Richard Petty, Lees son, holds virtually every major NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career record at Richmond International Raceway, including most wins (13), most poles (8 [shares record with Bobby Allison]), most top-five finishes (34), most top-10s (41), most starts (63), most consecutive starts (46), most races led (34), most laps led (5,136).
Richmond International Raceway celebrates 60 years of NASCAR
By: Billy Fellin
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: January 13, 2012
From Lee Petty piloting his Dodge to victory in 1953 on a half-mile dirt track to Kevin Harvick's win in Sept. 2011 on the track's current three-quarter-mile paved configuration, Richmond International Raceway has seen it all and will remember it all with its 60th anniversary celebration this season.
"Sixty years of NASCAR at RIR is a big deal," RIR president Dennis Bickmeier said. "It's a milestone year. We can really engage our fans about their thoughts and memories about RIR, as well as the drivers and past performers here. I think that's going to be cool to learn more stories."
Martinsville Speedway (1949) and Darlington Raceway (1950) are the only two tracks that the Sprint Cup Series currently visits that have hosted Cup events longer than Richmond.
The list of past Richmond winners includes NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (13 times), Dale Earnhardt (five), Bobby Allison (five), Darrell Waltrip (four) and Cale Yarborough (three).
Local Richmond racing history guru Joe Kelly, co-host of "Let's Talk Racing" on WARV, remembers the first race at Richmond and can't believe it has made it to 60 years.
"It's kind of amazing to me really," he said. "When it started, we thought it was the biggest thing in the world."
Richmond's short track beating-and-banging reputation was born that day, as Kelly said both Petty's Dodge and second-place Dick Rathman's Hudson Hornet were in less than pristine condition after the finish.
"They battled each other," Kelly said. "At the end of the day, the Dodge looked like a crushed Beetle and the Hudson looked like a turtle that had lost everything but a chance."
To celebrate the track's history, Bickmeier said there are various events being scheduled for the next few months.
"We're trying to have a big event in March, a rally at the Capitol in Richmond," he said. "Literally, rally a lot of fans and drivers and NASCAR officials to really celebrate the 60 years of RIR. Obviously, the next one would be the race (in April)."
While no official plans have been announced, Bickmeier is excited about the enthusiasm of the fans in Richmond.
"The energy and the enthusiasm of the race fans in the market keep this group (the RIR staff) motivated on the promise that you are going to come here and have a good time," he said.
Kelly said another 60 years for Richmond is not out of the question.
"Another 60 years, I just think it'll be bigger," he said. "I don't know if it'll be any bigger on the track, but it'll be bigger in the grandstand."
wfellin@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6823
NOTE from Dave : The first NASCAR race of any type in the state of Virginia was held at the Richmond dirt track in 1948 - a NASCAR Modified event.
Harlow Reynolds has posted the image below previously sometime ago, but the Glen Wood NASCAR Hall of Fame bio will receive its initial airing on SPEED tonight, 1/13/2012 at 8:00 pm Eastern.
After analyzing the eating habits of the Honey Badger, perhaps Tony & Danica should seek out Chick-Fil-A as a sponsor, rather than Go Daddy.
Honey badgers often become serious poultry predators. Because of their strength and persistence, they are difficult to deter. They are known to rip thick planks from hen-houses or burrow underneath stone foundations.
When I go to the Memory Lane Museum web site and click on the link for Legends Helping Legends, it comes up with info for the March 26, 2011 event. Somebody needs to get that fixed so we can see the "real" info.
Free Promo Idea for the NASCAR Hall of Fame:
HOME TRACKS TO HALL ROAD TO CHARLOTTE SWEEPSTAKES
Purpose: Build awareness & attendance at both the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the grass roots NASCAR weekly home tracks - two areas that need promotion and attendance boosts.
Grand Prize: Winner in each NASCAR Home Track weekly track market wins all expense paid trip for 2-4 persons to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.
Method of Entry: Entry is free, but sweepstakes ballot/entry must be picked up made in person on any race date at a NASCAR weekly track. Entries deposited weekly at the home track in each market.
Contest Duration: Entire weekly track season - from opening of track in spring to closing of track in fall. Multiple entries are encouraged - one per week.
Contest Partners: * Top rated radio stations in each weekly track market
* One overall corporate "presenting" sweepstakes "partner" - for instance, if Homelite Chain Saws is overall presenting partner, the contest becomes HOMELITE HOME TRACKS TO HALL ROAD TO CHARLOTTE SWEEPSTAKES
* One major air carrier - US Airways would be preferred carrier since Charlotte is its largest hub.
* Hotel in Charlotte area
Funding: Radio air time donated, one local radio personality in each home track market is the contest "guru" and makes appearances and live broadcasts from the weekly track. Air travel donated, hotel stays donated. Overall sponsor pays fee, each weekly track contributes and NASCAR contributes.
Promotion: Newspaper Travel Editors and Feature Editors heavily briefed on the Sweepstakes. Feature Editors and Sports Editors and Sports Anchors have specific releases prepared for them tailored to and highlighting the history of their local weekly home track and its stars. You've got to make it easy for the writers and broadcasters. Heavily emphasize any competitor who is Hall related or eligible or who may have participated at the home track or in the area. Get free stories, get free tv coverage. Give them the story. Customize it to fit the market like any good advertiser or promo person. Run wrap around national spots and have the tv "talking heads" on the racing telecasts rave about the sweepstakes. Each local home track radio station will run additional promos to boost weekly track attendance.
Outcome: NASCAR Weekly tracks and Hall of Fame receive season long exposure and promotion resulting in attendance increases at all venues.
Now, this is a 5-minute thought process of mine that might or might not work that obviously would need immense "flushing out" of all details. But, when I say promotion, this is the type thing I mean. Just one idea, but I don't see any coming from down the street.
I am certain that the staff at the HOF is operating to the best of its ability and to my knowledge, too, they are excellent folks. That said, I will continue to maintain that the place has got to be promoted better to draw. My definition of bashing and that of some other folks differs. Constructive criticism is not bashing to me and constructive criticism is warranted in the case of tthe HOF. One of the real big surprises about Charlotte to many people is that Charlotte is not a "racing" town. Mooresville may be, Concord may be, but not Charlotte. In Richmond, you'd see cars and trucks everywhere with racing bumper stickers and a large proportion of the population attending racing events, both major and weekly - not in Charlotte. As Humpy Wheeler said many years ago, if they ever close the borders to Virginia, we'll have to close Charlotte Motor Speedway. With the millions of dollars that have been spent, I just don't see the appropriate promotional effort, whether it be advertising, news releases, tie-ins with tv and radio and newspapers and corporate sponsors or other inventive promotional efforts to lure the masses. Until someone with a background and capabilities in that area is added to the staff, I don't think the potential is being maximized. I sure want the place to succeed. But, you can't sit with your head in the sand and not offer suggestions for what is constantly being portrayed locally as a sinking ship. Promote, promote, promote. Bill France and Joe Littlejohn and Enoch Staley and Clay Earles and Paul Sawyer didn't build NASCAR with a "Build it and they will come" philosophy. They worked the angles and stretched meager resources and were inventive. The HOF has got to get inventive, too. It's not too late, but the promotion has got to get started.
One thing I think could immensely help getting out the Hall message is if the excellent programs on the inductees had a wider distribution than just the SPEED channel. Every single one of them are excellent network quality productions that could reach a mass sports and non-sports audience. It is ashamed they remain virtually hidden on SPEED and not on an ABC or FOX network.
