One hot Saturday night in the summer of 1957 " I went to a fight and a race broke out". I was only about 12 years old and my brother was 9. We traveled with the crew of my father's race car to 4 different outlaw dirt tracks each week in the racing season throughout Virginia and North Carolina. We had a winning front running car and won many races on several different tracks. After you win a lot of races people begin to not like you, Fans begin to boo you and call you things. On this particular night someone in the pits threw a beer bottle inside the race car from the pits in turn 4 while the cars were racing. Then the fight was on or I guess a better word for it would be a brawl, as my father's driver came into the pits, I saw 75 to 100 men going at it mostly fist fighting as my brother and I were inside the tow car we saw a man jump on my father's back and begin to hit him in the head with a flashlight as he was fist fighting another man one after another he would throw them off and then this crazy guy came running through the crowd swinging a steering sector shaft. If you are not familiar with that automotive part, in the old 1930's coupes the steering sector shaft was about 5/8" dia. x 5' long steel shaft with a machined gear on the end. One of our mechanics got hit on one side of his head and down he went out cold. Our driver and mechanic were transported by ambulance to the hospital and the track mangement called the police out to the track. Believe or not both race teams and others ended up in court afterwards. The judge passed out the fines and made them stand up in the court room and shake hands with each other after talking to them as if he were talking to little boys on the playground. Back in the day it wasn't a matter of will there be a fight at the race track it was when will it start.

As Johnny M. would say ...........memories.