Forum Activity for @tim-leeming

WHO IS REALLY THE BOSS AT STEWART HASS RACING

Current NASCAR

The obvious answer to that question, Johnny is :"it ain't Tony Stewart". I'm guessing Sparkle Pony has more pull that Tony.

after 45 years worth McMillion pontiac 83 who finish 5th at hillsborough 1968 will be at 65th anniversary occoneechee /orange speedway spet.28,2013

Stock Car Racing History

Just more excitement to add to the event which is always excellent. I'm so looking forward to being there.

Thanks for remembering

Stock Car Racing History

Will, sorry I missed the opportunity to wish you a Happy Birthday on THE days, but please accept these belated good wishes.

Racing History Minute - Darlington

Stock Car Racing History

I have many a story about the Goodys Dash series. Will Hobgood, who was National Champ in that series in 1994, I think, maybe '95, was my mechanic for my second and third years racing. He then worked on my brother's cars and then started racing himself. The story of how Will came to be my mechanic at age 17 is quite a funny one which I have told at several gatherings with Will. I had the honor of being the Master of Ceremonies at several of his Fan Club banquets over the years. Watched his boys Jake and Dut race in the Dash Division as well. Very close association with that group of guys for me and it was good racing. Thanks for bringing that up Dave.

Racing History Minute - Darlington

Stock Car Racing History

Someone asked me, via e-mail a couple days ago, why all my History Minutes are about NASCAR when there is so much racing history in other divisions of racing. I am well aware of the rich history of all of racing, but I add these posts to the STOCK car racing page here, so for me that means stock car racing. And as for why it's all about NASCAR, that too is somewhat simple to explain. It was always NASCAR for me. Always has been and always will be even when I have issues with NASCAR I would like to discuss. Anyone who is a member of RR and wants to post racing history of any other series, such as ARCA, PASS, K&N, or whatever, is more than welcomed, and encouraged, to do so. We want a record of stock car racing and just because NASCAR happens to be my home doesn't, by any means, indicate it is the only history welcome here.

When the end of August rolls around, there is little other NASCAR history that doesn't involve Darlington, SC and the Southern 500. Starting September 1st, this Minute will feature a Southern 500 for each date. The 1967 Southern 500 will, of course, be up to TMC Chase to write up as he issource of all things Petty here and does a most outstanding job in that role.

So, for today, we are going to talk about how and why Darlington Raceway came to be. Most know the story of how Harold Brasington, a hometown boy of Darlington, attended the 1949 Indy 500 and decided that stock cars could run a 500 mile race as well if they had a track on which to do it. Harold had been a fan of stock car racing for quite sometime and traveled around the southeast watching dirt track events as often as he could. After the 1949 Indy 500 he returned home and decided Darlington, South Carolina would be the perfect place for an asphalt track on which stock cars could compete for 500 miles.

Brasington went about convincing some friends, also stock car fans, that such a track would work and two such individuals, Barney Wallace and Sherman Ramsey were as excited as Harold when Harold told him what he was planning. Barney ran a small grocey store in a small neighborhood in Darlington County and Sherman owned 70 acres of land just outside the city limits of Darlington which he considered, for the most part, worthless except for his minnow pond. Barney went to the Savings and Loan where he had his savings account and withdrew funds to buy stock in Harold's venture. When the branch manager of the S&L found out the reason for the withdrawal he had major heart contractions and reactions more severe than Milburn Drysdale in the Beverly Hillbillies when Jed Clampett would want to make a withdrawal. Nevertheless, Barney took the money and bought stock. Sherman deeded Harold the property in return for stock and a promise that the minnow pond would not be disturbed.

On December 13, 1949, Harold Brasington "officially" broke ground on Darlington Raceway and it wasn't with a gold painted shovel. Harold drove the tractor! In fact, the locals would see Harold on the tractor or otherwise working as long as the sun was shining everytime they drove past. Harold was building a race track! Maybe not many in Darlington understood why, and even fewer believed in his dream or his efforts, but Harold believed.

The story goes, told to me by Harold Brasington himself in 1994, that he parked his car on Main Street and sold stock from the trunk of the car. He convinced many people to buy stock and invest in his dream. I neglected to ask him the going price for the stock then but I know most bought thinking they would help Harold pay his bills at the Insane Asylum to which he was surely headed.

By the spring of 1950, Darlington Raceway was beginning to look like a 1.25 mile race track. Harold began to search for a sanctioning body to sanction the first race. Not too many folks believed a stock car could run 500 miles in a race and there weren't many takers ready to jump in a sanction a fiasco in a small Southern town. Finally, however, the Central States Racing Association agreed to sanction the first "Southern 500" to be run on Labor Day. It was then that Harold constructed a 9,000 seat grandstand and let the word circulate that the total purse would be $25,000.00.

It wasn't long before Harold realized the CSRA would not be able to provide a sufficient number of racers for the 500 miles so Harold sought out Bill France to talk about his relatively new Grand National Division competing. France told Brasinton, initially, that he didn't think a 500 mile race is some small town in South Carolina would ever go, but he agreed to come look at the track. Upon seeing the track Harold build, France agreed to sanction the race. France stayed in Darlington for three weeks and made several suggestions to Brasington which included "fence off the entire track" and "start 75 cars rather than the 30 you planned on starting". Brasington was a little shocked at the suggestion of 75 entries as the CSRA had only ONE driver commit, but Big Bill said he would guarantee 75 entries. So, 75 became the target number of starters.

On Labor Day,1950, after South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond and his wife had cut the ribbon the first Southern 500 was underway. While the stands could seat 9,000, between 20,000 and 30,000 folks showed up that hot and sunny day. Traffic jams on the two lane highways leading into Darlington became the norm and the situation was one from which legendary stories arise. When the day was over, it was known that stock cars COULD and DID race for 500 miles, but that's a story for next week.

Darlington Raceway was the catalyst that set the NASCAR wheels in motion for the future, although it would be 1959 before the next "Super" track would open. Harold Brasington's dream turned out not only to be a benefit to the small, sleepy town of Darlington, but also to the sport itself. Without Darlington Raceway, stock car racing may not have gained the momentum to birth Daytona, then Charlotte, Atlanta, and all the other super speedways of today. NASCAR, and all of us who love NASCAR stock car racing owe a debt of graditute to Mr. Harold Brasington.

I will admit my special love for Darlington Raceway as it was there, at the spring convertible race in 1957, that I saw my first big time asphalt stock car race. The Southern 500 on Labor Day, then Labor Day weekend, was my family destination every year untilmy father was too sick to go in 1993 and passed away in October, 1993. I continued to go to cover the race for my radio show on the all-sports 24/7 FM station out of Lexington, South Carolina until I stopped that in 1996. It was then through tickets from a friend who worked for Ford that I continued to go until the last Southern 500 was run there. It still bothers me that Labor Day weekend does NOT include the Southern 500 in Darlington. That is a part of NASCAR's tradition that, in my opinion, should have never been allowed to disappear. Even though the race Labor Day weekend is in Atlanta now, I often daydream while watching the Atlanta event, that I am in the infield at Darlington and the hot sun of a South Carolina September afternoon is turning me beet red.

I would like to thank the late Jim Hunter for writing the book "A History of Darlington Raceway" which I read from time to time and enjoy each time. That small book has a huge history and many, many historic pictures. I had many an opportunity to be around Jim Hunter and we had several conversations about racing. Anytime Darlington was mentioned around Jim, his facial expression seemed to change to one of peace and contentment. Jim Hunter loved that place! He is a part of the Darlington legacy as well.

So, folks, hang on as we get ready to start a Southern 500 roll in these Racing History Minutes. I encourage any of you to post your memories and comments to any of the Southern 500 stories you wish. After all, we are all a part of this history.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

August 29, 1959: Lee Petty Cruises in Columbia

Stock Car Racing History

I have tried really hard to recall so personal memories of this race because I knew I must have been there. The harder I tried, the more I realized something about that race just didn't register for me. So, I call my 80 year old Uncle Bobby who, I think, remains a Lee Petty fan even today. Yes, he remembers the race just enough to say that it was no race because there were on 5 or 6 cars running at the end and by the half way point only 6 or 7 were still on the track. He said it really wasn't a race, but he was happy because Lee was driving a Plymouth and it was his second win in a Plymouth.

August 29, 1954: Lee Petty Conquers Corbin Ky

Stock Car Racing History

Yep, Dave, enough definitely said. Didn't Kentucky give us the Waltrips? Enough said.

Racing History Minute - August 29, 1953

Stock Car Racing History

With Labor Day weekend quickly approaching, I am beginning to wonder where I would get a History Minute for the rest of August. Today I discovered that 12 of the good ole boys came to the Hickory Speedway on August 29, 1953, to run 200 laps/100 miles on what was then a half mile dirt track.

As for qualifying, the only record of that is that Tim Flock sat no the pole with a speed of 79.362 mph. Tim was driving a Hudson. My record also indicates Tim led the first 5 laps before brother Fonty, also driving a Hudson, took over the front spot where he would remain for the rest of the race. Herb Thomas would make a strong run but could never top Fonty. Herb would finish second and this would be the ninth consecutive race in which Thomas would finish first or second. This race would also mark the second time in four races that Dick Rathmann would finish last (albeit last place was 12th place). Incidentally, at the time this race was run, the dozen starters represented the smallest starting field in NASCAR's short history.

Another interesting factoid about this race concerns the driver described in Greg Fielden's "Forty Years of Stock Car Racing" as "a farm boy with big league aspirations". That "farm boy" was Ned Jarrett, starting his first Grand National Race. Ned would be credited with 11th place, completing only 25 of the 200 laps in his Ford.

Top five finishers were:

1. Fonty Flock, Frank Christain Hudson, winning $1,000.00

2. Herb Thomas, FABULOUS Hudson Hornet, winning $700.00

3. Joe Eubanks, Oates Motor Company Hudson, winning $450.00

4. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Dodge, winning $350.00

5. Jimmie Lewallen, Plymouth, winning $200.00

Remaining finishers were Slick Smith, Tim Flock, Fred Dove, Ralph Rose, Buck Baker, Ned Jarrett, and Dick Rathmann.

I must admit that everytime I read about the Hudson Hornets, I can picture in my mind the way those cars seemed to literally "float" around Columbia Speedway back in the day. Some great race cars.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Racing History Minute - August 28, 1965

Stock Car Racing History

On this date, in 1965, 20 drivers entered an event known as "The Myers Brothers Memorial" race at Winston-Salem's Bowman-Gray Stadium. Just last week, several of us had the pleasure of being with the on of the sons of each of the Myers Brothers at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Billy and Bobby Myers were true pioneers of the sport. Bobby Myers was killed in a crash on the 27th lap of the 1957 Southern 500, which I watched happen right in front of me. Billy Myers, I understand, had just completed a race at Bowman-Gray, climbed out of his car and collasped from an apparent heart attack. I never met Billy or Bobby, but I have met Randy and Chocolate and they carry the passion for the sport both in memory of their famous fathers and also with a true love of the sport. It is because of folks like the Myers families that NASCAR became a major sport.

Richard Petty, back in action after the Chrysler Corporation boycott of NASCAR, put his Plymouth on the pole. Junior Johnson's Ford started second, Dick Hutcherson in a Ford was third fastest qualifier, Tiger Tom Pistone fourth, and Fred Harb fifth. Petty's pole winning speed on the quarter-mile flat asphalt track was 50.195 mph.

Petty led the first lap but Junior Johnson stormed past him on lap 2 and would lead the remaining 249 laps comprising 62.5 mile. Once out front, Junior pulled away steadily and only a scrape with spinning G. T. Nolan causing a mometary concern. 15,000 fans watched Junior score his 48th win in his Grand National Career which moved him into a three way tie for second in number of overall wins. Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett and Herb Thomas were tied with 48 wins each for second behind over all time leader, Lee Petty. Petty's career virtually ended at Daytona in Febuary 1961, although he made sporadic starts, entering his last event at Watkins Glen in 1964. Lee held that lead with 54 wins. Within two years, his son would take over with a winat Darlington in the spring race. Yes, I was there as well and rode on the back of the convertible headed for the press box after the race. Johnny Reb was on the hood with the Confederate Battle Flag and I was on the trunk with the Plymouth 43 flag.

Johnson averaged 46.632 mph for the race, winning for the third consecutive time on the tight track. After the race , Junior was so exhausted he took several minutes to get on his feet and accept the accolades of the victory.

Top five finishers were:

1. Junior Johnson, Johnson Ford, winning $1,000.00

2. Richard Petty, Petty Engineering Plymouth, winning $800.00

3. Dick Hutcherson, Holman-Moody Ford, winning $400.00

4. Ned Jarrett, Bondy Long Ford, winning $300.00

5. Cale Yarborough, Kenny Myler Ford, winning $275.00

Sixth through tenth were Fred Harb, Buren Skeen **, Neil Castles, Clyde Lynn and Bob Derrington. The remaining ten finishers, in order were E.J. Trivette, Elmo Langley, Wayne Smith. G.T. Nolan, Darrell Bryant, Wendell Scott, Tiger Tom Pistone, Buddy Baker, Henley Gray and Jimmy Helms.

** Buren Skeen would be killed on the second lap of the Southern 500 only nine days after this event. His car was broadsided by Reb Wickersham in turn three directly in the driver's door.

Just a fun fact to add here, although it has nothing to do with this particular race. Ned Jarrett is shown, in the records, as driving the Bondy Long Ford. For a long period of time, that car carried the sponsorhip of "BoWaNi" and was known as "The BoWaNi Ford". The moniker was comprised of the first two letters of each of the Long brothers, Bondy, Walter and Nicky. That thought came to me as I was writing this Minute so perhaps my mind was going back at full speed to the earlier times.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Racing History Minute Programming Note

Stock Car Racing History

Come Sunday, we will move into September. When I was younger, it meant the start of school but it also meant Labor Day weekend and THE SOUTHERN 500 at Darlington. Starting Sunday, the History Minutes will cover The Southern 500 from a certain year for each of the dates when a Southern 500 was held. The first was September 4, 1950.

So, folks, be pulling out your favorite Southern 500 memories to share with the rest of us as we go through seven Southern 500 races from history when Labor Day meant Darlington and 500 grueling miles. Hope to hear from many of you.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM