THE DEFINITION OF CLOSE - Thought that only counted in horse shoes and hand grenades
Stock Car Racing History
Denny's age 7, 2nd grade composition as posted by his mom on Twitter:
(He was a Bill Elliott fan) "I love racing."
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
Stock Car Racing History
THE DEFINITION OF CLOSE - Thought that only counted in horse shoes and hand grenades
Stock Car Racing History
Daytona's a big jump from Denny's home track - the 1/3rd-mile Southside Speedway in Richmond (Chesterfield Co.) where he raced side-by side 16 years ago in his #20 with Shayne Lockhart's K95 in this July 15, 2000 photo by Al Goulder:
A Daytona 500 without Jeff Gordon
Stock Car Racing History
Count me as one of the fortunate ones to see Richard on dirt... but, never on your home Columbia track. Several times Richard would make his Saturday appearance at Richmond's Lawrence Plymouth after racing Friday night at Hickory. There wasn't time to wash the Hickory red clay off before his obligations for Richmond's Sunday dirt race. What I wouldn't give to watch some of today's fancy pants drivers transported back to those days and complain of no power steering, etc., etc., etc.
A Daytona 500 without Jeff Gordon
Stock Car Racing History
Tim, you are, of course, correct. There was no Petty in the 1965 Daytona 500 field. It was the year of the Chrysler boycott and Ford/Mercury domination. The top finishing Plymouth in that year's 500 was Soapy Castles with a 17th place go in the independent Buck Baker ride.
I closely followed the Daytona 500 in the papers and on radio beginning in 1962 - 31 years before Wonder Boy appeared in the Hendrick Chevy Cup ride after deserting Bill Davis and Ford - so I've got many more 500s under my belt without Jeff than with him.
There's no doubt that Gordon changed (seemingly forever) the mold a sponsor sought inaNASCAR driver (for better, or possibly for worse) away from a possibly rough hewn guy who worked his way primarily on driving talentthrough NASCAR's weekly series at the local and regional level to a Late Model Sportsman or Busch Series ride. However, the King also shunned weekly NASCAR racing at the local level, so in that respect he and Jeff Gordon had a similar modus operandi.
Unlike a Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt, the well educated and wellspoken Gordon is able to parlay his driving talent and charisma to the broadcast booth. He'll do a good job there.
Whether he's in the 500 or not is no big deal to me. Not having Richard in it or Dale in it was a HUGE deal in these quarters.
"Richmond Rising" & "Phoenix Rising" Track Makeovers Next for ISC Says Chitwood
Current NASCAR
In an interview printed in today's February 16, 2016 Daytona Beach News Journal , Daytona Speedway track president, Joie Chitwood indicated the grandstands of International Speedway Corp. tracks at Richmond and Phoenix are next in line to be torn down and rebuilt as "Richmond Rising" and "Phoenix Rising" - following in the footsteps of the project just finished at Daytona which has sold out all 101,000 seats for Sunday's Daytona 500.
"Chitwood said additional properties owned by Daytona's parent company International Speedway Corp., will get stadium makeovers. ISC owns 12 major race tracks.
He said the tracks at Richmond and Phoenix will likely be the next ISC track to get a stadium."
Considering half the seats at Richmond have already been taken down, that project is well underway.
Link to story and video :
http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20160216/NEWS/160219610/101040?Title=VIDEO-Daytona-500-sells-out-as-ISC-eyes-makeovers-for-more-of-its-stadiums
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
Charter Chatter: Wood Brothers No Longer a part of Race Team Alliance (RTA)
Current NASCAR
Alliances, charters.... pure B.S. that has ruined NASCAR racing. You got it Johnny.... you need to promote a big run what you brung outlaw event.
If the Wood Brothers can't make it, Harlow can bring his #21!
Racing History Minute - February 11, 1973
Stock Car Racing History
Gaffney's Peachoid was built 8 years after Charlie Blanton's 1973 Daytona ARCA win.