I saw that we also lost "Little" Jimmy Dickens Friday in Nashville. Don't know if he ever got over to the Nashville Fairgrounds for anything other than Fan Fest, but I suspect he covered for Marty at the Opry more than one Saturday night when Robbins was "delayed" getting to the show and broadcast from the stock car races.
Jack, I note that you have a nice Clyde Magnum photo of Carl Burris posed with the #45 William Mason machine out of Bassett, Virginia taken in 1959 at Daytona posted at your own web site at the link below:
http://www.southeastraceplace.com/album/Pit%204%20-%20Classic%20Pho...
I'm sure our Tuesday night Goat Rodeo "Man on the Street" will want to check it out, lol!
Thank you for the correction, Chase & Jack. Google News Archive has the wrong date cataloged on the story from the Daytona paper. When I scroll to the top of the paper it is clearly the Sunday, January 4th edition, as is the coverage from Spartanburg and Lexington, NC newspapers.
Beginning in 1955, Bowman Gray Stadium annually staged the Tobacco Bowl modified race around New Year's Day. The 1959 edition, held on Saturday, January 3rd, was won by Carl Burris over Curtis Turner, winner of the first two Tobacco Bowls in 1955 and 1956.
Johnny, there is a second video posted that very clearly shows Elmo competing against 4 sports cars in two novelty races. The first race was on the road course and Elmo finishes 3rd. In the oval track race, more to Elmo's liking, he crosses the line in 2nd place on the tail of a Corvette taking the white flag and moves inside the 'vette for the lead coming out of turn 2 to the checkers. The 'vette didn't survive the impact with Elmo... but neither did Elmo! Only 1 car finished the novelty race of the NASCAR stocker against the 4 sports cars on the oval.
Beginning around the 6:29 mark in the video below is good footage of Elmo against the sports cars in January 1962 during the two novelty races during the Marlboro Motor Raceway Refrigerator Bowl series:
Johnny, there is some 8mm home movie footage posted of Saturday and Sunday practice and some Sunday racing for the 1962 Refrigerator Bowl at Marlboro, MD. The best shot I see of a full bodied stock car is during a Sunday morning practice session around the 6:28 mark very briefly showing a car #82 coming off the turn and passing in front of the main grandstand.Elmo drove a Ford #82 in the 1962 Southern 500 at Darlington. The brief clip "might" be Elmo.
RR member, Larry Jendras, Jr. has a nice page at The Vintage Racer site that particularly covers stock car racing at Marlboro in the 50s-early60s:
http://www.thevintageracer.com/tracks/marlboro.htm
A number of nice John Ward and Bob Williams photos are featured:
I'd have figured for sure that those Mardi Gras trinkets would have done the trick, Johnny!
