@dave-fulton10 years ago
I'm "guessing" that's the Marvin Thackston Ford #24 on the track. It was driven at Darlington in 1987 by Glenn Jarrett and in 1988 by Joe Henry Thurman.
@dave-fulton10 years ago
Obituary of owner of "other" car in photo:
Race car owner, Ford man, dies By Odell Suttle CONTRIBUTING WRITER Longtime race car owner Marvin Thackston died March 5. He was 82. Thackston was one of the pioneers of local stock car racing. His cars raced at the original track in Woodruff, the Golden Strip Speedway in Fountain Inn, Greenville-Pickens Speedway and all of the NASCAR speedways of his time. From the 1950s through the 70s Thackston-owned cars raced at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks across the Southeast. Sometimes he would race three or four nights in a week and at the same time owned and operated Thackston's Garage on Highway 418 between Fountain Inn and Woodruff. When the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman series underwent a name change and became the Busch Grand National Series, Thackston made the switch and no longer ran weekly races. His cars were a mainstay in the Busch Series until 1995, when he said the ever-escalating cost of running the cars forced him to leave the series. Some of the men that drove Thackston's cars were Jim Taylor, Homer Simmons, Doug Cox, Buddy Howard, Junior Crouch, Glenn Jarrett, Joe Thurman, Mike Willingham, Rodney Howard and Willard Gossett. Thackston was devoted to Ford and never raced any other make of car. He is one of only a handfull of area owners who have competed with just one make of car their entire career. There were many times in the late 1970s and early 80s when his car would be the only Ford in the lineup. From the start, when he raced a 1937 model, until the end of his career, when he raced a Thunderbird at Daytona and Talladega, Thackston had only Fords in his shop. He became a bonafide hero when he dove in the river at Van Patton Shoals, near his home, and pulled a person from a car that had plunged into the water. His love for racing was passed on to his oldest son, Rhett, who continues to build race engines for many of today's competitors. Another son, Curtis, worked on the race cars, but Rhett was the one with the passion for the sport that the father had loved so deeply for half a century.
Pit stop at Darlington. Note the cover still over the grandstand during this season.
'87 or '88
I'm "guessing" that's the Marvin Thackston Ford #24 on the track. It was driven at Darlington in 1987 by Glenn Jarrett and in 1988 by Joe Henry Thurman.
Obituary of owner of "other" car in photo:
By Odell Suttle
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Longtime race car owner Marvin Thackston died March 5. He was 82.
Thackston was one of the pioneers of local stock car racing. His cars raced at the original track in Woodruff, the Golden Strip Speedway in Fountain Inn, Greenville-Pickens Speedway and all of the NASCAR speedways of his time.
From the 1950s through the 70s Thackston-owned cars raced at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks across the Southeast. Sometimes he would race three or four nights in a week and at the same time owned and operated Thackston's Garage on Highway 418 between Fountain Inn and Woodruff.
When the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman series underwent a name change and became the Busch Grand National Series, Thackston made the switch and no longer ran weekly races. His cars were a mainstay in the Busch Series until 1995, when he said the ever-escalating cost of running the cars forced him to leave the series.
Some of the men that drove Thackston's cars were Jim Taylor, Homer Simmons, Doug Cox, Buddy Howard, Junior Crouch, Glenn Jarrett, Joe Thurman, Mike Willingham, Rodney Howard and Willard Gossett.
Thackston was devoted to Ford and never raced any other make of car. He is one of only a handfull of area owners who have competed with just one make of car their entire career. There were many times in the late 1970s and early 80s when his car would be the only Ford in the lineup. From the start, when he raced a 1937 model, until the end of his career, when he raced a Thunderbird at Daytona and Talladega, Thackston had only Fords in his shop.
He became a bonafide hero when he dove in the river at Van Patton Shoals, near his home, and pulled a person from a car that had plunged into the water.
His love for racing was passed on to his oldest son, Rhett, who continues to build race engines for many of today's competitors. Another son, Curtis, worked on the race cars, but Rhett was the one with the passion for the sport that the father had loved so deeply for half a century.