What were you doing at age 51? Twenty years ago Harry Gant was winning 4 Cup races in a row!

Just saw this very nice recent column by Tom Higgins and it brought back a lot of memories about Harry Gant. Had the opportunity to work a little with Harry while representing Detroit Gasket and I was the media relations guy at Richmond when Harry won number 2 in his 4 streak series of wins to earn the title, "Mr. September."

20 Years Ago in 1991 at age 51, Harry Gant won 4 Cup races in a row, beginning at the Southern 500.

Hilarious Harry Gants Winning Streak
October 26, 2011 By Tom Higgins

Harry Gant's sense of humor and storytelling capabilities helped make him one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR. In 1991, the personable Gant won four races in a row and could have won a fifth until an inexpensive piece of equipment failed.No matter how great a winning streak some NASCAR driver might put together in the future, itll have to be a lulu festooned with all kinds of special circumstances to rank up there with what Harry Gant achieved in the autumn of 1991.

Gant won four in a row 20 years ago this fall, and except for the failure of a 10-cent O-ring in his cars braking system, he almost certainly would have made it five straight.

I know, I know. Several drivers have won four races in a row.

And in 1967, Richard Petty strung together an incredible 10 straight victories en route to a 27-win season.

However, Petty had just turned 30 at the time of his streak.

Harry Gant was 51 when he won four in a row! FIFTY-ONE! Thats an age when most race drivers have long since retiredor should have.

Gant started his streak by winning the Southern 500, a race he had dreamed of taking since boyhood when he sat in the backstretch grandstand at Darlington Raceway with his dad. He won impressively, too, leading the final 70 laps and finishing 10.97 seconds ahead of runner-up Ernie Irvan.

The competition was a bit tougher the next weekend at Richmond Raceway. Gant grabbed the lead with only 19 laps remaining and managed to hold off a fast-closing Davey Allison by four car lengths.

Hurryin Harry enjoyed a relative laugher the following week at Dover Downs in Delaware, leading 330 laps in the Peak 500. His Olds fielded by a Leo Jackson-led team was so strong that he rather easily lapped the field.

It was no laughing matter, however, on Sept. 22 of 91 at Virginias Martinsville Speedway. Gant was sent spinning by Rusty Wallace when they collided while battling for the lead near the midpoint of the race. Gant went backward into the wall, and two others then hit his car. It appeared his streak was over.

However, Gant somehow managed to stay on the lead lap. During repeated pit stops in the ensuing seven-lap caution period, his crew managed to get the fenders pulled away from the tires, and get loose sheet metal duct-taped back into place.

Gant restarted in 12th position, and it was obvious he was a man on a mission. To the cheers of a crowd that seemingly was unanimous in support of him, Gant steadily picked off the drivers ahead of him. Finally, there was only one, Brett Bodine.
Gant whipped around Bodine on the 454th lap and won by a second.

His green and white No. 33 Olds looked like it had been in a demolition derby. Gant chuckled at the sight.

Its pretty remarkable to win in a car this torn up, he said. I didnt think about maybe winning again until we got back in the top five, then I noticed the cars in front of me werent running any better than mine was.

Said Bodine, We ran as good as we could against a guy who can do no wrong.

In Gants hometown of Taylorsville, N.C., proud local fans of the personable driver had made a practice of flying a flag bearing his car number and team colors in front of City Hall for a week following each of his victories. Now, the flag had been rippling in the breeze in the foothills town for a month, and wags were joking about Harry winning so much the banner was becoming frayed around the edges.

Congratulations poured in to Harry from all over, including messages from other well-known veteran athletes. Among these was the legendary baseball pitcher, Nolan Ryan, now the president of the Texas Rangers who are battling for a World Series championship.

As Bodine had suggested, it certainly appeared that Gant and the Jackson team were unbeatable as NASCARs top tour went to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the Tyson Holly Farms 400 on Sept. 29. Harry won the pole and immediately surged ahead, leading the first 252 laps. On the 294th of the races 400 laps he regained the lead and built an edge of about seven seconds.

On Lap 392, through, Gant slowed markedly, and Dale Earnhardt swept ahead to lead the rest of the way, snapping the streak that had gripped the sports world.

The brake pedal went swoosh, said a resigned Gant. I had zero brakes after the O-ring failed. I had to let Earnhardt go, because we would have wrecked if I had tried to race him. I dont do people like that.

Gant triumphed five times overall in 1991, and he won twice in 92. Among the latter triumphs was the Budweiser 500 at Dover, making Harry at age 52 the oldest driver ever to win a 500-mile race. After winless seasons in 1993-94, he decided to retire, ending his career with 18 victories.

The wealth of Harry Gant Stories did not go into retirement with him, though. Theyre still told from time to time by fellows like Phil Parsons, once a nominal teammate of Gant under sponsorship of U.S. Tobacco Co., and by drivers such as Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin and others who enjoyed hanging out with Gant in the garage areas.

Parsons tells a classic:

It was 1985 and Lou Bantle, the president of U.S. Tobacco, wanted to give Leo Jackson, then my late brother Bennys car owner, a nice reward for winning a 500-mile race at Atlanta. Leo likes to fish, so Lou decided a fishing trip would be the prize.

The trip was to this great fishing lodge on the Wood River north of Dillingham, Alaska.

Mr. Bantle decided that all the drivers his company sponsored Harry, Benny and me should go along, too. None of us cared a thing about fishing, but we didnt dare tell Mr. Bantle that.

We didnt even know how to cast, but we gave fishing a try. The third day of the trip our whole party is fishing in this wide, shallow river. Harry wades out to the middle about knee deep and starts casting. He immediately begins catching rainbow trout after rainbow trout that look about as long as your arm. Hes releasing the fish after netting them.

It gets so ridiculous that Harry starts counting, rubbing it in on the rest of us, who arent having anywhere near that kind of luck.

Twelve trout in 12 casts, Harry hollers. Thirteen trout in 13 casts! and right on. He gets up to 18 in 18 and suddenly quits fishing. Harry then heads toward the bank, explaining that there aint nothing to this. Harry grinned and said, Im gonna take me a nap.

As Harry wades along hes got his fishing rod over his shoulder. Somehow or another he disengages the push-button on his reel and the spinner hes using for a lure drops into the water. The line goes streaming out behind him in the current, unbeknownst to Harry.

So help me, another trout grabs that spinner and the rod tip starts jerking down over Harrys shoulder. He spins around, sets the hook and starts yelling, Nineteen in a row! Nineteen in a row!

As Harry comes by me he winks and says, Ive got to get out of this river. Theyre a-chasing me!

For several seasons Waltrip, Marlin and fellow driver Rick Wilson inevitably gravitated to Gants transporter in the various garage areas to be regaled with all sorts of anecdotes, complete with amusing sound effects, hilariously provided by Gant.

Often, the three were targets of Gant practical jokes or needling.

Once, Wilson was hitching a ride back from a race on Gants private plane. Gant had won that day, and he was carrying the trophy.

As they walked across the tarmac to the plane, Gant suddenly thrust the trophy into the hands of Wilson, who was destined to go winless in a career covering 200-plus starts.

Here, carry this, said Gant, grinning with mischief. You need to know what it feels like.

Someone once joked that Gant had attended comic Norm Crosbys School Of Malaprops.

Once describing the breed of dog one of his daughters had bought, Gants memory lapsed temporarily. Aw, its one of them little ol long dogs, he said. You know, its aits aits aIts a Datsun!

Waltrip used to double over laughing when Gant described a piece of machinery he used on his farm near Taylorsville.

Harry called the earth-moving equipment A bullnozer.

Its bulldozer, Harry, Waltrip repeatedly corrected.

The thing pushes dirt with its nose, so its got to be a bullnozer, Gant always insisted.

Hmmm. Makes some sense to me.

This makes sense, too:

Nowadays, NASCAR sure could use a driver with Harry Gants color and fan appeal. The driving talent and grit that enabled him to win four races in a row at age 51 would be a bonus.

Jim, you might remember, too, that Richmonder Emanuel Zervakis, "The Golden Greek," traveled with the Skoal team quite a bit as a "chassis consultant" when the team really began hooking up. I see occassional picture posts by his son, Butch here. Found this nice writeup on Manuel written by Deb Williams after his passing:

Emanuel Zervakis, 'The Golden Greek,' blazed a unique trail in the sport
By Deb Williams Monday, July 14, 2003

In NASCAR's early years, several of its competitors are remembered more for their mechanical knowledge than their driving prowess. Such was the case with Emanuel Zervakis. On June 25, the NASCAR community's living foundation lost another brick with the death of the man known as "The Golden Greek."

A Richmond, Va., native, Zervakis first appeared in NASCAR's top division in 1956 in a car he owned. He competed in selected events through the '58 season, took a year off and then returned in 1960 in a Chevrolet owned by Monroe Shook.

For the next two seasons, he was one of the top competitors on the Grand National (now Winston Cup) circuit, finishing in the top 10 in points both years. The second season with Shook was his best, when he placed third in the point standings behind 1961 champion Ned Jarrett and runnerup Rex White. He posted two wins, one pole, 19 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes in 38 races that year.

In 1962, Zervakis returned to the driver/owner ranks and remained in that position through 1963. When he decided to hang up his helmet, he had competed in 83 Grand National races, recorded two wins, two poles, 21 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes.

However, it was his role as a car owner, mentor, consultant and the owner of the Richmond business Stock Car Products for which most will remember him. He was a consultant to Harry Gant's team when the Taylorsville, N.C., driver gained fame as the "Skoal Bandit."

Zervakis was the person who provided Geoffrey Bodine with the opportunity he needed to make his transition from Northeast Modifieds to Southern stock cars.

The year was 1981, and it was the last year the circuit that was to become the Busch Series would be known strictly as Late Model Sportsman. Virginia hotshoe Sonny Hutchins was driving for Zervakis, but the Richmond businessman was wanting to race more, and Hutchins didn't want to increase his schedule. Enter Bodine.

Zervakis was familiar with Bodine and his record, so he told the Chemung, N.Y., native he would pay the bills if he would build and maintain the cars. Bodine agreed, so he packed his bags, left his family in North Carolina and moved into a mini motorhome parked behind Zervakis' shop in Richmond. That was home for Bodine for two winters. It wasn't easy, but Bodine said it helped him learn about the type of racing he felt held his future.

"We, his sons and I, even built a Winston Cup car in 1981," Bodine recalls. "My fan club raised most of the money, and he would give me the parts, tubing and body."

Bodine left Zervakis at the end of the '81 season because of the strain on his family and landed a ride with High Point, N.C.-based Cliff Stewart. But Bodine never forgot Zervakis and what he meant to his career.

"Without that step, I might never have gotten the chance to drive Winston Cup," Bodine says.

Even though Zervakis was "pretty set in his ways, hardheaded," Bodine says the man never complained about anything he put on the car or how he did it.

"Emanuel was an innovator," Bodine says. "But he was the boss. He didn't say too much, but he knew when to say no and when not to say no.

"We never had a cross word. Whatever Emanuel said, he did. You didn't need anything more than a handshake with Emanuel."

While with Zervakis, Bodine introduced power steering to stock car racing as well as the wraparound-style seat from his Modified that later became status quo.

"Emanuel took a chance with me. Sure, he'd seen me race, but he read a lot of racing papers," Bodine continues. "He would spend a day reading up on everybody. He took all of the racing papers and all of the magazines he could get. I was working, and he was reading. And that was a good thing, because he'd read about me, and he was willing to take a chance."

Bodine is forever grateful for that chance.

"He was a racer. He loved to race and he loved to see his cars go around," Bodine says. "I had two great years with him. I learned a lot from him and his boys. It was really a great experience.

"We weren't buddy, buddy, but we were friends, and when true friends pass away you feel sad, and it hurts. It hurts to think that Emanuel isn't around anymore."

My dad was a big Gant fan in the days of the old LMS series. He and my mother took me to Nashville Speedway for many Saturday night local shows. But he enjoyed those 200 lap LMS races when Harry, Lindley, LD, Ingram, Morgan, Neil, etc. came to town.

I had the pleasure of meeting Harry at Loudon about 6 or 7 years ago. I shook his hand before he started autographing a pic for me. I told him my dad really loved to see him race that Black Diamond Coal car. He held my handshake an extra second or two and asked "Black Diamond Coal? Boy, that's going way back. What's your dad's name?"

My dad isn't a celeb kind of guy. But he still has that personalized HG photo in the living room near his recliner and TV.