That 1996 Phoenix race won by Bobby Hamilton had to be an especially emotional - and bittersweet day for Richard. Although it seems to me like it was just yesterday, I was surprised when I looked at the full field results and realized how few in the field that day are still competing. Always thought Bobby carried himself well and was a great ambassador for racing.
"Wild Indian" Roy Tyner of Red Springs must have really enjoyed Greensboro. The following season he raced out of Greensboro, competing in 22 of 51 Grand Nationals -all but two for "Spook" Crawford and in 18 of the 19 Convertible races from Crawford, finishing 5th in the standings according to a story in The Robesonian on October 31, 1958:
The morning's low temperature on October 27, 1957 in Greensboro, North Carolina was just 30 degrees according to the U.S. Weather Bureau and afternoon temperatures reached only a high of 46 degrees.
In its Associated Press coverage of the race, the Spartanburg Herald referenced the teeth chattering temperatures endured by race fans watching Buck's triumph:
Won from above: Wendell Scott's sons reflect on Darrell Wallace Jr.'s historic win
Tom Jensen - Fox Sports
Updated Oct 27, 2013 12:04 PM ET
If there was any question about what Darrell Bubba Wallace Jr.s victory in Saturdays Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway meant, it was answered Sunday morning at the historic track by Wendell Jr. and Franklin Scott, the sons of the late Wendell Scott.
Until Wallaces win yesterday, Wendell Scott was the first and only African-American driver to win a NASCAR touring series race, having claimed victory in Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 1, 1963.
Nearly 50 years later, Wallace drove a nearly perfect race to score his first Truck Series triumph and make some history of his own. And if anyone appreciated what Wallace did, it was Scotts sons, who are close friends with Wallace.
Of Wallaces victory, Franklin said, When the checkered flag dropped, I heard a big boom from heaven and my daddy said, Hell, yeah.
Wendell Jr. was equally excited watching the race.
My brother and I were texting back and forth, so we were saying, Oh, Lord, watch so and so, watch so and so, said Wendell Jr. He did a Kyle Busch restart. It was one of the most magnificent starts to win a race I've ever seen, and anybody that saw that race knows that this young man has only just begun.
The Scott family is from Danville, Va., just 30 miles or so from Martinsville, so Wallaces victory was especially satisfying for Scotts family.
I thought it was ironic and amazing that it happened here, and for the people to see and everybody in Danville, they're excited, said Franklin. The phones have been jumping off the hook from all over the country to us, and we just want to wish him (Wallace) continued success. We know he's going to do well, and we ask for the fans and the media to support him, allow time for his ups and downs, because you know, in racing they will come. But stick with him.
For his part, Wallace said he was honored to be a part of history.
Just carrying the torch that Wendell Scott laid down for us and taking it farther, and that's the biggest thing I'm trying to do, he said. I don't really pay attention to all the media stuff and let that get to me and forget where I came from. That's not my type.
Driving in just his 19th career Truck Series start, Wallace dominated the afternoon in his No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, leading 96 of 200 laps and finishing ahead of Brendan Gaughan, Jeb Burton, Ben Kennedy and Ryan Blaney.
I guess "technically" (as one of my grandsons tells me all the time) the Rolex Series is NASCAR sanctioned and is a national touring series. What a can of worms, though, to throw those sporty cars into the mix of the three current series NASCAR promotes as its stock series. Heck, we don't even see any credit given out of Daytona to the guys like Wayne Andrews who drove in its GT/Grand American Series, which also was a major touring series. It was completely forgotten when giving all the credit to Raleigh as the last NASCAR dirt track race prior to Eldora. Go figure.
And here's what Don Coble wrote for the Florida Times-Union readers in Jacksonville, Florida, site of Wendell Scott's historic victory 50 years ago. The photo was taken by my friend, Steve Helber , Chief of the Associated Press Photo Bureau in Richmond:
For everyone else, especially NASCAR, it had a more far-reaching significance.
Wallace took the lead with five laps remaining in the Kroger 200 and he held off a charge by Brendan Gaughan to become the first African-American to win a national touring race in NASCAR since Wendell Scott in 1963.
The 20-year-old driver from Mobile, Ala., led a race-best 96 laps at the speedway where Scott, who lived 29 miles away in Danville, Va., made 23 career starts.
It means everything, Wallace said with eyes still welled with tears. This is an emotional one for me.
Scott was the first African-American to win a NASCAR race at Jacksonvilles Speedway Park on Dec. 1, 1963. NASCAR waited more than an hour to post the official results, and by then the crowd was gone and Scott never got the race trophy.
Scott died of spinal cancer in 1990 without a trophy. The Jacksonville Stock Car Hall of Fame invited the Scott family to Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, Ga., in 2010 and presented them with a trophy that was a replica of other trophies awarded during the 1963 season.
Wallace not only got his trophy Saturday, he got one of the most-prized possessions in motor sports a famous Martinsville grandfather clock.
I want to be a role model and inspiration to the younger kids and just change the sport as a whole and change it for the better, bring in a new face and just new activity into the sport, and winning helps everything, Wallace said. Winning, theres nothing better than winning. And I think thatll help kind of pave its own way there, and hopefully get my name out there even more.
Wallaces victory overshadowed a late-race run-in between Kevin Harvick and Ty Dillon. Harvick drives for car owner Richard Childress in the Sprint Cup Series and Dillon is Childress grandson. The two collided on the track and carried their argument to pit road where the teams had to be separated by NASCAR officials
Here's what the residents of Wendell Scott's hometown of Danville, Virginia read this morning in their Danville Register & Bee and at GoDanRiver.com courtesy of coverage by the Lynchburg News & Advance , with photos by Joel Hawksley of The Roanoke Times :
Wallace Jr. posts historic win in Kroger 200
Posted: Saturday, October 26, 2013 7:23 pm | Updated: 7:39 pm, Sat Oct 26, 2013.
MARTINSVILLE The tears were freely falling down his face. His emotions were already flowing through his body.
Darrell Wallace Jr. was overcome by the moment.
The moment, coming off of Turn 4 to claim the checkered flag and win the Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, was overtaking him. The 20-year-old hadn't even crossed the finish line to claim his first career victory in one of NASCAR's national touring series as the magnitude of the moment hit him like a ton of bricks.
His lifelong dream to win on the sport's biggest stage was fulfilled as he became only the second African-American driver to win a race in a national touring series. Danville's Wendell Scott, who won a Grand National race on Dec. 1, 1963, at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla., was the only one to hold that distinction until Wallace's victory.
"It means everything," Wallace said after he had time to digest the magnitude of his victory. "This is an emotional win for me, especially to do it in Wendell Scott's backyard."
The victory marks a big step for NASCAR, a sport that has been looking to diversify its driver roster over the recent years with initiatives, like the Drive 4 Diversity program, that highlight minority drivers in the sport.
Wallace had success in the developmental series with six victories in the K&N Pro Series East and three top-10 finishes in the Nationwide Series last year with Joe Gibbs Racing.
It took him 19 tries to get his first win in the Camping World Truck Series and he was confident after his fifth-place showing in the spring that he could visit Victory Lane.
"I told everybody we were going to win this race," Wallace said. "This one, it was you would bet your bottom dollar that we were going to win this race. That helps out when you have that confidence level coming in.
"To do it in the backyard of Wendell Scott, it means so much more. It'll take to [today] for this to finally hit me, so I'll probably be crying [today]. This is an emotional win and a big win for all of us."
Wallace led three times for a race-high 96 laps and had the dominant truck after Denny Hamlin (65 laps led) was spun around by points leader Matt Crafton on Lap 145.
"Darrell, I can't say enough. I'm so happy for NASCAR and I'm so happy for Darrell himself," said Brendan Gaughan, who finished second. "It really means a lot to see me that great guys like Bill Lester and Willy T. [Ribbs], who I raced against, and the spirits of guys like Wendell Scott - there's a lot of guys who worked hard so Darrell could get where he is. First one to do it in 50 years, so that's fantastic."
Wallace pulled away from second-place Kevin Harvick in the closing laps that when Harvick and Ty Dillon wrecked on Lap 189 and attempted to inflict more damage under caution, Wallace was far enough ahead to avoid the calamity.
"Darrell does a really good job. Me and him are friends and he's worked hard to get here," third-place Jeb Burton said. "He's had some help along the way and so have we all. Can't take anything from him. He works hard and he deserves it. He's done a good job and I'm proud of him."
Added Wallace's car owner Kyle Busch: "This is certainly a monumental day and hopefully one that he'll remember for a long time and can cherish."
Ben Kennedy and Ryan Blaney finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
I see Kevin finally said what we all suspected... he is leaving RCR because of the grandkids perceived treatment of having everything handed to them on a silver spoon.
Quoting the Charlotte Observer account:
Harvick, who is leaving RCR at seasons end, didnt mince words after the incident.
Dillon just dumped me. Exactly the reason why Im leaving RCR because youve got those kids coming up and theyve got no respect for what they do in this sport and theyve had everything fed to them with a spoon, Harvick said.
By the way, I have never been a Kevin Harvick fan, but anybody who couldn't see this coming isn't much of a judge of human nature.
Congrats to Bubba Wallace. I like that guy. Nice to see a modern day racer without the big mouth so many have.
