my 2 buds elbowed me. I'd already put on my headphones & was getting my scanner set. He said "who ya got?" I asked what he meant. "Twenty bucks - who ya got? Top finish from the 3 of us gets the pot." Apparently I was the 3rd of the 3 of us to choose. I asked who they had.

While I don't remember their picks, I remember who had NOT been picked. So I shouted as the green waved "Seriously? You're gonna let me take Earnhardt vs. the field?" They nodded so I took the black 3. With a couple of laps to go, they had their hand out & smiles on their faces figuring one of them was about to lift a Jackson off me. But I pointed to the track & said "Not yet. Watch." Yep, this was the 2000 fall Dega race and Earnhardt's last win. I'm the one who took great delight in pocketing $40 from the two of them.

Jim... here's photos of Buck Brigance and Dick Beatty on their motorcycles at Richmond from the book The Racer's Book - photos and captions by Eddie Boomhower. I'm guessing the Jimmie Lewter in the photo with Buck Brigance is the famed James Lewter, NASCAR Copenhagen/Skoal All-Star machinist who recently passed??

Photos taken at Richmond half-mile dirt track at Strawberry Hill.

A PIECE OF MOTORCYCLE HISTORY THIS PICTURE IS REALLY A PIECE OF MOTORCYCLE HISTORY IN RICHMOND IN THE LATE FORTIES. LEFT TO RIGHT BUCK BRIGANCE , LEO ANTHONY, BILL HARLEY, JIMMIE CHANN, JIMMIE LEWTER, BILLY HUBER AND HANK SYVERTSEN (H-D RACING ENGINEER THAT PRECEDED DICK OBRIEN) THESE WERE ALL FACTORY GUNS AT THE TIME. BUCK BRIGANCE WAS FROM CHARLOTTE NC , LEO ANTHONY FROM PORT HURON, MI, JIMMIE CHANN FROM NEW JERSEY, JIMMMIE LEWTER FROM CHARLOTTE, AN ACE RACE MECHANIC, AND LAST, HANK SYVERTSEN WHO CALLED ALLTHE SHOTS IN THE RACING DEPT OF HARLEY DAVIDSON. BILL HARLEY WAS THE SECOND GENERATION OF HARLEYS,AND HE WAS CHIEF ENGINEER FOR HARLEY DAVIDSON

DICK BEATTY AMA NATIONAL #46

DICK WAS FROM CHARLOTTE, N.C. HE WAS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST RACERS I EVER KNEW. HE WAS BRUTAL ON EQUIPMENT. HE WAS SO POWERFUL THAT IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON FOR HIM TO BREAK FRAMES THROWING THE BIKE IN A CORNER. DICK RODE FOR THE TRIUMPH CORPORATION IN TOWSON MARYLAND. HE DECIDED WITH THE HELP OF DOUG CREECH IN CHARLOTTE TO GIVE A KR A TRY. TRY AS HE COULD IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO RIDE IT. DICK EVEN WENT TO SUCH EXTREMES AS TO CHANGE THE FORK BACK TO A WR FRONT END AND STILL DIDNT WORK AND HE GAVE UP RACING AND BECAME THE COMPETITION DIRECTOR FOR NASCAR . THE KR THAT I RODE WAS PURCHASED FROM DICK. ONE NIGHT WHEN DICK AND BUCK BRIGANCE WERE LEAVING RICHMOND THEY CENTER PUNCHED A LADY AT THE INTERSECTION OF RT.1 AND RT.58. THEY WERE IN A FORDWOODIE AND IT WOUND UP A PILE OF KINDLING WOOD. IT WAS PITCHBLACK AND BUCK YELLED DICK, HELP ME FIND MY WALLET DICK SAIDTO HELL WITH YOU, HELP ME FIND MY NOSE. THEY FOUND THE NOSE, PUT HIM IN AN AMBULANCE AND RUSHED HIM 80 MILES TO THE MEDICAL COLLEGE IN RICHMOND WHERE THEY REATTACHED THE NOSE AND TOLD HIM TO BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT BRUISE IT. THE NEXT WEEKEND HE SHOWED UP AT THE TRACK WITH TWO STRAWS IN HIS NOSE AND RACED. REALLY A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW.

Here's photos of Joe Weatherly and Paul Goldsmith on their Harleys at Richmond before their stock car days.

Also Eddie Boomhower photos from his book.

If that old Richmond dirt track coulda talked, it would have told as many great motorcycle stories as stock car stories.

Two more Buck Brigance motorcycle pictures from Eddie Boomhower's book. The top shot is the first post World War II event held at Princess Anne Speedway in Norfolk, Va. and the bottom photo is the 1950 AMA 10-Mile National at Richmond. Buck definitely rode with the BIG DOGS!

Thanks, Jim for the behind the scenes peek.

Jim, What some wonderful memories. Sure sounded like a great bunch of guys to be friends with and hang out with. Thanks for sharing.

A few days after Richard's accident, he was patched up and smiling again as he met with the Darlington race winner David Pearson for a Professional Drivers Association meeting.Also pictured are basketball player Larry Miller (between Pearson & Petty) and Leonard Laye, PDA's executive director.

Though the PDA's 'power' was almost immediately neutered shortly after its formation in 1969, the organization continued to exist through the early 1970s. But Laye left as executive director in September 1971 to work for the Gaston Gazette - the paper for whom Monte Dutton worked for many years. - DBMJ

Leonard Laye , the Executive Director of the PDA had been a sports writer for the now defunct afternoon paper, The Charlotte News . He was back at the Charlotte publication in 1977 (or earlier) from clips that I find serving as Executive Sports Editor.

In the early days of the Southern Motorsports Press Association, today's National Motorsports Press Association, Laye served as Convention Chairman.

Bump - which is far less than what the King endured on May 9, 1970