I had the honor to meet Mr. Rathman and Gus Grissom when they were the Grand Marshalls for a Myers Brothers Memorial Race at Bowman Gray Stadium. Can't remember the exact year but I gonna guess 1964-65. Photo of the memorable occasion is included. 
Tim!! Thanks for the glowing recap of our day at the HOF. I couldn't have said it better myself. It was an honor to be able to be with you folks last Friday. Spending some time with Mrs. Flock and Bill Rossi as well as the rest of the group made my 3rd trip to the HOF even more memorable than the tirst two. I'm glad my goading paid off in such a wonderful day. I hope to do it again soon. Best $16.15 I have spent in a while and thanks again for the lunch.
But as you well know, I gotta stir the pot a little since PKL and Mr. Riffle have rained on your parade.
Any of you who know me know there are things the racing gods in Florida do that don't sit well with me. Some things will never change. BUT! The city of Charlotte and the folks at NASCAR have done a remarkable job with theHOF. They have also done a good job with the membership committee for the HOF. You folks must remember there were so many "legends" who contributed so much to the humble beginnings of the sport welike to call our own that some will be overlooked in theprocess. Is Raymond Parks one of them? YES! But heWILL beinducted in time as will many other includingFrances Flocks husband Tim and many others including (hopefully) the Myers Brothers, the remaining Flocks, and many more. Remember, it has taken over 50 years to reach the number of honorees in the NMPA HOF (Weatherly Museum @ Darlington). They average less than 2 new members each year there. But here is a little food for thought. If those we hold dear are for some reason overlooked for induction into the hall that honors our "legends", remember this. They are already there in some way. Their memories exist in not only our minds, but the minds and hearts of thousands of fans who saw them do what they did so well. Raymond Parks, Tim, Fonty and Bob Flock, Billy and Bobby Myers and dozens of other deserving "legends" are there in photos, trophies and artifacts and memories for all to enjoy each time we walk the halls. To not honor all who are or will be enshrined there somedaybecauseanother deserving personhasn't been honored yet and to use that as an excuse to not go will only deprive those who choose to feel that way, a chance to see a wonderful tribute to "our" sport.It is your loss if you don't make the trip.
Jim,
What you are saying is very true for the most part. There are a couple of drivers outside the top 25 or part-timers that do a few "appearances" at the "local" track (for a healthy fee of course). But without seeing a date on the article you posted, I'll venture to say it was before J.D. went to the Grand National division. He, along with Wayne Andrews and a bunch of others tore up the dirt tracks from Sanford to Rockingham and Dillon. The Junior Johnson referred to is probably the South Carolina version of Junior Johnson who was a heck of a wheel-man in his day. He passed away a few weeks ago. Not trying to knock your story because the comments ring true.
PK! I agree with most of what you present as well and I do respect your opinion. I would just hate to see anyone misss the chance to see what is there. Winston, Buz and the staff there have done a great job of working within the "box" handed them. I, like you, still can't get a handle on the limited number of inductees each year and the reasoning behind that. I'm going to venture that someone feels the limited number inducted makes it more "special" to be there. God forbid anything happeing to anyone but there are asome"in" that could have waited a couple of years to get some of the pioneers in. My opinion is that bykeeping that numberso low, it robs the opportunity of the current "fan" of the chance to seemore of those who helped shape the sport. The hall will probably never adopt some of the things I would like to see such as the "families" in the history of racing. Tim Flock will probably make itto the HOF butFonty, Bob andEthel probably won't.Glen Wood is a true pioneer of racing and helped shape much of what we relate to today and is deservingly "in" but Leonard, Delano and Clay may not make it and ther are many more including the Myers Brothers that deserve the honor of being there. In reality, the HOF isn't big enough to houseall of those who helped make the sport of stock car racing what it is. But to the creditof the staff there, many of those I mentioned have, and wll be in the future,honored through temporary exhibits, those photos and artifacts I described and in the clipping in the scrapbooks on display.
Go see it whenever you can and to "The Legend". PM me with that phone number and we'll do McDonalds and the HOF soon.
I don't know how to say some of the things on my mind as I read your comments on the HOF. I certainly don't want to offend any ofmy RR friends because I value their opinions and hope they value mine. That said, here goes!
While I agree with you, PK, on several of your comments on the HOF and I understand Mrs. Frank's as well. But, I want to encourage you to make the drive up to Charlotte and invest in a day at the HOF. I say day because it will take all day, and then someif you look at things as closely as I, to see everything.
There ARE some things that really don't interest me like some of the interactive stuff like changing a tire or driving a current day simulator but there are many other things there to keep my attention. As you walk the halls and aisles of the HOF with your mind open to the memories of days long gone, the photos,trophies, uniforms, helmets, shirts & gloves worn by the true pioneers of the sport wiil transport you back to those wonderful days and people who made us what we are today. Fans of the sport we love.
I too believe there should have been more consideration given to the real pioneeers of the sport but I also understand the thought process behind what is done there. I have spoken to some of the folks at the HOF more than once andunderstand theyfeel the same as we about those already inducted and those passed over during the first two classes. I think they should have divided the inductees into classes such as drivers, owners, mechanics, crew chiefs,modified, sportsman, track owners/operators and media and even with that many "divisions", I'm sure there wouldbe someone left out. The France's should not have been on a ballot. That they should have gone in is a given. But with all the negatives we find aside, the artifacts,film and photos alone made my trips worthwhile. I can't tell you how much time I spent looking over Frances Flock's scrapbooks hoping to find a mention or photo of my daddy and some of the articles in her books and other exhibitsbring back stories I have heard from past legends and family through the years. While the HOF isn't perfect (and you never know what changes may lie ahead), it "is-what-it-is". And while you won't find everything you hoped for in there now, it does cover a lot of history (and current events) in a wonderful way. Winston, Buz and the rest of the staff have an unbelieveable amount of respect for the history of out sport. They treasure the artifacts on permanent display or on loan as if they were their own.I don't really enjoy what we have now as an on-track product but I certainly appreciate the millions of dollars invested and the thousands of hours spent in giving us the opportunity to catch a glimpse of days gone by.
And to Dave, I too love to wander through the Weatherly/NAPA HOF in Darlington every time I get the chance. I'm an old-timer too and the folks enshrined there are a real link to the history of the sport and while somein that HOFhave found their way to the newer version in Charlotte, many deserving Weatherly HOF members will never make it to Charlotte. Those of us who go back a while know, appreciateand understand what is in the Weatherly museum. I appreciate both and will continue to make my donation at the door and enjoy what others before me have given to our sport. As far as the traffic, parking and ticket prices are concerned, I must have missed some of the things mentioned. I got off the John Belk, made a couple of turns and I was at the NASCAR HOF. I have been there mid-day, mid-week and weekend and never encountered the traffic situation some complain about. In fact I was disappointed there wasn't more traffic there to visit the HOF. Parking is $5.00 but if you spend an afternoon at the Winston-Salem Coliseum for a Wake Forest basketball game, you will pay 7 - 9 bucks to park. I know for us old folks on a fixed income we have to watch our pennies but all-in-all, $5.00 wasn't bad for the trip.
One final thought and I'll be quiet. We like to tell everyone on RR that we are getting along in years, our wisdom and how much we enjoyed the past during our time in racing . Let me remind you that while every day is important and special to us, we may not have that many left. I would hate to think I missed the chance to see some of the things I enjoyed at the HOF. While it ain't perfect, it IS a wonderful tributeto many of those gone on before us. Give it a chance or it (or you) may really go away before you get to see it.
Before and after photos of Bobby and the aftermath of the wreck.
Not sure if anything would have saved him.