From that very first race I went to just before turning 6, all I wanted to do was drive race cars. That's all I talked about, all I dreamed about. Every term paper in school but the one my teacher MADE me write on WWII was about racing. Every speech but the one I had to memorize for public speaking was about racing. Every presentation I made when I took the Dale Carnegie course was on racing. My High School yearbook is signed by more than 200 of my class mates and only ONE of those notes does not reference racing. When I climbed into my first race car in 1969, I thought that was the ultimate achievement of my life, finishing second in the heat and third in the feature in my first time on the tracki. There was nothing I wanted to do but drive race cars.
I quit driving in 1973 after an accident at the Myrtle Beach Speedway injured a spectator and I couldn't quite handle the fact that I had caused such injury to a totally innocent human. I did climb back into a race car in 1976 for a few practice laps around that same speedway and was really fast and could have been a competitive driver in that car. I was never a great driver by any stretch but everyone who ever saw me drive will say I was 'good". I competed, as close as I can estimate in close to 200 races over those years between Columbia, Savannah, Augusta and Myrtle Beach Speedway. When there were no problems with the car, it was a second or third place finish which always gave us enough money to go to the next race without hitting the "kitty", so it was a pretty good life. I was one of the fortuante ones in the division in which I ran to actually pick up a National sponsorship from Payne Air Conditioning products in my third year with the Plymouth. My team was never flashy, but we were consistent and thanks to the guys who helped out all the time we were very fortunate to build a huge fan base.
Obviously I did not move up to Cup and there were times when I thought that was the ultimate failure for me. I was supposed to be up there competing with Petty, Allison, Pearson and those guys. It didn't happen so I moved on to other things in racing. I have worked the concession stands, worked as a NASCAR official, flagman, driven the pace car, broadcast races for radio, done some tv work for a major network, became The Legend thanks to Jeff Gilder and Racers Reunion. I learned of the Vintage car series back in the nineties and imagineda possibility that I could return to driving in that venue. Time passed, and no money was available for those efforts. Then the grandkids started coming along and I learned about soccer, baseball, football, tennis, and swimming, but still there was this dream in the back of my mind that I would get behind the wheel again and maybe, just maybe., take a checkered flag somewhere one day. The more I learned about the Vintage cars and the Bell and Bell Series, the more I thought that was actually a real possibility.
A couple of years ago, at Rockingham, Mike Sykes allowed me to drive the number 43 STP Plymouth in the 6 or 8 lap show laps the speedway allowed and I can't even find the words to describe what that experience was like. I was actually driving the car of my life long hero on a real race track! How can you describe what that feels like when you're in a dream world that you know is real but somehow it can't really be happening.I will never forget the feeling of going into turn one in that car and getting up high like The King would run it. That happening to me was so unlikely as to be unbelieveable, but it did happen and Michael W. Smith actually has a picture of that on his page somewhere.
A year or so ago, climbed into Tony Stewart's Pontiact and was going to do a burn out. Two problems prevented that; 1) the battery died and the car wouldn't start, and 2) when I tried to get out of the car, it took the assistance of four people and over 30 minutes to accomplish. Her Honor, Elise Partin, Mayor of Cayce was only second away from calling for the "jaws of life" to get me out.
I have joked around since I cut the tire down on Mike Sykes' car awhile back that I had retired and would not get back behind the wheel of another race car, even in parades. I was half way serious, but., given the chance, I knew I could be enticed to do another few laps around Rockingham, or Darlington, or Charlotte,. or Atlanta, or.... well, you get the idea. A couple of nights ago I told Ann I would not get back in a race car even for pictures. I had, at the time, no idea where that came from but looking back it started when Ann and I went to the Bell & Bell race in Lakeview, SC a couple weeks ago. I saw Jeff, Billy Biscoe,. Bopping Bobby and others compete in a great race and was thinking on the way home, "hey, I could do that and be pretty good at it".
So, what happened? I was cutting my grass today and as I always do when working hard, I like to imagine pleasant things so I was,. as usual with grass cutting, in the mode where the mower was a race car and I was leading a race somewhere and the engine was running just right and the guys back at the shop had set the chassis just right and all that good stuff. I must point out here that I've had the same size yard for 29 years, the same mower for the past 10 years, and I always finish the entire yard, front and back, on one tank of gas. Today, for the first time ever, I was about 12 passes from finishing the yard when the tank ran dry. I couldn't believe it. But as walked to the back yard to get the gas can I started thinking how funny it was that cutting the grass was not even a mileage event and I had run short. I guess that put the icing on the cake.
I know that probably is going to cause certain readers to experience severe brain drain trying to figure out how running a lawn mower out of gas leads to this decision, but it has. I will not climb into another race car. Period. Parades, pictures, anything. Even with Mayor Partin standing by with the jaws of life can't use government power to order me behind the wheel. So, the dream of being a winning stock car driver is over. Well, I guess I'll still dream it, I have for almost sixty years so may as well keep up that traditiion.
I am so blessed with all I have and all that this site and most of the people here have given me. I don't need to win a race, take the checkered flag. I have the best friends possible and so many good things. I have a wife who puts up with me (God bless her) a daughter and son-in-law that allow me to be a hero of sorts to their three sons who happen to call me Pop. Being Cup Champion is a pretty good thing, but being Pop is so much better. I have a son and daughter-in-law with three daughters up in New Hampshire whom I don't get to see that often but those three girls call me Pop too and they give pretty good kisses!!!!
I have many friends here, many who call me The Legend. I hang out with some pretty impressive people. I am known by name by several Cup Champions and Hall of Fame Members and that's pretty good for a dreamer to have achieved. I still have to pay everytime I go to Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville, but it is well worth the admission price.
So, all you who have read this far, I will drive race cars no more forever. I'm not ruling out go-karts though. Just don't tell Ann.
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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
Who is it that said, "Never Say Never?" Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Justin Bieber....hmm?
