RACING HARD and PLAYING HARD
Jack Carter
Tuesday January 6 2009, 5:40 PM
Back in the day racing was a lot of fun ! Joking around was a normal past time. A friend of mine who lives near was a crew member on Bill Champion's Grand National team. Bill Champion was an independent driver and car owner, his car number was # 10, he was a true old time racer who began his racing career on motorcycles with Joe Weatherly in the late 1940's . Independent race car driver / owner teams are a thing of the past in big league Cup racing today. But in the early 1970's there were many who struggled to make ends meet from one race to the next one. And they managed to keep things going and played a big part to make up a full field of cars at every event. My friend was telling racing stories one day and the story I still get a laugh from was about Bill Champion and Elmo Langley. He said they both were dining in a real nice five star restaurant once and Bill told Elmo if he would do something then he would buy Elmo and his whole crew the biggest steak that the restaurant had on the menu. Champ ask Elmo to "crawl under the table, howl like a dog and then bite the waitress on the leg." And Elmo Langley did it !!!!!!!!!!
Bobby Williamson
@bobby-williamson   15 years ago
That's funny, right there, Jack!
Mike Sykes
@mike-sykes   15 years ago
I knew them both and that wasnt all that unusual not for Elmo anyway. You didnt dare him or bet him anything unless you were willing to lose. Also on Bill Champion did everyone know that he gave Ricky Rudd his first ride? It was in Rockingham in 1974 I think! He went out and ran a few laps and came in and Bill told him to go back out and just ride around and get used to the car. Well Ricky got a little quicker and quicker and Champ said he is getting the hang of it now. Well on the very next lap coming off of turn 4 around it went and slid to the inside guard rail just bumping it with little or no damage. The humorous part was before the smoke cleared Ricky was bailing across the wall white as a ghost and sat on pit road wall and Bill told him that the track was not for parking it was for racing, get your butt back in the car or you will never make a race car driver. Well as they say the rest is history.
Jeff Gilder
@jeff-gilder   15 years ago
Cool stuff!