Forum Activity for @dave-fulton

Former Wilson, NC Dirt Champion and Noted Engine Builder J.E. Beard's Father Passes

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Edsel Beard of Bailey, NC, father of 1970s Late Model Wilson County Speedway Champion J.E. Beard has passed. J.E. later built engines for Jack Tant Automotive and Lake Speed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Edsel "Ed" Beard, Jr. Nov. 15, 1927 July 23, 2011 [1]John Edsel Ed Beard, Jr., 83 of Bailey, died Saturday. Ed, a WWII Navy veteran was owner/operator of Eds Sport Center for over 50 years. He died in his home surrounded by family. A private service will be held at a later date. He is survived by a son, J.E. Beard and wife Barbara; two daughters, Sherry Beard Tant and husband Jimmy and Kay Beard; a grandson, Kevin Beard and wife Debbie; and two great-grandchildren, Sierra and Heather Beard. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean Ellis Beard, a granddaughter Stacy L. Beard and a great-grandson, Kevin D. Beard. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to For the Love of Dogs, 5146 Quaker Road, Wilson, NC 27893. Arrangements are by Joyners Funeral Home, 4100 Raleigh Road Parkway. Condolences may be directed to www.joyners.net [2].

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM

I Saw Ralph Earnhardt & Maurice Petty on the Track Together

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Nice piece of research, Chase.

I Saw Ralph Earnhardt & Maurice Petty on the Track Together

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Today is the 51st anniversary of this race.... my first.

I Saw Ralph Earnhardt & Maurice Petty on the Track Together

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Well, I DID have 8mm movie film, until I loaned it to NASCAR for their 50th Anniversary documentaries and Dave Lindemann's facility burned, along with all my 8mm and Super 8 film.

I Saw Ralph Earnhardt & Maurice Petty on the Track Together

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I keep discovering that my memory has large lapses of things I can't remember and other lapses of things I don't ever remember having known. For instance... if anyone asked me if I had ever seen Ralph Earnhardt race, my answer until tonight would have been NO, but I watched Dale and Dale, Jr. Boy, would I have been wrong. For some reason tonight I looked at the results sheet of the first Grand National race I ever attended, the March 1964 Richmond 250 on the old 1/2-mile dirt track, won by David Pearson in a Cotton Owens Dodge. That race is particularly significant because it started on Sunday afternoon and was halted by a huge thunderstorm and finished on TUESDAY night, under the lights. One of the things I rememberedabout my first race is that Maurice Petty was in the field driving a 1963 Plymouth, but I was surprised tonight to see that Ralph Earnhardt also was in that race 47 years ago. I don't know how many times those two may have raced together in a Grand National event, but I bet not too many fans can claim to have seen them in the same race on the dirt. Just something interesting I thought I'd pass on. Here's the results for that race, if it will post (from the Racing Reference web site): Not a bad field...

1964 Richmond 250

NASCAR Grand National race number 9 of 62

March 10, 1964 at Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds, Richmond, VA

250 laps on a .500 mile dirt track (125.0 miles)

Time of race: 2:07:51 Average Speed: 60.233 mph Pole Speed: 69.07 mph Cautions: 2 Margin of Victory: 0.5 lap

Attendance: 15,000 Lead changes: 5

Fin St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led

1 10 6 David Pearson Cotton Owens '64 Dodge 250 1,500 running 36

2 6 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises '64 Plymouth 250 1,000 running 29

3 2 1 Billy Wade Bud Moore '64 Mercury 250 750 running 81

4 13 3 Junior Johnson Ray Fox '64 Dodge 249 600 running 0

5 7 45 Doug Yates Louis Weathersbee '63 Plymouth 249 450 running 0

6 3 21 Marvin Panch Wood Brothers '64 Ford 249 375 running 0

7 4 41 Maurice Petty Petty Enterprises '63 Plymouth 248 300 running 0

8 17 09 Larry Manning Bob Adams '62 Chevrolet 241 250 running 0

9 20 60 Doug Cooper Bob Cooper '63 Ford 239 200 running 0

10 11 62 Curtis Crider Curtis Crider '63 Mercury 232 200 running 0

11 16 78 Buddy Arrington Buddy Arrington '63 Plymouth 232 175 running 0

12 22 97 Joe Clark Al McCline '64 Ford 232 175 running 0

13 1 11 Ned Jarrett Bondy Long '64 Ford 224 175 engine 104

14 14 5 Jim Paschal Cotton Owens '64 Dodge 223 150 cylinder 0

15 24 92 Jim Cook Ray Osborne '63 Ford 222 150 running 0

16 18 19 Cale Yarborough Herman Beam '64 Ford 218 125 crash 0

17 23 7 E.J. Trivette Jess Potter '62 Chevrolet 216 125 engine 0

18 25 83 Worth McMillion Worth McMillion '62 Pontiac 176 125 a frame 0 19

19 32 Tiny Lund Graham Shaw '63 Ford 170 125 rear end 0

20 12 54 Jimmy Pardue Burton-Robinson (Charles Robinson) '64 Plymouth 140 125 crash 0 21 9 36 Larry Thomas Wade Younts '63 Dodge 116 125 a frame 0

22 5 31 Ralph Earnhardt Tom Spell '63 Ford 73 125 rear end 0

23 21 20 Jack Anderson Jack Anderson '63 Ford 22 125 engine 0

24 15 34 Wendell Scott Wendell Scott '62 Chevrolet 9 125 camshaft 0

25 26 86 Neil Castles Buck Baker '62 Chrysler 1 125 con rod 0

26 18 71 Bunkie Blackburn Roscoe Sanders '63 Plymouth 0 125 crash 0

27 0 61 Bob Cooper Bob Cooper '62 Pontiac 0 125 did not start 0

updated by @dave-fulton: 05/09/24 05:03:45PM

Preachers are getting into the Racing mode these days

Stock Car Racing History

I saw that live last night, and about fell out of the recliner when he got to his "Smoking hot wife" thanks! We used to love it down at Daytona when STP would have this kickoff breakfast over at Indigo resort and pastor Hal Marchman (who always gave the track invocations for the France family) would proclaim the "Official Opening of Redneck High Holy Weeks" as only he could say it!

Oh say can we stand for 2 minutes to honor our nation and those that fought for it?

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Thank you, Jim.

Made in the USA

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I remember near the end of the June 1981 Riverside race, Dale in Osterlund's Pontiac was leading and DW in Junior's car was second with time running out. Junior left his pit and walked down to RC's pit and talked to Kirk Shelmerdine. On the next lap, Childress ever so gently brushed the wall in that final sweeping Riverside turn and stopped his car, bringing out the yellow. DW beat Dale out of the pits and won by .89 seconds. Who'd have guessed that two months later dale would be driving for RC!

Made in the USA

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Junior had wanted Dale for a long time in the worst kind of way. Funny thing is, in the winter of 1980 Junior loaned us his cabin and the very first Wrangler photoshoot with Dale was done in Junior's cabin. If you have any 1981 racing publications, the back cover ad shot with Dale in front of the fireplace and deer head on the wall is Junior Johnson's cabin.

Made in the USA

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In the summer of 1983 I, along withseveral others from Blue Bell, Inc. (Wrangler) met with Junior Johnson in a back room of a seedy motel across from the Greensboro Airport and negotiated a deal with Junior to put Dale Earnhardt in his cars with Wrangler sponsorship beginning with the 1984 seasonin what Junior assurred us would be a one car deal. Junior stated to us that DW had had his bell rung when he hit that inside wall at Daytona and could no longer be competitive. A contract was prepared and signed by both Wrangler brass and Junior Johnson. Sometime, around August of 1983, we received word that Junior would have a two car team and Budweiser was involved. Junior was called to Greensboro for a meeting with Ed Bauman andJunior claimed Warner Hodgdon had gone behind his back and "done a deal". Well, Bauman, who can be VERY INTIMIDATING himself, unleashed on Junior, called him several unprintable names, tore up the Wrangler/Earnhardt contract with Junior and told Junior to leave his office and never set foot on Wrangler property again. And that was the end of the Junior/Dale deal and may also explain why Junior was so miffed with Dale in '86 at Richmond when he took DW out. Bauman was not a man to mess around with and Junior Johnson more than met his match when he tried to doublecross him. I had and have great respect for Ed Bauman, a very ethical and capable businessman.