Darlington Raceway Radio Network by Don Smyle

Get yourself a cup of coffee, a glass of ice cold sweet tea or a 12 ouncer of your choice (or two ... or three). And grab your pair of glasses to settle in for some reading. Don Smyle of Smyle Media just wrapped up a 3-part blog series about the Darlington Raceway Radio Network. It was a long time in the making as part 1 was posted in April 2012, part 2 in April 2013, and part 3 today.

Part 1:

http://smylemedia.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/the-eye-in-the-sky-the-story-of-nascars-first-dedicated-radio-networks-part-1/

Part 2:

http://smylemedia.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/the-eye-in-the-sky-the-story-of-nascars-first-dedicated-radio-networks-part-2-2/

Part 3:

http://smylemedia.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/the-eye-in-the-sky-the-story-of-nascars-first-dedicated-radio-networks-part-3-final/

This is going to be very enjoyable for me, Don. Darlington is my special track. I am looking forward to reading every word. Now,"back to the eye".

Thank you, Chase, for the links to a tremendously interesting history of the early Darlington radio broadcasts. I didn't start listening to the Darlington radio broadcasts until around 1963 when the contract had gone to the Universal Racing Network Hank Schoolfield of Winston-Salem had established in 1961. The late Bob Montgomery, a radio announcer in Greensboro, anchored those broadcasts to over 300 affiliate stations for the Southern 500 broadcast.

Bob is still the best I ever heard describe a race. When I helped my Dad paint our two story frame house Labor day weekend of 1965, I had a Philco twin speaker radio in the upstairs bathroom window aimed out at the backyard. After Eddie Anderson's local pre-race show on WXGI radio in Richmond, the strains of "DIXIE" began to waft through our neighborhood. Slowly at first, with drumrolled opening bursts, then a full fledged assault that had my Mom running into the backyard, where I was on an extension ladder, to tell me to go in the house and turn down the radio upstairs.

But, I didn't turn it down until Bob Montgomery had signed on the air and painted a vivid picture of a place I wouldn't see in person until the following Labor Day of 1966. Bob Montgomery's radio broadcast of the Southern 500 at Darlington sold more tickets than all the promotions ever conceived by Bob Colvin and Russ Catlin. In my mind I have never heard a better race announcer on the radio or television than Bob Montgomery doing Darlington.

Sorry, Chase. I got so hung up thinking of Don I miscalled you! Please forgive.

Dave, my Uncle Bobby and I would sit on the front porch of my grandparent's house and listen to the Southern 500. 1952 is the first I recall but Bobby says I was in the rocking chair beside him from the first one. I just can't remember that. Starting 1957, I was there to see it for myself, but the radio broadcasts came back into vogue while listening on the headsets and watching the race. Great memories.

I apologize if I am wrong about Bob Montgomery... but I woulda sworn.

Title:
Bob Montgomery
Caption: UNKNOWN: Along with partner Hank Schoolfield, the late Bob Montgomery started the Universal Racing Network in 1963 to broadcast NASCAR Grand National races. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images)

Perry, the more I have thought about you setting the record straight regarding Bob Montgomery NOT broadcasting Darlington's Southern 500, the stupidier I have felt.

I have gone through my entire adult life relating to folks how he sounded on those broadcasts!

Thankfully, Chase initiated the subject with the Don Smyle series and you brought us up to speed.

What is it they say about teaching an old dog new tricks?!

Thanks, Perry, for saving me from embarassing myself again on the subject of the Southern 500 broadcasts. The more our members post, the more I learn. Thiis has been a particularly educating topic for me.

The August 2006 issue of "Trading Paint" - a publication of North Carolina's Appalachian State University Belk Library Stock Car Racing Collection- Boone, NC - tells of Hank Schoolfield, before his passing, donating 100 reel-to-reel tapes of Universal Racing Network NASCAR broadcasts from 1963 through 1982 . In the photo accompanying the news item there is a photo of Schoolfield in the broadcast booth seated next to Bob Montgomery. I'd love to listen to some of those tapes. Here's a link: http://collections.library.appstate.edu/stockcar/trading_Paint2006.pdf

The library also houses a photo collection donated by photographer, T.Taylor Warren's widow.

Perry, in the 1960 crash didn't Johns' car clip the edge of the backstretch observation stand, before hitting the pit wall? That is where I thought the description 'timber and wood flying' came from.

iremember the universal racing network dick jones was a sports commentator on witn tv channel 7 in washington nc as well as with universal racing network

Perry..Thanks for the observations. I will go back through my notes. However, Frank Jenny told me in person that Universal did take over the Darlington Race broadcasts for several years as "Universal Darlington" Raceway Network, in conjunction with the Universal broadcasts of other race events. As mentioned, I have more of the story i have yet to post..stay tuned.

Don, look forward to hearing the Paul Harvey wrap-up - the rest of the story, lol! Look forward to reading the rest of your series on the Darlington broadcasts. It has been very interesting.

Perry, you mentioned your time interning at WSPA in Spartanburg.

Found this writeup of WSPA's Walter Brown at the South Carolina Broadcasters Association (SCBA) Hall of Fame:

WALTER J. BROWN

(1905-1995)

WSPA-AM/FM/TV, Spartan Radiocasting Co., Spartanburg

SCBA President, 1953-54

Inducted SCBA Hall of Fame, 1975

Walter J. Brown claimed fame as the founder and president of Spartan Radiocasting, Inc. While an assistant to Jimmie Byrnes during the WWII mobilization effort, Brown may have had an opportunity to put in his "two cents worth" into discussions that shaped post World War II. He always had an opinion, underscored with an acceptable four letter word. Brown had a futuristic view of most everything and was among the first to see the advantages of FM. He staked out an early claim to a choice frequency for Spartanburg.

His charming personality helped make him a friend of the publisher of "Broadcasting Magazine," Sol Tishoff, who advised Brown to give up his Washington Journalism Career and return to Spartanburg and start a radio station. He took his advice and developed WSPA (950 AM) and WORD (1400 KC) into important information and entertainment sources. Later in the 1940s, the FCC began limiting ownership to one station per market. Brown was required to make a difficult decision and choose between 5000-watt WSPA and 250-watt WORD. He chose WSPA and developed the station into the FIRST WORD in news in Spartanburg. WSPA Morning Man Cliff "Farmer" Gray would say "Spartanburg runs on WSPA time." During the advent of television, he worked tirelessly to get Channel 7 assigned to Spartanburg and was among the first upstate broadcasters to see Greenville-Spartanburg as a hyphenated market. Air travelers often saw Walter Brown walking through the newly constructed Greenville/Spartanburg airport on his way to an important CBS meeting, an industry hunting trip, a golf match or a friend's funeral. He invited advertising executives to his Georgia plantation for a round of golf and his sales pitch about the Greenville/Spartanburg market or WSPA-AM/FM/TV.

Brown is remembered as a successful broadcaster, an active Spartanburg businessman and a superb civic leader. He was also a strong political activist and reportedly worked the phones diligently during election cycles. US Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings affectionately called him "Marconi." Former South Carolina Governors Jimmie Byrnes and Donald Russell were close friends.

Brown was active into his mid-80s and at the time of his death in 1995, Spartan Radiocasting, Inc. had grown into a large radio and telecasting enterprise with properties in Iowa, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. He as an active supporter of SCBA and served as president in 1953-54. Brown was inducted into the South Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1975--the third member to be selected.

1972 '500' program lists Paul Benson, WJMX as radio network, with Dave Rogers and Johnny Evans. 1973 '500' program lists Paul Benson, WJMX, and Hank Schoolfield, Universal Network as radio network. It says "In its 10th year, Universal Network has originated more auto racing broadcasts than any other network, and with the addition of Darlington has become the world's largest race network." Hal Hamrick co-anchoring with Dave Rogers, Ned Jarrett serving as technical commentator and pit reporter. Frank Jenne of WJMX listed as one of the chief technicians. No mention made of Bob Montgomery.

Montgomery , who was co-owner of Universal Racing Network with Hank Schoolfield, passed in 1971 and Schoolfield became sole owner of URN. Montgomery was replaced on URN by Hal Hamrick as lead announcer. I used to do a lot of work with Dick Jones, who was the sports anchor at WITN in "Little Washington" NC and a big supporter of Wilson County Speedway. Earl Kelley was a former CMS PR guy who happens to be the father of NASCAR HOF's ( and MRN's ) Winston Kelley. Winston got his broadcast start as a statistician for Hank at URN.

Perry & Robert - whoever I listened to broadcasting Darlington in the mid-60s was dynamic and sure hooked me. It was the one broadcast each year I really looked forward to hearing. I'm anxious to read more of Don Smyle's history aand reall have enjoyed what you guys are posting on the subject.

Hal Hamrick was one of the funniest guys and best storytellers I ever met in racing. Here is a piece about himself he wrote for Circle Track Magazine before he passed:

First Daytona 500 Hal Hamrick 1959 Broadcast
Of Football On Racetracks And Fans Falling From Trees
From the February, 2009 issue of Circle Track
By Hal Hamrick

Broadcasting First Daytona 500 More Hal Hamrick

Meet Hal Hamrick - Hal Hamrick, born in Asheville, North Carolina, began broadcasting races in 1952 with a network that had only six stations. He considered himself "big time" when he moved up to the Darlington Raceway Network in the mid-'50s, and took an even bigger step in 1959, when he was on the team for the broadcast of the first Daytona 500 when Daytona International Speedway opened. After that, he joined Universal Racing Network, owned and directed by Hank Schoolfield. The late Bob Montgomery was anchor. After the death of Montgomery, Hamrick took over as anchor. Universal Network remained in business until the early '80s.

But radio was not a full-time job for Hamrick. In 1960 he was Bristol Speedway's first public relations director. He later became the track's general manager. In 1965 the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) hired him as public relations director, where he stayed until 1967 when he joined Atlanta Raceway as general manager. For a period in the '70s he ran Dixie Speedway on the north side of Atlanta, and in 1977 he bought into Hickory Speedway. Today, he owns and operates a weekly race publication called Fast Track.

Hamrick is married to the former Selma Melton of Rutherford County, North Carolina. They have two children, Leon and Debra.

I was the general manager of Bristol Raceway when the first races were held in 1961. Well, I had broadcast football and basketball games at Kingsport, Tennessee, and I knew the football and basketball coaches there. We didn't have any security, so I hired these coaches to handle security at key places around the track. This one football coach had been an All Southern linebacker. His name was Tom Brixey, and he weighed about 270 pounds. I put him on the press-box door.

The first day the track opened, Bill France Sr. came up and tried to go into the press box, but Brixey would not let him enter. They passed a few words, and Brixey ended up telling France that there were two ways he could get in the press box: "either with the right credential or through me."

France came back down the hill to my office. He was laughing and saying this is the kind of security guard you want. "Now give me a credential," he said.

The Football GameWhen you look at Bristol Speedway today, it's hard to imagine that it wasn't always just a raceway. When it was first built, there was actually a football field in the middle of the track. The field was watered by an irrigation system under the infield, which probably still exists. Believe it or not, we had an NFL exhibition game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles right in the middle of the speedway. It was a year when football great Norm Van Blocklin was quarterback of the Eagles. We put up lights for the game, and I think all we paid was $4,500 to the Redskins. It was their home game, and it was the last for Bristol.

Wrong TurnDuring my years in Atlanta I remember one event where I got a call from the staff on the infield. It was before the race began, and they told me that a man, his wife, and two kids were trying to get out of the infield. It seems that they were on their way to Florida and followed the traffic right into the track and onto the infield. We let them out and gave them their money back.

Burn It to Get A New OneAnother time in Atlanta, in 1968, there was this great big guy who was with the media. He walked in the old, dilapidated press box we had, and his foot went through the floor. I went to the board of directors after the race and told them we had to do something. The board said tear it down and build another one.

So before they could change their minds, we poured gasoline all over the press box, lit it, and let it burn to the ground. That way, they had to build another press box.

The Woods At HickoryUp behind the fourth turn at Hickory Speedway there was a hill with trees, and people would climb up in these trees and watch the race. They were not on speedway property, but one Monday morning this lawyer came into my office and said he was going to sue. He said a client of his fell out of one of these trees while watching the race. I told him the tree wasn't even on our land and besides that, the guy got to see the race for free!

Later, I leased the hill from the guy who owned it. Ned Jarrett's dad cut it down and pushed up the stumps, and we built a parking lot there.

He Fell AsleepI was broadcasting at Charlotte Speedway in either 1962 or 1963. They had a big rock hill in Turns 1 and 2. We put an announcer on the hill, and during the course of the race we kept calling on him, but nobody would answer. We were concerned, so we sent an engineer over there to see if everything was OK. To our amazement, we learned from the engineer that the announcer was asleep.

Wrong AccentI was helping ABC Television at Darlington the year Junior Johnson was flagged the winner, but Larry Frank was later given the win. I told the people in production that Frank was leading the race, not Johnson. They shot a lot of footage of Frank, and after it was over, the director called me and told me I should apply for a job with ABC. I called the network and spoke with them, but they said I had too much of an accent, so they hired Jackie Stewart. I don't guess they could pick up on his accent.

The Long BroadcastNed Jarrett and I were broadcasting a race at Richmond one year. We went on the air at 12:45 and went off at 7:30 that night. They had a wreck in the fourth turn and had 13 cars involved, with some of them catching fire. It was a mess. We stayed on while they cleaned up the track. Then we had rain, and we stayed on during the showers. It was an all-day affair-more than seven hours. We'd take turns going to the bathroom during commercials.

Read more: http://www.circletrack.com/thehistoryof/ctrp_0008_daytona_500_hal_h...

What's wrong with our memories, Perry?! I don't turn 65 'til October!

By the way, here's a couple more Bob Montgomery tidbits...

According to Ned Jarrett, it was Bob Montgomery who anchored the 1967 and 1968 TelePrompter closed circuit telecasts of the Daytona 500. Jarrett worked in the booth.

Also, found this quote by Bill Connell, the late Charlotte Motor Speedway Public Address announcer:

"I patterned my style after the late Bob Montgomery who worked for the Universal Racing Network," Connell recalled. "Bob would always close with that deep voice, 'This is Bob Montgomery, for the Universal Racing Network.' His delivery added an element of excitement to his words and that's what I always tried to do."

We really need a stock car racing radio announcer Hall of Fame. I think we can all think of a number of suitable nominees.

Keep learning more tidbits about racing radio broadcaster Bob Montgomery. According to a Larry Woody article in The Tennesean on Barney Hall, it was Montgomery who influenced Hall's style of radio racing broadcasting.

Turns out, also, that Bob Montgomery was elected the first President of the Southen Motorsports Press Accociation at its inaugural meeting at Joe Littlejohn's Pine Street Motel in Spartanburg. That organization is now the National Motorsports Press Association.

Following Bob Montgomery's untimely death at age 45 on July 17, 1970, the NMPA established its first permanent memorial award.

Here is a link to a story about Montgomery's passing in the Anson Record:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G1VDAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uK0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=1942,3640572&dq=bob+montgomery+broadcaster+greensboro&hl=en

Perry, thank you very much for checking your movie, and the pics and explanation. I have watched the video of the '60 race many, many times trying to figure out what happened in that terrible crash. It shows the aftermath, (described by Cosell) and one view clearly shows skid marks heading to the stand and damage to the base of it. I thought Johns must have hit it. Have also noticed from watching the '58 video, that McDuffie pitted Fireball's winning '57 at about the same place that year. And in '59, Fireball and Yunick pitted at about the same place, and in '60 Fireball and Yunick were only a space or so down from McDuffie. So evidently, that was a McDuffie-Fireball- Yunick favored spot, but boy did it turn out to be the wrong spot. Have heard in the past, that you were going to do a book on the '60 Southern 500, and if you do, I can guarantee at least 1 sale. Really looking forward to the rest of Mr. Smyle's article, and Dave, I used to love to hear the eye in the sky say (so and so) is "pourin' on the coal."

I always loved to hear the terminology "Eye in the Sky." It painted a picture of that broadcast location in the mind of the listener.

For what it's worth, the 1958-1963 Southern 500 programs all list as track announcers Ray Melton as chief, and Chris Economaki and Bob Montgomery as assistants (except for '62 which omits Economaki). After 1963, when Universal was started, Montgomery is listed no more, and only Melton as chief, and Economaki as assistant are listed.Also, the 1960 program has a picture of Hartsville radio announcer Raymond Caddell in it, with the notation that he never got to see himself in the movies. He passed away before "Thunder in Carolina" was released.

Very interesting facts, Robert. Melton, who had at one time been a carnival barker, was a good friend of the Richmond track's Paul Sawyer, both having come out of the Tidewater, Virginia area. Paul continued to let Ray announce (with Sammy Bland) long after all the other tracks had stopped using him. The final year or two it got pretty bad with all of his P.A. system announcements for Norfolk dental clinics, the El Toro restaurant on North Military Highway, etc. But Paul never deserted old friends and stuck with Ray until the very end.

When I first sponsored the September 1981 Richmond Cup race for Wrangler in 1981, we had a Grand Marshal who was to give the "Start Engines" command, which, of course, Ray had always given previously. Ray was highly offended and never really came to terms with it.

Ann Bland Salster posted the photo below on our site in 2011. It was taken at Richmond for a Miller 400 Cup race very near the end of Ray Melton's announcing career in the 90s. Seated on the bench are Ray (R-with glasses wearing Miller hat) and Ann's father, Sammy Bland. That's the 3rd Richmond P.A. announcer, Joe Moore of Hampton, standing directly behind Ray. Ann herself is standing with head bowed in front of the stage.

Journalist, Tom Higgins wrote this wonderful column, titled "A RAY OF COLOR" about Ray Melton a few years back:

A Ray Of Color

There should be a requirement made of every corportate executive, screen star or other VIP selected to give the command to start engines at major NASCAR races:

Prior to undertaking the duty, they would have to listen to a tape of the late Ray Melton performing that chore. And then they'd be asked to emulate it as closely as possible.

No one, before or since, has said, shouted or sing-songed "Gentlemen, start your engines" with the flair and gusto that Ray Melton did from the 1950s into the 1980s.

With great exaggeration, Ray, a gravel-voiced former Marine sergeant, prolonged every syllable of "gentlemen" and "engines." Heck, he even turned "start" and "your" into multi-syllable words.

Even now, almost three decades later, I can still hear him at the tracks where he manned the microphone of the public address system: "Gennnnnnn-tulllllll-mennnnnn, star-ttttttt, yo-uuuuuur ennnnnnn-ginesssssss!"

Melton comes to mind this week because the Nextel Cup teams are at Richmond Raceway, among the tracks where this colorful character "performed" earliest and endured the longest.

NASCAR is rich in history, and some of that lore's most amusing tales involve Ray Melton, a native of Virginia's Tidewater and a man with a deep drawl that seems particular to that area.

My favorite of these anecdotes:

Ray was a friend of NASCAR founder-leader Bill France, Sr., and as such was the PA announcer at Daytona International Speedway, which France opened in 1959.

One season in the 1960s the speedway was using International Scout trucks as utility vehicles. France wanted to give the trucks some special publicity during the Firecracker 400 week so he phoned the PA booth with an order to Melton. "Plug the International Scouts," Ray was told.

Melton yammered on and on with no mention of the Scouts. France phoned again. Still no mention.

Finally, an exasperated France sent a high-ranking aide to the PA station above the track with an explicit message: "Mr. France says to plug the International Scouts or else you're fired!"

With stentorian voice, Ray grandly proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have with us today a group of International Scouts! Stand up boys so we can give you a hand!"

The faux pas was so humorous that Big Bill France led it slide.

Melton had a passel of favorite sayings--some of them quite corny--that he regularly intoned over PA systems at Bristol, Darlington, Richmond, Rockingham and many other tracks. One of his staples: "And here David Pearson (or whatever driver was on the track at the time) comes off the fourth turn, flat out and belly to the ground like the true champion that he is!"

Ray was proudest, though, of his distinctive version of "Gentlemen, start your engines!" For many years, most tracks simply had the PA announcer give the order before bestowing the honor on VIPs.

Once at Richmond the drivers flipped their ignition switches before Ray could give the command. Through the roar of the engines he could be heard shouting, "Cut them off! Cut them off! I haven't said it yet!"

Ray remained angered about his missed cue throughout the race. After the race was over he keyed his microphone and apologized that his command to start the show couldn't be heard. "For all of you who came to the track today just to hear my words, here goes again," he said. "Gennnnnnn-tulllllll-mennnnnnn, star-ttttttt yo-uuuuuur ennnnnnn-ginesssssss!"

As Melton's career and life were winding down, he wrote a letter to the president of the National Motorsports Press Association, ostensibly to extol the reasons that an announcing associate should be inducted into the group's Stock Car Racing Hall Of Fame at Darlington. "Modesty," read the last sentence, "prevents the writer from listing his own qualifications."

Ray Melton was a good guy and a fine man, but modesty wasn't one of his characteristics. Why, the cars he drove usually had "NASCAR's Chief Announcer" emblazoned on the sides.

Ray hasn't yet made it into the NMPA hall of fame. However, if a category ever is created for NASCAR's colorful characters, he should be among the first inductees.

hey dave glad you remember dick jones being a supporter at wilson speedway

Dick, I thought, always did a good job promoting the Wilson track on WITN and on the URN. He was a frequent shopper at my mother-in-law's Bright Leaf Pet Shp in Wilson.

By the way, another racing radio network, the American Racing Network was formed by Rocky Mount, North Carolina, announcer, Sammy Bland and Richmond, Virginia PR man, Kenneth Campbell. When Campbell died in 2001, Ned Jarrett gave Campbell and Bland and their American Racing Network the credit for getting him into broadcasting during NASCAR's 1966 "Northern Tour."

Sammy Bland, with mike in hand is ready for a live radio broadcast during NASCAR's Northern Tour - photo from the Sammy Bland Collection courtesy of his daughter, RR member, Ann Bland Salster

From a Richmond Times Dispatch story following the death of Kenneth Campbell:

Racing drove Campbell's PR skills

TIMES-DISPATCH
Apr 2, 2006
http://www.timesdispatch.com/

In his more than 55 years as a marketing-communications official for
stock car racing in Richmond, Kenneth Campbell had an eye for the
unusual twist, the catchy slogan, the special personality that would
make the sport better.

So it was one spring weekend in the New England area when he and Sammy
Bland put together a radio network to air NASCAR's Northern tour.

"I wasn't running a full schedule that year [1966] and Kenny asked me
to sit in on the broadcast one Sunday," Ned Jarrett recalled. "They
felt it would be a nice addition to have a former champion behind the
mike. That was my start in broadcasting."

Jarrett retired the next season as a Hall of Fame driver with 50
NASCAR Grand National wins and went on to become one of racing's more
popular analysts on the Motor Racing Network and the featured
announcer on a daily commentary show syndicated across the country.

"Who knows, if it wasn't for Kenny, I might never have had that second
career," Jarrett said.

Robert Kenneth Campbell, Jr., who died recently at 83, was the
consummate professional as a sports promoter.

Whether he was dealing with the buxom blondes in Roller Derby, the
genteel folks around the Lawrence Welk Show or the firebrands in auto
racing, Campbell was the savvy, efficient spokesman that could make a
production work.

His real love was auto racing, born in the post-World War II days of
midget cars at City Stadium. Over the years, his imagination,
innovation and tireless efforts touched all corners of the sport. His
many contributions were a key part in the growth of Richmond
International Raceway.

He would try any gimmick to get more fans into the stands. A
visionary, he knew the value of good public relations.

"He would work you hard, going here and there all day," said Jarrett.
"That was his style. He'd go out and beat the bushes trying to focus
as much attention as he could on an upcoming race."

Once, he arranged a train excursion to take fans and dignitaries to
Darlington. Rail officials worried that it wouldn't sell. But the
train was packed to the doors and left with fans standing at the
station.

It was Campbell's way of introducing governmental and civic leaders to
racing.

"He had a knack for getting involved with politicians in a positive,
productive way," said Tim Sullivan, a longtime racing official. "His
persuasive ways got a lot of things done."

Campbell was ahead of the times in many ways.

Long before racing became a television staple, Campbell talked a local
station into running a tape-delay of a race. Then he arranged to put a
tall antenna atop a grandstand to send a live signal, as weak as it
was, back to the station for a live presentation.

When CBS televised its first Daytona 500, Campbell was in the
production truck, keying announcers on what to focus on.

That was the year when Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough were locked
in a duel. A slip by either would bring a crash, so Campbell alerted
the directors to keep a second camera on the trailing cars.

Allison and Yarborough bumped and hit the wall on the final lap, and
Richard Petty slipped through to win. One camera was with Petty, the
other stayed focused on the backstretch where Allison and Yaborough
scampered from their cars and duked it out.

Judge John Dodson, a car owner for some good drivers in this area,
knew Campbell as a straightforward guy whose word was never doubted.

"In the early'70s when Lennie Pond was driving for me," Dodson
recalled, "we went down to Butner Speedway in North Carolina one
Friday night, raced there and drove all night to get back to Kenny's
race at the Fairgrounds."

On the third lap of practice, somebody blew an engine and spread oil
down the backstretch. Pond got into the oil, hit the wall and tore the
car to pieces.

"Kenny knew what we had gone through to get there, and he came down
and told us, 'Get the car fixed, we're going to let you race,'" Dodson
said.

Campbell went back to the P.A. booth, and he and the announcer engaged
in a long conversation, delaying the start, while Pond's car was
repaired.

"That's the way Kenny was, always looking out for the people who
looked out for him," said Dodson.

Small wonder, Kenneth Campbell was so admired by fans, media, drivers,
sponsors and anybody with an interest in racing.

Came across this great photo of Darlington P.A. announcer Ray Melton:

ISC Photo

The Darlington Raceway Radio Network Eye in the Sky can be seen perched atop the front stretch grandstands.

http://smylemedia.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/n-tk1-1956-34-3.jpg

Southern 500 Sept. 3,1956 photo (click + on to enlarged race photo) shows all kinds of racing activity going at the beginning the race.

#1. Who's Helicopter is above grand stand?? is this other Eye in the Sky??

#2. Where's the "GOODYEAR BLIMP"??

#3. In back seat of the (PLYMOUTH) "Southern 500 OFFICIAL PACE CAR", a man is talking on a mobile-phone. Is he reporting the race live on Darlington Raceway Radio Network??

#3.A man with a camera leaning out back side window of the "AIR LIFT CHALLENGER D500" pace car is taking photos or filming race cars behind him during pace lap.

#4.Seventy race cars are lined up in three columns and starting the race in Indy 500 style.

Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.USA