Forum Activity for @dave-fulton

WILL IT REALLY RETURN ?

Stock Car Racing History

By the way, in two seasons driving the Bud Moore #15, Earnhardt scored 3 wins. His first two seasons in #3 Childress cars he scored just 2 wins, both in 1984. If Earnhardt hadn't jumped ship from Moore to Childress in the middle of a contract, I guess the talk would be that the #15 should have never been used again, right?

And if that same theory held true, our own RR member, Wayne Andrews would have driven a number later to be retired as he is credited with 5 Cup starts in 1971 in the Reid Shaw #15 Mustang!

WILL IT REALLY RETURN ?

Stock Car Racing History

Here's a listing, courtesy of the folks at Fantasy Racing and their cheat sheet of all the drivers who've wheeled the #3 in NASCAR Strictly Stock / Grand National / Winston Cup / Nextel / Sprint Cup competition from the first race in 1949 until its last use in 2001:

Lotta great drivers have cinched up in the #3 over the years. Just as an example, the #3 was on the side of David Pearson's Ray Fox car for Pearson's first GN win - at Charlotte in the 1961 World 600. Many folks have short memories. Golly, should Ricky Rudd have been allowed to drive the # 3 for Childress in 1982 and 1983 after Earnhardt left following the 1981 season and didn't return until 1984? Lotta goofy thinking going on regarding the car number IMHO.

The incomparable David Pearson wheels Ray Fox's #3 Pontiac to his first ever NASCAR Grand national win in the 1961 World 600 at Charlotte.

NASCAR history didn't begin in 1984 as some folks would have us believe.

WILL IT REALLY RETURN ?

Stock Car Racing History

David Rider photo

If ole hotheaded Cale Yarborough hadn't tangled with Sam McQuagg and wrecked the trailing # 3 Ray Fox Chevy of LeeRoy Yarbrough, it might well have won the 1965 Southern 500 instead of Ned Jarrett.

WILL IT REALLY RETURN ?

Stock Car Racing History

RCR has every right in the world to campaign the #3. Doesn't bother me one iota. Quite frankly, I spent more time working with Dale, Sr. with # 2 and #15 on the sides of his blue and yellow Wrangler cars. He drove just 11 races in 1981 for Childress with #3 when I managed the Wrangler program. I really don't see the big deal. Actually, when I think of #3, it's Junior Johnson in the 1963 Ray Fox "Mystery Chevy" that I see in my mind. That's the "independent" Chevy #3 that Ford Motor Company spent over 1 Million 1963 Dollars trying to catch!

December 21, 1967: Darel Dieringer signs with Mario Rossi

Stock Car Racing History

My wife absolutely adored Darel. She'd always find a way to slip him in any V.I.P. suite we happened to be operating. Darel could make you split your sides laughing. During the final year of his life, as cancer took its toll, Darel would stop by my office on Old Pineville Rd. in Charlotte each day for a cup of morning coffee.

Dec. 21, 1954 - Deadline Revealed for Yea or Nay on Daytona Speedway Project

Stock Car Racing History

That is terifically neat!

Dec. 21, 1954 - Deadline Revealed for Yea or Nay on Daytona Speedway Project

Stock Car Racing History

Congrats to Grandma and Grandpa Country!!!

Dec. 21, 1954 - Deadline Revealed for Yea or Nay on Daytona Speedway Project

Stock Car Racing History

The December 21, 1954 edition of the Daytona Beach Morning Journal carried a front page story by Sports Editor, Bernard Kahn revealing a deadline of January 15, 1955 as the target date for the Racing and Recreation Facilities Authority (RRFA) of Daytona to proceed or not with plans to build a speedway to replace the beach road course.

Chairman of the Authority was J. Saxton Lloyd (as in Lake Lloyd ) and on hand was Charles Moneypenny , the City of Daytona engineer credited with designing Daytona International Speedway, as well as the D-shaped tracks at Talladega, Michigan, Texas (Texas World Speedway) and Richmond.

The story also indicated that racing on the beach would stop after 1955, with no events allowed in 1956 and beyond. However, we know that Big Bill France twisted enough arms and possibly greased enough palms to continue beach racing through 1958 until the opening of his Daytona International Speedway in 1959.

With Christmas Eve just 3 days away, the December 21, 1954 Daytona newspaper was full of ads for Christmas shoppers. The one below especially caught my eye, advertising 1955 model 21" black & white Motorola Televisions for as little as 55 cents per day (the ad doesn't bother to say how many days!) with the gift of a Motorola portable radio or mantle clock thrown in with the purchase.

The ad also advertises a Motorola Hi-Fi phonograph for 25 cents per day (you guess the days again!) with $50 worth of records - 130 musical selections - included with the purchase. I looked closely at the names of the recording artists, but didn't find a single one who had made Coastal Jack Walker's Top-40 all-time beach music spreadsheet!

Sports Editor, Bernard Kahn, author of the 1954 story above, is the same gentleman for whom the "Benny Kahn Press Room" in the Daytona infield garage area was named in 1975. I've spent many an hour working in that building and would guess that members Dargan Watts, Tim Leeming, Ray Lamm and other RR members who worked in media also frequented it.

1975 - Daytona Beach Morning Journal

Not having been to the Daytona Speedway since 1999, it is my understanding that there is a new infield media center and the Benny Kahn Press Room now serves as an auxiliary building for the media.

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

December 20: A.J., Banjo, Cotton, David ... and Pauls

Stock Car Racing History

I understand that 6-Time has a refrigerated truck to fit any size picnic!

December 20: A.J., Banjo, Cotton, David ... and Pauls

Stock Car Racing History

The December 20, 1959 issue of the Daytona paper carried a story showing Big Bill's thoughts were running in a straight line. Check all the dragsters lined up coming off turn 4 of the Big D!