Rockingham Speedway: Light at the end of the tunnel?
https://yourdailyjournal.com/top-stories/19786/rockingham-speedway-scheduled-for-october-race
Be sure an tune in Tuesday evening December 15 at 7:00 PM for the weekly edition of 'Racing Through History' aka Thee Goat Rodeo. East Tennessee racing legend Randy Bethea 'drops-by' for an interview! Get those easy chairs lined up and listen-in for another dose of great racing history.... Gonna be a good-un, and it's right here!
I remember Don racing at the grand-opening event at the Historic Cleveland County Speedway, Shelby, NC in 2012. Thoughts and prayers.
Ya know, all kinds of intelligently sounding reasons and explanations can be given for the demise of the southern NASCAR driver......But, the real explanation, is a narrative that main-stream 'intelligent' America has been following since the Civil War. In the opinion of the establishment, Southern America simply does not fit into the picture. This mantra could not gain traction during the golden era of RJR/Winston, as they were a Southern-based firm....but the mainstream eventually hadthemeliminated as well. So, if NASCAR is going to be in bed with Madison Avenue, it sure a'int gonna include the South, and its drivers.
Dave, I went to Wake Co, (on Simpkins Road) in 1975....I was a young undergrad at nearby Chapel Hill......it was Dirt!............. This photo is early in the evening, the track has been thoroughly watered, and this '55 Chevy is having a tough time getting out of the pits, and on to the speedway for practice.
"dirt is not as good here........" In the south the dirt is red, in the mid-west, it's black, in Florida, clay does not even exist. "good dirt" has much to do with whom and how, it is prepped for racing. When one can't think of anything or anyone else to blame........blame it on the dirt. Again, if the dirt ...."is not as good here" (in the south) then how, and where, did this year's champions learn their craft?
The southern driver has not gone anywhere.........they just ain't in NASCAR. Georgia boys Shane Clanton (World of Outlaws) and Jonathan Davenport (LUCAS Oil) are the 2015 DIRT National Champions. What's more, Clanton's team is owned by Georgian Marshall Greene of CAPITAL RACE CARS. Davenport drives for Greensboro, NC's LeRoy and Kevin Rumley, with a North Carolina-based, Bobby & Terry Labonte-owned LONGHORN CHASSIS. The south is very much alive and well, thank you very much. What's more, one of dirt's most promising and exciting new talents is Mount Holly, NC's (Charlotte's BACK YARD) Chris Ferguson.....multi, 2015 winner, and holder of the track record at Eldora Speedway. Ferguson also set the overall fast time at the recent WoO "World Finals" at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Toyota's presence in NASCAR may be a sign of things to come....as the search intensifies to replace title sponsor SPRINT (2016) the list of possible, domestic, candidates is slim. The target price ONE BILLION DOLLARS over 10 years may require some high-revving 'international' (non-American) firm.
Couldn't help but notice........ during this particular interview, Joey did not take his quintessential, and totally predictable swig of Coke! What's up with that??
