1986 Hayride 500
Stock Car Racing History
Lot of cool photos at this link:
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
1986 Hayride 500
Stock Car Racing History
I can remember on several occasions during our Goat Rodeo broadcst chats that our RR member, Jack Redd (Jack Approved -JA) talked of being neighbors in Maryland with Norris Friel. Here's an excerpt from Jack's profile:
"I have been involved with stock car racing since 1948. I was friends with Norris Friel from his AAA days. He was asked by Bill France Sr., to come be his Chief Inspector. Mr Friel was my neighbor and he and "Big Bill" raced together back in the 1930's. I still have in my scapbook a picture that Mr. Friel took of "Big Bill" in a race car in an alley in Wash., D.C. in 1934."
1986 Hayride 500
Stock Car Racing History
I always considered the Myers Brothers Award at the top of the heap as far as racing awards. It is voted on annually by the membership of the National Motorsports Press Association. Here's the complete, year by year list of names/companies/events who've been awarded this honor:
The Myers Brothers Award recognizes individuals and/or groups who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing. It is named after two of the sports pioneers, Billy and Bob Myers.
Myers Brothers Award Winners Year Recipient
2010 Jim Hunter
2009 Barney Hall
2008 Thomas Taylor Warren
2007 Bill France Jr.
2006 Benny Parsons
2005 Rusty Wallace
2004 Kyle & Patti Petty
2003 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
2002 Mike Helton
2001 Dale Earnhardt
2000 Kyle Petty
1999 Junie Donlavey
1998 T. Wayne Robertson
1997 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
1996 Rick Hendrick
1995 The Nashville Network
1994 Brickyard 400/Indianapolis Motor Speedway
1993 Goodys Manufacturing Co.
1992 Richard and Lynda Petty
1991 Harry Gant
1990 Dick Beaty
1989 Bill France Jr.
1988 Richmond International Raceway
1987 ESPN
1986 Hayride 500
1985 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
1984 Charlotte Motor Speedway
1983 CBS-TV
1982 Motor Racing Network
1981 Junior Johnson
1980 STP & Champion Spark Plug Co.
1979 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
1978 Busch
1977 First National City Travelers Checks
1976 Junior Johnson
1975 Bill France Sr.
1974 H. Clay Earles
1973 Wood Brothers
1972 Winston Cigarettes
1971 Richard Petty
1970 Richard Howard
1969 David Pearson
1968 Wood Brothers
1967 Richard Petty
1966 Norris Friel
1965 Ned Jarrett
1964 Richard Petty
1963 Marvin Panch
1962 Hank Schoolfield
1961 Ned Jarrett
1960 Russ Catlin
1959 Lee Petty
1958 Bob Colvin
1986 Hayride 500
Stock Car Racing History
Yep, that was a red letter day for NASCAR affiliated personnel pulling together for a worthy cause.
Lennie Pond Slept in Racecar, Won 1978 Talladega 500
General
Woody and Jay,
Always remembered it as being Waddell, but Woody you've got me second guessing now. You may well be right. Maybe it was Herb, not Waddell. Haven't seen Lennie since I left the Richmond track in 1999. Had a couple of phone calls from him in Charlotte after that. Lennie was always a tremendously nice fellow. Jay, I don't know if Lennie is still working at Heritage Chevrolet in Chester, Va. or not, but you could try there.
Lennie Pond Slept in Racecar, Won 1978 Talladega 500
General
Going in to the 1978 Talladega 500, 1973 Rookie of the Year, Lennie Pond already knew he was going to be replaced by Harry Ranier for 1979... Ranier thought he was getting DW, but the DiGard contract was too strong. According to my conversations with Lennie, Waddell Wilson kept changing the setup on the car without telling Lennie. Frustrated, Lennie decided to sleep in the car and did the night before the 500, convinced Wilson would change the setup again without telling him. Lennie went on to win the race with a then record average speed in a race with arecord number of lead changes. He still lost his ride with Ranier, though. Waltrip and DW did eventually team up, with Rick Hendrick, as the "Dream Team" for 1987. A nicer racer than Lennie I have never met. For many years he has sold cars for Heritage Chevrolet in Chester, VA. Lennie endured a lot, including the tragic loss of his wife.
updated by @dave-fulton: 11/05/25 06:19:14PM
Coldest Pepsi on 64
General
Was "Spud" at one time a very common nickname? My high school basketball coach in Richmondwas Weldon "Spud" Bloxom, who died in 1979. He's a member of the College of William & Mary Football Hall of Fame and Virginia High School League Hall of Fame. He was the only "Spud" I ever met.
Coldest Pepsi on 64
General
Good story. Loved those old soft drink coolers. My dad patronized a Pure station in Richmond when I was a small boy that had one of those coolers that circulated cold water. Root beer & chocolate drinks were favorites. Dennis, I notice you mentioned "nabs". I am amazed how many people don't know that term. When I was a kid, Nabisco and Lance both sold peanut butter crackers in a pack of 4, stacked one on top of the other for $.05. We referred to all brands of this type snack as "nabs", short for Nabisco. Years later when the manufacturers raised the price to $.10 they began the current packaging of 6 to a pack, 3 stacks of two side by side. How much is a pack of nabs these days, anyway?
Who is Building the Chassis these Days?
General
Mike Beam & Iwere actually stranded together on an airplane at the SeaTac airport in July 1986 with our plane tickets to NC and credit cards cancelled when a deal with one of those cars I mentioned from Laughlin's went sour. Delta actually tried to pull us off the airplane, but I had enough credit on another card to buy Mike and I a ticket back to Greenville-Spartanburg and then drive him home to NC. I had just hired Mike (he and Ithought) to be the Team Manager for Derrike Cope's 1986 Cup Rookie campaign we were running out of Campobello, SC and we'd gone to Seattle to run a special event Winston West race with Derrike at Evergreen sponsored by his Rookie Cup car owner, Warren Razore andand one of his companies,Western Peterbilt. When we got to Seattle, Razore told Mike and I he was cancelling the Cup program and Mike and I told him what he could do with his Winston West program and went back to the airport without ever going to Evergreen Raceway. I have tremendous respect for Mike Beam. He is a class act and nice fellow to boot. I always enjoyed Mike's stories of campaigning the LMS car for Butch Lindley. I also have tremendous respect for Derrike. As we all learn, racing is full of plenty of crooks, though. That particular car owner later died from cancer.