NASCAR's Winston Cup Series had a weekend off between its July 23rd race at Atlanta and August 6th race at Talladega. I'm sure some took the opportunity to race late models somewhere. Some tinkered around with a honey-do list at home. Some worked feverishly on their Cup cars since they served multiple roles as the owner-driver-crew chief. Some likely took a nap on the couch or from the vinyl seat of a bass boat as their worm drowned on the bottom of a lake.
Yet others headed for Hickory Motor Speedway to race the Grand National East division race on July 30th - the Buddy Shuman Memorial 300. The field was comprised of several notable drivers - some on their way up, some on their way down. Some of the 'name drivers' included Bobby Isaac; Jim Paschal; late model standout Harry Gant; Bobby Allison; ARCA winner and future Cup champion Benny Parsons; and independent drivers such as D.K. Ulrich, Baxter Price, and Wendell Scott.
Perhaps the most notable driver in the field was a former NASCAR regular who was looking to make a comeback. Cale Yarborough had several wins in the mid to late 1960s. In the early 70s, however, he took a shot at making it on USAC's Indy car circuit. In 1972, he raced in NASCAR's Daytona 500 and USAC's Indy 500. But that was about it. As he planned a return to NASCAR, he raced in an earlier GNE event at Columbia. For the Hickory race, he suited up in a Junie Donlavey #90 Ford.
The race was originally scheduled for Saturday July 29th. Heavy area rains had other plans; however, and qualifications and the race were postponed until the 30th.
Bobby Isaac and his familiar #71 Nord Krauskopf K&K Insurance Harry Hyde-prepared Dodge also rolled into track. And the team was pretty much the star of the show. Isaac planted the red Dodge on the pole, and he then proceeded to dominate the laps en route to a win. He led 288 or the race's 300 laps.
Race report from The Dispatch
| Fin | Driver | Sponsor / Owner | Car |
| 1 | Bobby Isaac | K&K Insurance (Nord Krauskopf) | '72 Dodge |
| 2 | Cale Yarborough | Junie Donlavey | '71 Ford |
| 3 | Benny Parsons | L.G. DeWitt | '71 Ford |
| 4 | Gary Myers | Taylor Myers | '70 Ford |
| 5 | Elmo Langley | Langley Racing (Elmo Langley) | '71 Ford |
| 6 | Neil Castles | Howard Furniture (Neil Castles) | '71 Dodge |
| 7 | Wayne Andrews | Jack St. Clair | '70 Ford |
| 8 | Baxter Price | Patsy Long Price | '69 Chevrolet |
| 9 | Walter Ballard | Vic Ballard | '71 Ford |
| 10 | Ed Negre | Ed Negre | '70 Dodge |
| 11 | Ernie Shaw | Ernie Shaw | '70 Ford |
| 12 | Joe Childress | Roscoe Leonard | '71 AMC |
| 13 | E.J. Trivette | Gary L. Baird | '72 Chevrolet |
| 14 | Jabe Thomas | Jabe Thomas | '70 Plymouth |
| 15 | Rick Newsom | Rick Newsom | '69 Mercury |
| 16 | Harry Gant | '70 Mercury | |
| 17 | Wendell Scott | Wendell Scott | '71 Ford |
| 18 | D.K. Ulrich | D.K. Ulrich | '71 Ford |
| 19 | Bobby Allison | Coca-Cola (Melvin Joseph) | '69 Chevrolet |
| 20 | Randy Bannister | Jimmy Justice | '69 Chevrolet |
| 21 | Jim Paschal | H.C. Stewart | '71 Pontiac |
| 22 | Pee Wee Wentz | Jerry Wentz | '69 Chevrolet |
| 23 | Jimmy Vaughn | Wayne Vaughn | '69 Chevrolet |
| 24 | Richard D. Brown | Ralph McNabb | '71 Chevrolet |
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
