Randy, I agree wholeheartedly with all you say. For many years, we promoted our racing venues as the only major league stadiums where the fan paid 100% of the cost of the seat they sat in and not the taxpayer. Of, course, that is no longer true with all the government incentives funded by taxpayers at places like Kansas and infrastructure improvements around CMS.
Nice to see the vote of confidence. The fact that the facility is indeed owned by The City of Charlotte, where I am an active taxpayer is one reason I have felt entitled to squawk so loudly.
For those who might have time, I have found a fascinating 1953 Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Court case upholding instructions to a jury in a case decided in favor of an injured race fan awarded $30,000 against the owner and the promoter of a race at the Richmond Fairgrounds dirt track.
In 1950 , Nelson Royall the builder and operator of Royall Speedway ( now Southside Speedway ) in Midlothian, Virginia leased the then 1/2-mile dirt track ( now the site of Richmond International Raceway ) from the operators of the Virginia State Fair to conduct Modified Stock Car races during the fair sanctioned by the Richmond Stock Car Racing Association.
During one of the events a right front spindle broke on the car of eventual NASCAR National Modified Champion Eddie Crouse . The wheel cleared the low 42 inch catch fence and struck a spectator, who sued.
What is so fascinating in the reading is that the court gets into how to properly prepare a dirt track for racing in 1950 with calcium chloride and how cracks can develop in the dirt surface.
Arguments were made that x-rays showed no damage to the spindle, but that racers were aware of metal fatigue.
Promoter Nelson Royall was questioned why he built an 8-foot catch fence at his Midlothian track if a 42 inch catch fence like the one at the Fairgrounds were safe.
Being a Richmond native, I was familiar with Royall, Crouse and Mr. Luck, one of Crouse's car owners. I didn't realize Royall was promoting races at the Richmond Fairgrounds at the same time he operated Royall Speedway.
Arguments include the fence heights at various AAA sanctioned tracks and whether a fan should expect a wheel to fly into the crowd.
The case includes "expert" testimony from driver Buddy Shuman on the subject of broken spindles.
Really fascinating reading:
The link to the court case:
http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?page=1&xmldoc=195344577SE2d368_1443.xml&docbase=CSLWAR1-1950-1985&SizeDisp=7
Now, you too can experience the thrill of shelling out money to sponsor a genuine NASCAR Cup car.
Thanks to Humpy Wheeler, for just $5 bucks you also get to support fundraising for the Democratic National Committee and its convention in Charlotte ( no thank you, Humpy) .
No mention of whose car your name gets on when or where or whether you get liability insurance to protect you if the car winds up in the grandstands.
Wheelers offer: your name on stock car
The Charlotte Observer
Posted: Saturday, Apr. 07, 2012
Charlottes host committee for the 2012 convention emailed more than 250,000 people around the country last week with a fundraising pitch that was pure Carolinas.
For a $5 contribution, these would-be donors were told, they will be listed as sponsors on the conventions official Powered by the American People stock car.
The e-letter was signed by longtime Charlotte racing promoter H.A. Humpy Wheeler and is designed to help the Charlotte in 2012 committee raise the $37 million it needs to pay for the convention in September.
Im proud that my home state was chosen to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention and excited to share some of the Southern hospitality that we are known for in the Carolinas, Wheeler says in the letter.
Im even more proud that the Convention will kick off with a free, family-friendly, Labor Day celebration at the place I spent the majority of my career at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The stock car will also be part of that Labor Day party and other events leading up to the convention at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte .
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/03/29/3158804/wheelers-offer-your-name-on-stock.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
I am so happy that Columbia was blessed with such gorgeous weather. Hope to join you for a future celebration.
Friday Hassler at Hickory that day scored the first of three Top-5 finishes for 1968 in just 20 starts at Hickory that day, finishing 4th in his independent Chevy behind three factory drivers. Fraiday would finish the season with 8 Top 10s in 20 starts. Pretty imprtessive for an independent Chevy in 1968.
TMC,
I note that - very appropriately - the NSSN article chronicling The King's 1967 Columbia win was written by our own RR member and Columbia Speedway Historian, Jim Seay!
From today's Columbia, SC newspaper:
Sports - That's Racin'
Friday, Apr. 06, 2012
Racers Reunion starts today
Hall-of-Famer Marvin Panch is grand marshall of event
By JOHN DEVLIN - Special to The State
Marvin Panch, named one of NASCARs 50 greatest drivers, is the big draw for the 4th Annual Love Chevrolet Racers Reunion and Auto-Fest this weekend at Columbia Speedway in Cayce.
Hell be joined by drivers from the glory days of the half-mile dirt oval, including Rex White, David Dink Widenhouse, Billy Scott, Paul Little Bud Moore, Harold Fountain and Paul Lewis.
Emerging driving stars and Midlands residents Danny Efland (Irmo) and Jordan Anderson (Forest Acres) also will attend.
But the primary draw is Panch, the events grand marshall.
I never thought I would still be involved in racing in some way after all these years, Panch said. But the kind of events like the one in Columbia keep me on the road and interacting with fans. Im looking forward to coming to Columbia, especially to talk to some of the old fans who might remember me from when I drove here.
Panch raced on the NASCAR circuit from 1951 to 1966, scoring 17 wins, but he was not a regular visitor to the Columbia Speedway. He entered five top-level races in Cayce and his best showing was a runner-up effort behind Ned Jarrett in the 1964 Columbia 200.
I really dont remember too much from those races in Columbia, except for hitting the wall, Panch said. That would have been in 1958, when he crashed in two races.
Panch makes his home in Daytona Beach, the site of his greatest achievement in racing his from-out-of-nowhere win in the 1961 Daytona 500.
Panchs career hit a rough patch when Ford discontinued factory support of stock car racing in the middle of the 1957 season.
Between 1958 and 1960 he struggled to find a regular gig on stable teams, and entered the 1961 Daytona 500 because he was given a year-old Pontiac to race by legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick. Panch used the opportunity and some luck to win the fourth Daytona 500.
Panch took the lead with 13 laps to go after Fireball Roberts car, another Yunick entry, blew an engine. Roberts was the leader for 170 laps.
It put Panchs career back on track. He hooked up with Ford again and the Wood Brothers, raced some of his own cars and finished with Petty Enterprises.
I might not have stayed in racing as long as I did without Smokey giving me that car, Panch said. Ill tell you what kind of guy he was. I signed for 40 percent of the winnings and he gave me 50 percent, which is something he did not have to do.
Panch gave up racing at the age of 40.
It was time, though it might have been different if the money was as good as it is today, Panch said. I dont regret a thing about my racing days, or my decision to retire and go into the trucking business.
RACERS REUNION
WHAT: The 4th Annual Love Chevrolet Racers Reunion and Auto-Fest
WHEN: Today and Saturday
WHERE: Historic Columbia Speedway, 2001 Charleston Highway, Cayce
ALSO: The event features at Cruise-In and a Drive-In movie on Friday, a Battle of the Bands, a truck rodeo and a car show on Saturday. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Legends of Racing Medical Hardship Fund.
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/04/06/2223509/racers-reunion-starts-today.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
With one of the holiest weekends of both the Jewish and Christian calendars about to begin with Passover Friday and Easter on Sunday, I got to wondering if we'd had any Jewish NASCAR drivers?
There have been some great Jewish athletes in American sports such as baseball's Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax and football's Sid Luckman.
In drag racing we've had Kenny Bernstein, who was also a NASCAR car owner.
Just doing a brief search, I've only turned up a NASCAR Late Model driver from New Jersey named Jon Denning who moved to Danville, Virginia several years ago and competed at South Boston and Orange County. Numerous articles have been written about what he said was extreme prejudice in NASCAR towards him.
Are any of you aware of any Jewish NASCAR drivers past or present?
I remember that April 1981 North Wilkesboro weekend oh so well.
It was my first visit to North Wilkesboro as Manager of Wrangler NASCAR Special Events.
Independent Dave Marcis started on the pole in his #71 Chevy and Dale Earnhardt, with new Osterlund crew chief Dale Inman(who began at Atlanta) started on the outside of the front row in his #2 Wrangler Pontiac.
There was a very hard rain shower on Friday that led to to two things I remember vividly.
#1) I had my first confrontation with Earnhardt. We were hunkered down in the Wrangler van in the infield in the rain when a Winston-Salem television crew came up and asked Earnhardt for an interview. He told them he didn't have time to mess with them. I then had the pleasure of explaining to Dale that the new $100,000 Personal Services contract he had just signed included being gracious to the media and doing interviews. With the additional prompting of Joe Whitlock, Dale did the interview.
#2) Instead of Wrangler western boots, I decided to debut my new blue and yellow athletic shoes at Wilkesboro. After trudging in the rain and the North Wilkesboro infield mud, my feet were a nauseous shade of green for a while.
I love all those victory lane pix of Margaret Claud as "Miss Winston". She was the best ever in my opinion. We later talked Maggie into being our "Miss Wrangler" on her off weekends to do Wrangler SuperCross and Tractor Pull events. She was the consummate professional in every way.
