Forum Activity for @tmc-chase

Would be cool to see walls formerly painted in Winston red-white colors expanded to to Coke's red-white-gold.

I'm sure NASCAR would gladly take Coca-Cola's money. But one or more folks are likely voicing a word of caution too saying "Ehhh, really? We'd want to openly promote the Coke Cup Series??"

Was announced today Sprint will not renew it's sponsorship of NASCAR's "premier" series after the current contract ends in 2016. So guessing game becomes who will replace them.

I'm guessing a couple of my ideas are start-and-park, but here goes anyway...

We've had a Sprint. How about a Marathon?

Like the candy bar - wait, they don't make 'em anymore.

Marathon automobiles from Nashville - wait, they don't make those anymore either

Marathon Oil? Upside: They've had a relationship with Petty Enterprises in recent years. Downside: Sunoco would likely get gas over such a proposal.

So Sprint vs. Marathon is no good.

What about Red Solo or Dixie Paper? Red Solo Cup or Dixie Cup Series!

No? Then what other companies should be considered?

A year earlier in 1970, Al Unser Sr. led a group of USAC drivers for a similar visit. Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Roger McCluskey and Larry Dickson went to Vietnam. They were accompanied by Ray Marquette, USAC's VP of Public Affairs, who also went with the group in 1971. Tragically, Marquette was one of 8 USAC officials killed in a plane crash in April 1978 as the group was returning from Trenton NJ to Indianapolis. - Evening Independent

Excerpts from Rutherford's autobiography, Lone Star J.R.

Originally blogged by me here:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2014/12/december-13-1971-king-leaves-for.html

On December 12, 1971, NASCAR's top drivers concluded the inaugural Winston Cup season at Texas World Speedway in College Station. Richard Petty won the Texas 500 after a week's delay because of a rain-out on December 5th.

The upside of the week's delay was Petty (1) won his 21st race of the season and (2) was able to cement his standing as champion of the 1971 season - the first under the new branding of Winston Cup Grand National Series.

The downside of the delay was Petty had to wait a week to join a great gesture with other racing drivers. On December 6th, a contingent of Don Garlits from NHRA drag racing; Wally Dallenbach Sr., Art Pollard, and Bill Vukovich Jr. from USAC open wheel racing; and Butch Hartman from USAC's stock car division headed to Vietnam to visit American servicemen.

When rain postponed NASCAR's season-ending race by a week, Petty had his scheduled altered as well. After his win in Texas on December 12th, the King departed for Vietnam on Monday, December 13th.

Earlier this year, Petty recalled the trip in a 12 Questions column with USA Today writer Jeff Gluck:

Q: Obviously, you've had a lot of amazing experiences away from racing through your job over the decades. What's one that sticks out as being really special?

A: I've done so much. Been all over the world. But we went to Vietnam for a few weeks for one of them Christmas deals (visiting troops) and I really enjoyed that. It was kind of miserable to do it, but to see what these guys in the service have to go through, it gives you a different perspective when you see them and talk to them and thank them for being able to do what we want to do.

Q: So this was actually during the Vietnam War?

A: Yeah, it was 1970 I think (actually 1971, according to drag racer Don Garlits' autobiography). There were four or five different guys who went over there, so we spent 20-some days over there (visiting troops who couldn't go home for Christmas).

Petty has long been known as a political conservative. He like others, however, wanted to see an end to the war - regardless of political leanings. Beginning in 1971, Petty Enterprises crewmen Richie Barz (or Reggie as referred to in the following article), his brother Les, and other PE shop guys welded a peace symbol head rest in the cars for the King and teammate Buddy Baker.

In September 1971, the King (along with Pollard, Garlits, Vukovich, and over 100 other folks involved in racing) met at the White House and with President Nixon. A photo of the President, the King and the famed 43 Plymouth was used as the cover photo for the 1972 spring Bristol race program.

In his book Tales from the Drag Strip , Garlits recalls about the trip to southeast Asia:

Back during the Vietnam War, Prsident Nixon asked a bunch of racers around December if we'd go over to Vietnam and visit some of the kids who were fighting and weren't going to make it home for Christmas. So I spent 16 days rooming with Richard Petty in Saigon. I'll tell you, it was something I'll never forget when we had to helicopter out to where the troops were in the field.
We took fire as we flew over the jungles, and we returned machine gun fire with the Viet Cong. Luckily, we were flying high enough thta they couldn't hit us, but we could hit them. But the time I spent with Richard showed me he is a real person. What you see is what you get.

An AP wire story published about six months later in the  San Bernadino Sun reported:

The troop of drivers were barely unpacked, the story goes, when Garlits and Hartman delighted the soldiers with an impromptu race in two 20-ton tanks. After Garlits had edged Hartman at the wire, one of the soldiers shouted, "Garlits, you jumped him, you jumped him." "Aw." said Garlits, "I heard him rev'ing his engine and figured it was time to go."

Though the primary purpose of the trip was a goodwill gesture to share some joy from home with the troops, The King and Big Daddy found some time to talk the business side of racing. Garlits talked about his concerns with race purses, driver safety, etc. In turn, Petty apparently shared his perspectives and how NASCAR's drivers tried to address them through the Professional Drivers Association (PDA) . That discussion led Garlits to organize the Professional Racers Association in 1972.

Petty's visit to support the troops as well as his visit to the Nixon White House helped earn him the prestigious 1971 Myers Brothers Award presented at NASCAR's annual awards dinner held in Charlotte NC on January 17, 1972.

Lee Petty accepted the award of behalf of Richard. The King was already on his way to Riverside, California by way of Chicago and Los Angeles where he hammered out the details of a new and now legendary sponsorship agreement with STP.

Learned last night of the passing of former Petty Enterprises employee, Don Holder.

http://main.pughfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/9001/Donald_Edward_Holder/obituary.html

Donald Edward "Duck" Holder, age 77, Randleman died Wednesday, December 10, 2014 at Randolph Hospital, Asheboro.

Mr. Holder was born October 3, 1937 the son of Charles and Maxine Allred Holder. Duck was a native of Randolph County and had been employed with Petty Enterprises in the 60's and 70's. He retired from Overnight Trucking in Greensboro. Duck loved building street rods and showing his hard work off in car shows and he was a member of the Tri County Cruisers. In addition to his parents, Duck is preceded in death by his brother, Byrum Lee Holder.

He is survived by his wife: Karen "Kay" Lamb Holder of the home; daughter: Donna Brower of Oak Island; step son, Tommy Morton and his wife Dawn of Asheville; step daughter, Wendy Morton of Asheboro; 6 grandchildren; sister: Patsy Russell of Randleman; brother: Wayne Holder of Randleman.

The family will receive friends Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 600 South Main Street, Randleman, NC. The funeral service will be held Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 2:00 pm at Pugh Funeral Home Chapel, 600 South Main Street, Randleman with Dr. Dana Bunn officiating. Burial will be in Randolph Memorial Park, Asheboro.

Memorials may be made to Victory Junction Gang, 4500 Adams Way, Randleman, NC 27317.

Pugh Funeral Home, Randleman is serving the Holder family.

Don is pictured standing to the left of the King - between Richard and Chief.

On December 11, 1966, the Spartanburg Herald reported on Bud Moore's progress in preparing new Mercury Cougars and Cyclones for racing in 1967. Moore planned to field 2 Cycles at the January 22, 1967, Motor Trend 500 at Riverside. Looking at the Riverside results, however, it looks like he did NOT make the trek to the west coast.

Moore was also preparing cars to race in the February 3rd Trans-Am 300 race at Daytona. His drivers, legends Parnelli Jones and Dan Gurney, were indeed fast leading up to and during that race. Parnelli won the pole for it, and led many laps. Gurney was quick in practice but tangled with Mark Donohue on the first lap, and his Mercury was done several laps later. Parnelli had to make multiple pit stops during the race and finished third. The winner of the race in an upset was Bob Tulius in a Dodge Dart.

Glad to have you back among us Dave - even if it is a gradual return. May you enjoy a healthy, surgery-free 2015 and return to some bench racing with us here.

Some here attended - or participated in - the 1979 Daytona 500 and other parts of Speedweeks.

FOX Sports is putting together a documentary on the race, and they're looking for photos, video clips, stories, etc. Might be fun to have some RacersReunion members included in the final product.

Details here:

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2014/12/8/1979-daytona-500-documentary-fox-nascar-productions-fan-submissions.html

A day short of a year ago, [ Tim Leeming posted about Herb Thomas' win ] in the Grand National race at Southland Speedway in West Palm Beach, FL on December 11, 1955. In short, Thomas was awarded the win after the top two finishers - Joe Weatherly and Jim Reed - were DQd.

As the promoters in West Palm did their job, so did the promoters at Hollywood Speedway in Hallandale, FL - about an hour south of West Palm Beach. The 150-lap race was promoted as the first time NASCAR stock cars would race at Hollywood. The race was the 1956 season-opener for NASCAR's short-lived, short track division. Notice the hints I dropped in the opening paragraph? - Miami News

The track did a nice job getting many big names to compete - partially perhaps because the drivers were able to double-dip on the trip with the short-track division race at Hollywood followed a day later with the GN race just up the coastline. - Miami News

I admittedly know little about NASCAR's short-track division and learn a bit more every time I hear of another of its races. But Jim Reed was apparently the 3x division champion heading into the start of the 1956 season in late 1955. - Miami News

Perhaps as to be expected, the 3x and defending division champion Reed dominated the Saturday night, short trackin' special. He qualified on the front row, struggled in the heat races (won by Curtis Turner and Buck Baker), but returned in the main event to mow down the field. He took advantage of his top starting spot, set sail and had lapped the field by the 2/3 mark of the race. - Miami News

So a win on Saturday and a P2 in the GN race was a pretty good weekend for Reed. But hold on. As Paul Harvey often said, now you'll hear the rest of the story.

Reed and Thomas protested Weatherly's win in the Sunday GN race - primarily based on what was believed to be a lap scoring error. NASCAR took the protest a step further by inspecting the cars of Weatherly, Reed, Thomas and Bob Welborn on Monday after the West Palm GN race. During that tear-down, NASCAR inspectors found a non-stock cam in Weatherly's wagon and non-stock valves in Reed's ride.

Reed who filed the protest against Weatherly lost his second place finish in the GN event AND lost his win in the Hollywood short-track division race. Talk about being born under a bad sign. With Reed's DQ, Bob Welborn driving for car owner Julian Petty was awarded the win in the Hollywood race - even though he only completed 149 of the race's 150 laps.

I do find it interesting that while Weatherly was disqualified in the GN and the win stripped away, he was ELEVATED to 4th place in the Hollywood race with the DQ of Reed.

On Wednesday, December 9, 1970, RJ Reynolds announced a sponsorship partnership with NASCAR to re-brand the Grand National division as the Winston Cup Grand National Series. Though the Cup schedule wasn't dramatically reshaped until the 1972 season, the announcement on December 9th, 1970, was transformative for stock car racing. - Sumter Daily Item

The first (in my mind) Reynolds' visionary: Ralph Seagraves

The first Winston Cup logo

Winner of first Winston Cup race - [ Riverside's 1971 Motor Trend 500 ] - Ray Elder

First Miss Winston - Marilyn Chilton

The first Winston Cup champion - King Richard