Don Bumgardner

I built one of those for Tim Gordon in a bunch of cars I did for him back in the late seventies. Had to use a Shelby Mustang because the regular Mustang kits hadn’t been out since ’68. I built a lot of stuff for Tim back then. He was a really neat guy and always looked out for me at the old Concord Speedway.

You have any other pics from Metrolina, Old Concord or Gaffney back in the late 70s?

Barry – any other pictures from Metrolina?

The only picture of Metrolina. Al ittle history of the mustang and Don, this was the second year and car Robert Yates built and hired Don to drive.The previous year the car was a 1969 camaro that finished second with a hanging gas pedal in its first race. After fixing this problem Don and Yates won 17 I think it was races in a row, Friday night at Metrilina and Saturday night at Concord. The mustang in the pict. was a beautful blue and silver metalflake–yes thats right metalflake. Robert Yates was atthis time working for Holman and Moody and he built a1/2mile dirt track camaro to run locally. We raced weekly against the likes of Ralph Earnhart, Stick Eloitt, Haywood Plyer, Freddie Smith etc, out run them almost every week,week in and week out. Best time of ,my life,Iam just now realizing what I was a part of during the racing of the 60sand early 70s!

the 92 car was untouchable – completly dominate – i saw don win races at metrolina , concord . shelby and cherokee – it didnt matter – the car was that fast and don was that good a driver – i do remember the bar across the front bumper was painted flourescent orange – just a beautifull car – i remember one night at metrolina – stick elliott was driving ol nixons #57 chevelle and was leading – he was keeping the car in the groove and blocking the track on don – don finally got good run on him on the outside in turn one – and stick spun him out coming off turn two – the fans were in a uproar – they wanted to put them both in the rear – but stick pulled into the pits – after much discussion – don went to the rear and stick was put back in front – he held off freddy smith and won the race – but i think i remember them paying both don and stick first place money that night – that was the only time i ever saw that car race and not win – the people that missed that era of racing sure got cheated – it was by far the best .

Robert Yates, David Gray, & Bill Roper operated the Camaro #92 in 1970. Chuck Piazza drove the car its 1st time out then returned to his previous ride. Don took over driving & history was made. After that unbelievable season , which ended with a throttle sticking incident @ Greenville, SC resulting in a hard lick on the car, the team split up. In 1970 track promoter Henry Gordon commissioned Roper to build a Mustang. Don drove that car. Yates built the engine @ HM . He wasn’t a member of the team. The car , running formula V rain tires suffered a flat right front tire which sent it into the turn 3 guardrail & out of the track. The seat came loose & Don suffered sever head trama resulting in his loss of movement in his left arm. The “Orange bar” was added to the Camaro as a result of the Metrolina snafu involving Stick, Don & Chuck Piazza, who all three got 1st place money from promoter Gaskey. The Camaro was repaired & returned late in the season 1971 with Charlie Blanton driving , owned by Yates & Gray.Jivey Simpson acquired the car sometime after. The car was later sold & turned back up in 1977 @ Concord owned & sponsored by the Reeves boys & their business & driven by Larry Wallace , the HM camshaft grinder & legendary racer. Larry experienced a significant wreck in turn 1 @ Concord in ’78 basically killing the legendary car. I believe that was the death of the car as I never saw it again after that. I don’t imagine it survived. Bill Roper built the Camaro in Manning Floyd’s garage behind his house off Sugar Creek Rd near N.Tryon St in Charlotte. Robert built the engine & the Boss 302 in the Mustang the next year. Robert drifted away from dirt track racing in 1971 when he began commuting between his HM job & Jr Johnson’s as part of the Chevy Cup effort Jr was embarking upon about then. Eventually Robert left HM for Jr’s & the rest, as they say is history.