Forum Activity for @tim-leeming

I'm going to change the forum format

Administrative

Format? Wow, I didn't even know we had that here.

i have a question that some one here can answer im sure

Stock Car Racing History

Johnny, it is my hope that one they the three of those grandsons will be members here. Their Mom is a member and I think what they do is go on under her membership and look around because they know things going on here. They may not be ready to personally come on board at 14, 12, and 7. Their father keeps them so into soccer and other stick and ball sports (except the youngest is into karate) that they have no time for such things.

One interesting note about the race cars is that when they were little boys and would come into The Lair, they wanted to play with the race cars. So I put all the ones they could play with on the lower two shelves and told them they could play with those but they would have to put them back. One day when Sam was 4 (he is now almost 13) I came out here and he had everyone he could reach in the floor playing with them. He told me "Pop, I'm really careful with them". And,. you know, he was. All those cars are still here. Oh, and Sam talked me out of three of my 1/24 die cast over the years because I just couldn't say no. And Michael, the youngest, talked me out of one of my "Mr. The King" Superbirds because of the Cars movie. So, the racing is there and I'm sure it will always be in them to an extent. But, as PattyKay has said, or I think it was PattyKay, the young folks now, with the exception of Cody and some others I have encountered, just don't have time for the racing of today. Seeing some of it recently, I can understand why.

i have a question that some one here can answer im sure

Stock Car Racing History

Johnny. You, in essence, answered your own question in the last ALL CAPS statement in your post. Back then, in racing history, it was all full of life. Remember the times we had? It wasn't about money, it was about competing and making what we didn't know then were lifetime memories. Things were real then. These days I sometimes wonder how much of what we see and hear is actually real. I have been to Disney Studios enough to know you can use special effects and other enhancements to make anything seem real. The MEMORIES we have, Johnny, and most of us here, can not be replicated or replaced. While I hope I am helping my grandsons make wonderful memories, it seems that other than the trip to the 600 this year, their racing memories will be limited.

When Criticism Crosses the Line

General

To anyone I have personally offended or verbally assaulted (save one) I sincerely apologize. I agree with Jeff as to bashing and although I do not wish to be bashing anyone or anything, I am guilty. I will, in the future, make every effort to abstain from such posts.

"WILD THING"----I THINK YOU BEAT ME

Stock Car Racing History

There was NO green flag pass for the lead Johnny. Not one! Obviously there was very little passing on I-71 either and in order to "pass" you must be moving and from all I've read, nothing was moving. As for KB winning again, I would have no problem with that if the media would stop all the shouting that he is now only 6 away from breaking the win total of David Pearson and on his way to top the 200 the King has. I am convinced that NASCAR is now more attuned to Hollywood productions controlled by the Wizard of Oz having left our world of racing Gone With The Wind. Oh, one note, I didn't watch the race Saturday night, I was at a short track. I haven't watched any of the Speed Network news shows Sunday either. But I've heard from friends who watched and I did read the news report of the traffic foul ups and the fact that not once was the lead changed under the green flag. Johnny, my friend, that really is not the racing I grew up loving so.

Two Faced Watkins Glen Ad

General

I have not seen this advertisement but I am shocked to learn it is actually running somewhere. What the sanctioning body did to Tim Richmond is reprehensible. If there was a Tim Richmond Estate, they should have an injunction filed against NASCAR to prevent continuing airing of this ad. BZF should be very familiar with such actions considering the ongoing saga of the divorce proceedings. There is, apparently, no limit to the depths of disgust that NASCAR will allow to accomplish its mercenary purposes.

Tim

I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME FOR ME, BUT IT HAS.

General

From that very first race I went to just before turning 6, all I wanted to do was drive race cars. That's all I talked about, all I dreamed about. Every term paper in school but the one my teacher MADE me write on WWII was about racing. Every speech but the one I had to memorize for public speaking was about racing. Every presentation I made when I took the Dale Carnegie course was on racing. My High School yearbook is signed by more than 200 of my class mates and only ONE of those notes does not reference racing. When I climbed into my first race car in 1969, I thought that was the ultimate achievement of my life, finishing second in the heat and third in the feature in my first time on the tracki. There was nothing I wanted to do but drive race cars.

I quit driving in 1973 after an accident at the Myrtle Beach Speedway injured a spectator and I couldn't quite handle the fact that I had caused such injury to a totally innocent human. I did climb back into a race car in 1976 for a few practice laps around that same speedway and was really fast and could have been a competitive driver in that car. I was never a great driver by any stretch but everyone who ever saw me drive will say I was 'good". I competed, as close as I can estimate in close to 200 races over those years between Columbia, Savannah, Augusta and Myrtle Beach Speedway. When there were no problems with the car, it was a second or third place finish which always gave us enough money to go to the next race without hitting the "kitty", so it was a pretty good life. I was one of the fortuante ones in the division in which I ran to actually pick up a National sponsorship from Payne Air Conditioning products in my third year with the Plymouth. My team was never flashy, but we were consistent and thanks to the guys who helped out all the time we were very fortunate to build a huge fan base.

Obviously I did not move up to Cup and there were times when I thought that was the ultimate failure for me. I was supposed to be up there competing with Petty, Allison, Pearson and those guys. It didn't happen so I moved on to other things in racing. I have worked the concession stands, worked as a NASCAR official, flagman, driven the pace car, broadcast races for radio, done some tv work for a major network, became The Legend thanks to Jeff Gilder and Racers Reunion. I learned of the Vintage car series back in the nineties and imagineda possibility that I could return to driving in that venue. Time passed, and no money was available for those efforts. Then the grandkids started coming along and I learned about soccer, baseball, football, tennis, and swimming, but still there was this dream in the back of my mind that I would get behind the wheel again and maybe, just maybe., take a checkered flag somewhere one day. The more I learned about the Vintage cars and the Bell and Bell Series, the more I thought that was actually a real possibility.

A couple of years ago, at Rockingham, Mike Sykes allowed me to drive the number 43 STP Plymouth in the 6 or 8 lap show laps the speedway allowed and I can't even find the words to describe what that experience was like. I was actually driving the car of my life long hero on a real race track! How can you describe what that feels like when you're in a dream world that you know is real but somehow it can't really be happening.I will never forget the feeling of going into turn one in that car and getting up high like The King would run it. That happening to me was so unlikely as to be unbelieveable, but it did happen and Michael W. Smith actually has a picture of that on his page somewhere.

A year or so ago, climbed into Tony Stewart's Pontiact and was going to do a burn out. Two problems prevented that; 1) the battery died and the car wouldn't start, and 2) when I tried to get out of the car, it took the assistance of four people and over 30 minutes to accomplish. Her Honor, Elise Partin, Mayor of Cayce was only second away from calling for the "jaws of life" to get me out.

I have joked around since I cut the tire down on Mike Sykes' car awhile back that I had retired and would not get back behind the wheel of another race car, even in parades. I was half way serious, but., given the chance, I knew I could be enticed to do another few laps around Rockingham, or Darlington, or Charlotte,. or Atlanta, or.... well, you get the idea. A couple of nights ago I told Ann I would not get back in a race car even for pictures. I had, at the time, no idea where that came from but looking back it started when Ann and I went to the Bell & Bell race in Lakeview, SC a couple weeks ago. I saw Jeff, Billy Biscoe,. Bopping Bobby and others compete in a great race and was thinking on the way home, "hey, I could do that and be pretty good at it".

So, what happened? I was cutting my grass today and as I always do when working hard, I like to imagine pleasant things so I was,. as usual with grass cutting, in the mode where the mower was a race car and I was leading a race somewhere and the engine was running just right and the guys back at the shop had set the chassis just right and all that good stuff. I must point out here that I've had the same size yard for 29 years, the same mower for the past 10 years, and I always finish the entire yard, front and back, on one tank of gas. Today, for the first time ever, I was about 12 passes from finishing the yard when the tank ran dry. I couldn't believe it. But as walked to the back yard to get the gas can I started thinking how funny it was that cutting the grass was not even a mileage event and I had run short. I guess that put the icing on the cake.

I know that probably is going to cause certain readers to experience severe brain drain trying to figure out how running a lawn mower out of gas leads to this decision, but it has. I will not climb into another race car. Period. Parades, pictures, anything. Even with Mayor Partin standing by with the jaws of life can't use government power to order me behind the wheel. So, the dream of being a winning stock car driver is over. Well, I guess I'll still dream it, I have for almost sixty years so may as well keep up that traditiion.

I am so blessed with all I have and all that this site and most of the people here have given me. I don't need to win a race, take the checkered flag. I have the best friends possible and so many good things. I have a wife who puts up with me (God bless her) a daughter and son-in-law that allow me to be a hero of sorts to their three sons who happen to call me Pop. Being Cup Champion is a pretty good thing, but being Pop is so much better. I have a son and daughter-in-law with three daughters up in New Hampshire whom I don't get to see that often but those three girls call me Pop too and they give pretty good kisses!!!!

I have many friends here, many who call me The Legend. I hang out with some pretty impressive people. I am known by name by several Cup Champions and Hall of Fame Members and that's pretty good for a dreamer to have achieved. I still have to pay everytime I go to Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville, but it is well worth the admission price.

So, all you who have read this far, I will drive race cars no more forever. I'm not ruling out go-karts though. Just don't tell Ann.

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM

Darrell Waltrip Motor Coach Emergency

General

Oh Lord, please help me keep my mouth shut and my fingers silent on this one!!!!

Hand Painting vs. Decals

General

That is a great story Dave! I watched many a painter put numbers and lettering on cars, including the ones I drove. I loved the talent it took to accomplish that and I believe it gave that extra special look to the cars. Thanks for stirring up that part of my memory banks.

Tim

Racers in the Land of Lockouts

General

I like this. It is pretty much a true statement. But having been involved, in a very minor degree, in professional football, baseball, and basketball, through the attorney with whom I worked for 23 years, what the public actually knows about the dealings within those organizations is minimal. It amazes me that those pro leagues can even continue with all that goes on. Wow, recalling certain events, even today, gives me chills. As much as I complain about NASCAR, this guy is right. The teams show up every week and they race.