The King speaks bluntly.......
Stock Car Racing History
The King gave an honest reply.
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
Daytona 500 - 1965
Stock Car Racing History
My man, J.T. carried the day for the bowtie hopeful in the 500.
There've been few racing movies made since 1965 that didn't inclued the Eulenfeld qualifying crash.
Racing History Minute - 1964 Daytona 500
Stock Car Racing History
And this might have been a Rising Sun tach?
Racing History Minute - 1964 Daytona 500
Stock Car Racing History
I smell a conspiracy with the Petty 1964 Daytona 500 Hemi win. I'm speculating that the hemi was actually designed by Toyota to test the stock car waters and that is probably Miss Toyota with Richard.
Racing History Minute - 1964 Daytona 500
Stock Car Racing History
I visited that 1964 World's Fair in NY, but have no recollection of teetotaling mom & dad taking us to Schaefer Center, 
- though I enjoyed the Coke exhibit and traveled across the parking lots to a spanlking new Shea Stadium to watch the mets vs. Cubs. And, I was definitely glued to the TV with my church teen group 50 years ago tonight to watch Beatles on Sullivan.
I did listen to the 500 and couldn't wait for those cars to get to Richmond where I'd see my first race in March 1964.
Daytona 2016 - Looking for Legend & Bopper
Stock Car Racing History
This weekend's Daytona paper gives a preview of the 2016 Daytona experience after completion of the Rising Sun ... oops, Daytona Rising reconstruction of the Daytona International Speedway.
I checked the artist's rendering of one of the new 2016 luxury suites to see if I saw old Daytona veterans Tim Leeming or Bobby Williamson in the picture, but didn't find them.
I guess we old timers will just have to depend on you newer and younger race fans to report back here on your 2016 Daytona 500 experience. That should make for interesting reading. I'll be particularly interested to hear where you parked and what it cost.
Preview of the 2016 Daytona 500 experience: A whole new destination
An artists rendering shows what one of the modern luxury suites might look like.
Images courtesy of International Speedway Corp. Published: Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 7:25 p.m.
DAYTONA BEACH Race fans have two more years to catch Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway as it exists today.
Come 2016, it will be a whole new race. The cars on the track will still go fast and turn left, but everything else will change, and transform the citys gateway in the process, bringing new stores and restaurants that have never opened in this market before.
Two years from now, the scaffolding and construction equipment that adorn the Speedways exterior today will be gone, replaced by a new facade complete with a quarter-mile-long Daytona International Speedway sign designed to evoke images of the speeding cars that can be found on the track. The interior of the building will sport new goodies for race fans.
International Speedway Boulevard already a bustling street lined with chain restaurants and stores will be a different beast, with the new retail, residential and dining development, dubbed One Daytona, taking up the now-empty land around the International Motorsports Center on the north side of the street near the pedestrian bridge.
Its a whole new destination for fans, said Jim Renne, design principal with Rossetti, the architectural firm for Daytona Rising, the Speedways renovation project.
Those traveling to Daytona Beach by car might notice some changes before they even get to town, as the expansion of Interstate 4 from four lanes to six between DeLand and Daytona Beach should be completed by then.
Once in town, race fans could be checking into one of several new hotels, including a Hard Rock Hotel and Cafe or a large two-tower luxury hotel-and-condominium complex at the east end of Oakridge Boulevard on the beachfront. One Daytona also will have a pair of hotels with 660 rooms between them.
And, though it isnt exactly new, the Desert Inn, the beachside 200-plus-room hotel that was once named one of the dirtiest in the nation by TripAdvisor, will be cleaned up, renovated and flagged with a national hotel brand by the time fans start to arrive in 2016.
NEW STORES, LIVE MUSIC
The shopping and dining situation also will be different, and visitors might find themselves lingering near International Speedway Boulevard longer than they did in previous years.
One Daytona alone will sport 75 shops and restaurants, and all will be brands that are new to the Daytona Beach area, said Brian Leary, managing director of Jacoby Development, which is developing One Daytona.
The fact that theyre bringing in retailers that arent already here is really important, said Evelyn Fine, president of Daytona Beach-based market research firm Mid-Florida Marketing & Research Inc. It just adds to our enticement and makes us a destination in which (race fans) will want to stay a little bit longer.
Which restaurants and stores those will be is still largely in the air. Bass Pro Shops and Cobb Theatres have signed letters of intent to put a store and a movie theater the latter of which will be near the back of the development in the new One Daytona neighborhood, but no other companies have made firm commitments to build yet, said Speedway spokesman Lenny Santiago.
Visitors also will be able to watch live shows at music venues throughout One Daytona, Leary said.
Leary said the firm is designing One Daytona to be a walkable neighborhood, so visitors can park their cars and stroll from shop to shop.
Jacoby took inspiration from walkable neighborhoods throughout the world when developing the initial designs for One Daytona, Leary said.
It will be an eclectic mix of architectural styles with a consistency of quality and materials, he said. It complements the forward style of the Daytona Rising project while feeling comfortable to those who live in Central Florida and are used to walking in neighborhoods (like downtown DeLand and Winter Park).
When its race time, getting to the track will be simply a matter of crossing the pedestrian bridge over International Speedway Boulevard. For those who are farther north, the Speedway expects a new pedestrian bridge to open near the intersection of International Speedway Boulevard and Bill France Boulevard, Santiago said.
YOUR OWN RACE MACHINE
The Speedway itself will be difficult to recognize in 2016. The nearly mile-long structure will have shed the Erector set-like appearance it has now.
There is actually a facade that grandstands dont typically have, said Renne of architectural firm Rossetti.
The surface will bend and angle to give the building the look of a racing automobile in motion, Renne said.
Five injectors large gates for fans to enter the facility will dot the front of the Speedway. Above each one will be the name of the company that sponsors the gate. So far, auto maker Toyota has agreed to sponsor an injector just east of the start/finish line.
As the fan enters through the injector, he or she will travel by escalator to one of the Speedways three concourses.
The idea is that we lift the entire stadium experience off the ground, as if youre going into your own race machine, Renne said. Were trying to get people to their seats, but its a journey.
On the way to their seats, fans will pass cafes, gift kiosks and dining areas. Those hungry for traditional stadium food will be able to get their hamburger or hot dog fix, but the new Speedway will have more types of food from which to choose. Want a salad or deli sandwich? There will be a place to buy that, Renne said.
If none of those tickle the fans fancy, he or she still will be able to bring a cooler with food into the Speedway.
Also, the new Speedway will have a permanent store where the race fan can buy souvenirs.
Fans will notice that the Speedway is broken into 11 neighborhoods or clusters of places to eat, shop and linger. Each one will share certain thematic elements with the others, and, if all goes according to plan, each will be sponsored by a different company and will have unique activities, Renne said.
Toyota, for instance, will have a neighborhood behind its injector where it will have activities and attractions.
By 2016, backstretch seating should be gone, Santiago said. Instead, the Speedway will have new seating built atop its current frontstretch grandstands, giving attendees of the 2016 Daytona 500 a higher vantage point from which to view the race.
The seats themselves will be wider 21 inches, as opposed to 20 inches and some will have armrests and cup holders.
If the race fan is at the Speedway for a corporate event, he or she might be going to the new hospitality level between the concourses. It wont be enclosed like the traditional suites in the Speedways tower, but it will feature more amenities than the standard grandstand seating, including a lounge area and a vantage point at the start/finish line.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/16/16 07:54:05AM
Former NASCAR Competitors Don't Just Fade Away, They Build Championship Sports Car Teams
Stock Car Racing History
It was a pleasant surprise to see the byline of Deb Williams show up in my Charlotte newspaper. Deb is an "old school" writer. I once tried to hire her back in the 80s. She cut her teeth watching 60s racing around Asheville before becoming a correspondent for United Press International - UPI. Once there, she convinced them to let her become a motorsports beat writer and she became one of the best.
From UPI, Deb was hired by Rob Griggs and headed up the coverage for his Grand National Scene newspaper and Grand National Illustrated Magazine at all NASCAR Winston Cup events for many years.
The last time I saw Deb was several years ago at the funeral of Judy Tucker, former secretary for Dale Earnhardt, Joe Whitlock, Humpy Wheeler, Osterlund Racing, Richard Howard and Blue Max racing.
Writing for the local Lake Norman News , several of her stories have been reprinted in the Charlotte Observer and its That's Racin' property. It has been a pleasure to read something by someone who knew the behind the scenes stuff and worked to get her stories, rather than stuffing her face at the media buffet and writing from pit notes like so many.
Today she caught us up with the championship sports car race winning activities of former NASCAR cheater, Gary Nelson and former NASCAR driver, Elton Sawyer , who married another NASCAR driver - Patty Moise . Welcome back, Deb!
Action Express Racing becomes sports car powerhouse
By Deb Williams
Correspondent
Posted: Saturday, Feb. 08, 2014
Throughout the 1980s, Denver was the home to U.S. Tobaccos motorsports effort, first with Hal Needham as Harry Gants team owner and then, later, with the Jackson brothers and Travis Carter taking over the NASCAR flag.
In the past few years, however, the Lincoln County community on Lake Normans west shore has become the home of one of the powerhouse teams in professional sports car racing, Action Express Racing.
Owned by Bob Johnson, the team is a mixture of NASCAR and sports car racing veterans who have guided the operation to two Rolex 24 victories, including the one at Daytona last month.
Gary Nelson, crew chief on Bobby Allisons 1983 NASCAR Cup championship team and the former Cup series director, is the team manager. Elton Sawyer, who won two Nationwide Series races during his 20 years competing on that circuit and later became the research and development manager at Evernham Motorsports, is the director of race team operations.
Scottish-born engineer Iain Watt is the teams technical director. A graduate of the Cranfield Institute of Technology in Bedford, England, Watt has worked with numerous open-wheel standouts, including Max Papis, Dario Franchitti, Christian Fittipaldi and Tony Kanaan. The team acquires its powerplants from ECR Engines.
I am a little surprised with how quickly weve been successful, but not as many changes as you might think (have occurred), said Johnson, who began working with the late Bob Snodgrass on the Brumos Racing Daytona Prototype teams in 2002, providing them with financial and business management consulting services.
We have a lot of the same personnel, even carrying over from the Brumos days. I mean, we have people that have been a part of the organization from the beginning of when Brumos started racing.
In 2009, Brumos campaigned two Daytona Prototype teams, with the No. 58 Porsche Riley winning the Daytona 24-hour race. However, at the end of that season, Brumos Racing decided to cut back to one team, running only the No. 59 Daytona Prototype for 2010.
Johnson took ownership of the other team and created Action Express Racing and the No. 9 Porsche/Riley Daytona Prototype. The new team pulled off a major upset in its first outing in 2010, claiming victory in the Daytona endurance event.
Brumos Racing decided to leave the Daytona Prototype class at the end of that season, opening the door for Johnson to take over the remaining team. He created the No. 5 Action Express Racing team and expanded it to a two-car operation.
In 2011, the team posted a victory at Virginia International Raceway and recorded four other podium finishes. During the next two years, Action Express snared four victories, two in each season; Detroit and Watkins Glen in 2012 and Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen last year.
We have accomplished a lot in a short time, but, again, its just because of all the hard work and people like Gary Nelson and Elton Sawyer and Coyote, and the whole organization is behind us, said Johnson, a practicing CPA for more than 43 years.
When we had the problem with the car and did all the significant damage to it in November, if we hadnt had Coyote behind us to put another chassis in place very quickly, we couldnt have put the car together and been racing again as quickly as we did. Its part of the organization and thats what makes it possible.
The teams next event is the March 12-15 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in Florida.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/07/4665087/action-express-racing-becomes.html#storylink=cpy
Deb also penned the story below, futher illustrating the activities of NASCAR folks gone sports car racing:
After building career in NASCAR, London enjoys victory in Rolex 24
By Deb Williams
From sweeping floors in a NASCAR Nationwide Series shop to celebrating a Rolex 24 victory at Daytona International Speedway, Joe Londons two-decade racing career has shown that hard work and dedication can still take a person from humble beginnings to joyful success in motorsports.
The lead assembler for Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines prototype effort, London not only got to celebrate a victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona last month, he and his six co-workers received the satisfaction of seeing the powerplants they built taking the first four positions in the grueling 24-hour race.
Thats quite an accomplishment for the small group that built 10 engines in 12 days.
To do something that you know not many people have the opportunity to do and to accomplish the Rolex 24-hour win, knowing its a lot of endurance and theres a lot of time and effort that goes through the company to even finish that race is pretty awesome, London said.
It was emotional because youre up for 37 hours. It took everybody on the calibration side of the engines, to the building side, everything that went into it to win the 24. It was a big company win.
Even though it was the Mooresville residents first trip to victory lane in the Rolex 24, ECR Engines has won previously in sports car racings prototype division. In the last two years, the company has claimed the manufacturers championship in prototype on the engine side, and one ECR Engines-supplied team emerged with the driving title.
Even though London has worked in an engine department since the late 1990s, it wasnt a job he envisioned when he began sweeping floors and assisting on the race car for a team co-owned by Greg Pollex and NFL quarterback Mark Rypien.
At the time, London was 19, and his stepfather, Fred Wanke, was the crew chief for the Busch Series (now Nationwide) team that fielded Fords for Chad Little. In 1993, he briefly stepped away from racing to join the Air National Guard; when he returned after eight months of training, he took odd jobs working on cars.
In late 1994, London joined his stepfathers company, Fred Wanke Racing, which built turn-key cars for Rich Bickle, did work for Ultra Wheels Motorsports, built a truck for Dale Earnhardts team with driver Ron Hornaday and handled Darrell Waltrips truck effort until the end of 1995. At that time, London joined Waltrips Concord-based Cup team.
When I wanted to get into racing, I wanted to be on the car side, London said. I wanted to be a fabricator, on the mechanic side of it. At the end of 95, when I went to Darrell Waltrips to work on the Cup team, I went into the engine shop. I never was the type that tinkered on engines, so going into tear-down was a big eye-opener for me.
In addition to working in the engine tear-down department for three years at Waltrips, London assisted the engine assemblers on the engine dyno and in the machine shop.
I learned a lot, London said. Claude Queen was my first boss at Darrells, and he really helped push me along. He showed me the ins and outs.
When Tim Beverly bought Waltrips team, London moved to Dale Earnhardt Inc. in April 1998. He continued in the same role at DEI, remaining in tear-down for another 21/2 years.
London began assembling engines at DEI, and it just took off from there. In 2004-05, he was engine builder of the year on Martin Truex Jr.s two-time Busch Series championship team.
When ECR Engines was formed in 2007-08, London continued with the company, building Cup engines for a couple of years before moving to the Nationwide and Truck side. He also worked on dirt late model engines for a year before starting his tenure on the engines for professional sports car racings exotic prototype cars.
Its really been unreal, the 40-year-old London said about his career. Being on the engine side makes you want to win. Youre preparing for game day. To be able to get up every day and do it every day, its fun. I have fun getting up every morning and going to work. Im there to win races.
Joe Nemechek and son John Hunter will share the SWM-NEMCO Motorsports entry in NASCARs Camping World Truck Series, thus allowing the team to run the entire season.
John Hunter will compete in 10 races at the track that allows a 16-year-old to race, while his father will handle the remaining 12 events.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/07/4665459/after-building-career-in-nascar.html#storylink=cpy
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/16/16 07:54:05AM
"Daytona Rising" = Rising Sun
Current NASCAR
I guess it was bound to happen as the auto makers have become big international brands. But what a contrast it will be at Daytona with the big Toyota alliance versus the old days at Charlotte when my dad, my buddies and I always picked the GM or Chrysler stands over the Ford stands.
This new Daytona Toyota alliance seems to have a lot more legs than the short lived STP presenting the Daytona 500 some years back.
Toyota lands naming rights at Daytona Speedway
AP
FEB 06, 2014
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday became the first company to land a naming rights deal at the revamped Daytona International Speedway.
The Japanese automaker and International Speedway Corp., which owns the famous Florida track, announced the sponsorship deal at the Chicago Auto Show.
The 11-year agreement, which begins in 2015, will provide Toyota with naming rights to one of the five massive fan entrances at the redesigned speedway. Toyota will have more than 20,000 square feet with which to work, giving the company plenty of space to showcase its automotive lineup and promote affiliated race teams.
"This is a unique opportunity for Toyota to elevate our brand in the motorsports community," said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations of Toyota Motor Sales in the United States.
The deal also makes Toyota an official partner of the Daytona 500 and gives the company pace-car privileges. The means a foreign manufacturer will lead the field under caution at "The Great American Race."
"Toyota has been a great partner for many years and we will continue to work together to enhance the fan experience at many of our facilities across the country," ISC CEO Lesa France Kennedy said.
Daytona is undergoing a $400 million renovation, dubbed "Daytona Rising."
The project will overhaul the front-stretch grandstands with new tiered concourses, wider seats and additional restrooms and concessions. It is scheduled for completion in 2016. The track will have 11 football field-sized "neighborhoods" that feature video screens as well as retail and dining areas.
"Daytona Rising represents our commitment to delivering engaging and innovative ways for our partners to showcase their brand," track president Joie Chitwood III said. "We're proud to integrate Toyota into this historic project. Our fans and guests will now enjoy more exciting, innovative and engaging experiences from the moment they enter the new facility to the time they reach their seats and beyond."
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
Racing History Minute - 1963 Daytona 500
Stock Car Racing History
By the way, the Aquasco site is JAck Approved , carrying the logo we have grown to love!
Racing History Minute - 1963 Daytona 500
Stock Car Racing History
Bill - I read many memories of Aquasco in the writings of folks remembering Maryland and Northern Virginia racing.
You should enjoy this link: http://www.atomicpinup.com/Aquasco_Speedway.html
TMC-Chase and Legend will see someone they know on the first page driving a car numbered 43jr at Aquasco!