January 30, 2000|By AL PEARCE Daily Press
Many local race fans still fondly recall the Saturday night in July of 1974 when Langley Speedway promoter Joe Carver posted $1,000 for a winner-take- all match race featuring local favorites Sonny Hutchins and Ray Hendrick against soon-to-be Winston Cup star Darrell Waltrip.
Oh, what a night!
Hutchins and Hendrick were enormously popular short-track legends. They were familiar faces at Langley, where they had raced their Modified and Late Model Sportsman cars during the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s.
Hendrick drove the No. 11 Chevrolet owned and prepared by Clayton Mitchell and Jack Tant. Hutchins drove the No. 01 Chevrolet owned by Emanuel Zervakis. Waltrip brought his No. 84 Ford owned by R.C. Alexander and sponsored by Harpeth Ford in their hometown of Owensboro, Ky.
The race was the first of what would be several Langley Speedway appearances by Waltrip. He flew in from Tennessee as a special favor to Carver, with whom he'd established a strong professional relationship during the late 1960s and early 1970s at Nashville Speedway.
Carver displayed the $1,000 in a briefcase handcuffed to a security guard's wrist. The 15-lap race featured a rolling start after each driver drew for his starting position.
Hendrick drew the pole and Hutchins drew the outside of Row 1. The fact that Waltrip was relegated to the second row was just fine with the huge crowd that was definitely pro- Hendrick/Hutchins.
It was over almost as quickly as it started. Hendrick took the lead into Turn 1 and gently pulled away from Hutchins. Waltrip fell back on the start and slowed on the 10th lap, his engine cooked by a broken timing chain on the start.
Hendrick won easily and proudly took possession of his $1,000 payoff. Months later, word circulated that Hendrick, Hutchins and Waltrip had decided ahead of time to split the money evenly regardless of who won.
"Maybe Ray and Darrell split it 50/50,'' Hutchins said when told what people were saying. "I sure didn't get my cut. Maybe I'd better drop by Ray's place and see what's up.''
