Tell Me About George Fox and the Thomas Bros. Country Ham Car #0 Chevelle

I'm hoping one of you good RR members will please give me a history lesson. In perusing various photos around the internet looking for some shots of Cumberland International (asphalt version) in Fayetteville in 1970-1973, I found an interesting photo posted by our member Dr. Janice Woodberry of dual Thomas Brothers Country Ham Chevelles, #0 & #00 .

I'm familiar, of course, with Sam Ard in the #00 and Wayne Andrews and Monk Tate in the #88 and Ray Hendrick in the #11.

I know absolutely nothing about George Fox and would love to hear about him. That's his car #0 in the Coke family photo posted by Dr. Woodberry. What you can you tell me?

Dave, I have absolutely no clue! HOWEVER, Jo Ard will be calling me later on today...and I will ask her. You know...me...I LOVE ANYTHING....to do with that track...LOL!!

Thanks, Patsy.

Found this Bobby Williamson post from 2008 at Local Race Chat site:

"In 1968, Sam Ard and John Altman co-owned the #84 '64 chevelle. The following year, Sam went on his own and built the #82 Chevelle, Jackie Rogers was chosen by Mr. Altman to replace Sam in the #84. Both Sam and Jackie went on the very successful careers, with Jackie going to Winston Cup and Sam teaming with Howard Thomas/Thomas Bros. Country Ham in 1971. Initially, Sam was teamed, at Thomas Bros., with George Fox and Monk Tate. Eventually, the Thomas Bros. team became a one-car operation with Sam driving/building/winning."

Mybe when Rev. Stagger has his ears on, he can elaborate about George Fox for us.

Dave, I know Mr. Fox drove the # 5 1960 Dodge in Sept. 1962 at N. Wilk. for Bobby Waddell. He only got in a couple laps before breaking a transmission. Maybe this info will trigger someones memory.

Dave,

In the spring of 1971, at NASCAR's urging, Columbia, Savannah, Myrtle Beach, (possibly

Greenville-Pickens too) and Cumberland Int'l Speedway in Fayetteville, NC were all paved....creating a little Carolina late model circuit. Life-long dirt racers had the chance to try their skills on pavement...including my dad who was chomping at the bits to give asphalt a try. When we drug our home-made dirt tack racer to Cumberland.......the hot dog was OMG RAY HENDRICK driving the Tant/Mitchell chevelle !!!.........can you say "knife at a gun fight..."? Well, I could, and I knew we were totally out of our league andwith ZERO chance of even making the race. Ahhhhhh, I was right. We WATCHED the race from the back of our old '66 chevy p/u.

But also in the hot-dog category at ol' Cumberland International, was the impressive looking two car team of Sam Ard and George Fox....#00 and 0 respectively. That was not my first exposure to Sam Ard, nope, I knew how lethal he was, but I really did not know George Fox. Their rigs, neatly painted and lettered were obviously well funded by a company named "Thomas Bros. Country Ham"....Asheboro, NC. It was my introduction to the Thomas Bros. but would not be the last. George Fox seemed to be the lead driver, but Sam Ard (I don't run second to nobody) was the dominant one on the track.

Years, later, 2004 to be exact, I conducted an impromptu interview with Sam Ard, in the pits at the Myrtle Beach Speedway...his career already enshrined in halls of fame, was lending a hand to his son Robert's fledgling racing effort. I asked Sam, in detail to explain how he came to drive for the Thomas Bros.

Sam: "by out-running the sh*t out of every thing they had at Sanford...." ("Sanford" [NC] was a long-since dirt track, and Sam had put a whupping on the George Fox/TBHC team.

Me: "How was George Fox to work with?"

Sam "He complained to Mr. Thomas that since I was working on both cars, that I was making mine faster that his..........so one week, I fixed the seat in his so I could slide it back. When we got to the race that next weekend, George started whining about how slow his car was. So, we traded cars, and I still out run his a*s...."

That 1971 season did not progress too far, before the TBCH team had one driver and it was Sam Ard.

Bobby,

Thank you so much for the info. I went to Cumberland International when it was first paved. Saw Ray win there in both the Tant/Mitchell Flying #11 and the #33 Blue Burton Chevelle out of Richmond that had also been driven by Bill Dennis and Ray's son, Roy. In 1973 I drove in a heat race there with our Wilson Limited Sportsman dirt car. Ray was in that heat. I believe I've related here before being lapped maybe 10 times in the 10-lap heat!

I went to the Sanford dirt track on Friday nights maybe 5-6 times in the Springs of 1968, 1969 and 1970. My main memory is of Glenn McDuffie and his gold 1965 Ford Late Model and cars of Tom Usry and the Kikers... Edsel & Craven. I wonder if I ever saw George or Sam on those occassions? The modified hot shoes there at that time were the late James Sears and David Munnerlyn of Bennettsville, SC.

Again, thanks for filling in my history gap on a driver I knew nothing about.