Captain America
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Billy, Thank you so much. Always wondered...
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Captain America
General
Every time they run one ofthe ads I've been seeing on tv for the movie, Captain America, I keep thinking about former driver Raymond Williams, who carried the nickname "Captain America." When I used to stay at Southern Pines in the early 80s for the Rockingham races, we'd eat at a little oyster bar he was operating named the Silver Bucket. I was curious if anyone knew how he got the nickname... did it derive from some of his car color schemes or what?
This photocard was posted on a hobby forum.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
What, no mustache?! Get the clothespins!
General
I've never seen that particular artwork. I left Wrangler in February 1984, moving to Dallas, TX as Motorsports Coordinator for Southland Corporation (7-Eleven/CITGO/Chief Auto Parts). I wonder if this was a Speedway produced piece or a Wrangler produced piece? Childress and Earnhardt quickly convinced Wrangler to drop the yellow back end on the 1984 #3 car as seen in this July Talladega photo below. Thanks for re-posting this.
What, no mustache?! Get the clothespins!
General
Ricky has clothespins up his back in this shot... thanx... and you're right... no stache on Dale.
What, no mustache?! Get the clothespins!
General
The background:
Dale Earnhardt had been miserable throughout 1983 in Bud Moore's Wrangler sponsored Fords. There were serious valve spring issues and Dale blew one engine after another. He also hated the new, aerodynamic Thunderbird. He called it "the football. " In late summer 1983 I went to Detroit and had a lunch meeting in the revolving restaurant on top of Cobo Hall by the Westin Hotel with Edsel Ford and Michael Kranefuss, the "new" Ford racing guy. The purpose of the meeting was to try to get some additional aid for Ford's engine program at Bud Moore's and to keep Earnhardt happy. Edsel Ford was cordial and one of the nicest men I've ever met. I also dined with him that evening at an exclusive French restaurant. Kranefuss seemed more concerned with things like the Zakspeed Roush racing effort with Klaus Ludwig and the Ford Probe and looked down on stock car racing. At lunch, Kranefuss very succintly stated that Ford didn't care whether Earnhardt continued to drive Fords or not. According to Kranefuss, Ford did not consider Earnhardt to be a"championship caliber" (his words) driver and thought his 1980 Cup Championship was a not to be repeated fluke. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have so many been so wrong about so few.
Shortly thereafter, arrangements began to be made to put Earnhardt back in his favored Chevrolets for 1984, reuniting with Richard Childress Racing, sponsored by Wrangler. Wrangler still had a year left on Bud's contract and would honor that last year. Childress' driver, Ricky Rudd was hired by Bud after some preliminary negotiations with Tim Richmond. Earnhardt absolutely hated the idea that he would be sharing the Wrangler sponsorship and advertising with Ricky. It was nothing against Ricky, Dale just didn't want to share. I can't even begin to imagine the conversation some years later when Richard told Dale he was expanding to a two car team.
Fast forward to December 1983. Time for the New York Winston Cup Awards Banquet in New York City. Wrangler's advertising agency of record who had concocted the original "One Tough Customer" campaign (Dancer, Fitzgerald, Sample)featuring Dale in Wrangler Jeans would need to produce some new, "softer" ads featuring both Dale and Ricky in the new "Live It to the Limit in Wranglers" campaign. We booked photo studio time in New York with a well known sports celebrity photographer for most of the day Friday preceding the banquet. Dale let us know he didn't want to do ads with Ricky, but he had a contract.
I arranged to pick up Earnhardt at the Piedmont Airlines luggage claim at Laguardia Airport. While waiting, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Earnhardt, or at least I thought it was. The man standing behind me, dressed in a coat and tie and grinning from ear to ear, had NO MUSTACHE! Earnhardt had completely shaved off his signature mustache to protest having his photos made in an ad shoot with Ricky Rudd. I was flabbergasted and I think Dale was hoping I'd start screaming or something. I didn't.
The only thing I remember about riding to the photo studio was Earnhardt asking the limo driver to "lock the doors." That was funny.
At the shoot, nobody let on that anything was the matter. However, one other thing was wrong. All of the Wrangler shirts we had were way too large for Ricky. The photographer solved that problem by using clothespins behind Ricky's back to make the shirts form fitting.
In those pre "photo shop" days, an ad agency studio artist air brushed wonderful mustaches on all of Dale Earnhardt's photos. If you ever see any 1984 season Wrangler ads with Dale Earnhardt and/or Ricky Rudd, Dale has an airbrushed mustache in all of them and Ricky has clothespins running up and down his back. Just another little behind the scenes peek at the off track action.
You may remember that Ricky's first ride in Bud's car aborted in his barrel roll off turn 1 in the season opening Daytona Busch Clash. After having his eyes taped open the following Sunday, Ricky ran the 500 andthe following week won at Richmond for Bud wearing a flack jacket to protect his ribs. During that Richmond race on the old half mile Ricky and Dale rubbed some serious sheet metal in those two Wrangler cars, beginning quite a rivalry.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
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Dale Earnhardt quote: "2nd place is the first loser."
Did you ever see Richard Petty win in person?
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I saw a lot of RP wins, including at my home Richmond track. This writer's recollection of Richard's win in the 1972 Capital City 500 matches my own. Richard's feat that day rivals Earnhardt's famed "pass in the grass." Too bad it wasn't captured for tv.
With last weekend's NASCAR race at Richmond, Vir., I could't help but remember the way it used to be at the old fairgrounds track before its modern-day renovations. Everyone has their "race to remember," many of us have numerous recollections that are difficult to whittle down to one best. For me, Richmond remains among the most memorable.
It was September 1972, and I was in flight to Richmond for the first time to cover the Capitol City 500 in only my second year as a member of the racing media. Little did I know of the drama that was soon to unfold.
Richmond International Raceway was billed as a .542-mile paved oval, originally built as dirt in 1945. The track was enlarged to its present .75-mile configuration in the summer of 1988. But in 1972, the speedway was called Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway.
The ongoing Richard Petty/Bobby Allison feud was pretty well known at that time, so hefty on-track action was to be expected. However, at races end, to find the cars of the two feuders so mangled was not in anyones predictions.
Petty started the race in third and won; Allison started on the pole and finished second. The third place car of Bill Dennis was eight laps back. There were 16 lead changes just between Petty and Allison.
On lap 392, in the midst of the long afternoon tussle between the two, Allison gave Petty a retaliatory pop in the rear bumper, sending Petty into the beginning of a slide. Victim Buddy Baker got into him, sending Pettys Plymouth straddling the guardrail, only to phenomenally recover back down on four wheels to keep the lead! Now that maneuver had everyones jaws dropping.
Petty went on to win by just shy of a lap for his fifth straight victory at Richmond. He proceeded to win two more in a row at the track before being interrupted by an Allison victory, then posted yet another two consecutive through mid-1975. Petty is credited with the most wins at Richmond with 13, and the most top fives and top tens.
Never let is be said that Allison was taking the back seat to anyone. Because he dished out plenty of medicine, and ran up front more than any other driver during the 1971-72 seasons. Although the racing give-and-take had Petty doing the taking at Richmond this time around.
The press box was filled awaiting the post-race interview opportunity with Petty. He was a surreal-like figure as he walked into the small quarters above the speedways grandstands overlooking his conquered battlegrounds.
I recall his best quote of the open interview session, right at the end before he departed. A writer asked, When will you be doing this again? Richard replied while keeping his toothy grin on his face: Well, whens the next race? Bobby Allison wasnt smiling.