A very interesting story about a car originally built for Joe Henry Thurman, former Virginia driver and NASCAR National Sportsman Champion with power by William Mason - yes, Jim Wilmore's William Mason, as in the famous #45 Modifieds:
Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines
April, 2012 - Words and Photography by Matthew Litwin
Late in 1970, restaurant owner James "Chubby" Arrington and his crew were preparing a 1966 Chevy Chevelle for competition in NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman Division. The Sportsman Division was first conceived in 1950 and evolved into what is now known as the Nationwide Series. Series rules mandated outdated bodies to help differentiate the division from the top-tier Grand National cars, making it an interesting choice for dedicated racers.
Although it was his first effort as an owner with a full-body, racing was not new to the Rocky Mount, Virginia, resident. "I had raced modifieds, but gave up driving pretty quickly. During races, I would get excited and usually end up wrecking somebody, so I figured I better let the other fellas do the driving," James laughed.
"The Chevelle was built in a two-car garage; all stick welding, and the roll cage was hand-bent. We used Bobby Allison front end parts--control arms, steering box and such--and the rear springs and some other stuff came from Ray Nichels Engineering. Bill Mason (of Mason Speed Shop) built our 427-cu.in. engines, which is what was in the car most of the time, and Joe Henry Thurman did most of the driving," recalled James.
The Chevy was finished in James's traditional yellow and black paint scheme. "One of my guys worked at the local school bus garage, which usually had a surplus of outdated yellow paint handy. We put it to use and painted our race cars with it; we did that for 20 years or so."
Joe Henry Thurman at Daytona
According to saved newspaper accounts, one of the car's first outings came at Daytona in February 1971 for the 300-mile support race. Unfortunately, the engine expired, relegating the effort to a disappointing 21st-place finish. But newspapers, photos and memories also tell us that the Thurman/427 combination wasn't the only one used in the Chevy.
Later that year, childhood friend Buddy Arrington--of no relation, but more famous for his Mopar exploits in NASCAR's Grand National ranks after Chrysler withdrew from the sport--drove the Chevy (finish order unknown) at Martinsville with a 350-cu.in. engine under the hood; Sportsman rules stipulated that the series run small-blocks at short tracks.
"One unique thing we did at the short tracks was experiment with power steering. You didn't need it on the superspeedways because of the long runs, but on the short tracks, it was a plus. We didn't run an alternator, either, since back then there weren't any fans, radios or other extra equipment like the cars have today. We even ran a Franklin quick-change rear end once at Daytona in 1972 during the Permatex 300," remembered James.
With Thurman back at the wheel, the weekend started off fantastically; newspapers documented that the Chevelle qualified 11th in the field of 82. During the race, Thurman hovered in the top three and, at one point, was even leading. As the laps dwindled, Thurman was running in third behind series legend Jack Ingram until Ingram's engine expired. Back in second, the crew--using a handheld chalkboard--asked if Thurman needed gas. "He got enough for about five laps," according to James. "With two to go, it ran out. To keep from overshooting the pit stall, he dragged the left-front corner of the bumper along pit wall. We managed to get him back out, but we lost a lap and finished third. I was surprised the Franklin even held together, but we weren't allowed to use it after that." It would be the team's best superspeedway effort.
The Chevelle did win on at least four occasions at short tracks: two each at Virginia's Martinsville Speedway and North Carolina's Caraway Speedway, all with Jimmy Griffin driving. Other racing legends who appeared in the Chevy include Neil Bonnett (10th at Daytona in 1974); Paul Radford (fifth at Daytona in '75); Donnie Allison; James Hylton; northeast modified sensation Satch Worley; Monk Tate and J.D. McDuffie. Car numbers varied from 28 or 29 to 19, 79 and 86.
Although James and his team raced into the mid-Eighties, by the end of 1976 the Chevelle was obsolete. "I pulled the 427 out and pushed the car into a corner of the shop. It sat there for a spell until some people from Charlotte bought it; they painted it up to look like Smokey Yunick's car and stuck it in a museum. That was the last I knew of the car until Mark called me looking for information."
"I was told of its availability, minus engine, in 2005," said vintage race car enthusiast Mark Mountanos of Ukiah, California. "It was in North Carolina still wearing the Yunick scheme, but the owner knew the car's origins, which were further verified when we sanded the paint down to the original yellow and black. Although it's not a Cup car, it's still uniquely significant, so (my wife) Linda and I restored it using photos we obtained, complete with a 427. When done, we arranged for Chubby and his son Arnie to see the car during the 2010 Sprint Cup race at Fontana (California) where the Chevelle was on display with others from the Historic Grand National group."
"I had not seen the car in 30 years. I don't know how they did it, but it looked exactly as it did when Joe Henry was driving it," exclaimed James.
As hooked as Mark is on campaigning his steeds, he takes the most joy in their history: "As neat as this and other drum-brake NASCAR cars are, and as much fun as we have racing them in vintage events, the cars are really just a conduit to the people and their stories."
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 05/22/17 03:49:03PM