Forum Activity for @dave-fulton

20 Years Before Talladega, Bobby Allison Crashed Through Grandstand Fence in 1967

Stock Car Racing History

We have all seen the dramatic video of Bobby Allison nearly going through the catch fence and into the grandstands at Talladega in 1987, an event that brought on the dreaded restrictor plate.

We are also aware of the tragedy the Allison family has endured.

You may or may not be aware that 20 years before the Talladega incident, Bobby had an earlier encounter with a catch fence that almost resulted in tragedy. No video is available to my knowledge, but perhaps there is some 8mm film.

On September 10, 1967, Richard Petty in a 1967 Plymouth captured the Capital City 300 on the Richmond half-mile dirt track, beating Dick Hutcherson's Ford to the line. Petty would ultimately claim 13 Richmond wins before his 1992 retirement.

It was a strange race. Rain had made for a muddy track and competitors drew for position. Lynchburg, Virginia's Earl Brooks started on the pole.

Bobby Allison had the little, lightweight, J.D. Bracken maroon & white 1965 Chevelle #2 cranking at Richmond that day, as he usually did. However, just over 100 laps into the rich dirt track event, Bobby broke a tie rod coming off of turn 4 onto the main straight.

Back in those days ( until that day ) the scorers at Richmond sat in folding metal chairs on a concrete pad beside the flagstand. When the tie rod broke, Bobby's car got airborne, clearing the guardrail and smashing through the heavy chain link catch fence.

Bobby landed right beside the scoring pad, almost on top of his wife, Judy. After that day, scorers were moved inside the old Richmond 1/2-mile track.

For many years I've tried to find a photo of the aftermath of that Bobby Allison excursion through the Richmond catch fence that preceded his Talladega fence encounter by twenty years.

Today, I discovered a number of Associated Press Wire Photos of this event exist in the Google News Archives.

I am not smart enough to know how to post the actual photo, but if one of you know how, please do. At the time it was a very dramatic incident and we thought Bobby was going to land on top of all the scorers.

Here is a link to the aftermath, with the chain link fence wrapped around Bobby's little Chevelle. This particular link is to the Charleston, SC paper. You may need to bring the page down a little to see the photo:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MlRJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9QkNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2005,2267227&dq=capital+city+300+richmond&hl=en

Click Link Above to See Bobby Allison Catch Fence Crash

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

He Also Retired in 1992, With 200 Fewer Wins Than The King

Stock Car Racing History

I was just re-reading the excellent article newly posted on the Home Page by Bobby Williamson titled One Sunday Morning: The Coupe on the Sidewalk .

Bobby's article is a hard copy of an earlier blog he read Tuesday night on the "Racing Through History" radio show Ghost Track segment and it is outstanding. Please go read it.

The main subject of Bobby's article revolves around the old modified coupe #37 driven by Butch Torrie out of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and owned by the father of our RR member Jack Carter.

That same car used to race in Richmond at the old Strawberry Hill 1/2-mile dirt track. In 1990, when the NASCAR modifieds returned to Richmond International Raceway, promoter Paul Sawyer honored all the drivers who ever competed on the dirt at Richmond in the annual 50s-60s Virginia State Fair NASCAR National Championship Modified races by inducting them into the "Strawberry Hill Mod Squad." Butch Torrie was one of the inductees.

I searched the Google newspaper archives to see if I could find coverage, but did not.

However, the search led me to an outstanding 1992 Tom Higgins story about the pending retirement of NASCAR's Dick Beaty who won motorcycle races at Strawberry Hill.

Here is a link to that really great 1992 Tom Higgins piece in the archives:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tupOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sBQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5382,5632443&dq=dick+beaty+strawberry+hill&hl=en

updated by @dave-fulton: 03/10/17 06:42:06PM

Historical Marker at Middle Georgia Raceway

Stock Car Racing History

They need to be recognizing you and your fellow MGR racers, Tommie.

32 NASCAR TV Jobs Gone; Emphasis on Digital/Social Media; New NASCAR Channel? SPEED Affected?

Current NASCAR

PattyKay Lilley has been telling us for over a year that NASCAR was up to something with its television unit, like perhaps a full time NASCAR Channel. Sounds like the first shoe dropped yesterday. Don't know where this leaves the NASCAR / SPEED / FOX relationship. This article appeared in the Wednesday morning 9/12 Charlotte Observer Business Section:

NASCAR cuts staff at Charlotte TV hub
By Mark Washburn mwashburn@charlotteobserver.com
Wednesday, Sep. 12, 2012

Steve Herbst

NASCAR Productions laid off about 15 percent of its Charlotte-based workforce this week in a restructuring of the unit that produces video for the motorsports giant.

In all, 32 of 180 jobs were eliminated. Some of those employees will remain into the fall as the final leg of the NASCAR Sprint Cup races are run.

Many of those laid off had more than a decade of experience in NASCAR and motorsports, including veteran project manager Chrissy Pellegrino and former WCNC (Channel 36) sports director Chuck Howard.

Steve Herbst, who took over the unit in June during an earlier restructuring that saw the departure of chief operating officer Jay Abraham, said Tuesday the cutbacks were strategic moves reflecting the changing industry.

After evaluating NASCAR Productions operations, executives decided to drop independent video production work on outside accounts not related to motorsports. It had been handling projects like Notre Dame hockey, University of Virginia football and music videos.

NASCAR only

In the last few months weve undergone an analysis of our business in Charlotte, particularly on the production side, and it became clear we wanted to redirect our efforts toward NASCAR only, Herbst said.

NASCAR Productions, which includes the broadcast and archival NASCAR Images units, moved into leased space at NASCAR Plaza in 2009 and installed a $40 million studio complex in four floors of the 20-story building with the latest in digital technology. At its peak, NASCAR Productions was handling about 100 hours of content a week for clients like Fox Sports, TNT, ESPN and DirecTV.

It also produces Inside NASCAR for Showtime, which has been picked up for a third year in 2013, and has created documentaries like the Tim Richmond biography 30 for 30 for ESPN Films.

But its largest client has been Charlotte-based Speed channel, owned by Fox Sports, which reaches 81 million U.S. households. But Speed has trimmed some weekday NASCAR programming in favor of other shows.

We have a very good relationship with Speed and up at Fox. We feel like we are in a great place with those guys right now and were looking to build on where we are today, said Herbst, who joined NASCAR in 2011 from CBS College Sports Network, where he was executive vice president.

Weve been working together since the beginning and are happy with the relationship, said Erik Arneson, Speeds vice president of media relations. Its been a great collaboration.

Herbst said creating a NASCAR cable channel similar to the NFLs is still being considered for the Charlotte broadcast complex. Weve done quite a bit of thinking about it, but no decision has been made yet, he said.

Charlotte is a hub for sports production in the Southeast. In addition to NASCAR Productions and Speed, it is also the home of ESPN-U and Raycoms sports division.

Despite layoffs, NASCAR digital growing

Although NASCAR Productions cut staff this week, the digital arm of the business will grow by about 60 positions by years end.

Steve Herbst, vice president of broadcasting and production, said Tuesday that NASCAR will bring its digital operation, NASCAR.com, to its Charlotte headquarters in the fourth quarter, increasing employment in the unit from about 15 now to about 75. Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting now handles the web operation under a contract that runs through the end of 2012.

Marc Jenkins, vice president of digital media, will oversee digital and social media operations in a new space being finished on the eighth floor of NASCAR Plaza.
Washburn: 704-358-5007; Utter: 704-358-5113, Twitter: @jim_utter

Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2012/09/12/94228/nascar-cuts-staff-at-charlotte.html#storylink=cpy

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM

World's Worst Racetrack Neighbor

Stock Car Racing History

Thanks for the detective work, Jim. Back when I lived in Wilson in the 70s the Upchurch family all raced at Wilson County Speedway before its demise and their building County Line. I've never been there, but still hope to one day.

I thought it was a really interesting story and I appreciate you finding out (as Paul Harvey used to say) the rest of the story.

World's Worst Racetrack Neighbor

Stock Car Racing History

Back in 1995, neighbor Junior Medlin got angry over the noise from Elm City, North Carolina's County Line Raceway in Wilson County. He decided to take matters into his own hands and upset a lot of folks. The story went national on the wires of the Associated Press. That was 17 years ago and County Line still operates. Anyone know how the issue was resolved?

Here's the story link:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19950930&id=CwAzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0gcGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4313,5832271

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Check out the lower left of my Grave Marker!

Stock Car Racing History

Hope you're not planning to have use of the marker anytime soon. And I hope you don't get a bill from nastycar!

Bearfinder

Stock Car Racing History

Well, I sure hope none of the other members of the Schaefer Hall of Fame were watching!!!

Bearfinder

Stock Car Racing History

When the gas shortage of the 70s led to the national 55 mph speed limit, not only did the popularity of CB radio explode, so did the use of radar detectors and accompanying advertising.

Do you remember when Bearfinder Radar Dectectors in the late 70s period around 1977-1979 sponsored a multitude of Cup drivers, including Peter Knab, Lella Lombardi, Bruce Hill and Dick Brooks?

Here's a few photos of the period:

Peter Knab at Charlotte

Lella Lombardi at Daytona - remember Kansas Jack, also?

Bruce Hill at Michigan - Ken Cole photo

Dick Brooks

Peter Knab at Talladega

posted on Photobucket

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Long Ago Racing Oil

Stock Car Racing History

I guess different motor oils have been heavily distributed and promoted in different areas over the years. Growing up in the 50s & 60s in Richmond, Quaker State was the motor oil I most remember seeing around service stations there, besides their own company brands.

When I moved to Wilson, NC in 1970, I encountered Wolf's Head Motor Oil for the first time. It was a product I had never heard of, but one for which every single service station and garage in Wilson seemed to have a sign. There must have been an amazing distributor for Wolf's Head Motor Oil in that region of eastern North Carolina.

When we were racing locally in the early 70s, every single car at Wilson County Speedway seemed to be running Wolf's Head oil. I remember it being a very, very dark green in color and I swear I believe we ran a 50W viscosity. It was so thick it would hardly pour out of the can through the oil spout.

Of course, those were the days before the "necked" plastic bottles of today. The big innovation in oil packaging in those days was brands converting to cardboard cans from metal ones. You still had to use an oil spout and I always managed to get some oil on the block no matter how careful I was.

In those days my '73 Monte Carlo and Chevy station wagon, both with 4bbl 350 cu. in. motors, had specs calling for 10W40 motor oil, which was a big deal after the 30 weight oil cars had run for years.

I recall seeing a lot of Kendall Racing Oil signage at the local tracks, also.

I remember it was a huge deal in the mid-late 80s when Exxon came into NASCAR and advertised it was running its over the counter, SUPERFLO 30 weight oil in the Hendrick cars... an unheard of thing at that point in time.

When Southland Corporation with 7-Eleven/CITGO/Chief Auto Parts signed on with the Wood Brothers as sponsor in 1985, the engineers at CITGO worked to come up with a proprietary motor oil blend for the Wood Brothers Thunderbirds. Much testing was done on the dynos of these secret CITGO blends, formulated just for the team. The oil was extensively tested after dyno runs and engines torn down.

I have no idea what the viscosity was.

When Leonard Wood was finally satisfied, the special blend was sent to Stuart, Virginia in 55 gallon drums and, perhaps, 5 gallon cans. My memory is fuzzy. I do remember that we had the Wood Brothers pour the oil into regular plastic bottles and put those in dummy cardboard cases to take to the track so everyone would think they were using CITGO oil right off the shelf. It was pretty interesting to see CITGO come up with the special oil just for the Wood Brothers that outperformed the oil of their previous Valvoline car sponsor.

What oils did you use in your race cars back in the day and which brands were popular around your weekly tracks?

You can see the Wolf's Head decal/sticker near the bottom of the front fender on our '55 Chevy Limited Sportsman car in this 1973 photo:

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM