Video of the Famed Dale Earnhardt / Robert Gee Wrangler Pontiac Ventura LMS

Dave Fulton
@dave-fulton
12 years ago
9,137 posts

You've heard me speak many times of the amazing Late Model Sportsman rides built by his father-in-law, Robert Gee for Dale Earnhardt. This opening ESPN segment of the 1983 Coca-Cola 200 Budweiswer Late Model Sportsman Series event at Rockingham shows the car on the pole. That's where it started and that's where it finished. The car carried #15 with its blue & yellow Wrangler colors to match the car number on Dale's Bud Moore Winston Cup ride. This same Pontiac Ventura would later be re-skinned as a Chevy Nova and carry Goodwrench sponsorship.

That last place finisher, John Linville, was the father of Kevin Harvick's wife, Delana.

1983 Coca-Cola 200

NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race number 3 of 35

March 5, 1983 at North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, NC
197 laps* on a 1.017 mile paved track (200.3 miles)

Time of race: 1:36:57
Average Speed: 91.892 mph
Pole Speed: 141.027 mph Cautions: n/a

Fin St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led Points
1 1 15 Dale Earnhardt Wrangler (Robert Gee) Pontiac 148 7,500 running 92 180
2 7 88 Bobby Allison Frank Plessinger Pontiac 148 4,250 running 0 170
3 14 01 Butch Lindley Oldsmobile 148 4,250 running 0 165
4 23 34 L.D. Ottinger Fred Kelly Pontiac 148 2,550 running 0 160
5 32 70 Bosco Lowe Pontiac 148 1,900 running 0 155
6 2 75 Neil Bonnett Hodgdon (Butch Mock) Pontiac 148 1,700 running 41 150
7 17 6 Tommy Houston Mike Day Oldsmobile 147 2,300 running 0 146
8 4 11 Jack Ingram J.W. Hunt Produce (Jack Ingram) Oldsmobile 147 2,500 running 0 142
9 10 28 Phil Parsons Johnny Hayes Pontiac 146 900 running 0 138
10 8 1 Pete Silva Pontiac 146 850 running 0 134
11 11 12 Tommy Ellis Pontiac 146 1,770 running 0 130
12 6 00 Sam Ard Howard Thomas Oldsmobile 146 1,750 running 15 127
13 12 32 Dale Jarrett PET Dairy (Horace Isenhower) Pontiac 144 725 running 0 124
14 9 26 John Utsman Oldsmobile 144 700 running 0 121
15 20 35 Barry Bostick Pontiac 141 675 crash 0 118
16 33 69 Junior Miller Junior Miller Buick 140 650 running 0 115
17 29 56 Howard Rose Pontiac 139 600 running 0 112
18 26 67 Glen Armstrong Chevrolet 139 575 running 0 109
19 18 95 Bubba Nissen Pontiac 138 550 crash 0 106
20 28 97 Harry Lee Hill Harry Lee Hill Pontiac 135 525 crash 0 103
21 36 61 Ronnie Silver Pontiac 133 450 crash 0 100
22 35 91 Danny Weese Pontiac 131 425 running 0 97
23 5 89 Geoffrey Bodine Pontiac 118 420 crash 0 94
24 30 37 Chip Lain Pontiac 103 415 engine 0 91
25 15 23 Davey Allison Bobby Allison Pontiac 91 410 crash 0 88
26 13 52 Morgan Shepherd Ed Whitaker Pontiac 90 405 crash 0 85
27 24 86 Mike Watts Pontiac 87 400 crash 0 82
28 21 29 Satch Worley Buddy Arrington Dodge 73 395 transmission 0 79
29 16 24 Glenn Jarrett Marvin Thackston Ford 69 385 rear end 0 76
30 19 50 Larry Hoopaugh Ford 67 380 engine 0 73
31 3 21 Larry Pearson Chattanooga Chew (David Pearson) Pontiac 37 380 crash 0 70
32 31 03 J.D. McDuffie Chevrolet 28 375 steering 0 67
33 25 33 George Dalton Pontiac 21 360 engine 0 64
34 22 42 Allan Powell Pontiac 19 355 brakes 0 61
35 34 68 Lamar Grover Pontiac 8 350 crash 0 58
36 27 62 John Linville John Linville Pontiac 3 350 oil pump 0 55

Stats from Racing Reference




--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Mike Sykes
@mike-sykes
12 years ago
308 posts

Left me wanting to see more. This Late Model Sportsman series was some of the best racing you could get.Those days ESPN had the best coverage also.Thanks for sharing.

Leon Phillips
@leon-phillips
12 years ago
626 posts

Gean Felton from Roswell GA has that car now and race`s it on the vintage circit it`s still a nice looking car i think it is for sale but im sure a lot of money

Dave Fulton
@dave-fulton
12 years ago
9,137 posts

Thanks for the update, Leon.




--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
Jay Coker
@jay-coker
12 years ago
177 posts

Well I have the race on DVD, and I promise it's not nearly as expensive as the car LOL!

Cody Dinsmore
@cody-dinsmore
12 years ago
589 posts

Not only do I love this era of WInston Cup Racing, but I also like this era of sportsman cars....even though there's not much on it.

Thanks Dave!

david earnhardt
@david-earnhardt
12 years ago
112 posts

i love this car - and what a lineup of drivers - i loved watching dale drive in the turns on the old bias ply tires - he would just jerk on that wheel - saw him get the car loose and save it more times than i can remember - robert gee was great - what an awesome person - thanks dave .

Ed Billing
@ed-billing
12 years ago
2 posts

I was there for this race crewing for Howard Rose. The thing I remember most was the Bubba Nissen crash. His car came apart, the engine and his helmet rolled past our pit. I was amazed and very happy hesurvived, it was just an awful wreck.

davew1775
@davew1775
4 years ago
1 posts

My dad was Danny Weese. He was one of the drivers during this race. Does anyone have more of this video? I would dearly love to see his car again. 
Thanks,

Dave Weese