Richard and Bobby did engage in some serious "have at it boys" moments. I have a feeling today's superstars would be screaming on their radios for their spotter to talk to the other guy's spotter and all that silly stuff.
LaVerne, my wife's uncle from Wilson was career Air Force and retired to Tucson.
The article below was published October 21, 1983 in the Spartanburg paper, while I was I was in serious negotiations with Tim Richmond to drive for Bud Moore with Wrangler sponsorship for 1984.
Tim had received the anonymous threatening telephone call on Wednesday night before we got on the track at Rockingham on Thursday.
Word got out at the track that Dale would return to RCR for 1984. Dale wanted to go hunting in South Carolina, but Bud wanted him to practice. Dale intentionally tore Bud's car all to pieces in his "mystery" practice crash, then left the track to go hunting.
It was a very despicable act on Earnhardt's part to pull on his team and a car owner who'd gone to great lengths to tutor him. I lost a lot of respect for Dale Earnhardt that afternoon.
Contrary to speculation by many, Richard Petty, Geoff Bodine and Ron Bouchard were not on our serious list to replace Dale in Bud's car. That was a two driver list - Tim Richmond and Ricky Rudd.
Note that Bobby Allison was also in the field. That race for many years would draw a Cup driver or two headed back east from Riverside and usually receiving a little extra renumeration from the event promoter.
In the case of Tim Richmond, he drove for me gratis... I just paid his expenses. Bud Moore and I had worked to hire Timmy to drive our Wrangler entry in Cup for 1984 after Dale left to return to RCR, but the deal was queered up at the very last minute by threatening telephone calls received by Richmond promising bad personal consequences if he took the deal. There was actually a fire set in a trash container outside his Lake Norman home.
I had suspicions of the perpetrator, but no way to prove it and Ricky Rudd wound up in Bud's car.
Riding in a rental car in Phoenix with Tim Richmond was a "life experience. " NASCAR had comped us a couple of rooms at the Pointe Resort where the Winston West Banquet took place the night of the race. Tim was also a willing attendee at the banquet with me, sitting with Derrike Cope and George Jefferson.
Many of our drivers have done many nice things through the years that get no publicity.
Here's an edited excerpt from the October 29, 1983 Spartanburg Hertald-Journa l :
Derrike spent so much time building the motor for Timmy's car that he lost the championship to Robinson by 4 points in his Rookie year when his own engine had an oil line come loose.
Rustler's Rooste up on South Mountain is a cool place.
I sponsored the first Phoenix race I ever saw, lol!
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Have fun. Get you a cowboy steak up on South Mountain. Watch out for the rattlesnakes around the track!
Winston Twin 200
NASCARSportsmanrace
Richmond International Raceway ,Richmond,VA
April 8, 1990
200laps on 0.75 mile paved oval;150 miles
| Fin | St | Driver | # | Owner | Car | Laps | Money | Status | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | DennisSetzer | Ford | 200 | running | 133 | |||
| 2 | 4 | DavidBlankenship | Chevrolet | 200 | running | ||||
| 3 | RobbieFaggart | Chevrolet | |||||||
| 1 | CharlieFord | Oldsmobile | |||||||
| 2 | TimRoberts | ||||||||
| 5 | RobertHuffman | ||||||||
| T.W.Taylor | Pontiac | ||||||||
| RogerBussler |
Pole Speed: 24.498 seconds
15 cautions for 87 laps
Twin 200
NASCARSportsmanrace Richmond International Raceway ,Richmond,VA March 24, 1991 200laps on 0.75 mile paved oval;150 miles
| Fin | St | Driver | # | Owner | Car | Laps | Money | Status | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | DennisSetzer | Ford | 200 | 4,000 | running | 200 | ||
| 2 | 18 | JerryRector | Oldsmobile | 200 | 3,000 | running | 0 | ||
| 3 | 7 | TimHepler | Chevrolet | 200 | 2,550 | running | 0 | ||
| 4 | 33 | DaleLemonds | Chevrolet | 199 | 2,200 | running | 0 | ||
| 5 | 14 | RobbieFaggart | Chevrolet | 199 | 1,900 | running | 0 | ||
| 6 | 17 | JerryKnowles | Chevrolet | 199 | 1,700 | running | 0 | ||
| 7 | 16 | DavidBlankenship | Chevrolet | 198 | 1,500 | running | 0 | ||
| 8 | 11 | RickySanders | Chevrolet | 198 | 1,300 | running | 0 | ||
| 9 | 9 | RogerBussler | Chevrolet | 198 | 1,300 | running | 0 | ||
| 10 | 19 | WillHobgood | Chevrolet | 98 | 1,100 | running | 0 | ||
| 11 | 25 | LeeTissot | Chevrolet | 198 | 975 | running | 0 | ||
| 12 | 26 | RichardJarvis Jr. | Buick | 198 | 875 | running | 0 | ||
| 13 | 13 | CharlieFord | Chevrolet | 198 | 775 | running | 0 | ||
| 14 | 21 | PeterGibbons | Chevrolet | 197 | 700 | running | 0 | ||
| 15 | 28 | RitchiePetty | Chevrolet | 197 | 650 | running | 0 | ||
| 16 | 30 | BubbaUrban | Pontiac | 196 | 625 | running | 0 | ||
| 17 | 32 | TimCarter | Buick | 195 | 600 | running | 0 | ||
| 18 | 4 | MarcMadison | Buick | 195 | 575 | running | 0 | ||
| 19 | 29 | LouieLittlepage | Buick | 189 | 560 | accident | 0 | ||
| 20 | 27 | MonroeSnyder | Pontiac | 189 | 550 | running | 0 | ||
| 21 | 2 | DannyBumbaco | Chevrolet | 185 | 530 | running | 0 | ||
| 22 | 34 | FredYelinek | Pontiac | 185 | 520 | running | 0 | ||
| 23 | 35 | BrianPedrick | Pontiac | 175 | 505 | running | 0 | ||
| 24 | 15 | EddieJohnson | Ford | 163 | 500 | accident | 0 | ||
| 25 | 8 | EdwardFranks Jr. | Chevrolet | 162 | 495 | running | 0 | ||
| 26 | 12 | EdwardGartner | Pontiac | 143 | 490 | running | 0 | ||
| 27 | 31 | ZephCarthright | Chevrolet | 134 | 485 | running | 0 | ||
| 28 | 24 | T.W.Taylor | Chevrolet | 120 | 480 | radiator | 0 | ||
| 29 | 5 | GaryRitter | Oldsmobile | 111 | 475 | engine | 0 | ||
| 30 | 23 | RobbieStanley | Chevrolet | 101 | 470 | accident | 0 | ||
| 31 | 22 | Robin W.Caldwell | Pontiac | 92 | 465 | oil pan | 0 | ||
| 32 | 6 | JimVandenberg | Chevrolet | 75 | 460 | engine | 0 | ||
| 33 | 1 | DougSanders | Buick | 60 | 455 | brakes | 0 | ||
| 34 | 10 | HarryPage | Pontiac | 14 | 450 | engine | 0 | ||
| 35 | 20 | TimRagsdale | Oldsmobile | 0 | 445 | did not start | 0 |
Time of race: 01:58:42 Average Speed: 75.821 MPH 10 cautions for 28 laps
