Jimmy Scott

I thought there was an existing discussion, but perhaps it was on the Drag Car site. I have been talking with friends and relatives of Jimmy Scott and have learned quite a bit of history. First, my apologies to Ray Lamm for contradicting his input. I have learned that Scott did indeed buy back his '58 Delray Business Coupe D/S drag car, and converted it into a circle track car. Most of you recall the 3VA car as the "Bumblebee". When Jimmy was not the pilot a number of "name" drivers wheeled this car, to include Bobby Allison, Paul Radford, Sonny Hutchins, Ray Hendrick and Ted Hairfield. Jimmy later built a Chevelle that Ted Hairfield took to a win in the Aug '77 Va 300. The most interesting part is that Ted and Bugs Hairfield bought Jimmy's car for Bugs to race, and at that time it was a Nova. Bugs tells me that the same chassis and roll cage morphed from the '58 Bumblebee into the Chevelle, into the Nova that they bought. Woody Delbridge has pictures of this car that perhaps he will re-post. I would assume that the rules for the Late Model Division dictated updating the body model. The Bumblebee car was built and began to compete early '70s. Roy Hendrick says he competed with Jimmy's '58 in '72-'73. I would guess the Chevelle was constructed about mid-'70s.

Thanks, Dickie. Lot of great info in your post. That chassis had an amazing history. Will never forget the sound of the "Bumblebee" car at Southside Speedway. This David Bentley posted photo of the Bumblebee car from the Scott family is the car I remember seeing:

FOUND (2) CHEVY CHEVELLE PHOTOS OF BEST APPEARING LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN RACE CAR IN THE MARTINSVILLE RACING HISTORY BOOK:"FROM DUST TO GLORY" BY BASSETT

#1.PHOTO PAGE 202 RACE CAR # ? CAR OWNER TOMMY BECK, DRIVER TED HAIRFIELD OCT.1974

#1A.PHOTO PAGE 202 RACE CAR # ? CAR OWNER TOMMY BECK, DRIVER TED HAIRFIELD OCT.1974

#2.PHOTO PAGE 209 RACE CAR # 89, CAR OWNER L & J CORP., DRIVER LESTER GUPTON MARCH,1976

#2A.PHOTO PAGE 209 RACE CAR # 89, CAR OWNER L & J CORP., DRIVER LESTER GUPTON MARCH,1976

Thanks for any information or photos posted.
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.USA

Below are photos of the 3va Jimmy Scott Nova at Southside by Donald Evans and the #3va Jimmy Scott Chevelle by Woody Delbridge at Langley:

....and according to Bugs, this would be the same car.

I think you can add Morgan Sheppard, Buddy Baker and possibly Tommy Ellis to the list of drivers. Jimmy and Tommy were best of friends and I'm not sure if Tommy ever drove the car in competition or not but I think he did.

For those who may not be familiar with anything but the sound, the original motor in the car was a one off hand built 348 cubic inch Chevrolet motor that Jimmy spent countless hours building. That motor had 2 distributors, 16 spark plugs, highly modified heads mated to an AMC intake with 180 degree headers breathing thru a Z-11/Myster Motor breather and cold air intake system connected to the firewall.

Jimmy was my neighbor in those days back in Amelia and he was quite a guy and highly thought of by all. He was one of my best friends. Our race car shops were just a block apart and many nights after we would quit work on the cars we would all go to Buddies Truck Stop for a late night snack. I remember being at Jimmy's shop late one night when he was assembling that motor, there was the usual group of guys hanging around and Jimmy had the motor on the stand turned upsidedown and one of the guys got a little too close and had about an inch of ashes hanging off the end of his cigarette and Jimmy told him to get away from his motor before those ashes fell off. The guy (I don't remember now who it was) replied to Jimmy that the ashes were so fine that the wouldn't hurt the motor. Jimmy replied, "show me how they will make it go faster and I'll pay you by the pound to stand there and smoke and drop them in it" !!! Aw, the good days. Thanks for remembering Jimmy

I'm pretty sure that Tommy did drive Jimmy's car on occasion, I believe he ran it at Langley at least once. I'm sorry that I didn't know you or Worth back in the day. I visited Jimmy's shop every so often, but mostly hung around Ted Hairfield's shop, Donalevy's some, even Pappy's old Swansboro Motor Company in Southside. Used to stop in at Red Britton's Total Service Garage on Walmsley when he was wrenching Larry Manning's Chevrolet, and Bob Adam's shop when they were running a Mopar with Larry. I grew up across the street from Joan Marie, Jimmy Scott's wife, and her brother Billy Jones and I have been friends for many years. I worked for Automotive Machine Service on Hull Street and Jimmy would occasionally bring in pieces and parts for work. I got to see some of the wizardry that you mention there and at Jimmy's shop.

The Bugs Hairfield#04 at Richmond's Southside Speedway photo attachments above posted by Dickie:

#55 is one-eyed Curtis Markham who'd later drive the Skoal Bandit on the Busch North Tour and spot for Denny Hamlin in Cup.

From the June 17, 1976 Danville Bee:

Ray Hendrick won at Richmond's Southside Speedway Friday nightin the Jimmy Scott "Bumblebee" car, leading all 50 laps.

Good stuff Dave. What can you dig up on Tommy Ellis wheeling the car?

Found an August 5, 1976 Danville Bee piece about Monk Tate being injured at Fayetteville's Cumberland Internationalthat mentioned Jimmy Griffin driving the 3va at South Boston:

TATE NOT READY --

It's still some three weeks before Monk Tate will be ready for Late Model Sportsman action. "I just got back from the doctor today" said Tate in a telephone conversation yesterday. "I'm coming along real good but he says it'll be about three weeks before I can race again." Tate was injured in a racing accident on July 5th in Fayetteville, N.C., and has replaced himself with young Joe Millikan, the often-said Richard Petty protege. "Joe will drive the car at South Boston Saturday night," Tate said. "He's doing real good with the car."

Millikan will be joined by other top standouts as Tommy Houston, a winner over Butch Lindley at Kingsport, Tenn., last weekend, and Roy Hendrick, Bubba Tatum, Phil Morgan, Sonny Hutchins, Sam Ard, Danny Collins, Joe Falk, Ray Hendrick and Jimmy Griffin. Griffin is scheduled to drive the Jimmy Scott "Bumblebee" 3VA car while Hutchins will drive the Garland Ricketts Cougar if his own car cannot be repaired in time. Collins, a consistent winner at Beltsville, Md., Manassas and Richmond will be in a Bobby Allison Chevelle. The feature goes for 150 laps and pays $1,200 to the winner.