Bristol in the 80s Short Video (1 minute, 15 seconds)
Stock Car Racing History
This very short video comes from the Bristol Herald-Courier
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
Stock Car Racing History
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
19 Year Old Virginia College Student Trying to Make a Splash in NASCAR Weekly Racing
Local and Regional Short Track Racing
This young man has certainly surrounded himself with some talent:
Doggett balances college, auto racing for fast paced life
Credit: Ken Childs
Taylor Doggett goes to classes on weekdays, races in NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series on weekends.
By: Billy Fellin | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: March 15, 2012
Taylor Doggett, a 19-year-old business major at Bridgewater College, likes to go against the grain.
While many college students want to spend their weekends on campus, Doggett spends most of his off campus.
When many of his classmates may want life to slow down, Doggett loves when his life is going fast.
Unlike his friends, Doggett has a unique set of responsibilities that occur far away from Bridgewater.
"To be racing at such a young age, it's not very common in this area, but it's common around the United States," Doggett said. "It's kind of a youth movement in NASCAR and a lot of young guys are getting their start in the series below and above us."
Doggett races in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, which features late-model cars.
"I mainly stay in the Virginia area and I usually race at South Boston Speedway," he said. "I love it down there, love the people."
Doggett drives for Jim Dean Motorsports and Sellers Racing, where success follows both organizations.
His teammate at Sellers, Phillip Morris, won the 2011 Whelen All-American national championship. Doggett recorded three top-five finishes and five top-10s in five starts last season.
Jim Dean had a large influence on another NASCAR driver from Virginia.
"(Dean) was actually pretty influential with Denny Hamlin," Doggett said. "To even be associated with him is very inspirational and motivational."
Despite his comfort with driving over 100 miles per hour in a race car, college came with challenges for Doggett.
"I felt like it was a struggle in the beginning, with the whole transition," he said. "I guess every freshman goes through that, though."
The racing season started last Saturday, which just happened to fall in the heart of the spring semester.
"It's going be a tough thing to do, to be able to handle the load of having the responsibility to race a race car and keep yourself in shape and mentally capable of driving something that fast and keeping your grades up in college," Doggett said.
Doggett would prefer to reach the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but is working on a business degree as a backup plan.
"Hopefully, I will be able to use that business degree with something to do with energy," he said. "I really feel like that's where I want to put my skills to the test if the racing deal doesn't pan out the way we want to."
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:09:31PM
Get ready for the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Current NASCAR
Jim, I had forgotten that. Thanks for posting.
Get ready for the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Current NASCAR
Here is the excerpt from the actual Bojangles corporate news release:
Hungry race fans can also look forward to enjoying Bojangles at the track! The sponsorship agreement allows Bojangles to serve its delicious Chicken Supremes, Cajun Filet Sandwich, Seasoned Fries and Legendary Iced Tea at Darlington Raceway. This Bojangles menu will also be served at four other tracks owned and operated by International Speedway Corp.: Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Motor Speedway, Martinsville Raceway and Richmond International Raceway
I think the key phrasing is "allows Bojangles to serve."
I feel certain this will be under the supervision of Americrown, just as they were forced to bring back the Jesse Jones red dogs at Martinsville after Americrown took over.
Get ready for the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Current NASCAR
And...
Do you remember Cale's Derrike Cope driven Bojangles car?
Get ready for the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Current NASCAR
Here's 2 Cajun Filet Biscuits fer ya!!
How about a big cup of that wonderful Bojangles sweetened iced tea to wash em down?
Most Popular Win in NASCAR History? Ridley & Donlavey at Dover Say Many
Stock Car Racing History
There have been many popular wins in the history of NASCAR. When Jody Ridley won the 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover driving for Junie Donlavey, many compared the feat to David slaying Goliath.
Ridley says he and Donlavey ran 31 races in 1981 using just one car!
Kyle Petty 30 years later called it the most popular win in NASCAR history and that's coming from the son of The King. Petty repeated that Mark Martin once said there were no nice guys in NASCAR, but called Donlavey the exception.
It's been 10 years now since Junie fielded his familiar #90.
How about you.... your most popular win?
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Why Junior Johnson Hates Guardrails
Stock Car Racing History
Everybody remembers the "hook" Dale Earnhardt gave Darrell Waltrip going down the old Richmond backstretch in 1986. Darrell's car was totaled on the steel guardrail and Kyle Petty went on to win the race for his first Winston Cup win.
Many folks forget that Junior Johnson, owner of Waltrip's Budweiser Chevy #11, had his #12 Budweiser Chevy driven by Neil Bonnett destroyed in the same spot by the Richmond backstretch guardrail a year previously in 1985.
Neil's hit was vicious and the car came to an abrupt halt.
Junior Johnson had to be glad when those Richmond guardrails went away.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Smoke Makes Kids' Day
Current NASCAR
Pull for them or not, this is how you like to see our NASCAR drivers. Hats off to Tony.
NASCAR star Tony Stewart shows a different side of personality
Credit: Earl Neikirk - Bristol Herald Courier
Tony Stewart stops by the Small Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center
By: Allen Gregory | Bristol Herald Courier
Published: March 14, 2012
KINGSPORT, Tenn. --
The public image of Tony Stewart is that of a take-no-prisoners speed demon on and off the track.
The three-time NASCAR champion displayed a different side of his personality Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly after attending a high-stakes competition meeting at the Stewart-Haas Racing headquarters near the NASCAR epicenter in North Carolina, Stewart decompressed for over two hours at the Small Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center in the rolling hills of Northeast Tennessee.
Stewart not only chatted with a group of wide-eyed special needs children, he helped lead their horses around the barn. He also posed for family photos, signed autographs and shared personal stories.
This place is really close to my heart because I have a cousin who has a similar situation, Stewart said. To see how programs like this help children, its much bigger than what were doing with racing.
Stewart became so enamored with the young riders that he had to be pulled away at the last second to conduct a scheduled satellite interview with ESPN.
To see how these kids connect with their horses and ponies is pretty cool, Stewart said. We over complicate our lives a lot of times. Its neat to be able to detach from all that and make life simpler for a couple hours.
The pace gets much more complicated for Stewart this weekend. After his victory in last weeks Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas, Stewart enters Sundays Food City 500 hungry for his first victory at Bristol Motor Speedway since 2001.
Finding a way to snap that winless streak was the subject of Tuesdays session at Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart said the entire S-HR braintrust attended, including fellow teammate Ryan Newman and crew chiefs from both teams.
Were just trying to figure out what our gameplan is, Stewart said. Weve run terrible here the last two or three races. Were looking forward to trying a different package this weekend to see if we can get this turned around.
While Stewart has often had an adversarial relationship with media types, his popularity among traditional and younger fans has soared. According to Stewart, his kinship with fans is all part of a natural evolution.
This is a sport where theres a lot of emotion involved all the time, Stewart said. [Fans] didnt like Dale [Earnhardt] Sr., for a while, and then they loved him. It was the same with Darrell Waltrip. Its been fun to watch.
Stewart achieved a new degree of fame last year with his remarkable comeback run toward the Sprint Cup championship. He clinched the title on the final lap of the final race at Homestead.
As for his smoother dealings with NASCAR officials, Stewart said its a matter of understanding the big picture in motorsports.
One of the biggest things thats helped me is that now I own three dirt tracks and all these [racing] teams, Stewart said. There were a lot of times as a driver where I was right about what I was saying, but there was something else in the equation that I didnt see.
Being a track owner helps you kind of understand the way things are done the way they are.
With his many achievements and temper outbursts, Stewart is one of the recognizable and controversial athletes in America.
Stewart admitted Tuesday that he had a hard time simply tying his tie for last years elaborate NASCAR Sprint Cup awards banquet. Hes much more comfortable in the role of an Average Joe who wears jeans and a T-shirt while gobbling up fast food and hanging around gritty dirt tracks.
I didnt grow up in a rich family, Stewart said. Im just an average guy that has a really cool job on the weekends.
Stewart offered a theory on why hes been able to connect with fans.
We dont have a big habit of going out and wrecking guys, Stewart said. Thats been a big deal in the last year and a half, guys just going out there and taking each other out.
We race how we want to be raced. When youre not causing problems, the fans like you a lot.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM