Forum Activity for @nb-arnold

Creating New Race Fans - The Old Ways Still Work

General

I can relate to everything that has been said here. The Charlotte Observer never carries info on the regions short tracks, and in such a "hotbed" of area action. But, the one thing that I believe is missing these days is the fact that most weekely race tracks do not have anyone to send the local results to the paper in a timely manner, much as do the high schools have to do thier own reporting to get the info in a brief.

Growing up in Roanoke, Va, we had some of the best racing writers in the daily newspaper. As a kid, I read Dick Thompson's write-ups before he went to Martinsville Speedway and really helped to put the media in the forefront of racing coverage. I still have one of his columns from 1964 reporting on Fireball Roberts condition in the hospital. Then we had Bob Adams and Steve Waid, who started his racing writing career there.

Back then you had to have a good relationship with the drivers and tracks, not a herd of sponsor reps that panned canned, politically correctcomments. Reporters were trusted and would hold a story if a driver asked him not to report it for a week or so.

The only newspaper that I know of that still sends a writer to the local races is the Winston-Salem Journal, because "The Stadium' is so popular among the locals. In this day of got-to-have-it-instantly news, I think the daily newspaper has lost some of its iconic reporting tasks.

Car and Track

General

Chris, yes I remember those great old episodes. I think even back then they were syndicated. Growing up in Roanoke, Va., they used to come on tv around Saturday afternoon late along with Flatt and Scruggs and wrestling; excuse me 'rastlin. I can vivdly recall old Bud calling the video. Along with Wide World, these were looked forward to with anticipation. Some great events like Martinsville that would not be shown on Wide World.

I do know that Junior actually bought those old films, I think the entire series, as he is big at learning racing history. How you could get copies somewhere I just don't know except by finding them on the web.

The Kroger grocery store chain even used some of those episodes in their 'Race -to-Riches' game where you marked your scorecard that you picked up from the grocer and compared it to the rundown given during the race.

Some really great old footage on these shows if you have never seen them.

SHELBY - Can we connect with this $6.5 Million Venture?

General

Would be an excellent idea since both are very much a part of the cultural heritage of the area.

"So they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly....Hills that is.....swimming pools.....movie stars!"

List of all Stock Car Racing Series

Administrative

I think each series name should be listed, ie: Strictly Stock, Grand National, etc.

My submissions would also be Short Track Division, Hobby and Amatuer, Speedway Division (because there are some stock drivers and speedways that held events who raced that), anything under the NASCAR banner, with a segway to the NASCAR Drag Race Division under Drag Racing icon. Should have , ARCA, etc. like BB states, and all the premier series also.

Could get a little too complicated though with too many series, just maybe main topic series with lesser series drop-downs. Just a thought.

Would you do it by series or driver name? I think driver name in alphabetical order could make things more simplistic just under a historic personality header.

Never Heard of The Winston Cup Museum.... Anybody Been?

General

We went by there one time before a Saturday evening at Bowman Gray but they were already closed. It is only about a mile from the stadium just off of route 52 and old business I40. Not a good location but not dangerous. Looks to be a smaller building. I believe that someone from RJR actually has something to do with it. I cannot remember the family name but they were at Bowman Gray one evening. Randy Myers would probably know more about it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUNG JEFF GILDER!!!!!!!

General

Happy Birthday to our captain. Hope you have many more and stay just as young. Look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks.

The Red Caboose

General

Can't remember Robbie. But Iremember they used to have a breakfast that really smelled nasty so we didn't go in there! I think they checked you for guns and knives when you went in, and if you didn't have one, they gave you one!

The Red Caboose

General

You got it Robbie. I had forgotten about the Wiener King. Saw a man dancing there one night before the Southern 500 in 1971 on a flat bed truck and took off his wooden leg and started waving it over his head while dancing on the other leg. Ah, good old Darlington!

The Red Caboose

General

Back in the late 1960's and 1970's when I was starting to go to more races as a teenager, there were no major places to buy racing souvenirs at the race track. Other than the museum at Darlington, and the old white out-building at Charlotte that stayed open all night, there was only one true souvenir "trailer", and it wasn't a trailer at all.

How many of you remember the old "red caboose" that was run by an elderly couple of out Deland , Fl. It was, in fact, an old railroad cabosse that had been transformed intoa trailer and was filled with racingwonderment for younger eyes. I remember they had a selection of drivers postcards, patches, hats, Racing Pictorials and many other items. I purchased a set of the PDA black and white driver posters there, and still have those rolled up and put away as of today. I bought most of my Racing Pictorials from them when I had the extra money.

The couple wentto most of the races in theSouth. I can remember talking with themas a teenager and just standing there wishing for an hour at a time. One time I even traded a bunch of David Pearson Holman-Moody postcards for several I did not have at the time.They were always friendly, and had a large selection that always involved more money than what this teenager had.

I guess as the 70's went on they just retired or sold the business, I don't know. Does anyone else remember the red caboose? I would like to know what ever happened to the elderly coupleand the caboose if anyone knows.

updated by @nb-arnold: 08/07/18 09:18:19PM

Monsters, Inc. (or 2 Shrubs Get Energy Drink Sponsorship for Title Attempt)

General

Just remember when Jake and Elwood headed back to Chicago and what happened......I'm just say'in...could be entertaining to say the least, kind of like our own version of "The Young and the Restless" maybe?