I don't know any of the names involved in this story I just read, but found it most compelling. The story touches on diversity, financial means, driver ability and other topics.

Home FEATURE STORY , NASCAR - Nationwide Series

This Georgia Driver Didnt Have To Fake Success

As opposed to Bobby and Tia Norfleet, Preston Tutt actually did tear up the tracks in the Southeast.

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com

When the press releases and news reports about Tia Norfleet planning to be the first black female to race in NASCARs Nationwide Series came out, long-time followers of the Georgia short track scene likely thought: Here we go again.

Back around 2000, Norfleets father Bobby Norfleet showed up for Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway with similar lofty plans. But like his daughter, he didnt have the driving resume to back them up.

The New York Times this week ran a story pointing out Ms. Norfleets lack of credentials, something some basic fact-checking could have turned up before the first story about her was ever published.

Back in 2000, some reporters also bought into Bobby Norfleets stories about his prowess on the short tracks around Augusta, Ga.

The unfortunate part of that story is that there really was a black driver winning races on the dirt tracks around Augusta. But his name was Preston Tutt.

Tutt eventually moved on to asphalt racing and ran in the Super Late Model division at Lanier National Speedway, at that time a NASCAR-sanctioned short track and one of the most if not the most competitive asphalt short

Preston Tutt could flat-out drive a race car.

tracks in the South.

Every week, Tutt and his brother Tony would make the drive from Augusta, pulling his well-worn race car on an open trailer while most of his competitors had much fancier enclosed rigs and far more funding.

Most of the time, Tutt ran tires he bought from competitors, tires that had already been run the week before. But soon the offers of tires began to dry up, and it wasnt because of racism on the part of his fellow drivers.

We were taking a 10-year-old car and 50-lap tires and outrunning two-thirds of the field, Tutt said. When I started outrunning those guys in the top-five I couldnt get their take-offs any more.

Although he never won a Late Model feature at Lanier, he ran second on numerous occasions and had his share of top-five and top-10 finishes.

Even though he steadily maintained at the time that he didnt want his race to make a difference in his breaking into NASCARs upper divisions, he did seek to become a part of NASCARs then-fledgling Drive for Diversity.

He made one Camping World Truck Series start at Chicago Motor Speedway in 2001 in a Bobby Hamilton Dodge as part of Dodges diversity program, but he broke a transmission in the race and finished 29th.

His chance at the big-time essentially ended there.

Others were chosen for the diversity program.

That still baffles me to this day, he said. Of all the drivers I saw then, my resume was head and shoulders above theirs, but I got a letter from NASCAR saying I didnt fit their criteria.

I just put the letter away and went on to the next race.

Tutt, now 46, eventually put aside his racing dreams, built the house his wife Jennifer wanted but had put off while he was trying to make it in racing, and focused on his construction company.

He said he sometimes wonders whether the controversy surrounding Bobby Norfleet, surfacing when it did, worked against him.

When someone who doesnt deserve a break kicks up dust, it seems to hurt the legitimate contenders, he said.

Ultimately, Preston Tutt got one of the things he always wanted out of racing. He made a name for himself among the people who ever saw him race, and he did it not because of the color of his skin but with his driving ability, as the people who watched a race at Columbia Motorsports Park in Lake City, Fla., several years ago can attest.

Tutt and his brother took their car to that track and ran second to Wayne Anderson, one of short track racings toughest competitors.

After the race there were about six people standing around Wayne Anderson and about 80 around me, Tutt said. The way I raced is what made those people want to come up and talk to me.

Rick Minter can be reached at rminter@racintoday.com

Rick Minter | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com Saturday, 9 March 2013

Driver, Kyle Larson continued to make the highlight reels yesterday at Las Vegas in the Nationwide race.

Larson, who generated much publicity after punting C.E. Falk for the last lap win in Daytona's Late Model Stock Car UNOH shootout and then nearly going in the stands in the Daytona Nationwide race, took a nasty looking hit in Las Vegas.

During the ESPN coverage, Dale Jarrett questionned Larson being so quick to take off the steering wheel, but I have read speculation that the steering wheel lock broke. Regardless, it was a nasty looing incident. Let's hope he doesn't continue to get his bell rung.

Folks, I just got the most unusual e-mail I thought I'd share here:

Dear Dave:

I got your name and e-mail address from a list maintained at NASCAR Spy Headquarters in Charlotte of individuals who have been known to comment on and have opinions about NASCAR racing.

I am the individual at NASCAR in charge of determining the dollar amount my boss, who works for Brian France, wants to collect when he determines that a driver has done something "detrimental to stock car racing" like making a comment about our cars, races, officials or competition level.

I just got a call from Robin Pemberton in Las Vegas. He had just gotten a call from Brian France who had just gotten a call from his sister, Lesa.

Lesa was watching the ESPN pre-race show before today's Las Vegas Nationwide race when she saw the "This is Sports Center" promotional spot featuring Kevin Harvick that has been running since last year. Lesa wanted to know if Kevin had been fined by NASCAR for pretending on national television that he was peeing in his NASCAR fire suit? He was wearing the firesuit and not Delana at the time the promo was filmed because Delana was pregnant and couldn't fit in her suit.

Once I got word back to Lesa that we had forgotten to fine Kevin for his "denigrating" act that was "detrimental" to NASCAR and stock car racing, she got word back to me that instead of spinning my big "Wheel of Fortune" wheel to determine the amount of Kevin's fine, she wanted "the new NASCAR" to involve the fans and let them help decide how much Kevin should pay up.

According to Lesa, our NASCAR spies have identified a number of individuals you have been known to associate with at that Stock Car RacersReunion site who also don't mind sharing their opinions.

Lesa is hoping that you and the rest of that opinionated group of stock car racing experts will help NASCAR determine how much to fine Kevin Harvick. Speed is of the essence Lesa says. She wants to be sure NASCAR has fined Kevin before Denny Hamlin's recent fine comes up for appeal before our National Commissioner and his panel of appointed folk.

There, in a nutshell, is what we need. If you and all your acquaintances at Stock Car RacersReunion will simply watch the 30 second ESPN/Kevin Harvick spot and vote on how much to fine Kevin, then NASCAR will be most appreciative and can issue a news release that we are continuing to involve our fans.

Lesa figures since Kevin is leaving RCR shortly, that Richard Childress may not stand behind Kevin and fight NASCAR like Joe Gibbs stood behind Denny Hamlin. At least that is what she hopes. She'd just like Brian and Robin to quickly collect the money and get it deposited.

Just please average the amount suggested by your members and forward it to me here at NASCAR Fine Headquarters. Please don't share our e-mail address or the folks over at NASCAR Spy Headquarters will give me a real ration. I am posting the denigrating, detrimental video below.

Thanks for all of your assistance.

Your New Friend at NASCAR.

(name withheld)

And there you have it folks. If you can get back to me quickly with the amount you think Kevin should be fined, I'll pass the collective average on to NASCAR. As fans, I think we should appreciate NASCAR soliciting our opinion.

Nice to see Ron Hornaday, Jr. join his father who was in the inaugural 2002 class.

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Thanks for posting Chase.

Mr. Crenshaw indeed has a flair for painting a wonderful picture in words of things past. I hope to sooner or later read all of his blogs. The ones I have read are excellent and he is definitely our kinda folks - one who treasures the lessons of the past. I absolutely stumbled into his writings while trying to see if I could find any information to help the young lady at Toccoa Speedway - Christy - with her research on the history of that track.

I was looking at one of the nearly 18,000 digital images in the huge photo collection project authorized by the Georgia Secretary of State titled "Vanishing Georgia Photographic Collection" and a photo from the Hawkinsville horse track led me to Mr. Crenshaw's blogs.

For anyone seeking historic Georgia photographs, this is the link to that site:

http://cdm.sos.state.ga.us:8888/cdm4/vanishing.php

While searching for something entirely different, I stumbled across this two year old internet blog post by a fellow in Hawkinsville, Georgia named Sam Crenshaw. It highlights some early Georgia stock car racing pioneers who we don't hear too much about today, as well as the conversion of the Hawkinsville, Georgia track from horses to cars in the 40s.

Note: All of Mr. Crenshaw's "From the Cotton Patch" blogs from Hawkinsville, Georgia can be found at the link below:

http://samcrenshaw.blogspot.com/

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010

Before NASCAR

Half-Mile Dirt Tracks


VA-ROOM! VA-ROOM! Pow, Pow, Pop! VA-ROOM! VA-ROOM! The flat-head engines of the 1936 Fords were sounding off as they warmed up for the race. In the late 1940s, a group of men got together and converted the famous horse racing track in Hawkinsville, Georgia to a dirt track for stock car racing. It was a forerunner to what is known today as NASCAR, a billion dollar industry. In todays version of NASCAR, names such as Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are some of the darlings of racing fans around the country.

Long before them came names like Jessie James Taylor , Nero Stepto , Wild Bill Bennett , Ross Howard , and the twin package from Hawkinsville, Billy Buzz Sawyer and one of the best racing mechanics to ever turn a wrench, Paul McDuffie . Paul McDuffie

The night when stock car racing began in Hawkinsville, Georgia atthe old harness racing track , it attracted a near capacity crowd. According to the records, there were fifteen drivers participating in the races that night with a total of sixty laps around the half-mile dirt track.

The competition was fierce in every race, yet there were no injuries. One car, driven by Ed Tyndell of Unadilla, blew a front tire causing his vehicle to veer out of control. Momentarily, he was shaken up, but returned shortly to finish the race. Sawyer, a gritty and determined competitor took first place in one race and except for a poor start, could have taken another victory later on into the evening.

According to Billy Judge Sloan , a mechanic who got his start assisting McDuffie, shown here with his brother, Bobby ,(right)Most drivers used Ford with the flat-head engine in those days. Drivers and their crew were known to go after their rivals with wrenches in hand if they thought they were purposely trying to run their car off the track, Sloan said. Pretty much, it was, mess with my car, buddy, and youre messing with me.

McDuffie raised a lot of eyebrows when he introduced the Chevy V-6 engine that quickly caught the attention of many of the people in the sport, as well as the fans. With a Chevy that was built by McDuffie, Buzz Sawyer recorded the fastest unofficial time of thirty seconds around the half-mile dirt track at a south Georgia location. People began to sit up and take notice of the dynamic duo from Pulaski County. The quicker McDuffie could build a race car, the harder his brother-in-law, Sawyer, would drive it. It was all about speedpushing the envelope. With a total purse for the night of $500, drivers took chances around the oval race track, slowing only slightly going into the curves, before opening up again on the straight-a-way.

In those days, young men spent a great deal of their time working on car engines. We used to drive around the countryside looking for old cars which were no longer in use by the owners, Sloan said. We could buy them for very little cash, haul them back to the garage, and begin the overhaul process to convert them into stock car racers. Back then, we purchased parts from auto parts stores or dealerships, unlike today when small town drivers and car owners have to go through specialized businesses to get the necessary parts to build an engine.

Other drivers and mechanics from this area that followed Sawyer and McDuffie were

Woody Moore, shown with granddaughterwho is still racing and winning races at the ripe old age of 75, Claude and Howard King , Joe Lee Johnston , Larry Hood and his brother, Sammy . During those early days of the 40s and 50s when Billy Sawyer was driving the dirt tracks in cars which he and McDuffie built, he worked a full-time job with the Coca Cola Company. It has been said that a funeral didnt take place without cokes being iced down for the family by Sawyer. Fiery on the track, he had a soft spot for those in mourning.

He continued to work for the soft drink manufacturer for years. His brother-in-law, however, had a certain genius for building race cars and with him, it was a passion unmatched by many.
Paul McDuffie left the city by the muddy river for a larger city by the Ocmulgee RiverMacon. There he teamed up with an old racing rival, Ross Howard. They continued to build race cars while competing anywhere they found a race to be run.

Seemingly never satisfied and always looking for the bigger mountain of race tracks to dominate, McDuffie moved to Atlanta, this time seeking to run with the big boys. He set up a garage and tune-up shop on Howell Mill Road in Atlanta and began to build race cars to compete with the best drivers and mechanics in the country. According to legend, many of those drivers began by running moonshine whiskey through the mountains, outrunning the legal authorities, before turning to stock cars. McDuffie was quoted as saying he got a tremendous thrill from watching cars, which were built by him, race around the track.

And build cars he could, as indicated not only by the sportswriters covering the action, but in addition to that, was the frequency his team entered the winners circle which his vehicles occupied on many occassions.

During 1958, he teamed up with, and built cars for, Glenn Fireball Roberts , a legend during his own time of racing.

That year with Roberts driving, the McDuffie-built cars swept to thirteen victories while winning over $40,000 in prize money. The following year, the racing industry was shocked when it was announced that Roberts and McDuffie were splitting up their winning team. At first there was much criticism toward Roberts for leaving the McDuffie team. Later, it came out that Roberts was informed by McDuffie that he did not think his 1957 cars could

compete in the races of 1959, therefore he informed Roberts he would be able to do better with newer cars. As it turned out, McDuffie was able to find someone later to sponsor him and buy two cars for him to race. There seemed to be a rift between the old racing partners, but they both sat down in Daytona, and McDuffie explained what had happened. Later on, the two got together again when Fireball dropped Pontiac to drive McDuffie's Chevrolet.

In 1960, the mechanical genius, Paul McDuffie experienced his greatest feat by winning the very first World 600 race in Charlotte, North Carolina,a victory that garnered him a purse of $28,000. The Hawkinsville native was becoming recognized as the best racing mechanic in the sport with a tremendous future in front of him. Sadly, it all came to an end later that year in Darlington, South Carolina when two cars tangled in front of the pit, one crashing over the retaining wall killing McDuffie and two others. Hawkinsville and the entire racing world mourned the loss of the mechanical genius from middle Georgia.

Posted by Sam Crenshaw at 10:48 AM

1 comment:

Perhaps every week, just before the latest "nationally known recording artist" butchers our National Anthem, NASCAR could have Ray Stevens sing one of his old treasured hits. If the fans hear it over and over evey week, they might become believers and forget the product on the track.

Gimme a break, NASCAR. There are bigger fish to fry, like figuring out why the racing is still so lousy.

That is some really great stuff about the "afterlife" of racecars.