Ghost Track Memories - Richard in a Solid Blue Superbird and Hutchins & Hendrick in Modifieds

This has been around the horn before, but it is one of my favorite videos and we are faced with a little "down" time.

George Meade did a great splicing of some old Trenton footage of NASCAR modified and Grand National racing.

It must be the 1970 Schaefer 300 (got yer ears on, TMC?) at the GN portion because Richard Petty has the solid blue #43 Plymouth Superbird and Bobby Allison the winged Mario Rossi CocaCola #22 Dodge. I see Elmo's green Ford and Bill Champion's unsponsored Ford #10. Though he isn't entered, a young, ruddy faced Pete Hamilton is seen with an equally young Linda Vaughn.

The Donlavey #90 Merc driven that weekend by Lee Roy Yarbrough is seen along with the Richard Brooks #32 Plymouth and Frank Warren #74 Chevy Grand Nationals.

Being prejudiced, I am partial to the shots that show so many of the cars I watched every Friday night at my hometown Southside Speedway in Richmond. The footage shows the twin Junie Donlavey blue #90 & #91 Modified Ford coupes of Sonny Hutchins and Lee Roy Yarbrough, Ray Hendrick with the Tant/Mitchell "Flying #11 " Modified, the #45 &# 46 mods out of William Mason's garage and so many more. I see Joe Henry Thurman's #3Va modified and Wild Bill Slater. Also seen up close is the famed red #2X of "Steady Eddie" Flemke with its "Flemke front end" that beat the pants off all the southern mod drivers at tracks below the Mason-Dixon line for a season or two in the early 60s.

There's the Bug Man, Perk Brown, Carl Burris, Lennie Pond, Bill Wimble, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Al Grinnan, Bill Dennis, Paul Radford, Eddie Crouse, Melvin Creasey, Runt Harris, Eddie Royster and on and on.

The piece closes with late model bodied modifieds, with William Mason's #45 leading again, perhaps with Satch Worley at the wheel by this point in time.

You HAVE TO HAVE YOUR VOLUME ON . Listening to the sound track and seeing the old cars and drivers at the same time gets me every single time.

I absolutely love this piece and getting a chance one more time to see so many cars I watched race on Friday nights.

really liked the video dave keep them coming

Have definitely seen that one before. And I think I've embedded this one before though I won't swear to it. GN action from the 1970 Schaefer 300 at Trenton.

Thanks, Charles. I'd put that group of NASCAR modified cars and drivers assembled in the Trenton infield up against any group of cars and drivers on any track, anytime, anyplace and bet on 'em.

Thanks, Chase. I bet a lot of our RR members have never seen a winged NASCAR racer in action... or a solid blue #43!

Along with the grandeur of those Superbirds in the 1970 Schaefer 300 at Trenton, Wendell Scott had a terrible crash during qualifying. ( Ron Wetzler 's photo)

And a couple of additional poorer quality sequence shots.

We always remember Wendell's Talladega crash, but the photos you posted from Trenton are very frightening.

Fortunately, Wendell wasn't injured & was able to return to Trenton in 71 - and enjoy a cold one.