Regretfully, we learned yesterday via the blog post of Loretta Gonce that 3rd place finisher Bob Glass passed on Monday, August 15, 2016 in Fredericksburg, Virginia at age 82. Bob was a fierce competitor in his #$ cars at Beltsville Speedway and Old Dominion Speedway. Funeral services are Friday, August 19.
http://covenantfuneralservice.com/obituaries/robert-f-glass/
Cool to see another Virginia Late Model Sportsman regular in the #48 Camaro at Dover.
This time it was Bob Glass of Woodbridge, Virginia - a weekly regular at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. and Beltsville Speedway in Beltsville, Md. - who'd drive the Beltsville Speedway sponsored entry to a 3rd place finish.
Glass was also a frequent visitor over the years to a variety of northeastern tracks in New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, as seen in this photo from Norwood Arena in Massachusetts:
Here's a link to some timeline info on the racing NASCAR Corvettes:
I've been fascinated by the photos Dennis Garrett has posted of sports cars racing at Martinsville. While trying to find some info about that event, I stumbled into something else.
In a 1964 story about Martinsville Speedway it was revealed that the first driver to turn a hot lap on the new track had a son who would go on to race stock cars. It wasn't Lee Petty and it wasn't Buck Baker. The race car wasn't even a stock car.
According to a story (partially excerpted) on the history of Martinsville in a 1964 issue of the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star, the first driver to turn hot laps at Martinsville in a race car was Socrates "Shorty" Johns of Miami, Florida, a champion midget racer who was accompanied by his young son, Bobby Johns . The car was a midget and Shorty was enroute to a midget race in Roanoke, Virginia.
Socrates "Shorty" Johns (left) and son, Bobby Johns (right) at Daytona - uncredited
Bobby Johns ran a Lotus at Indy in 1965 as a teammate to winner, Jim Clark. uncredited
Bobby Johns at Daytona with his '66 Chevelle - Marty Little Collection
Tragically, Shorty Johns would be murdered in Maimi in 1970 during a holdup at the Johns' race shop.
For many years, people seemed to forget that the France family held a half interest in the Martinsville track from day 1, often accounting for favorable dates and decisions relating to the beautiful venue. That was also mentioned in the 1964 Fredericksburg story. It was no secret back then.
There is film posted from the Lloyd Moore collection of the September 23, 1951 race at Dayton, but haven't found any Canfield
I started to ask member, Billy Biscoe what gaskets he ran, but I fugued he'd just tell us he made his own!
By the way, I can find no gasket manufacturer currently listed as a NASCAR contingency sponsor. Guess they've been priced out of the contingency decal game.
Below is the NASCAR 2015 national series contingency sponsor lineup and special awards:
-- 3M -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*
- 3M Lap Leader Award
-- American Ethanol -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*, Camping World Truck Series*
- American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award (NSCS)
- American Ethanol Award to Series Champions (XFINITY Series & NCWTS)
-- ARP Fasteners -- XFINITY Series
-- COMP Cams -- Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series
-- Coors Light -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*, Camping World Truck Series* (Keystone Light)
- Coors Light Pole Award
-- Duralast Brakes -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*
- Duralast Brakes Brake in the Race Award
-- Edelbrock -- Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series
-- Flowmaster -- Sprint Cup Series
-- Freescale -- Sprint Cup Series*
- Freescale Wide Open Award
-- Goodyear Tires -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*, Camping World Truck Series*
- Goodyear Tires Award to Series Champions
-- Holley Throttle Bodies/Carburetors -- Sprint Cup Series (throttle bodies), XFINITY Series,
Camping World Truck Series
-- Ingersoll Rand -- Sprint Cup Series*
- Ingersoll Rand Power Move Award
-- K&N Filters -- Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series
-- Lincoln Electric Welders -- Sprint Cup Series, Camping World Truck Series
-- MAHLE Clevite -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*, Camping World Truck Series*
- MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race/Year Award
-- Mechanix Wear -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series
- Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award (Quarterly/Year End)
-- Mobil 1 -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*, Camping World Truck Series*
- Mobil 1 Driver of the Race/Year
-- MOOG Steering & Suspension -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series
- MOOG Problem Solver of the Race/Year
-- MSD Ignition -- XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series
-- Renton Coil Spring -- Camping World Truck Series
-- Sherwin-Williams -- Sprint Cup Series*
- Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award
-- Simpson Firesuits -- XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series
-- Sunoco -- Sprint Cup Series*, XFINITY Series*, Camping World Truck Series*
- Sunoco Diamond Performance Award to Series Champions
- Sunoco Rookie of the Year
Back in 1988-1989, I had a contract to handle public relations for Indian Head Industries and its NASCAR Busch Series sponsorship of former NASCAR Late Model Sportsman National Champion (1975 & 1976), L.D. Ottinger of Newport, Tennessee. The primary sponsor for IHI on the Ottinger car was the firm's Detroit Gasket brand with an assist from MGM Brakes . Some of our trucker members like Johnny Mallonee and Leon Philips might be familiar with MGM Brakes. 
Gasket competition in NASCAR racing was fierce. Although McCord was at the time the "Official Gasket of NASCAR" - through our efforts, most of the teams on the Cup and Busch circuit ran our Detroit Gasket products.
McCord Gaskets itself had one time dabbled in car sponsorship, with Ken Ragan, father of current Cup driver, David Ragan carrying McCord Gaskets colors on his own father's car, as well as the ride owned by Roger Hamby.
Fel-Pro Gaskets, another player in the stock car game, back in 1990 was sponsoring Tom Jones. No, not Tom Jones the singer or the subject of the bawdy 1960s movie. This Tom Jones wheeled the #90 Thunderbird on the ASA stock car circuit.
Sometimes it didn't matter how good your product was. If there was substantial cash involved, most chicken farmers around Ingle Hollow and Ronda, NC would choose the cash payout over loyalty.
One thing I never told Detroit Gasket President, Ron Parker was that my racing hero, Ray Hendrick and his good friend, Bobby Allison once tooled around in race cars with NO gaskets. That's right, I said NO engine gaskets.
Back in 1973, the sealant company, Permatex, long known for its sponsorship of the Permatex 300 at Daytona contracted with "Mr. Modified" Hendrick of Richmond to test out a Pinto Modified with no gaskets. At the same time, "Alabama Gang" member Allison of Hueytown was contracted to turn the wheel of a gasketless 1968 Chevelle Late Model Sportsman.
Don't believe me? Well, here are the photos to prove it. We don't need no stinkin' gaskets!
The following year, on April 13, 1974, RR member, Russ Thompson captured the gasket-less Permatex Ray Hendrick Pinto Modified show car coming through the tunnel at the Nashville Fairgrounds as part of the promotion around the Permatex 200 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race there.
Ironically, Ray Hendrick himself made his first (and possibly only) appearance at Nashville that same day, wheeling the Tant/Mitchell "Flying 11" Chevelle. The 45 year old Richmonder posted a 2nd-place finish in his initial Nashville outing - with gaskets, I "assume" in his Jack Tant powerplant.
Russ Thompson
This Bobby Allison Permatex ad touting Lock-Nut and Gel Gasket ran in 1973:
In November 1974, this Popular Mechanics ad shows Permatex also used motorcycles without gaskets to promote the Gel Gasket and Lock-nut products:
As you can see at the bottom of the ad, Permatex was headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. Over the years, Bill France was pretty adept at not only getting automotive sponsors involved at Daytona, but getting companies headquartered in Florida involved. That long list includes such outfits as Hawaiian Tropic, etc.
I always do a double take when I see the Bristol scoreboard operator's head just above the roof line of Fireball's #22.
