Oops, before all you loyal Donelevy fans point this out, I mis-spoke when I named Dick Brooks in my post last night. I should have said Jody Ridley. I knew it was one of the two or three drivers that drove for Junie. LOL
Okay folks, here's what I got. I just talked with Henry Morano, Junie's jack man back when. Henry says the bus was actually a Blue Bird manufactured bus. It was two tone blue, had a 390 Ford motor and Allison transmission. Had bunks in the back that would sleep 4 plus some additional space for a couple more. The bus did belong to Junie. They had it during Dick Brooks tenure there, and while Ken Shrader drove for them, early to mid 80's. Henry doesn't have pictures, but is certain one of the crew members should have some.
Henry says he was the driver of the bus (as he often was) when they went to Atlanta. They stopped at a truck stop near the NC/SC line and Junie got off the bus to use the restroom. Henry says when he was ready to get under way, Junie's bunk was a pile of blankets, shoes on the floor, wallet in the window. He pulled out and set sail for Atlanta. It seems that Junie was not on the bus. He wandered around the truck stop with no shoes, no wallet, no money, trying to hitch a ride with one of the truckers. They thought he was gay or something. He finally hitched a ride to Elmo Langley's shop, who had not yet departed and rode with Elmo's people to Atlanta. Henry says he caught hell from Junie and was blamed for the whole thing, but Henry said he thought Junie was in his bunk when he pulled out. We will see if Mike Bell can help us find pictures of the bus. He is checking with his Dad and whoever else in his family that worked for the team. Oh, it was a flat nose traditional bus sorta like the old city buses.
Gee Dave...are you fabricating stories 'cause you ran out of subject matter? Ha! No one seems to recall Junie having a bus. I don't remember this either, but then there is a lot I can't recall. I didn't frequent the Swansboro shop a great deal during that era and the best I can recall was the standard single axle car carrier trucklike everyone used. I rode plenty of buses when I attended Chesterfield County schools in my youth. I didn't have to walk five miles uphill both ways to school like some of you guys. (snicker) Next time I talk to Henry Morano (Junie's jack man) or one of the Bell family, I'll see if I can dig up anything on the bus.
...and Dennis Garrett...do you stay up all night anticipating the next discussion here on RR? I notice you posted this morning around 5:30 AM. Gee, I was still smacking at the alarm clock at that time!! (I'm supposed to be working now too)
It would certainly seem so. I don't recall anyone else running the 3VA and Scott competed at all of the area tracks during his tenure in circle track.
Woody, what are you doing over here in round track racing?? Ha!! (I know..racin is racin....circle track...1/4 mile..go karts, motorcycles, diesel trucks or soap box)
Not to take anything from the Sonny Hutchins story, but...well y'all started it. Jimmy Scott married my neighbor's daughter, Joan Marie. Jimmy had a fair amount of success in drag racing before he got into round-the-round. For a number of years he ran a 'D' Stock '58 Chevy 348 C.I. When he went circle track racing he built a '58 Chevy and that also was a 348 W-motor with the 180 degree headers you mention. Jimmy was a mechanical genius and had many innovative ideas on everything from motors to suspension. He later finally gave in and built SBC powered Chevelles, again with some unique suspension set-ups. Jimmy wasn't a top notch driver himself but his equipment was always competitive. Ted Hairfield came out of a year's retirement to win at Martinsville in Scott's Chevelle. Jimmy Scott was lost to cancer 3-4 years ago. His stepsonruns the garage now that Jimmy operated out of in Amelia for many years.
Robert, thank you for all the tips. I am 67 now and still work 45-50 hours a week, plus we have a weekend flea market gig that makes 7 days a week. I do know a couple of folks that may be able to help fill in some details though. Thesearchaeological digs will have to been done using the internet if I am going to uncover anything. Ha! Stay tuned though....I'm still digging. Thank you for your valuable input.
Afterthought....Moore's Field would have still been a ballpark in '52.
Robert, that would be Richmond Speedway based on information provided by several folks I have spoken with. Thank you for your help on this. Pretty impressive how you did this. Now if we can locate some pictures of action at the track, buildings, bleachers, whatever. I may be asking a lot, but we have unearthed a wealth of information in only a few days. This is akin to anarchaeological dig and I find it quite interesting and exciting. The 1952aerial pix baffle me somewhat though. I thought at first these were Moores Field, but it doesn't appear to be Scott's Addition area of Richmond, plus I don't recall the uppermost street extending any farther than Roseneath Road. This could be the start of another adventure.
Thank you for posting this information Dave, and thank you Joe Kelly for sharing this. I have been searching the webextensively for any mention of this track, pictures, additional information, etc. I stumbled across a site that lists every sanctioned Nascar track since 1949, but this track was not included in the listing. I assume that the track was not considered part of the national venue, or never hosted thepremier division of Nascar as reason for the absence of mention. The ONLY mention of this track that I have uncovered is on Wendell Scott's Wikipedia site. It states there that Scott was able to obtain his Nascar license at Richmond Speedway. The fellows at the "Ghost Tracks" website have documented hundreds of tracks in the Carolinas and Virginia, but again I found no mention of Richmond Speedway. I have even done a couple of Google Earth searches, but alas, there are wall to wall buildings in that area, commercial and residential, schools, libraries, you name it. The onlyfamiliar landmark that I found was the '48 Crosley on a pole. It is somewhat of a shame that so many of these venues are lost in history and not better documented. Washington may not have slept there, but Little Joe Weatherly raced there.
Dave, my friend tells me therestaurant was also the "Wagon Inn" prior to being bought by J.M.Wilkerson. He knew of a Mrs Goode that lived alone in the big farmhouse next to what became Thompson Hardware. We're guessing that may have been Ben Goode's mother, because it would have been in the 20's or 30's. This friend says before the great depression the Broad Rock area had several businesses and a number of very large homes with farmland, etc. It was a pretty well-to-do area populated somewhat with folks that came out from the Manchester area of Richmond. He was able to name several of the estates along Broad Rock. He claims the Cornwallis family had a large home and farm there. (Cornwallis from Revolutionary War era)I reckon it was kinfolks...Ha!
