Nashville's Superspeedway Ventures - part 2

Part 1: Nashville's Superspeedway Ventures - 1960s-1970s

In late 1978, promoter Bill Donoho sold his interest in the Fairgrounds lease to racer Lanny Hester and CPA-lawyer-businessman Gary Baker. A couple of years later, Hester sold 25 percent of his interest to Stanley King - a local construction contractor. Hester, Baker, and King planned to develop their own superspeedway - independent of Donoho's plans from the previous few years.

Baker subsequently partnered with California businessman Warner Hodgdon. The partnership then bought out Hester and King and proceeded with their plans to build a track in an undisclosed location.

In late 1980, however, promoter and former racer Boyd Adams announced plans for his superspeedway - Tennessee International Raceway. Unlike Donoho who planned to build southeast of Nashville, Adams announced his track would be built in Robertson County - about 30 minutes northwest of Nashville. As advance prep for the project, Adams purchased thousands of grandstand seats, scales, medical equipment, etc. from the Ontario Motor Speedway. The Ontario track closed following its final race - the LA Times 500 Cup race - in November 1980 after Dale Earnhardt clinched his first Cup title.

From the jump, however, Adams encountered a myriad of challenges including (1) local residents who wanted nothing to do with the project with concerns about noise, traffic, crime, pollution, etc. and (2) a lack of support from NASCAR President Bill France, Jr.

June 10, 1981 - The Tennessean

April 24, 1981 - The Tennessean

Baker announced his speedway plans in November 1981. Prior to partnering with Hodgdon, he floated the vague statement that others were interested in joining with him. A rumored investor was Richard Petty - similar to the arrangement Bill Donoho promoted in the mid 1970s. In the end, however, Baker was convinced Hodgdon's finances and construction project experience would be the key elements to build the track.

Baker's announcement had other vague aspects. He did not name a location for the track nor a timeline for its construction. In subsequent news reports, Baker did acknowledge the effort would take two or three years.

Despite news of Baker's planned development, Adams continued onward with his project. He had to change sites a couple of times to satisfy local citizens and politicians, but he finally negotiated a governmental development bond to help ensure project financing.

March 9, 1982 - The Tennessean

About a year later, however, Adams was no closer to fulfilling his dream than Donoho years earlier. Local opposition continued to be a thorn in his side, and he finally pulled his project into the garage.

April 27, 1983 - The Tennessean

Two months after Adams noted his project was dead-in-the-water came the stunning news that Baker sold his half-interest in Nashville's Fairgrounds track to Hodgdon. With the transaction, Hodgdon became sole "owner" of the track's lease. Hodgdon opted not to negotiate an extension of the Fairgrounds lease beyond 1987. That decision led some to believe he still planned to build a replacement track and move all racing away from the Fairgrounds. The reality, as it turned out, was far deeper than anyone fathomed.

About 18 months after buying out Baker, Hodgdon filed bankruptcy. His ownership interest in the Fairgrounds lease as well as other race tracks such as Bristol, Rockingham, and Richmond along with half-interest in Junior Johnson's race teams were caught in his dire financial challenges.

As Hodgdon's assets and liabilities were debated, negotiated, distributed, settled, etc., another casualty of the bankruptcy filing was the Nashville area superspeedway. Though Hodgdon was not in a position to build a new track, Baker continued to pursue the project on his own. Such plans, however, were murkier than ever.

The location of Baker's and Hodgdon's planned track wasn't announced in 1981. Over time, Baker purchased several acres in in Franklin, TN just off I-65. He could not, however, accumulate all that was needed to fulfill the development.

Without the remaining acreage, Baker divested the land. Instead of a speedway, Cool Springs Galleria was constructed on the site and opened in 1991. The mall has spurred a ton of retail, sales and property tax revenues, attractive housing, desirable schools, etc. As someone who now lives about 10 minutes from the location, it's hard to imagine how different Franklin would have become had the track been built.


One vestige of Baker's involvement remains near the mall. Baker's Bridge Ave. runs perpendicular from the top of the mall across I-65 and to Carothers Parkway. One wonders if the track would have been built on the west side of I-65 with parking and other fan amenities on the east side.


Though Adams' plan ended in spring 1983 and Baker's plan effectively ended in July 1983 with his sell-out to Hodgdon, the idea of a new Nashville-area track continued.

A trio of investors/developers - with no racing experience or connections - announced in mid 1985 they planned to build a 1.6 mile track in Robertson County - not far from Adams' failed location. The track was to be named Music City Motor Complex. Baker assessed their likelihood of success as low.

June 4, 1985 - The Tennessean

July 18, 1985 - The Tennessean

Baker's prediction was spot-on. Within just a few months, the developers learned what others had already experienced. Without community support or a commitment from NASCAR, no spade of dirt would be turned.

August 2, 1985 - The Tennessean

A new racing wildcatter, Jesse Rogers, arrived on the scene in 1992. Rogers acquired over 1,000 acres of land near Shelbyville, TN - about 60 miles south of Nashville. Shelbyville is known worldwide for its annual Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration. Rogers, however, planned to bring several hundred horsepower to the area.

Rogers'  Rocky Top Speedway plans included a uniquely-shaped two-mile superspeedway, a road course, a drag strip, a golf course, camping areas, and a motorsports museum.


Three years later, however, the song remained the same. Financing challenges. Legal woes. Delays. Yada, yada, yada. As with all the predecessor projects, Rocky Top turned to Rocky Slop.

After nearly three decades of announced and fizzled speedway projects, middle Tennessee racing fans got some unexpected news. Dover Downs Entertainment announced with great fanfare their plans for a new superspeedway in November 1997. Dover acquired the lease for the Fairgrounds track and set plans in motion to build what was to become Nashville Superspeedway in Wilson County - about 35 miles east of the Fairgrounds.

Though the track was built - unlike every other predecessor project - the effort wasn't without challenges. To add some local credibility, Dover partnered with Nashville-based Gaylord Entertainment Company as a minority investor. Gaylord owned the Grand Ole Opry, the Opryland theme park and hotel, and WSM radio. It also held naming rights to Nashville's new hockey and concert arena. Two years later, however, Gaylord announced it was divesting itself of its minority position. Dover then had to complete the project on its own.

After several delays, Dover finally began construction on the track in fall 1999. The Nashville Superspeedway hosted its inaugural events in April 2001- nearly three decades after Bill Donoho first visioned his big track.


Despite the hype associated with the new facility, Nashville Superspeedway just didn't resonate. After only 10 years of operations, Dover closed the track following the 2011 season.

Epilogue:

Boyd Adams competed with Gary Baker to build a Nashville-area superspeedway. Baker reassumed control of the Fairgrounds Speedway lease in 1985 as part of Hodgdon's bankruptcy proceedings. Three years later, he opted not to pursue a lease renewal. The Nashville Fair Board awarded Adams the lease beginning in 1988. Among other improvements to the facility, Adams replaced the track's grandstand seating with the seats from Ontario that he'd mothballed since 1981 - seating he had planned to install at his never-built Tennessee International Raceway.

Baker didn't realize his dream of building a superspeedway; however, he didn't end up empty handed. He parlayed the land he accumulated for the track into an investment in the Cool Springs retail area. He also returned to racing in the early 2000s as a team co-owner. Partnering with long-time racing enthusiast, music publisher, and former politician Mike Curb, the two purchased the assets of Brewco Motorsports. They moved the team from Central City, Kentucky to Nashville and operated multiple Busch/Nationwide Series teams until 2011. The doors were shuttered after additional sponsorship could not be secured.

With nearly a half-century of grand ideas and failed ventures to construct a new track, middle Tennessee racing has seemingly made a full lap. In recent months, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. via Bristol Motor Speedway has indicated its interest in helping renovate the existing Fairgrounds Speedway. Their plans and investment would help elevate the track to a first-class short-track jewel. Perhaps that vision is one everyone should have dreamed over all these years.

TMC

Nashville's Superspeedway Ventures - part 1

Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway hosted NASCAR's Grand National division (later Winston Cup Series) from 1958 through 1984. Following financial difficulties of the track's operator, Warner Hodgdon, NASCAR pulled its sanctioning agreement after 1984.

Though NASCAR and related financial support of the Winston Racing program returned later to the Fairgrounds with local racing, trucks, and Busch (now Xfinity) Series, Cup never returned. Many continue to believe that will forever be the case.

Perhaps more than ever, however, a glimmer of renewed hope recently appeared. Speedway Motorsports, Inc. has indicated a willingness to collaborate with the current operators of the track, the city of Nashville, and its Fair Board to revitalize the speedway.

SMI will be swimming upstream as it tries to navigate the good ol' boy network of Nashville politics and the changing citizenry demographics of areas surrounding the Fairgrounds. While many outside of Nashville think SMI's investment in the property is a slam-dunk, can't miss proposal, those inside the greater Nashville area understand (barely) the forces that more often than not have been against the race track the past several decades.

For over 50 years, local promoters, investors, and developers have visioned a future for Nashville-area racing well beyond the boundaries of the land-locked fairgrounds.

Bennie Goodman was originally a partner with Mark Parrish and Bill Donoho in the development of what is today Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway. Donoho later acquired the equity positions of both Goodman and Parrish. By the late 1960s, Goodman believed racing had already outgrown the fairgrounds - just 10 years or so after the half-mile and quarter-mile tracks opened.

Goodman along with a handful of partners (including singer Roy Orbison and future NASCAR flagman Doyle Ford) formed Nashville International Raceways, Inc. in early 1969. The company purchased land southeast of Nashville near the intersection of I-24 and Old Hickory Blvd. Though few details have surfaced, it is believed Goodman was the first to envision a middle Tennessee superspeedway.

Goodman's team could not secure guaranteed sanctioning from NASCAR and Bill France. The company then sold the land a year or so later, and Goodman and others made successful investments in other non-racing projects.

In mid-May 1973, Donoho announced plans to build a superspeedway at just about the same location as Goodman's planned project a few years earlier. Local racing would have remained at the fairgrounds, but Cup racing and other major events would have been moved to the new facility.


Donoho planned to have the track ready by mid-1974 for the annual Nashville 420. Instead, the project never got off the ground. Years later, Starwood Amphitheater opened not far from the planned site. Starwood hosted many epic concerts during the 80s and 90s.

In 1975, Donoho revamped his plan to build a new track just a couple of exits down from the site announced in 1973.

Perhaps in an effort to create more buzz and industry equity, Donoho announced some notable investors including NASCAR drivers Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough along with Loretta Lynn's husband, Mooney.

Donoho spent the better part of 1976-1977 working on his new project - including releasing an architectural rendering of the new speedway. Considering the era, the track was to be second to none including Charlotte and Daytona.

Despite his focused efforts, however, Donoho's multi-year plan to build a state of the art facility for future Cup racing was spiraling the wrong direction. By the end of 1977, Donoho found an old cemetery on his new property. A few months later, his track plans may just as well have been buried there.

TMC Archives

Donoho never realized his vision of building a new track. Furthermore, he sold his rights to the lease of the Fairgrounds track to Lanny Hester and Gary Baker in late 1978. By and large, Donoho's quarter-century run as a Nashville race promoter was over.

Part 2: The dreams of building a Nashville-area superspeedway did not end with Donoho's departure.

Source for articles: The Tennessean archives

TMC

August 21, 1976 - Friends, Rivals, Wrecked, Resilient

Week to week, the storyline of the 1976 Late Model Sportsman division at Nashville Speedway was the Kiddie Corps. Rookies Mike Alexander, Sterling Marlin and Dennis Wiser along with second year driver P.B Crowell, III grew up quickly and took a shine to Nashville's 18-degree banked track.

Though competitive, Marlin and Wiser needed another season before banking their first wins. As spring turned to summer in '76, however, Alexander and Crowell toted home trophies on a regular basis. Both pushed veteran Alton Jones for the points lead. Jones was twice the age of the quartet and had loads of experience, but the noob drivers went toe to toe with him each Saturday night.

Nashville was long known for its promotions that helped put butts in seats. In mid-August, the slate of double features for mini-stock, limited sportsman, and LMS divisions was accompanied by a performance by Chattanooga's Gene Beene - aka the Human Bomb.

My family went often to the Fairgrounds in the mid 70s, but our attendance wasn't guaranteed. Race nights depended on my father's work obligations, summer trips to grandparents, and alignment of ticket prices with family finances. But that August night, I wanted to be there. I simply had to be there - especially to see some fool blow himself up with dynamite.

Though the mid-show explosion is what caught my eye in the newspaper ad, the racing was still the key to the night. Newport, TN's L.D. Ottinger raced - and won - frequently at Nashville in the 1970s. His trips, however, were generally tied to marquis events such as 200-lap LMS races that awarded points towards NASCAR's national LMS title.

Yet, Ottinger opted to tow to middle Tennessee for a couple of meaningless 25-lap features. (Never mind Nashville hosted a 100-lap national LMS feature the following Saturday - a race in which L.D. planned to participate.) L.D. made quick work of the first 25-lap LMS feature with Alexander finishing second.

Before round two of the night's w races began, it was then time for Gene Beene to cheat death. I was all-in. I clung up to the fence by one hand, fist pumped with the other, let primal screams fly, and dared Gene Beene to blow himself to kingdom come.

Well, that's not exactly true.

When I recently reminded my mother of that night's promotion, she remembered things a bit differently:

Oh yes! I remember! I did not remember his name but remember your reaction. You anticipated going to races that night from the time they first announced it. We went, but you could not bear to watch. You wanted to, but you cringed at the thought. Seems like you went up higher toward the concession stand when it came time for him to do it and kept peeking back. It was rather scary at the thought. I am not sure that I did not close my eyes!

Okay, so perhaps my 11 year-old machismo wasn't well developed. I do, however, recall the the involuntary adrenalin rush following the *KABOOM* once I realized Gene Beene had survived.

After the mini-stock and limited sportsman races on the quarter-mile track, fans soon witnessed another explosive event on Nashville's big track.

Ottinger again set sail in the early stages of the second LMS feature, and Jones followed him in second. Alexander and Crowell raced near one another for third and fourth. On lap seven, however, things turned bad. Alexander cut a right front tire as the duo sailed through the turns. He collected Crowell, and both of them slammed into the wall.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Crowell took the brunt of the hit in his rib cage. Alexander suffered knee ligament injuries after initially thinking he had a broken leg. As friends, both tried to get to the other to ensure all was OK.

With Alexander and Crowell's cars on trailers and the drivers transferred to the hospital, the veterans controlled the remaining laps. Jones tried to keep pace, but Ottinger prevailed to capture his second win of the night.

Credit: Marchman Family Collection / Nashville Farigrounds Racing History

Despite their disclosed injuries (and likely undisclosed concussions), both bruised but not broken racers returned the following Saturday to compete in the Bob Hunley 100. Returned bruised but not broken the next Saturday for the Bob Hunley 100. After pocketing two 25-lap wins on August 21, Ottinger returned and nabbed the Hunley race as well.

Article sources: The Tennessean archives

TMC

Mike Alexander Firsts

In racing circles, Franklin, TN may be best known as the home of retired Cup driver and NASCAR on FOX announcer Darrell Waltrip. Franklin was also home, however, to the late R.C. Alexander, owner and operator of Harpeth Ford car dealership - and a successful late model sportsman racing team.

Alexander's Fords raced primarily at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway though they did compete at other regional tracks as well. His roster of successful drivers included Jimmy Griggs, Red Farmer, Flookie Buford, and Waltrip among others. More often than not, Alexander's Fords sported #84.

In the mid 1970s, Alexander's cars gained another occupant - his son Mike. Mike Alexander began his racing career in Nashville's limited sportsman division. After a couple of years of banging around on Nashville's quarter-mile, he moved to the Late Model Sportsman division on the .596-mile oval. Career success - locally, regionally, and nationally - followed; however, the run didn't last as long as many had hoped.

Several of Mike Alexander's racing career firsts are noted below.

First race - April 13, 1974 - Nashville Speedway - 50-lap limited sportsman race, a preliminary event to the season-opening Permatex 200 LMS race. Driving a #83 Ford, Alexander earned a DNF in his first start resulting from an early race wreck. Coincidentally, Waltrip in R.C.'s #84 Ford also exited the LMS race following a tangle with Ray Hendrick.

Source: Nashville Banner

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

First win - April 19, 1975 - 50-lap Limited Sportsman race - Nashville Speedway - preliminary event to the season-opening Winston 200 LMS race

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

First LMS win - May 15, 1976 - Nashville Speedway - 25 lap feature - second feature won by friend and second year LMS racer, P.B. Crowell III (Crowell was not a rookie in 1976 as noted in the article.)

Source: The Tennessean - TMC Archives

Alexander tallied ten more victories in his first LMS season. Though he fell short of capturing the points championship, he easily won the 1976 Rookie of the Year.

First championship - Nashville Speedway - 1978 LMS division

Others outside of middle Tennessee began to take notice of Alexander's numerous wins and 1978 track title. Mike himself began pondering the what-ifs of racing at a higher level. On May 10, 1980, he earned the opportunity to start his first Winston Cup race.

Source: The Tennessean - TMC Archives

Driving for independent driver turned owner D.K. Ulrich in Nashville's Music City 420, Alexander qualified 12th and finished an impressive 10th. As an aside, he also became the first driver with the last name Alexander to start a NASCAR GN / Cup race.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

By the way, the winner of that particular Cup race? Aww yeaaahhh, Ol' King Richard.

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After a part-time Cup schedule in 1981, Alexander returned to full-time late model racing the next couple of years. In 1983, he won 51 of 75 late model features and notched his first Winston Racing Series national championship.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

Alexander realized another career milestone the following season. Driving for Dave Marcis, Alexander started his first Daytona 500 on February 19, 1984.

Alexander had engine issues in his 125-mile qualifying twin and made the 500 via an owner's provisional. He started 42nd - shotgun on the field - but had familiar company near him. Starting 41st and to his left was 1974 Nashville LMS champion Jimmy Means. In front of him in 40th was Nashville rival and 1980-81-82 Nashville Grand American champion, Sterling Marlin.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

Alexander's tenure with Marcis was short-lived as were stints with additional underfunded Cup operations over the next couple of years. Mike pushed reset, pursued a different approach, and launched his own team full-time in 1987 in NASCAR's Busch Series.

A few months into his new venture, Alexander captured his first Busch Series win. On May 2, 1987, he won the Hampton 200 at Langley Speedway.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

With solid finishes and another Busch Series victory in 1988, things were again tracking in the right direction for Alexander. In mid 1988, a devastating, career-ending injury for Bobby Allison at Pocono opened the door once again for Alexander.

He took the wheel of Bill and Mickey Stavola's Miller High Life Buick, raced competitively the rest of the season, found a little sump'n sump'n for 1989, signed a deal, changed the car number to 84, and had his best shot with a top-level Cup team.

This post should include a nod to his first Cup win. But it won't.

Racers race - and Mike did. As he'd done since the mid 1970s, Alexander headed to Pensacola in early December 1988 to compete in the Snowball Derby. A savage crash ended his race - and essentially his career. He returned to race in the 1989 Daytona 500 but soon realized he wasn't fully ready for what a Cup ride required.

Alexander continued his recovery therapy, received clearance to return to limited short track racing, and found his way back to Cup in February 1990. After a handful of races, however, he stepped away from Cup. He continued to race at Nashville, but his days at NASCAR's top level were done.

Mike retired from driving in November 1992 - after he won his second track championship at Nashville.

TMC

July 10, 1976 - Nashville racers tie one on

On July 15, 2018, Michael House edged Willie Allen to win a 100-lap Pro Late Model feature at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: @WillieAllen26 and Michael House battle back to the checker on the last lap of the PLM race. Don’t miss the next race on August 4th. Admission will be $5! pic.twitter.com/C503qlToFQ

— Fairgrounds Speedway (@FGSpeedway) July 18, 2018

Forty-five years earlier in 1973, Jimmy Means won his first Nashville Late Model Sportsman race by edging past Bob Burcham to capture the Frank Reed Memorial 100 by an unmeasured yet generally accepted even closer margin of victory.

Neither finish, however, matched the outcome of an LMS feature on July 10, 1976.

Track promoter Bill Donoho did his best on Saturday, July 3, 1976, to juggle racing and bicentennial fireworks while also tackling intermittent showers. Fans got to ooh and ahh over exploding shells and colors and during a handful of races. Most of the second half of the night's events, however, were postponed because of the rain.

As an aside, a day later on the 4th of July - the USA's bicentennial - the track hosted a double-bill of Gary Wright (♫ Dream Weaver ♫) and England's Peter Frampton. Several years later, Frampton became a Music City resident where he remains today.

A week later on July 10, the track's racing slate included a bonus - the remaining laps of a limited sportsman race and the additional LMS race nixed the previous Saturday.

About a month earlier, Alexander wrecked his Mercury Cougar on June 13th. Alexander lost the handle in turn 3 as he pursued race leader and friend, P.B. Crowell, III late in a 30-lap feature. He tried to gather it back, but he popped the wall in turn 4 and came to rest against the inside guard rail.

After a couple of weeks of repairs, Alexander had the Cougar back at the Fairgrounds - albeit without a fresh coat of paint. The primer grey car with a crudely sketched 84 on the sides looked better suited for off-season testing than Saturday night racing.

Alabama's Alton Jones took the lead on the fourth lap of the opening 25-lap feature. Alexander raced in his tire tracks as he looked for a way around the track's points leader. Finally, on the last corner of the last lap, Alexander dove to the inside of Jones. As Larry Warren displayed the checkered flag, Alexander drew even with Jones.

The finish was too close to call, and track officials officially declared it as a tie between the two drivers. Both parked at the start-finish line after the cool down lap as fans were told about the result. 

Crowell won the next two 25-lap features that evening. In the second of three races, Alexander popped the wall in his recently repaired but unpainted Cougar. 

Cup regular Bobby Allison was coincidentally injured in a wreck during a late model race in Elko, Minnesota the same evening Alexander scored his tying win and P1 in a four-driver match race. A dozen years later, Alexander was chosen as the driver of the #12 Miller High Life Buick when Allison suffered a career-ending head injury in a Cup race at Pocono.

TMC

July 5, 1987 - Budweiser 200

The day after the 1987 Firecracker 400 Cup race at Daytona's superspeedway, the Busch Series regulars and several Cup interlopers raced a few hours north in Jefferson, Georgia.

Georgia International Speedway hosted the Budweiser 200 on July 5, 1987. The track was previously known as JefCo Speedway and would later be known as Gresham Motorsports Park.

Darrell Waltrip promoted the Busch races at the track in the mid 1980s through his company DarWal, Inc. Waltrip won the inaugural Busch Series race at Georgia International in 1986 and entered the first of two 1987 events.

Mark Martin won the pole, and Larry Pearson qualified alongside him. Martin led only one lap after the drop of the green. Third place starter Tommy Houston got by Martin and Pearson to take the lead on lap two. Houston and Brett Bodine combined to lead the next 30 laps.

Pearson then went to the front and began gapping the field. On lap 58, however, a yellow flag resulting from a Patty Moise spin curtailed Pearson's big lead. Cup regular and race promoter Waltrip popped Moise, and Rick Mast got caught in the melee as well.

In the era before full-face helmets became the norm in stock car racing, DW got the worst end of the deal. Race reports suggested he suffered bruises and some facial cuts. Waltrip later told Larry Woody of The Tennessean he did not suffer facial cuts but was extremely sore after taking the hit at full speed.

Pearson re-assumed the lead after the Moise-Waltrip-Mast accident and stayed out front until lap 78. Jack Ingram slowed dramatically to prepare for a pit stop. Brett Bodine checked up to avoid running over Ingram. Not expecting the pace of either car, Pearson nicked Bodine and sent him spinning. Second place running Mike Alexander slipped by Pearson to take the lead as the traffic jam sorted out itself.

A few laps later, Alexander pitted and lost a lap. He made it up, however, as other cars cycled through their pit sequence. Pearson also got his service during this time; however, NASCAR scored him as losing two laps during his stop. Pearson's team argued otherwise, but Pearson was continually placed behind Alexander on remaining restarts.

Alexander was scored as the leader for the second half of the race. When the checkers fell, he claimed his second career Busch Series win. The #84 Action Vans Buick team celebrated in victory lane and then loaded to return home.

Credit: Dick Conway / Second To None by Rick Houston

Unsatisfied with the scoring during his pit stop and the eventual outcome, Pearson's team hollered vehemently that he was on the same lap as Alexander - and ahead of him.

Credit: Conway and Houston

After more than two hours of pouring over scoring records, NASCAR officials determined Pearson indeed lost only one lap during his stop. They ruled he should have been placed ahead of Alexander, reversed their earlier decision, adjusted the lap leaders, and awarded Pearson the win.

Officials phoned Alexander the next day and made him aware of the decision. A request was also made to return the trophy. To this day, however, the visible sign of  "winner's spoils" remain on display in a Franklin, TN trophy room.

Source: Spartanburg Herald Journal

TMC

Racing, Drinking, Protesting - and there's more!

Lumberman A.J. King, Jr. of Sevierville, TN joined NASCAR as a car owner in 1967. Over the next couple of years, he fielded Mopars for drivers such as Paul Lewis, Li'l Bud Moore, and Pete Hamilton.

By 1970, however, King folded his tent and exited the Grand National ranks. Though little is known about King's arrival or departure, it's likely he experienced the racing truism of: The way to end up with a small fortune in racing is to start with a big one. (King did return as an owner/sponsor for one race in 1975. Sadly, Tiny Lund was killed in the Talladega 500 in King's Dodge.)

Though King got out of Grand National / Cup racing, Dave Marcis modified one of King's 1969 Dodge Chargers. Marcis raced it as a winged Dodge Daytona in 1970 and then returned the car to its 1969 Charger body for 1971 and 1972.

The car found new life in 1973 in NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman division. In February, Alabama's Alton Jones raced the Charger to a fifth place finish in Daytona's Permatex 300 with King Enterprises on the quarter panel as the sponsor.

Source: Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers

King and Marcis then partnered to run several short track LMS races. Marcis worked them in between his Cup schedule as he raced mostly for himself and part-time for Roger Penske.

One of the first races selected was the Permatex 200 on April 21, 1973 - the season opener on Nashville's newly reconfigured Fairgrounds Speedway. The big ol' Dodge was impressive. Marcis won the pole, dominated the first third of the race, and finished fourth.

Having fared pretty well in his first visit, Marcis returned to Nashville for another shot on Friday, May 12. He brought the '69 Charger to race in the 30-lap LMS feature that accompanied the first round of qualifying for the Music City 420 Cup race.

Though Darrell Waltrip was running for Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, he also ran a full LMS schedule at Nashville. Waltrip had been the Fairgrounds' king of the hill since 1970, and he planned to continue to laissez les bon temps rouler.

After qualifying eighth for the Cup race in his 1971 Dodge, Marcis saddled up in the '69 Charger for the short LMS race. Marcis went to the point on the seventh lap - just about the time a caution flew. On the restart, Waltrip (likely smirking) outfoxed Marcis and grabbed the lead. Just past the halfway point, Marcis regained the top spot.

And so it continued for the next ten laps. Marcis' Hemi launched down the straightaways, but Waltrip's #48 Falls City Beer Chevelle had the edge through the corners. On the last lap, Marcis found just enough oomph and pulled ahead of Waltrip to win by a couple of car lengths.

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Source: The Tennessean

The Cup schedule had open dates the next two weekends following Nashville's race. No Dover, Kansas, Richmond, or All-Star Race - just the World 600 on May 27. As a result, Marcis figured he'd return to Music City for yet another go at a trophy.

He and the Dodge returned for another 30-lap feature on Saturday, May 19. Neither Waltrip or Marcis contended for the win that night. Mother Nature scored the W as rain postponed the slate of races to Sunday afternoon, May 20.

A week earlier, Marcis and Waltrip battled tooth and nail under Nashville's Friday night lights. The same pattern held true the following week on a bright, Sunday afternoon.

Waltrip won the pole, and Marcis timed right alongside him. As was the case in the previous race, Marcis' Hemi could haul the mail down the straights, but the car's weight made it more of a handful through the turns. Waltrip's Chevelle, on the other hand, had the perfect set-up to handle the corners, but he surrendered HP to Marcis after they both got back in the gas. 

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Waltrip rapped Marcis a time or two in an attempt to rattle his cage. Marcis, however, was unfazed and maintained his rhythm. The two weaved around traffic, took alternate lines every couple of laps, yet still managed to stay together until the final lap.

Source: Nashville Area Racing History

Over the final couple of laps, Marcis again found the little extra he needed. He cleared Waltrip and won for the second week in a row. After the race, however, Waltrip's team had a bit of a surprise for Marcis.

Doc Brewington, Waltrip's mechanic, chose to protest Marcis' Dodge. He wanted the big Hemi stripped down bolt by bolt. Brewington even opted to protest the fuel cell. The car only needed a handful of gallons to run the short feature, but Brewington wanted the tear down to be as painful as possible.

With plenty of afternoon sun remaining, the tear-down began as a crowd gathered to watch. In time, Brewington and Marcis got to joking and placing side bets on what may have been legal or illegal. Meanwhile, as the tear-down continued, someone brought in a cooler of Waltrip's sponsor product supplied by his car owner and local beer distributor, Ellis Cook. 

Source: Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History

Around 9:30 PM, the evaluation was completed. Joe Carver led the inspection and concluded Marcis' Dodge was legal. Carver was the PR director for the Fairgrounds and later became the promoter at Langley Speedway in Virginia.

Marcis hastily loaded his car and gear and headed for a long, late night drive back to North Carolina. Though Brewington and Waltrip lost the protest, they figured a modest win may have been earned. Marcis arrived and won with an intact car, but he headed home with a tub of parts that would need plenty of time to re-assemble.

Source: The Tennessean

Marcis and Waltrip delighted in recapping the sequence of events during a gathering of many of NASCAR's legends at the now-gone NASCAR Cafe in Nashville.

Source: The Tennessean

Despite having to re-assemble his Hemi (or paying someone to do it), Marcis was back yet again in mid-June for the Uniroyal 100 on June 16, 1973. The duo picked up pretty much where they left off a month earlier.

Although Joe Carver was the technical inspector during Waltrip's protest of Marcis, he was still the publicity director at his core. And he drummed up some for the 100-lap event by having the two competitors race bicycles! 

Marcis once again won the pole - although L.D. Ottinger flanked him on the front row. Waltrip started eighth but had a nose for the front as usual. The usual suspects were again at the top of the field along with Alton Jones who had piloted Marcis' Dodge back in February.

Credit: Russ Thompson

When the race concluded, Waltrip returned to his customary victory lane location. Alton Jones placed second followed by Marcis. Perhaps as a case of turnabout is fair play, Marcis protested Jones and Waltrip. Jones' team refused to be torn down and was DQ'd as a result. Waltrip's car passed inspection as Marcis' car did a month earlier, and he retained the win with Marcis elevated to second.

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A.J. King left racing but continued with the lumber business started by his father, A.J. King, Sr. He and his wife were the first patrons of a new Sevier County, TN library in 1966 - shortly before he entered NASCAR as an owner. King passed away in 1978, and his son Danny continued the family business. In 2010, the county's library moved into an even larger facility - the King Family Library. The King family contributed $2 million of the project's $11.5 million cost, and the library opened on the same spot as the original family lumber business.

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Marcis raced the old Dodge a few more times including the 1974 Permatex 200 at Nashville. As his Cup career progressed, however, he moved on from LMS runs with the Charger. The car ended up in a private collector's hands who then restored it to a winged Dodge Daytona as Marcis had raced it.

In the late 80s / early 90s, the car was repainted to resemble Richard Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird. The car toured as a promotional showcar for Goody's Headache Powders.

1992 Charlotte Motor Speedway - TMC Archives

The car then found yet another life in 2003 when it was re-purposed for Winston's final season as the title sponsor of NASCAR's top series. Before the final race of the season at Homestead, King Richard drove the car that originally began as a Charger fielded by A.J. King.

Source: Getty Images

Thanks to Dave Fulton for his assistance in background research on A.J. King, Jr. and SuperbirdClub.com for its post regarding the A.J. King / Marcis Dodge .

TMC