He’d won 13 consecutive races at McCormick Field Speedway but had a 500-lap victory disqualified for his use of an oversize gas tank, losing him $961 in prize money.
Banjo Matthews, a legendary local NASCAR driver, poses with his car, “Mr. X,” which he bought from Eddie Joyner and Toy Jones. Matthews was most famous for the race-winning cars he built and fixed for other drivers, including Fireball Roberts and Junior Johnson. “Cars built by Matthews won 262 of 362 Winston Cup races from 1974 through 1985,” the racing magazine Circle Track reports. Here he’s outfitting the X with a 7-gallon tank, to get it within NASCAR regulations, in the late 1950s. He’d won 13 consecutive races at McCormick Field Speedway but had a 500-lap victory disqualified for his use of an oversize gas tank. He lost $961 in prize money that night. Matthews was also familiar with the New Asheville Speedway and had worked with transmission expert John Bell, whose Main Auto Parts shop used to be behind the Western Carolina Stockyard, on a site now occupied by New Belgium Brewing Company’s offices. Photo courtesy John Bell.
Rob Neufeldhttp://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2014/07/10/portrait-past-banjo-matthews-mr-x/12500057/
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Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.
@dennis-garrett7 years ago
Maybe Banjo Matthews Paint Thinner Can setup was to put gasoline/nitro to test his highly modified engine he is working on?
During the 70s total restoration of my mother's 1931 Model A Ford Deluxe Roadster and the body (gas tank in firewall section) was removed from car frame.
My old school father made an Paint Thinner Can setup to hold about 1/2 Gal. of gasoline to test the rebuilt engine and bodyless Model A Ford.
Paint Thinner Can was on an homemade metal pole bolted the car frame, it was located about 2 ft about engine, thin vinyl hose hook from can to engine.
Father would have crowd of neighbors watching him driving the bodyless Model A Ford and thinking it was an old sprint race car.
Banjo Matthews racing Mr. X race car.
Noticed the Paint Thinner Can setup is missing on right side of firewall.
There's an big EXIDE battery on left side of firewall.
Noticed the big stove pipe from highly modified engine straight through the engine hood?
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.
what would that can on the firewall be used for?
Portrait of the past: Banjo Matthews and Mr. X
He’d won 13 consecutive races at McCormick Field Speedway but had a 500-lap victory disqualified for his use of an oversize gas tank, losing him $961 in prize money. Banjo Matthews, a legendary local NASCAR driver, poses with his car, “Mr. X,” which he bought from Eddie Joyner and Toy Jones. Matthews was most famous for the race-winning cars he built and fixed for other drivers, including Fireball Roberts and Junior Johnson. “Cars built by Matthews won 262 of 362 Winston Cup races from 1974 through 1985,” the racing magazine Circle Track reports. Here he’s outfitting the X with a 7-gallon tank, to get it within NASCAR regulations, in the late 1950s. He’d won 13 consecutive races at McCormick Field Speedway but had a 500-lap victory disqualified for his use of an oversize gas tank. He lost $961 in prize money that night. Matthews was also familiar with the New Asheville Speedway and had worked with transmission expert John Bell, whose Main Auto Parts shop used to be behind the Western Carolina Stockyard, on a site now occupied by New Belgium Brewing Company’s offices. Photo courtesy John Bell. Rob Neufeld http://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2014/07/10/portrait-past-banjo-matthews-mr-x/12500057/ ====================================== Dennis Garrett Richmond,Va.
Maybe Banjo Matthews Paint Thinner Can setup was to put gasoline/nitro to test his highly modified engine he is working on?