Ray Hendrick would come back and sweep the October 1970 double header at Dover, setting a track speed record, topping the mark set by AJ Foyt. This 1970 story also confirms that Ray Hendrick did indeed take home the Schaefer Beer trophy by winning the All-Star race at Dover in 1969.
According to this excerpt from a history of the All-Star Racing League, Ray Hendrick did win two Schaefer Beer Trophies from the All-Star League / NASCAR / Open Comp events at Dover to add to his huge trophy collection. Hendrick used to run a Budweiser beer tap as a hood ornament sometimes on the Tant/Mitchell "Flying 11" - so I don't know how that sat with the Schaefer folks!
Hey Chase... if you get a chance sometime, you might check out the Wilmington, DE; Philly; Dover & Baltimore papers to see if you can find out who won that September 1, 1969 Modified race at Dover. I have an idea the Schaefer Beer trophy may have wound up in Ray Hendrick's den.
Ray Hendrick certainly would have been a logical choice for Dover track builder, Mel Joseph to put in his #49 Mustang for a Dover race. The Richmond speedster won a number of big modified races at Dover and was a big draw in the area. In fact, the very same year - 1970 - Ray Hendrick set a Dover speed record for all types of cars that would stand until broken in 1977 by Geoff Bodine.
A couple of extremely brief Associated Press clips:
Number 38 had a somewhat infamous NASCAR heritage. That was the number on Gwyn Staley's Julian Petty Chevy convertible when he was killed at Richmond in 1958.
Excerpted from Getty Images
My old racing buddy, Frank in Pennsylvania sent me a note about the Wayne Smith car in the photo. Perhaps Richmonders Dickie Gouldman, Ray Lamm, Dennis Garrett or Woody Delbridge remember this:
I recall that white '65 Chevy (later re-skinned a bit to pass for a '66) ended up with Larry Manning, who drove it at Southside and Langley while it was still GN-eligible, such was the difference in cost of cars 50 years ago.
I also remember some mumbling at the races that there was a dispute between Larry and Wayne about whether the car had been paid for, but that's a story I never checked out. It became #66 when it moved from Advance to Richmond.
Maybe it'll turn up out in the woods somewhere one day like Worth McMillion's Pontiac.
I just saw a note from new member, L.Kent Cope to Johnny Mallonee that we lost former Grand National driver Wayne Smith of Advance, NC last week at age 76 as the result of a traffic accident.
Wayne started 123 Grand National races between 1965-1972. Wayne was one of the handful of independent Chevy drivers that I and my buddies cheered for when Chrysler pulled out leaving the field to factory Fords and independent Chevys in 1965. R.I.P. Wayne.
I kept thinking after the announcement of the photo posted here at RR of member, Margaret Sue Turner Wright with her Dad at V.I.R. in 1966. How proud she must be.
