Mother, Racing & Christmas

My uncle took me to my first race as a kid - a 200 lap NASCAR late model sportsman race in 1974. I don't even remember who won it. I just remember the night as the most jaw-dropping experience I'd ever had.

Even though my uncle took me to my first overall race and to my first Cup race, it was my parents who took us regularly in the 70s to see the likes of Sterling Marlin, Alton Jones, Steve Spencer, Mike Alexander, P.B. Crowell, Flookie Buford, Paddlefoot Wales, Doris Vaughn, Maurice Hassey, Sonny Upchurch, etc.

My mother went though I'm not too sure how much she really enjoyed it. There is no doubt one reason she continued to go was because I liked it. She liked Sterling Marlin because I did. And when the Cup cars came to town, she and my dad took me to practice and qualifying for the 420s and yelled for the 43 because that's who I liked.

The woman I married doesn't give a rip about racing. My kids care little about it. Most of my co-workers aren't fans of it. But each year, my mom carefully screens my Amazon wish list and generally gets me something racing related for Christmas. I've put a few obscure, out-of-print book titles on my list - mainly as a placeholder for myself to eventually pursue a book or two over time. But she often beats me to the punch by finding it for me.

This year is no exception. We exchanged gifts with my folks and my sister, bro-in-law & niece tonight. Sure enough, my mom gave me these two books.

An out-of-print 1988 biography about future NHOFer Maurice Petty...

And Perry Allen Wood's Declarations of Stock Car Independents.

God bless moms, racing and the magic of Christmas (and for Amazon wish lists).

Now I know how a portion of some cold, winter days will be spent. And hopefully, I'll get a nugget or two of info to enhance my Richard Petty 200 Wins blogging series.

TMC

Mine passed in 1992 and I echo your sentiment TMC... God Bless Moms.

TMC, that is an awesome post. Makes me miss my Mom but also brings up so many wonderful memories about her love of racing. Thank you for posting that, enjoy the books, and Merry Christmas.

TMC & BB, I have never read the Maurice Petty book and would be curious to hear your reviews. That book has to have one of the most colorful backgrounds of any book in motorsports history. It was commissioned by the Winner's Circle outfit and its founder/owner, William (Bill) Shackelford, the soft spoken, pipe smoking Kinston, NC area Insurance executive who became fascinated with stock car racing. Like so many other crooks,in every instance when I was around Shackelford, he was nice as he could be - the perfect gentleman with his silver hair. Starting at Wilson County Speedway, he sponsored dirt cars all carrying his black & silver Winner's Circle color scheme, including local sportsman standout Mike Wiggins, who Shackelford hired as a representative to travel to the Cup tracks with his Winners Circle exhibits. Shackelford also dumped a lot of money Bobby Labonte's way and of course to Maurice Petty representing Winner's Circle for him. I still have my original set of Winner's Circle "Say NO to Drugs" trading cardsof historical NASCAR figures that my old friend Gene Granger produced for Shackelford. Only problem with Shackleford's racing exploits were that they were financed by what the North Carolina Attorney Generalcalled the largest automobile insurance fraud scheme in North Carolina history. Granger, Wiggins, Labonte,Maurice Petty and all the other "racers" were paid from the insurance premiums of 90,000 policy holders, who in fact, had no insurance, because the very "Christian" Mr. Shackelford paid for all of his racing exploits with their premiums. The Maurice Petty book was published by an eastern NC Christian publishing house. Its author, James. R. Adams, the eccentric Episcopal minister of St. Mark's on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, who also dabbled as a writer, was as fascinating and colorful a figure as Shackelford. On several consecutive Sundays, he rode his big Harley up the main aisle of St. Marks in biker attire to deliver his sermon. Author Adams also convinced his church to purchase a bar as a money making venture where parishoners could throw back a couple of drinks after Sunday services. He must of been the ideal foil for Shackelford to hire to do the Maurice Petty piece. Adams is recently deceased. His extremely interesting obituary/life story can be found in The Washington Post. I am extremely curious to find out what kind of book the crook and eccentric pastor crafted about one of our NASCAR legends. Please give us a review.

LINK to Maurice Petty book author's obit & life story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/a-local-life-james-r...

A link to one Shackelford newspaper story coverage of Maurice Petty, Bobby Labonte and Morgan Shepherd testimony at Winner's Circle's owners trial on mail fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in 1991.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19911122&id=...

Ironic to note in the newspaper article on Shackelford's trial, that before Bobby Labonte hit the bigtime for Interstate Batteries, his Busch Team was getting Interstate Insurance checks from Shackelford. Bobby must of had a thing for Interstate deals!

PK, you really struck a nerve "reaching for the phone" - I still do that all the time, for both mom and dad. Hardly a night goes by when I'm watching the evening national news broadcast that I don't say aloud, "Wonder if Mom(Dad) has heard that? I ought to let the know." Perhaps that is something you never stop doing. Dad's been gone 10 1/2 years and Mom 9 1/2. They were born 1 year and two days apart in October and passed away 1 year and two days apart in May, oneon my wife's birthday and the other buried on my wife's birthday. Mom and dad lived EXACTLY the same number of days, each age 85.This Christmas morning will be the 3rd anniversary of my mother-in-law's passing and my oldest daughter turned 36 on your Don's December 9. Small world. What I wouldn't give to give my mom just one more hug or have my hand buried in that giant bear paw of a hand my dad possessed. Yes, hug them while you can. Thanks again, TMC for making us all think of our loved ones.