Thursday was the anniversary of Benny Parsons win in the Nashville 420 on July 17, 1976. The King finished 2nd.
I didn't get to go to the 420. But our family went on Friday night for qualifying and to see the local late model guys do their thing. It was that evening - July 16, 1976 - that I saw the 43 LIVE for the first time. The day-glo was so bright that it seemed to light up the Nashville sky like the casinos on the Vegas strip - or perhaps it was the reflection from my smile as I saw the Charger come up through the gear box.
My mother did her best to capture a pic of the car with her 110 camera and 'magic cube' flash. As someone who had a rep for awkwardly cutting out people's heads or lower extremities when she sized up photo subjects in her view finder, she did a great job getting the full car in this shot - even if the flash struggled to light the night.
Pretty sure that's the back of my head in the foreground staring at the car with my jaw on the bleacher below me.
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
