You mean like when we caught Alan Kulwicki under our Derrike Cope/Rabanco Racing Thunderbird on a creeper in the garage at Michigan in 1986 after qualifying when we returned from having a hot dog?
Our rookie (Derrike) had qualified 27th and rookie Kulwicki had qualified 32nd. The sneaky Kulwicki immediately went to #1on our "Most Wanted List."
I am "guessing" that Leland Colvin of Darlington, SC was kin to Darlington's Bob Colvin?
Anybody know?
Thanks, Tim, fo another interesting look back.
I know Tim Richmond ran to Dale Earnhardt's assistance at Pocono in 1982 when Dale turned upside down on the boiler plate wall in turns 1-2. Tim and a photographer helped Dale, who had hot oil from the ruptued oil cooler reservoir running over him, get out of the car before help arrived.
Have all those Grammy winners and Entertainers of the Year helped the racing? The recording "artists" sure haven't done done anything to help Cup racing, except to get on the nerves of old timers like me.
Johnny, kinda reminds me of how it was at Bristol once the teams started using the big rigs. They couldn't get inside the track and had to park the rigs down the hill from turn 2. Teams would take bobtrucks and pickups inside with equipment.
Life is tough when you got to walk from yer fancy hauler to the track, ain't it?!
Bobby, I remember (but had forgotten) seeing what my buddy, Frank and I came to call "the Petty light" glowing red in Richard's cars.
I also remember Buck Baker and some others having the red lights like you used when towing another car mounted in the rear windows that they'd activate when getting ready to pit.
Link below to newspaper story on Darlington, SC's Frank Sessoms' lone NASCAR Grand American win, at Richmond, in 1969 - following a 3-hour scoring protest!!
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19690602&id=...
Thank you, Tim, for another great look back. Although I never saw the RAMBI track, I feel like I did after hearing the stories from you, Jack Walker and Bobby Williamson, along with Jack's wonderful photo collection.
I note in the top-5 a couple more nameplates no longer with us besides some we've already discussed. No more Pontiacs or Mercurys.
There was another vehicle in the field that day no longer manufactured - a lone Studebaker driven by Darlington, South Carolina's Frank Sessoms - the 12th place finisher. That RAMBI race was one of just five Grand National starts Frank would make in his career. He'd also drive in 6 Grand National East races.
However, it was in NASCAR's GT/Grand American division that Frank would make a name for himself, running 64 races with our RR member, Wayne Andrews and other such luminaries as Tiny Lund and Little Bud Moore. Frank, would go on to score his lone NASCAR Grand American victory at Richmond in 1969.
Frank and his lone Studebaker jumped out at me from the complete RAMBI race results because I had a personal connection with Frank, who passed in 2007.
When I managed the Wrangler racing programs, in 1981 I approached the pre-ISC Darlington Raceway's two top men, the late Barney Wallace and the late Red Tyler about running a Southern 500 ticket promotion. They really hemmed and hawed and then Darlington PR man, Bill Kiser (the first Pure Oil PR man) suggested something. He reminded Barney and Red how badly Darlington needed an infield media center.
A deal was struck. For $1/year, Darlington leased Wrangler a plot of land in the infield behind pit road where I constructed the first Darlington Media Center, which Wrangler, by contract, owned, on Darlington's land.
By now you are probably wondering how this all involves the 1962 RAMBI 12th place finisher, Frank Sessoms? Well, I was introduced to Frank, who was a carpenter and builder, by the Darlington Raceway owners and I contracted with him to build the first Darlington Media Center. It was Frank Sessom's idea to build the steps to the rooftop observation area of grated steel, to keep all the hi-falutin women in high heels from Myrtle Beach off the roof!
When Wrangler got out of racing following the 1987 season, the $1/year lease on the Darlington land was transferred to Goody's Manufacturing Company and the Media Center given to them.
So, thanks, again Tim for making it personal.
Frank Sessoms - From the Dargan Watts Photo Collection as posted at The Vintage Racer website.
Remember how that 1994 Dodge RAM pickmeup with its "new" rounded front end immediately made every other manufacturer's truck look old and dated? By the next year, all the flat and square pickups were gone, replaced with bubbles and curves.
This is "semi" racing.
During the Live Chat this past Tuesday night during the Racing Through History Goat Rodeo radio broadcast, RR member, JAck Redd mentioned the lyrics to the Perry Como hit song, "Delaware" - known by many as "What Did Delaware?"
JAck and I were amazed at how many of you RR youngsters didn't know what JAck was talking about. So, in the spirit of bringing history to the younger members, and after a bare minimum of research, I am proud to let you youngsters know a few of the facts I have found:
Perry Como's song "Delaware" reached #22 on the national Billboard Magazine charts during March 1960.
During the March 1960 time period the song hovered at #22, the following drivers won races as recorded by the good folks at Ultimate Racing History :
Lee Petty - North Wilkesboro Speedway - North Wilkesboro, NC
Parnelli Jones - Imperial Valley Speedway - El Centro, CA
Marvin Porter - Ascot Park - Gardena, CA
Don Branson - Joseph Meyer Speedway - Houston, TX
A.J. Shepherd - Imperial Valley Speedway - El Centro, CA
Elmer Musgrave - Lakewood Speedway - Atlanta, GA
So for all the youngsters (Patsy Thompkins-Keisler) and we oldsters (me), here's the song JAck Redd referenced Tuesday night. With thoughts of Lee, PJ, Marvin, Don, AJ and Elmer roaring to victory, listen up!
