Well, I did find another site with a header clock counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds since his last win, but did not want to be accused of bad taste!
Here's a very important link you should pass on to Johnny:
http://westcoastgal88.blogspot.com/2012/02/dale-jr-phoenix-race-pre...
Just had a chance to read Tim Leeming's Legendtorial that I missed Tuesday night and he touched on something that was so evident during the telecast of the Daytona 500.
Our NASCAR fans are the greatest sports fans in the world. The number of seats still filled in the Daytona grandstands at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning for a race originally scheduled on Sunday was AMAZING.
If you were one of those fans, I hope somebody pats you on the back. Awesome.
Racers have always been known for the practical jokes they play on each other. I never got to see Joe Weatherly or any of his buddies play their mongoose in the box/cage trick on anybody, but I sure wish I had.
I do, however, remember one practical joke very well.
One of Bud Moore's crew for many years was Harold Stott, who owned a Ford dealership managed by his brother in Tryon, NC. Harold was one of the best, if not the best, rear tire changers on the circuit. Every year he was voted by his pit crew peers as a member of the Skoal All-Star Pit Crew.
Harold, however, was superstitious and very jumpy. If you walked up behind Harold (who was built like a fireplug) and shouted, "Boo!" Harold would jump a foot off the ground. Other crew guys were always throwing rubber snakes on the ground at Harold's feet in the garage to watch him jump and shout!
At that time in the early 80s we raced at Richmond in February the weekend after the Daytona 500. It was often snowy, sometimes icy, and always cold. On Friday and Saturday night the Cup cars were housed in Richmond's open air, covered garage buildings under their car covers. Track owner Paul Sawyer employed several off-duty Henrico County, Virginia Police K-9 officers with their dogs to guard the race cars during the down time.
The car cover at that time for Bud Moore's Wrangler Jeans sponsored, Dale Earnhardt driven #15 Ford Thunderbird was actually made of the same 14 ounce heavy duty denim that we used in our men's Wrangler jeans. It was also lined/padded and very heavy, requiring two crew members to take it off the car and roll it up.
Late one Friday afternoon at Richmond, two of Harold Stott's fellow Bud Moore crew members had one of those brilliant ideas that racers sometimes get. They approached the police K-9 officers and made a deal for the next morning.
Just before the Richmond garage opened on Saturday morning, Bud Moore crew members Doug and Ray accompanied the K-9 officers to Earnhardt's car. They proceeded to sit a German Shepherd with two stainless steel teeth in Earnhardt's driver's seat and chain him to the roll cage with the assistance of the two K-9 officers.
The car cover was put back on the car just before Harold Stott arrived in the garage. Ray and Doug alerted all the other crews to watch and when Harold, standing by the driver's window, lifted that car cover the German Shepherd acted like it would eat him alive!
We were all convulsed with laughter until we became afraid Harold was having a heart attack. He didn't and for many years after was forced to listen red faced to Bud's crew describe that morning in the Richmond garage to newcomers in NASCAR.
I don't guess anything like that is done anymore. Too much on the line with all these professional pit crew members, but I'll never forget the sight of that German Shepherd in Earnhardt's seat!
Wonderful news for eastern North Carolina race fans about Southern National
To newsroom and sports staff:
The ownership and staff at Southern National Motorsports Park cordially invites you to a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the return of short-track racing to the high-banked, 0.4-mile asphalt oval at noon on Thursday, March 1.
Located at 8701 Newsome Mill Road near Kenly, N.C. off NC Highway 581, Southern National Motorsports Park will open its 2012 racing season Saturday, March 3 at 2 p.m. with racing in five of the nine divisions it will be hosting this year.
Silent since closing its gates in December of 2008, the track was purchased through an October 2011 auction and subsequent negotiations in December by a partnership that includes Michael Diaz, Jerry Brown and Jim King.
Festivities will begin with a gathering of print, radio and television media and photographers at 11:30 a.m. for photo opportunities, followed by an overall greeting of invited dignitaries, Chamber of Commerce members from Wilson and Kenly, and the media by the owners.
Among the activities will be a painting of the start/finish line by VIPS and owners, welcoming speeches from the chambers and the ribbon-cutting at 12:30.
Tours of the grandstands, skyboxes, infield, garage, main tower and the kid's area are on the agenda, as well as a box lunch for the visiting dignitaries, media and chamber members.
During the lunch period, practice laps will be driven by a stock car, with a question-and-answer period with the owners to follow.
We hope to see you at SNMP on Thursday for this big event in the return of short-track racing to Wilson and Johnston Counties.
For more information, email Donnell Naron at dnaron@snmpark.com, or phone the track at 919-284-1114 or by fax at 919-284-5167.
For directions to the facility, visit our webpage at www.snmpark.com
Here's one Tom didn't mention:
Mark Martin's dive into the pits at Bristol 1994
In the closing laps of the Busch Series event in the spring of 1994, Mark Martin was leading when a caution came out. After the White Flag flew, Mark dove into the pits, not waiting for the checkered flag, handing David Green his only win during his championship season.
The reason? No clue. Martin may have said it best, No one else could ever be that stupid.
If you think Juan Pablo Montoya wrecking while the caution flag was displayed at Daytona was unusual, think again.
I have always conceded the title of bonehead moves during the yellow flag to Buddy Baker , son of the late Grand National Champion, Buck Baker . I recall Buddy wrecking several times during the yellow flag while in position to win the race.
This interesting 2010 column by Tom Higgins confirmed my memory.
Mistakes that cost them the race
TOM HIGGINS SCUFFS
Thursday, Jun. 24, 2010
Marcos Ambrose has big-name company in NASCAR's unofficial "Behemoth Blunder Department."
Immediately coming to mind are Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip.
Ambrose, as most Cup Series fans are aware by now, essentially gave away victory Sunday at Infineon Raceway in California. While leading under caution in the waning laps on the road course, the Tasmanian began flipping off his car's ignition switch in order to coast and conserve fuel.
The last time he did so the engine initially failed to refire, and Ambrose's car came to a stop. By the time he got going again four drivers had passed him, led by eventual winner Jimmie Johnson.
The colorful, popular Ambrose, who had appeared a certain winner for the first time, finished a heart-breaking sixth.
Baker knows the feeling.
While running at Texas World Speedway, where NASCAR staged seven races at the Cup Series level from 1969-81, Big Buddy once seemed to have Victory Lane awaiting him.
But a crash while under caution took him out of contention. He ran into James Hylton on the frontstretch.
"We didn't have radio communication between the cars and the pits in those days," recalls Baker. "I momentarily took my eyes off the track to try and read a message the crew was giving me on a big chalk board.
"Hylton was going a bit slower than me, and I hit him."
The chalked message?
"You've Got It Made!"
Somewhat similarly, a wreck while under yellow spoiled the chances of Baker, Labonte and Joe Ruttman in a 1980s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
The three tangled and tore up their cars on what was then the backstretch. Neither could explain what went wrong.
"It was like an invisible hand came out from the wall and smacked us together," said Labonte, a two-time Cup Series champion, who appeared to lose control first.
The speedway nicknamed "The Lady In Black" because of its many weird incidents dating, had struck again.
Among Darlington's strangest involved the superstar combination of driver David Pearson and his Wood Brothers team.
In the 1979 Rebel 500 Pearson looked to be rolling to another triumph at the South Carolina track he dominated.
But a fateful pit stop took place on the 302nd of the race's 367 laps.
The crew was completing its service by tightening the left side lug nuts.
Pearson thought he heard crew chief Leonard Wood shout "Go!" David, known as "The Silver Fox" due to his savvy, sped away.
But Leonard had said "Whoa!" The lugs weren't yet secured.
At the end of pit road the left side wheels literally ran off. And the famous No. 21 maroon and white Mercury was out of the race.
Two days later team owner Glen Wood announced a split with Pearson.
It was a sad, stunning end for one of the most famous pairings in NASCAR history. Pearson and the Woods had won 29 superspeedway races since getting together in 1972.
Back at Darlington just jut five months later in '79 Waltrip experienced his boneheaded blunder.
Darrell held a lap lead on the field on the 298th of 367 circuits in the Southern 500. Suddenly the driver that had put on a powerful performance was in the wall.
"I let myself get distracted by a much slower car," conceded Waltrip. "It was a huge mistake."
Waltrip rallied and was running a close second when he again slammed the wall just 10 laps later.
This time the culprit was a tire, possibly cut by damage to the car from the first incident.
The winner, in a storybook development, was Pearson, who had experienced such embarrassment at the track in April. Waltrip finished 11th, 12 laps behind.
Dave Marcis scored a "gift" victory at Richmond Raceway in February of 1982, courtesy of Petty and some other top stars.
On the 244th of a scheduled 400 laps the luckless Ruttman blew a tire and hit the fourth turn wall. He had led for the previous 39 laps and appeared to have by far he strongest car.
Although the sky was darkening ominously and a heavy storm loomed to the south, Petty and other frontrunners including Benny Parsons and Earnhardt swept into the pits. In fact, every driver ahead of Marcis pitted.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw them going in, especially Richard," recalls Marcis. "He's the smartest driver I've ever known. It was obvious rain was coming."
It did. Hard.
NASCAR allowed five more laps under caution, then ordered a red flag with Marcis leading. Not long afterward, the race was declared official with 250 laps completed.
Marcis had scored the fifth and final victory of a career spanning four decades.
"I knew it was going to rain," Dave says with a grin. "I guess the other guys weren't such good weathermen."
Yarborough's error unforgettably came on July 4th in 1984 as the Firecracker 400 concluded at Daytona International Speedway.
With President Ronald Reagan watching, Doug Heveron flipped in the frontstretch on the 157th lap of 160.
The caution flag waved. Under rules of that time, drivers could race back to the line under yellow. Leaders Petty and Yarborough battled abreast to get back to the line first. Both knew there was no chance of getting under green again. Victory was at stake.
As the two roared through the trioval their cars scrubbed fenders. Sparks and smoke flew.
Petty got to the line ahead by a foot or so, securing his 200th triumph.
Yarborough, adrenaline gushing at the exciting duel, lost track of the laps run.
Cale came down pit road on the 159th lap, headed to the garage. His crew frantically waved him to keep going. Yarborough sped back onto the track, but he had lost a position. Yarborough's boo-boo created a dandy NASCAR trivia question: Who finished second as King Richard scored No. 200?
Most answer Yarborough because of he and Petty charging to the line side-by-side.
However, the runnerup was Harry Gant. Yarborough fell to third.
Through the years, even stock car racing's finest have fallen victim to enormous errors.
But none, until the unfortunate Ambrose, ever cut off an engine to coast while going UPHILL!
Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2010/06/24/39227/mistakes-that-cost-them-the-race.html#storylink=cpy
That's the best photo I've ever seen of the Richmond fire. Thanks. I guess that's Benny Parsons' L.G. DeWitt ride in the foreground.
Straight from DW's mouth.... his account of the worst fire in NASCAR history:
DARRELL WALTRIP - DO YOU HAVE ANY GOOD RICHMOND STORIES?
"I caused the biggest wreck in the history of NASCAR, bigger than the ones at Talladega, at Richmond driving for Bud Moore. Have you never noticed that Bud never mentions me. All of these drivers will get on stage and he'll talk about all the great drivers he's had and he never mentions my name and I drove seven races for him in 1973. But we were in Richmond and he was running a 351 against everybody else's, they said they were 427s but they were more like 494s -- whatever they were they were big motors. He thought he could win with a 351 and I'm a rookie so I believe he can too. Anyway, we're at Richmond on the old race track. I qualified on the outside pole, Bobby (Allison) was on the pole and I was on the outside pole. They dropped the green flag and a guy named Baxter Price started dead last. He didn't even try to qualify, they just started him at the back of the field. On the third lap we were lapping him. He spun coming off of turn four and, of course, that race track was real narrow. He spun coming off of turn four and I'm all over the back of Bobby and all of a sudden Bobby dives down pit lane. Well, I wondered why and it didn't take very long for me to find out because Baxter Price was sitting sideways on the race track. I hit him right in the fuel cell and when I did it exploded. I mean, it was full of fuel and it just exploded. Of course, the track is blocked and everybody was just piling in -- there must have been probably 20 cars. Well, the gas is running all down underneath of them and everything is catching on fire. I'm sitting there and, of course, every driver is scared to death of fire and the last thing I heard is, 'Get that radio. Cut that radio off that roll bar and bring that radio in. Don't let that radio burn up.' The car burned up, but he didn't want that radio to burn up."
How many of you remember Bosco Lowe in the spring 1985 Busch race at Charlotte driving the entire length of the grass infield then suddenly deciding to drive back up on the track right in front of oncoming traffic?
The result could have been a whole lot worse, but the resulting fireball was pretty spectacular. Bosco was not a real popular fellow that day.
