Bench Racing From the Volunteer State

January 23 - This day in Petty history

2012-01-23T07:43:00.015-06:00

1972 - Richard Petty wins the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway in southern California. Scheduled for 191 laps on the road course, the race is shortened to 149 laps because of dense fog.

Though the race was not the first one at Riverside, the event was known for the first time as the Winston Western 500. R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes began sponsoring NASCAR's top series in 1971 and took over title sponsorship of Riverside's season-opening race in 1972.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

The win was Petty's 141st victory - and his first with STP as his primary sponsor. Even the most casual NASCAR fan knows Richard Petty for his autograph, cowboy hat, sunglasses, and mustache. And many more easily associate the iconic day-glo STP red and Petty blue colors as a natural fit for the 43.

The combination of the two colors, however, almost didn't happen. The sponsorship agreement between STP and Petty Enterprises was reached just a few days before the Riverside race. But let Richard tell the story of what almost happened ... and what did happen.

As Richard said and history knows, the two parties agreed on the details. The press conference was held, and then Richard flew on to Riverside.

The newly-labeled STP Plymouth as it raced ... and won ... at Riverside:

Credit for following two photos to Beentherebefore at the H.A.M.B. at JalopyJournal.com:

A final 'first' for the race - The event was the first NASCAR Winston Cup star as a car owner for the now legendary Roger Penske. His driver, Mark Donahue, started an AMC Matador but finished 39th in the 40-car field. No worries though as The Captain went to have a modicum of success in the decades to follow.

TMC

Schout It Out Loud - I need a Schaefer!

2012-01-20T07:14:00.000-06:00

Even the most casual rock-and-roll fan knows the original KISS guitarist was Ace Frehley. His autobiography, No Regrets, was released in late 2011.

In the book, Space Ace reveals his first beer was ... yep, a Schaefer. Well, schock me!

Sadly, Ace developed a booze dependency ... a bad one. Apparently he took Nothin' To Lose to heart. His addiction cost him his job with KISS and who knows what else before he hit Rock Bottom. Perhaps life would have tacked a better direction for him if he'd stuck with Schaefer vs. tangling with Cold Gin.

TMC

The Fall of Schaefer (and some early winter)

2012-01-14T08:43:00.001-06:00

The fall of Schaefer ... but not 'fall' as in decline. As in season. As in autumn ... and early winter.

In the fourth quarter of the year, colors changed from green to a collage red, orange, yellow and brown. And then the leaves fell. Trick-or-treaters knocked on doors toting plastic pumpkins and wearing masks atop their heads instead of on their faces. Turkeys were carved as football was played. We shopped, munched, gathered as friends and families, celebrated the birth of Christ and brought in a new year. For the most part, the enjoyment of Schaefer was there - well perhaps except for time in the pew during Christmas Eve services.

After parting ways at Dover, Schaefer HOFer Philly let no moss grow under his feet. He kept his foot in the racing and Schaefer throttle, rallied fellow - and most recent - Schaefer HOFer Rev. Randy Esq., SROH Wannabe Cueball, and um, uh some other guy for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Speaking of Rev. Randy, he began the Christmas season with good ol' low-country boil. The North Carolina Chapter of the Schaefer Hall of Fame pulls off this meal regularly and exceptionally. Sadly, as a member of the Tennessee Chapter, TMC is never there to enjoy it.

Back to SHOFer Philly, he celebrated his birthday in November. Who could ask for anything more? A singing bass, a Schaefer, and apparently placemats to match the clock on the wall. What time is it? Well, duh - time for another Schaefer!

Not to be outdone, SHOFer Uncle Dave drove from Dover, DE back to Cleveland, OH and then to the beaches of the Florida panhandle a couple of weeks later. He went from the cold, damp, gray skies of Dover to this ...

After sticking his toes (and who knows what else) in the sand, he drove back up to central Alabama for the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway with SROH member Rick.

The two of them used the power of Schaefer to get a tour of the mobile NASCAR Technology Center.

And they then took in the Talladega spectacle. Note: If you haven't been to a race before and think you might hit just one, visit Talladega. The speeds are spectacular, some of the passes will take your breath away, and people-watching experiences are unmatched.

Rick continued to keep the Schaefer spirit alive by sporting the official SROH shirt in Key West, Florida right before Christmas.

For TMC, it was off to Newark NJ for my annual trip there. The Hampton Inn where I was staying had all sorts of problems getting my room ready, and then their room key system had to re-set for the entire hotel. No biggie. I needed to make a stop anyway at Liquor Warehouse. In my weakest attempt at crooning like Robert Plant, I wanted to sing ...and I'm climbing the stairway to Schaeferland...

A month earlier at Dover, some guy next to us was drinking Sagres, a Portuguese beer. I'd never heard of it and certainly would never have expected something like it at a NASCAR race. But now that I have tried it, I spotted it immediately in this store. Tons of it. Of course, its to be expected because Newark - particularly the Ironbound area - has a large Portuguese-speaking population.

It was great catching up with our Dover race weekend host and SROH member, 200WINZ.

On the Saturday of my stay, the weather was perfect. After a train ride from Newark to NYC, I headed for my first trip to the doorsteps of Harlem. I met a friend of mine at Dinosaur Bar-B-Cue.

I have to admit I went to Dino with a heavy load of skepticism. Barbecue in New York City? The tag line from the old Pace salsa commercial kept popping in my head. NEW YORK CITY? But I'd researched the place and learned they sold Schaefer. So hey, it was worth a try, right? In addition to Schaefer, the food was superb! Great smoke flavor. Tender pulled pork. Big portions. Getcha some when you go to the Big Apple.

After gorging myself on a big plate of pulled pork and a few Schaefers, my friend and I parted ways. I took my time walking through parts of Central Park. I entered by The Dakota - most famous for having been the home of John and Yoko Lennon. In no time, I was in the Strawberry Fields section of the park. Many folks were gathered around the "Imagine" inlaid disc. Some were reflecting. Some were crying. And despite signs asking for respectful quietness, one guy was blaring Santana on his jambox as he sat on a park bench.

As I stood there a moment, the thought that went through my head was "Imagine if I could still get Schaefer in Tennessee."

After enjoying a few hours of just strolling through the park, I made my way to Carnegie Deli. The place boasts that its the "world's best". Folks (mainly tourists) rave about it being the penultimate deli in all of New York.

But riddle me this Batman: how can this iconic NYC deli not have the iconic NY beer: Schaefer? They serve Bud, Bud Light, Heineken, and Amstel Light. I'm paying close to two Jacksons for a pastrami sammich, side and tip. The least they could do is offer me a $2 can of Schaef to wash it down.

It was then time for toomuchcountry to get himself toomuchculture. Our group left the deli, made our way to Times Square, took in the Broadway musical, Follies.

I had absolutely zero idea about any shows. Phantom and that cat show are about the only ones with which I'm familiar. But as we approached the Marquis Theater, I was struck immediately by two observations. One, the star of the show as Bernadette Peters. Suddenly, I knew I'd be interested because she has always been hot. Two, the director's name was all karma: Eric Schaeffer.

I met Tony the Hampton Inn shuttle driver in November 2010 when he picked me up from the airport. As soon as the van doors closed, I told him I was on a Schaefer search. He directed me to the right store. For my 2011 visit, he recognized me right away when I checked in at the hotel: Hey! You're dat Schaefah guy, right? And later that evening in the lounge, he walked up to me and sang the entire Schaefer commercial jingle. As Tony dropped me off at Newark Airport Sunday afternoon, I inducted him into the Schaefer Ring of Honor at curbside.

As has often been articulated here, Schaefer is a beer that unifies - not divides. That truth remains even when a Detroit Red Wings fan such as Bench Racing blog contributor, banktruck, and Nashville Predators fan, TMC, get together.

Now its time hang a new calendar. 2012. New opportunities and fresh perspectives now lay before us on how to celebrate the Twentieth Anniversary of the Schaefer Racing Hall of Fame.

TMC

Happy Holidays 2011-2012!

2011-12-30T12:43:00.001-06:00

The Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor hopes everyone enjoyed a Merry Christmas. And wishes go out for a rewarding 2012. Be sure to ring in the new year with plenty of Schaefer!

SHOFer Uncle Dave with his Major Award

For my part, I made sure Santa was taken care of as I loaded the trunk with gifts for others.

As the stockings were laid by the fireplace with care, I thought Santa might enjoy a cold Schaef as a welcome break from all the boring glasses of milk left for him throughout the world.

The next morning I awoke to find out my hunch was right! The lumps of coal were left for my father-in-law who greedily left an oversized stocking and doubted my efforts to reward Schaef Nick with a cold one.

TMC

December 29 - This day in Petty history

2011-12-29T07:43:00.007-06:00

1963 - Richard Petty earns his 28th career victory by winning the Sunshine 200 at Savannah Speedway in Georgia. Richard's brother and Petty Enterprise teammate, Maurice Petty, finishes 4th.

The race was held in December 1963 (cue The Four Seasons!) but was scheduled by NASCAR as an early race of the 1964 Grand National season. As noted in the article below, the race was originally scheduled for November 28. The race was rained out on its originally scheduled date plus two make-up dates before finally being run on December 29. Only a December 30, 1956 race at Titusville, FL has eclipsed the 1963 Sunshine 200 for a NASCAR GN/Cup race run latest in a calendar year.

NSSN headline sourced from ebay ad

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

1971 Schaefer 500

2011-12-20T21:43:00.007-06:00

On July 3, 2010, I blogged about the inaugural 1971 Schaefer 500 Indy car race at Pocono. In combing the web for information about the race, I thought I uncovered some neat photos from the race, a scan of the race program, and some trivia nuggets.

Tonight, however, an extra bonus was made available - a couple of YouTube clips from the race. With Bud Lindemann narrating, the episode does a great job of featuring vacationers in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and the yeoman's efforts of all involved in finishing construction on the new track so the race could run as scheduled.

A couple of things to be attuned to - especially in part 1:

3:36 mark - Soon-to-be NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough in his limited time in USAC's Indy cars
6:39 mark - Jim Hurtubise's Miller High Life Mallard
Legendary NASCAR announcer and Vermont short-track owner, Ken Squire, on the race call
And most of all, Schaefer sponsorship, signage, and consumption.

With Tuesday's announcement that Best Buy will leave the Richard Petty Motorsports #43 car, I'm convinced more than ever the King should pursue Schaefer as his sponsor.

Special thanks to Petty message board poster Stimlad for this requested fictional

I've already got the TV tagline for victory lane:

This is the one race to win when you're winning more than one!

TMC

Three Years - Surely You Jest

2011-12-19T07:43:00.003-06:00

Seriously? Three years ago? Yep, December 19, 2008 was the inaugural posting of this blog?

My co-blogger, banktruck, and I charted our own course and set our own pace. The vibe of the blog as the years have passed doesn't quite match the original intent. For years, we bantered (and still do) with each other via e-mail about our Monday, post-race opinions. After years of doing so, we thought the idea of writing a blog to let others in on our discussions, observations, and opinions made some sense and would be fun. The fun part has been there. However, I think the approach of chiming in on current racing issues or events may have happened perhaps twice in the last three years. Oh well.

Also, the idea of having two contributors was to have both of us ... well, contribute. As we've made laps, I've posted the lion's share of entries and BT's entries number ... hmm, uh, well ... less than mine. Several personal and professional life events have unfolded for BT that have minimized his posts - but that's OK too.

We thought about going off-theme and trade thoughts about topics such as hockey, faith or politics. Instead, readers have gotten entries about NASCAR in general, historical reflections about Richard Petty specifically and Three Degrees of Separation from him, and Schaefer beer schelebration stories.

Personally, this venue has been very gratifying for me thus far.

I've asked for and received blogging guidance from established writers such as syndicated NASCAR beat writer, Monte Dutton, and occasional NASCAR.com contributor, Rick Houston. Friendships have evolved from that correspondence.
I've been invited not just once but twice to blog for a commercial site. While flattered, I've declined both invitations. With this blog, we blog what we want, when we want, and in whatever style we want. Thus far, I've been unwilling to commit to a defined number of words, to hit an established deadline, deliver a consistent style, etc. I have a day job - and this is my hobby/interest. Period.
Its been pretty interesting to see the metrics for the blog. Initially, single-digit view counts were reported. In 2011, views consistently hit triple-digit reads on entries. That number is nothing compared to big-time blogs. But to think anyone other than the threesome of Me, Myself or I give a rip about my thoughts is humbling.
The biggest challenge I've taken on for 2011-2012 is to post an entry for each of Richard Petty's 200 wins. This venue has enabled me to interact and develop friendships with other long-time Petty fans who have provided articles, photos, and memories.

As Year 4 begins, I truly thank anyone reading this post - whether it be from a Google search result, a link from a message board, a tweet, a passion for Schaefer beer, or a direct e-mail I've sent you. Thank. You.

Now cake shall be served! Schaefer anyone?

See you in 2012.

TMC and BT

December 12 - This day in Petty history

2011-12-12T07:43:00.012-06:00

First things first: a Happy Birthday shout-out to my wife, notenoughcountry, who has zero interest in anything having to do with racing. But she married me anyway.

1971 - Richard Petty wins the Texas 500 at Texas World Speedway near College Station, TX to notch his 21st win of the season and 140th career victory. As the 1971 season concludes, the King also wins his third NASCAR Grand National championship title - tying him with Lee Petty and David Pearson. Teammate Buddy Baker finishes second in a white, #11 Petty Enterprises Dodge.

Source: Mopar Dealer Petty Project

The race was originally scheduled for December 5; however, it was delayed one week because of a rain-out.

The inaugural Texas 500 was run in 1969. The event was not run in 1970, but NASCAR scheduled it again in 1971. I find it interesting and a bit amusing the track promoters chose to label the second event at the track as the 'First Annual'.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

The race also featured an STP Pontiac - 11 years before Richard and Kyle Petty started driving STP Pontiacs. This one was driven by David Pearson and owned by Ray Nichels.

Below is a photo of the starting line-up with former Petty Enterprises driver Pete Hamilton on the pole and 1973 Winston Cup champion Benny Parsons on the outside of the front row. Petty cars occupy the second row with Richard on the inside and Buddy Baker starting fourth.

Source: Mopar Dealer Petty Project

The following picture and article are included courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

TMC

November 26 - This day in Petty history

2011-11-26T07:43:00.004-06:00

1967 - Richard Petty wins the pole and the 100-mile race at Alabama's Montgomery Speedway. He leads 154 of the 200 laps to earn his 76th career win. Emerging rival Bobby Allison finishes 2nd.

Though the race was held in November 1967, it was scheduled by NASCAR as the second event of the 1968 Grand National season.

According to Greg Fielden in his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 3, Petty had not originally intended to participate in this race.

Petty showed up only after he received a sizable amount of "show money" from the promoters. Allison is one of the promoters at the half-mile paved track ... Petty and Allison, who have been involved in a few fender benders in recent weeks, met in victory circle. "Let's say we get along fine on the track," said Petty. "I'm not so sure about off the track, but its a thing of the past." - pp 166-167

Its interesting to read that at the time Petty thought the run-ins with Allison were over and done with. Instead, they continued off and on for another five seasons - culminating with their slam-bang affair at North Wilkesboro in October 1972.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

November 17 - This day in Petty history

2011-11-17T07:43:00.000-06:00

1968 - Richard Petty leads 362 laps and wins the Georgia 500 at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, GA (near Macon) for his 92nd career win. Suffering from the flu, Petty wasn't sure he could race and had young driver Pete Hamilton standing by to drive the 43. But when it was show time, Petty put himself in the car, went the distance, and won the race. (Hamilton got his shot with Petty Enterprises a season later when he was hired as a 1970 teammate to Richard to drive the winged Plymouth Superbirds.)

Even though the race occurred in November 1968, it was scheduled by NASCAR as the first race of the 1969 season. Many remember the King raced Fords for the 1969 season. The announcement that Petty Enterprises would change to Fords, however, wasn't made until eight days after this race. So Petty's win at Middle Georgia was his only Plymouth win of the 1969 season and his last in one until March 1970. (He did race a Plymouth to win the pole and finish second at Birmingham Speedway in December 1968 before switching to Fords in January 1969.)

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

November 14 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-11-14T08:07:00.004-06:00

1971 - Richard Petty wins his 139th career race by leading 299 laps in the Capital City 500 at Richmond. By merely starting the race, the King also clinches his third NASCAR Grand National championship and his first (and the sponsor's first) titled as the Winston Cup.

Richmond's fall race historically has been scheduled in September. Because of two rain-outs, however, the race had to be re-scheduled for November.

Long-time fellow Petty fan, Brian '200WINZ' Hauck remembers:

Here is 1971 Capital City 500 Program and the starting line-up. The program was a generic version that really did not pertain to a specific event. Some race reports from earlier events and probable entries and the sort. The race itself? I don't really recall anything spectacular; however this WAS Richmond and Richard WAS expected to WIN!!! The one great thing about the old 1/2 mile was the fact that it got greasy as hell once the race got going. It wasn't uncommon to see cars sliding out of the corners like they were on a dirt track! It really didn't tear up the tires either so they just powered on! The Armco guardrail around the track was another thing altogether! It you hit that thing, it would shred the sheet metal like a meat grinder. Between the guard rail and the tight racing, it was not unusual to finish pretty well mangled up - IF you finished.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

November 14 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-11-14T07:43:00.012-06:00

1965 - Richard Petty qualifies on the pole and wins the Georgia Cracker 300 at Augusta Raceway in Georgia to earn his 41st career victory.

The mid-November race was scheduled as the first race of the 1966 NASCAR Grand National season.

Photo courtesy of Harvey Tollison

Greg Fielden notes in his book Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 3 about the race:

Petty led for a 94 lap stretch before Tiny Lund clawed his way to the front. Lund, behind the wheel of an independent Ford owned by Lyle Stelter, was late arriving at the track and posted no practice or qualifying time. He started dead last but came on like gangbusters. Lund was pulling away from Petty when the distributor failed on his car. Petty breezed in the lead for good.

Petty drove a Petty Enterprises #42 Plymouth, and the win was his final one in a car numbered something other than 43.

Photo courtesy of and credit to Smyle Media

Click the following article for better reading resolution.

Article courtesy of Harvey Tollison

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

November 13 - This day in Petty history

2011-11-13T07:43:00.010-06:00

1966 - Richard Petty wins his 49th career Grand National race in the Augusta 300 at Georgia's Augusta Raceway. Paul Lewis from Johnson City, TN finishes 2nd in his #1 Plymouth. Lewis bought the previously-raced Plymouth from - ta da! - Petty Enterprises.

Photos courtesy of Harvey Tollison from Racers Reunion
and Augusta International Raceway Preservation Society

Lewis had a good relationship with the Pettys. Two weeks before the Augusta race, Lewis made his one and only career start for Petty Enterprises at Rockingham.

Photo courtesy of Paul Lewis

The Augusta race was run in November 1966 as the first race of the 1967 Grand National season. Petty's victory was also the first of his 27 wins for the 1967 season - a record that still stands.

The previous year's race was known as the Georgia Cracker 300. Based on the following ad, the 1966 event was also known by that name. However, results I've found in books and on-line suggest the race was known just as the Augusta 300.

Friday Hassler, part-time racer from TMC's former city of Chattanooga TN, qualified a very respectable fourth in his traditionally-numbered #39 Chevy. But he had quite the spectacular exit when he blew an engine early in the race and set the whole rear of the car ablaze.

Petty raced a bit during the race with rival David Pearson. In the end, Lewis split the two with Richard as the winner and Pearson finishing in third.

Photos courtesy of Harvey Tollison

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

November 11 - This day in Petty history

2011-11-11T11:11:00.009-06:00

November 11 - Veterans Day - If you are reading this and have served or are serving in a branch of the United States Armed Forces, THANK YOU! Words are cheap as I try to communicate my sincerest appreciation to you for willingly putting on the uniform and doing what was/is asked of you to defend our liberties.

On this numerological, Petty-win, anniversary posting date of 11-11-11...

1962 - Richard Petty wins career race number 14 by leading 158 of 200 laps at Golden Gate Speedway in Tampa, FL. The race is the only NASCAR Grand National event ever held at the track.

Richard edges teammate Jim Paschal by one car length for the win. Richard's brother and third Plymouth teammate, Maurice Petty, finishes 6th. Buzzie Reutimann, father of modern-day Cup driver David Reutimann, finishes 10th in the 24-car field. Read the accompanying article below for more details about the 'frammin and bammin' that took place during the race.

In the photo below, Maurice Petty in the faintly-numbered 42 Plymouth races behind Darel Dieringer (82), "Little" Joe Weatherly (8) and Stan Parker (23).

Here Richard Petty is shown passing younger brother Maurice on the outside on his way to the win.

Source for above two photos: Dave Westerman's Florida Racing History

Above photo and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

November 8 - This day in Petty history

2011-11-08T07:43:00.018-06:00

1970 - Richard Petty pockets his 119th career win by winning the Georgia 500 from the pole at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia - about 20 miles from Macon. It was The King's 18th win of the season. Finishing 2nd in the race was Bobby Isaac. Despite Petty's 18 wins to Isaac's 11 wins, Isaac claimed the 1970 championship. Petty finished 4th in the 1970 standings - largely because of the races he missed while recovering from his bad crash at Darlington earlier in the season.

Petty's win was the next to last NASCAR Grand National race at the track. One year later, Bobby Allison won the final GN race at Middle Georgia. Local races continued to be held sporadically until the mid 1980s when the track was shuttered for good.

In 1977, the track was rental to film a a few scenes for the Richard Pryor movie, Greased Lightning, the picture based loosely on the life of driver Wendell Scott. And in July 1970 - just a few months before Petty's win - the track hosted the second Atlanta Pop Festival. While the races drew a few thousand fans, the music festival drew a monstrous crowd ranging from 350,000 to 500,000 people - depending on whose lie you believe. Among the artists who performed were local boys made good The Allman Brothers, Grand Funk Railroad, B.B. King, and Jimi Hendrix - who died about 10 weeks after this performance.

Perhaps the funniest (and maybe the most predictable) trivia about the track was its temporary closure in 1968. Government agents raided the track in 1968 and found an elaborate tunnel system leading to a moonshine still. Agents found a secret door in a ticket booth - which led to a ladder - which went down 35 feet to another hidden door. The second door led to a 150 foot tunnel - which ended at a cave below the infield - in which was found a large moonshine still. In his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 3, Greg Fielden writes:

...there was a 2,000 gallon cooker, a 1,200 gallon box fermenter and a 750 gallon gas fuel tank for cooking. The operators had installed yellow lights to keep bugs out of the mash. Authorities put the still out of operation a couple of weeks after the race. Most of the 6,800 spectators who attended the race were unaware the still was ever located at their hometown track...The case came to trial on December 12, 1968, with [TMC edit: track president H. Lamar] Brown being found not guilty...

In 2010, the good folks from RacersReunion.com organized a reunion meeting at Middle Georgia Raceway. The track surface today is obviously far more weathered and weed-filled than in its hey-day. But that didn't stop someone from enjoying a couple of laps around the old track.

Oh yeah! Petty's win. Almost forgot for a moment.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

As a final trivia note for this lost track, Chrysler Corporation rented the old track earlier this year, repainted part of the wall with a 'dilapidated' fictional Brixton Motor Speedway name, and filmed a commercial for its Dodge Durango.

TMC

November 2 - This day in Petty history

2011-11-02T07:43:00.006-05:00

Greetings from Newark, NJ. To my knowledge, Newark has never hosted a NASCAR event - at least not a Cup race. However, an old NASCAR track - Trenton Speedway - was located about one hour from Newark. And Newark will supposedly be the site of a 2013 Formula 1 race with the New York City skyline as the backdrop. So race on and Schaefer up! Now on to today's Petty history anniversary post...

1975 - Richard Petty wins the Volunteer 500 at Bristol. The win was his 177th career victory, the 13th and final win of the 1975 season, and the icing on the cake for the year as The King earned his sixth NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup championship.

For many years, Bristol's second event of the year was scheduled for July - a brutally hot time in Tennessee. Track owner and promoter Larry Carrier requested another date from NASCAR to ease the heat effects on his fans, and the 1975 race was scheduled for November. I'm guessing this may have been a message from Bill France Jr. to Carrier. In 1976, the race was moved back to August where it now remains.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 27 - This day in Petty history

2011-10-27T07:43:00.000-05:00

1968 - Richard Petty scores his 91st career victory by winning the American 500 at Rockingham. The win was the first superspeedway victory for the King in over a year - hard to believe for a team that won 27 races in 1967. Rival David Pearson finishes second, but he also wraps up his second NASCAR Grand National championship.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Check out this short video recap of the race. Its interesting to see Richard cruising around the track with his arm resting on the door sill and out the window - no window nets in that era.

Two photos above courtesy of Harvey Tollison at Racers Reunion

Another victory lane photo from OurHamlet.org - where many more photos from the race can be viewed:

The following photos and article were provided by Jerry Bushmire.

TMC

October 25 - This day in Petty history

2011-10-25T07:43:00.009-05:00

1964 - Richard Petty wins a 334-lap race on the one-third mile Harris (NC) Speedway paved track. The race was the first of only two NASCAR Grand National races run at Harris. Rather than drive #43 for which he is most famous, The King raced a #41 Petty Plymouth.

Photo courtesy of and credit to Smyle Media

In Silent Speedways of the Carolinas, Perry Allen Wood writes:

...Billy Wade had Bud Moore's Marauder on the pole at just under 65 MPH. Competition was stiff after a rare week off following the National 400 in Charlotte. Cotton (Owens) brought two Dodges up the hill from Spartanburg, Pearson's 6 and Isaac's 5... Wade led the first 100 laps and fell out, finishing 18th. Then Pearson led for 59 more before retiring to 15th. The last 40 were Richard Petty's and he copped his 36th career win. p.97

Randy G., fellow member at Racers Reunion, gave me permission to share the next three photos from the race. All were shot by Bobby Parks who was the track's photographer, and he gave copies of the photos to Randy.

Richard (41) chasing rival David Pearson (6):

Door-to-door battle between 2 NASCAR Hall of Famers: race winner King (41) and second-place Ned Jarrett (11):

The race winner!

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 24 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-10-24T08:43:00.003-05:00

1976 - Richard Petty wins his 180th career race and sweeps Rockingham for the year by winning the American 500.

Bobby W., fellow member at Racers Reunion, remembers...

I planned this gala event. Me and my new wife of 3 months could go to Rockingham for that fall's 500. I was really on the ball, ordered tickets, happily got up before day, and drove the 2+ hours to the Rock. It was the most perfect day I've ever spent at a race track. Incredible autumn weather, and another dominating Richard Petty victory at Rockingham. At the last moment, my dad's friends procured tickets and planned their own trip - only they would fly. We were seated in different sections of the grand stands. I knew my dad was at the race, but I never saw him. I knew he would be thrilled that Richard had won. On the flight back home, dad's plane crashed over rural Columbus county, NC. My dad was fatally injured, but the last race he ever attended was fittingly won by Richard.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

The next two photos show Richard in victory lane with Miss Winston, Pattie Huffman. A couple of years later, she became his daughter-in-law when she married Kyle Petty.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 24 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-10-24T07:43:00.007-05:00

1971 - Petty cars dominate the American 500 at Rockingham. Buddy Baker, in #11 Petty Enterprises Dodge leads 209 laps but finishes second to teammate Richard Petty. King Richard leads 189 laps, wins the race and collects his 138th career victory.

Baker claimed Petty passed him illegally under a caution flag. Petty asserted he didn't, and NASCAR agreed.

Also, David Pearson raced the #99 STP Plymouth for Ray Nichels. Pearson substituted for the team's regular driver, Fred Lorenzen. Fast Freddy skipped the race based on his doctor's advice in response to serious headaches he had been experiencing. In recent years, I learned Pearson raced an STP Pontiac for Nichels in the 1971 season-ending Texas 500 at Texas World Speedway. But research for this blog entry surfaced the trivia of Pearson driving an STP Plymouth before Richard Petty.

After the race was over, Petty collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.

After a few minutes, he sat up and was able to move around to the front of the winning 43. Note the Professional Drivers Association (PDA) patch still being worn on his left shoulder.

After regaining some strength, the King followed through with the interviews...

...and the awarding of the trophy...

...and of course, the kisses for the winner!

Article and photos courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 21 - This day in Petty history

2011-10-21T07:43:00.007-05:00

1979 - Richard Petty wins his 190th career Grand National race in the American 500 at Rockingham. He also takes over the points lead over Darrell Waltrip in his pursuit of his seventh NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup title.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Bobby W., fellow member at Racers Reunion, remembers...

For that year's Rockingham race, me and friends simply bought $8.00 general admission tickets for the backstretch stands. Those tickets only allowed access to the first 10 rows of stands. But after the race was about 100 laps in, we could wander anywhere and watch from the upper sections - which we did. Richard was driving a '79 Monte Carlo, took the lead early, and blistered the field again. I was lucky. I was convinced the sun rose and set over Level Cross, and I got to see Richard in his prime. Good times!

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

The comments from rookie Joe Millikan were interesting. Millikan grew up in Randleman, NC and worked in the shop for Petty Enterprises for several years. In the mid to late 70s, Petty Enterprises fielded an #04 STP Dodge Charger for Millikan in Late Model Sportsman races at Daytona and Talladega.

Joe won a couple of those events, and his performance in the Petty-built Dodges helped tee him up for a Cup rookie-of-the-year run with L.G. DeWitt. As it turns out, however, Millikan had the bad fortune to be a Cup rookie in the same season as a a guy named Dale Earnhardt.

Petty left Rockingham leading in the championship battle by eight points over Waltrip. Richard was almost 230 points behind Waltrip two months earlier.

Photo courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 20 - This day in Petty history

2011-10-20T07:43:00.003-05:00

1963 - Richard Petty collects his 27th career victory by winning the caution-free South Boston 400 at South Boston Speedway in car #41. Teammate Bob Welborn finishes 4th in a #42 Petty Enterprises Plymouth.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

The Schaefer Schummer of 2011...the schequel

2011-10-19T07:43:00.001-05:00

In late July, I blogged how Schaefer Hall of Famers and Ring of Honor members were enjoying their 2011 Schaefer Schummer. Of course, summer isn't over in July. It runs through at least Labor Day - and for some folks, beyond! So here are a few more ways members of the SHOF and SROH enjoyed the remainder of their 2011 Schaefer Schummer.

Bill Combs is the great-grandson of Rudolph Schaefer Jr. He writes The Schaefer Story blog and can be followed on Twitter @schaeferstory. He represented the Schaefer Ring of Honor well with colors and brew in August at the Good Sam 500 Cup race at Pocono Raceway. Bill was brought into the Schaefer Ring of Honor about a year ago, but this entry is his first photo contribution. Schaaaaa-LOOT Mr. Schaefer Descendent!

He cemented his membership in the SROH by getting a meet-and-greet with Brandon Igdalsky just two days after Igdalsky was named the new President of Pocono!

Speaking of racing (and when am I not), how about this cool fictional scheme for the 43 of Richard Petty Motorsports? Designed by stimlad - a fellow poster at the Fans For Richard Petty Motorsports message board - I'd really like to see that happen. Look - I get it. Schaefer's market share is pretty doggone thin these days. But have you seen some of the other sponsors in NASCAR these days? Surely, the market potential for Schaefer is greater than some of them.

SROH members Kristi and Ryan earn bonus points for being a photogenic Schaefer Ring of Honor couple. They earn significant demerits, however, for toting Bud Stinkin' Light while wearing the SROH colors. As Gomer Pyle so eloquently put it: Shame, shame, shame.

Recent SROH inductee Rick earns high marks for getting a photo-op with Miss Sprint Cup. But as with Kristi and Ryan, he demonstrated why he'll likely never earn SHOF status. He had neither a Schaefer beer OR his SROH shirt in his photo. T'sk, t'sk.

As an example to the young'uns, SHOFer Uncle Dave brings it strong. He enjoys time toying with his '55 Chevy, appreciating old school Winston Cup signage, and sharing Schaefer with friend. THAT's the way to do it.

Uncle Dave also managed to score an ancient Schaefer keg bar light for the best price of all ... free. It didn't work well so he re-wired the thing, and now it works as good as ~~new~~ old-school.

If you've read this blog much at all, you know when Schaefer schelebrations are featured that SROH member Bruton will be right in the middle of one of them.

The following photo is perhaps the most enviable one of this post.

Bruton was prepared to write an emergency note of "Send more Schaefer...PLEASE!", stuff it in the can, and toss it to the surf. But he realized (1) the letter would get wet and (2) the can had 3 remaining ounces in it that couldn't be wasted.

One interesting discovery Bruton made this summer was to discover the fossilized remains of the frequently-sought but rarely-found Schaefersaurus.

SHOFer co-founder and executive committee voting member, Philly, enjoyed his schummer Schaefer with a Carolina classic - low country boil. You can never have enough of either.

SROH member 200WINZ delivered his own Schaefer meal - steak, potato, and Caesar salad. What completes this? The styrofoam bowls and Dixie plate - no doubt.

While in Richmond for the September Cup race, 200WINZ met someone who is arguably the most famous celebrity in American pop culture today - Windell Middlebrooks from the Miller High Life commercials.

Windell schills for Miller - not Schaefer - but that's OK. MillerCoors brews Schaefer along with all other beers owned by Pabst Brewing. And in a spirit of transparency, SHOF members also acknowledge each member will willingly quaff the champagne of beers when Schaefer is not available. Finally, I'm willing to bet Windell is the kind of guy who would in return enjoy a cold Schaefer with you if the cameras were away.

The 2011 Schaefer Schummer is now over. But that simply means its time to submit those pictures and stories of your enjoying Schaefer this fall and throughout the holidays.

Scha-LOOT!

TMC

October 18 - This day in Petty history

2011-10-18T07:43:00.002-05:00

1970 - Richard Petty dominates the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville by leading 480 laps, puts a lap on the field, wins the race and earns his 118th career Grand National win. To put in perspective the King's dominance at Martinsville in this era:

The 1970 Old Dominion 500 win was his 9th overall at Martinsville
The win was his 6th in the last 8 races at that time.
Petty won four of the last five races at Martinsville.
The win was his 4th consecutive Old Dominion 500 victory.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 17 - This day in Petty history

2011-10-17T07:43:00.009-05:00

1971 - Richard wins his 137th career race in the Delaware 500 at Dover. Bobby Allison had the race wrapped-up, but he broke a wheel stud and needed an extended pit stop to repair it. A wheel stud cost him the victory. When is the last time anyone recalls that happening?

Richard had his own "oh crap!" moment with 25 laps to go. He spun by himself off the track - but he gathered it back up, never lost the lead, and went on to win the race. I'd love to see video of that incident. Dover is a 1-mile track but its tight along the bottom. I'm curious how the King managed to loop it without crashing the car.

Brian '200WINZ' Hauck remembers:

I remember getting up early race morning, and the weather was kind of crappy. My father was on the fence about going. It was hard at 16 years old to try to NOT throw a hissy fit, but the old man was swayed into making the drive. Bobby Allison owned the race, but Richard came on at the end for the win. I was impressed by the blinding STP red on Fred Lorenzen's #99 and how easy it was to spot anywhere on the track! Little did I know that day! After the race, they opened the cross-over gate, and I headed to victory lane just as the crew was pulling out the 43. I managed to grab the photo and then jumped pit wall to follow the car around to the garage area for a photo. I raced to the press box which was located at the top of the grandstands at the start/finish line. Just as I got there, Richard had made his way to the bottom of the steps, and I snapped his photo! Thank God my father understood what racing and Richard Petty meant to me! He patiently waited for me to run around taking pictures. Because of him, I have been able to document some of the best times of my life! My pop stayed true to racing to the very end - always talking about the last weekend's race. Once I became old enough to drive myself to the races, Pop stayed at home and watched them on TV. And because of my Dad, I was able to get to know the Petty family personally which has been a dream come true for me! I know in my heart he felt a deep satisfaction watching me watch races! Thanks Pop, I miss you dearly...R.I.P.

Program and photos courtesy of Brian Hauck

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

Dover part 4: Other Sights and Sounds

2011-10-16T16:43:00.002-05:00

This entry concludes my four-part series on my inaugural and memorable trip to Dover International Speedway - the Monster Mile - for the AAA 400 race weekend. Here are a few other fun and interesting sights and observations from our race weekend. Most speak for themselves - but I couldn't resist a comment here and there for others.

We were pleased to learn Mr. and Mrs. Orange Julius got to take a day off from the mall food court to go racin'.

Hey Beavis, I am Cornholio. I need T-P for my bunghole. Vroom, vroom, heh heh.

Credit: Brian '200WINZ' Hauck

My eyes and mind were open to whatever karma could be mustered that might indicate a good weekend for the Richard Petty Motorsports 43 team of A.J. Allmendinger.

And enlarge to note this young man's last name from the National Guard.

As an aside, the United States Air Force is a part-time RPM sponsor. One of the local USAF recruiters from the nearby Dover Air Force Base was at the Best Buy Racing 43 hauler Saturday morning. His name and rank (I kid you not): Sergeant Schaefer.

Racing haters generally dismiss the sport based on what they've seen on TV. How can you watch cars just go round and round all day? I always tell them to try it before you hate it. The adrenalin rush of hearing 43 cars roar to life and then accelerate with the green flag just has to be experienced to fully appreciate it. Furthermore, to be next to one of these things as the crew does their engine checks will bring a smile to your face and almost cause your heart to jump through your sternum.

We couldn't resist being the first ones ever to try this pose. Wait ... what? No way, impossible.

The invocation was offered by the Rev. Dan SCHAFER. (You just can't make this stuff up folks.) And actress Melora Hardin respectfully sang the national anthem. I know her best from her role as Jan Levinson a few years ago on the NBC show The Office. After she finished the anthem, I really wanted to jump and yell THAT'S WHAT SHE SANG! but thought better of it.

The Schafer prayer at 5:00 mark, and the anthem at 5:43...

Mike Wallace's Nationwide sponsor was perhaps the strangest for the weekend - at least for us out-of-towners. We got a good laugh and figured an individual or group of friends bought space on the quarter-panel as a joke. It turns out after talking with the crew that I Hate Steven Singer is a jewelry store in Philadelphia. But it was still funny listening to the track announcer and MRN Radio announcers casually reference Mike Wallace from Fenton, Missouri in the I Hate Steven Singer Chevrolet.

I merely took a picture of this place. I didn't buy anything. But I did wonder if they served a Chaz Sausage or an Automatic Tranny Dog.

So concludes our trip to Dover...

TMC

Dover part 3 - Schaefer Hall of Fame

2011-10-16T12:07:00.003-05:00

You knew it was coming, right? As a measure of the great time we had at Dover, its taken me until part 3 before finally chronicling the good times of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor.

As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, our trip kicked off to a rip-snortin' start when we met The King, Richard Petty, on Thursday night. Not only did we get a photo-op but with him, but he also signed our Schaefer Racing Hall of Fame 20th Anniversary banner!

We awoke Friday morning to a pleasant, crisp, sunny, autumn morning. As SHOFer Uncle Dave prep'd us a breakfast on the grill, the rest of us enjoyed the start to the day by tag-teaming coffee and Schaefer.

I tweeted we were indeed having a great start to race weekend. SROH member (Pennsylvania chapter) Bill Combs - a descendent of the Schaefer beer family himself - replied with this classic observation:

With breakfast completed, it was time to get our garage credentials, tour the souvenir haulers, snag free swag, etc. Before doing so, we had to raise our banner to let the world know the Schaefer Hall of Fame had arrived. The banner was ceremoniously delivered by none other than Captain Schaefer himself.

Once raised, the banner was a sight to behold - especially a day later when the pleasant, sunny, autumn day turned to a cloudy, misting, wind-whipped day.

Each time we returned from the track to the camper, the SHOF banner was clearly recognizable.

When you are drinking the one beer to have when you are having more than one, its amazing how many new friends one can meet. For a moment, I thought I was standing next to Joe Gibbs.

SHOF co-founder, Philly and SROH member and weekend host, 200WINZ. My how times have changed. When the SHOF was launched two decades ago, co-founder Philly and I tent camped at races, didn't believe in sunscreen or water hydration, stayed up way too late and woke way too early. Today, we prefer nicer accommodations for our race weekends, take our laptops and search for a WiFi hotspot to multi-task.

After spending a warm Saturday morning in the Nationwide and Cup garages and a brisk afternoon taking in the Nationwide race, we had dinner, swapped racing stories, welcomed 200WINZ' son to the evening's festivities, and polished off several Schaefers (disclaimer: excluding WINZ' son). We still had Sunday's Cup race to go, and SHOFer Uncle Dave made it quite clear when his Saturday was done.

But the next morning, Dave was ready and raring to go again. He and 200WINZ were either debating our lunch menu, swapping lies, or debating who was leaving the comfortable camper to get the next round of Schaefs.

We had a good time getting to know WINZ' son Richie Lee a bit. He was celebrating his 18th birthday and his first NASCAR Cup race. The SHOF voted to give him his rookie stripe and add him to the Schaefer Ring of Honor probationary internship rolls. When he hits 21, we'll reconsider him for full Ring of Honor membership.

Our weekend credentials allowed us to tour the garage and pit areas again Sunday morning. But with the cold winds and misting rain, we just couldn't get motivated enough to go. Instead, we simply hung out until near race time. But once the ceremony of inducting Richie Lee as a Cup-race rookie and probationary Schaefer Ring of Honor intern was done, the coffee pot was empty, the sandwiches were made, and race time drew near, I really got cabin fever and was ready to head for the track.

We got to our seats as driver introductions were underway. For Saturday's Nationwide race, we could sit anywhere we wanted. For the Sunday Cup race, we were shoehorned in the middle of a row. The place had plenty of empty seats - just not in our section. But with Schaefer in our coolers, it didn't take long to make friends with fans around us.

As Philly cracked a cold one, he turned to the guy to our right and asked if he'd ever had a Schaefer. He replied with perhaps the best line the SHOF has heard. He said "Yeah, I 'member dat beeuh. I used to kick Schaefer cans from da back seat of my old man's car so I'd have a place to sit." Instantly, a bond was formed.

Interestingly, while he'd seen Schaefer and kicked the cans, he had never had one. I told him we'd trade a Schaefer for whatever he was drinking. Suddenly, he passed us TWO Labatt Blue for one Schaefer. Ka-ching!

We then started talking with our new New Jersey row mates to our left. One of them was drinking something called Sagres, a Portuguese beer. Portugeuse! At a NASCAR race! Furthermore, the can volume wasn't even a full-size beer. It contained 11.2 ounces vs. 12 ounces. Drinking the last .8 ounces of a can of brew is what separates beer pros from pretenders.

After a good bit of ribbing about their beer of choice, we also asked if they'd had a Schaefer. The father of one of the guys said he'd had it before - but not in many years. I told them - as much as it might humiliate me at a stock car race - that I'd trade a Schaef for the old man in exchange for one of their Portuguese beers. Sure enough, they offered us a two-for-one swap.

Another race in the ledger. New friends made. More folks introduced to the magic of Schaefer.

And yet, to be continued....

TMC

Dover part 2: Cold Pass access was HOT

2011-10-15T08:43:00.008-05:00

Part 2 of a [non-committed mumble] part series on a great trip to Dover International Speedway from September 29 - October 2.

I was introduced to racing as a 9 year-old kid at a late model sportsman race at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway in the early 70s. The bug bit me that night, and I'm as fascinated by it today as I was then. I'm older, fatter, and more skeptical. My favorite driver has been retired for 20 years. And the costs to attend today far exceed what they did then (especially when (1) my parents or uncle paid for my ticket back then and (2) I didn't have any Schaefer expenses as a 9 year-old.)

One aspect of racing I really enjoyed in my teen years was going into the garage/pit areas before or after a race. The opportunity didn't present itself often, but it was so eye-opening when it did. Because of how seldom I've had the chance to tour the garage - then and now - I always appreciate and walk around with a dropped jaw at all the action.

At Dover, we were fortunate to have Cold Pass credentials provided to us. We pretty much had free reign of the Nationwide and Cup garages up until 1 hour before qualifying and race starts and pit access during the events.

We got to the track too early Saturday morning to tour the Cup garage. But no problem - over to the Nationwide garage we went.

As part of my on-going blog series about each of Richard Petty's 200 wins, I've reached out where I can to folks with first-hand accounts of the days at Petty Enterprises. One of the individuals I've had the fortune of trading messages with is Mike Beam. In the late 70s, Mike was the crew chief for late model sportsman legend Butch Lindley. He was hired by the King as crew chief for Kyle as his Cup career began in the early 1980s. Over the next 30 years, he was crew chief for many Cup drivers. Today, he is the crew chief for Carl Edwards in the Nationwide series.

Mike reconciled who I was after telling him I was 'toomuchcountry'. He then gave me several minutes of his time to talk about Lindley, getting hired by Petty Enterprises, the challenge of setting Carl's car for a green track after overnight rains, model car building, etc. Then rightfully so, he had to get back to work. I'm sure he used the great set-up tips I gave him because later that afternoon, Carl's #60 Ford DOMINATED the Nationwide race.

After parting ways from Mike, we roamed around a bit more, watched tech inspection, met the ageless Morgan Shepherd, and talked to the crew from the Jimmy Means-owned Nationwide team. Before Means began a multi-decade as a journeyman Cup driver, he came from Alabama to win the late model championship at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway in 1974.

As we circled back to Edwards' hauler, I spotted Jeff 'Hollywood' Hammond. Only word of advice I gave him (or at least wanted to): lose that Boogity guy...please.

After seeing pretty much all there was to see, we realized the Cup garage was now open. So we strolled from the Nationwide garage housed just below turns 3 and 4 to the Cup garage which is located just below turns 1 and 2.

I wanted to make a bee line for the Best Buy Racing hauler of A.J. Allmendinger with the hope of meeting The King again. Just as we arrived, Dale Inman walked out of the back door of the hauler. Everyone should know who Dale is - but I suppose some don't. Dale Inman is:

Richard Petty's cousin
Richard's crew chief for all of his seven championships
the only eight-time NASCAR Grand National/Cup champion by serving as crew chief for Terry Labonte's first championship
a veteran of the United States Army, and
a member of the 2012 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

I had with me an 8x10 enlargement of a photo I took at Charlotte in 1992. In the photo, Richard's 43 is being pushed to the starting line alongside eventual Cup champion Alan Kulwicki's Ford. Dale took the time to ask where I took the photo, studied it a bit and autographed it for me.

He then realized Robbie Loomis was part of the contingent pushing the car in the photo. I told him it was indeed Robbie, and I was hoping to get his autograph on the photo too. Dale went into the hauler and asked Robbie to come out to see my photo. As with Dale, Robbie studied it, laughed about how much younger he was then, and signed it for me.

Just one more autograph was needed to complete the three I wanted - The King. Dale then told us Richard had gone back to North Carolina to take his wife home. Unfortunately for us, he didn't plan to return. Oh well, c'est la vie. But Dale continued to chat with us. He challenged us to guess his age. He posed for a couple of photos with our crew.

SROH member 200WINZ (L), 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Dale Inman (C), & SHOFer Uncle Dave (R).

He gave me the opportunity to ask a few questions about the old days. We discussed Julian Petty (Lee Petty's brother, Richard's uncle, and a NASCAR driver/owner in his own right). We rattled off a few names from the past of Petty Enterprises including Bob Welborn, Tiny Lund, Buck Baker, Gwyn Staley, Red Myler, etc. I tried to remember if Welborn had driven a third Petty car in the inaugural 1960 World 600 (it was actually Bobby Johns). But Dale noted he couldn't remember because "the Army had me then" and wasn't at the first 600.

He finally and cordially let us know it was time to go to work. He climbed aboard the hauler to watch qualifying for the Nationwide race. Fifty years in this sport - and there he was still watching lap times, track nuances, etc.

Credit: Brian 200WINZ Hauck

After parting ways with Inman, the four of us set out in the Cup garage area. Unlike the spacious bays of the Neon Garage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dover has a single, covered, tightly-packed garage area. Half the teams are on one side, and the other half is on the opposite side. In the middle of the garage is a pass-through area where NASCAR set up one of its three technical inspection areas.

Like the amateur NASCAR paparazzi we were, the four of us set out snapping pictures willy-nilly, kept our eyes open for possible driver sightings, and maintained our inner radar for Cup cars around us in the hope we weren't run over as the cars were rolled to the tech stations.

After spending a good bit of time in the garage, we spotted Coke 400 winning driver David Ragan. Thinking he may be one of many drivers to walk through the same area, we held our spot for a moment. Shortly thereafter, I spotted Paul, the PR rep for Best Buy Racing and driver A.J. Allmendinger. We had traded messages prior to the race, and he knew I was interested in meeting A.J. Saturday. As Paul and A.J. headed for the 43 hauler, I walked along and nabbed an autograph.

I enjoy taking multiple photos, but I prefer to be behind the camera vs. in front of it. But one photo-op I wanted was to have my picture made with A.J. However, he went in the hauler to change to his driver uni and get his mind right for Cup qualifying. As a neat, runner-up gesture, Paul took my pic next to the 43 and tweeted it to his followers.

Before long, Cup qualifying was scheduled to begin, and an NASCAR official let me know my Cold Pass no longer worked in the 'hot' garage. So off to pit road we headed to watch a bit of qualifying.

The Richard Petty Motorsports teams get ready to qualify...

A.J. Allmendinger's 43 Ford shortly before A.J. ripped off a lap to qualify seventh.

The #9 Stanley Ford of Marcos Ambrose. If only that cat with the camera would get out of the away. Oh wait ... that's SROH member 200WINZ walking around like he owns the joint!

With 200WINZ getting up close and personal on pit road as qualifying took place, he was able to nab some great photos such as these:

Credit above two photos: Brian '200WINZ' Hauck

I walked back and forth, up and down pit road just to take in the sights. Finally, I just settled in around the RPM cars as they nudged forward one car at a time as the cars with slower practice times banked their qualifying speeds. The fine folks at DingerWorld were kind enough to put in a good word for me with A.J. and Lynne Allmendinger in case our paths crossed. Sure enough, as I was walking behind the pit wall watching the 43 inch down pit road, I was fortunate to spot Lynne. I called her name, and told her nothing more than 'My name is toomuchcountry.' Sure enough, she knew who I was based on the pre-race message from DingerWorld. Lynne could not have been nicer.

Credit: Brian '200WINZ' Hauck

Then it was time to get the party started. With only a few cars in front of him left to qualify, A.J. belted in, the crew readied him for his lap, and the tension of those around him seemed to escalate. As the 43 hit the track, a few key folks took an obvious interest in his lap:

Paul (aka @Best_Buy_Racing on Twitter) - PR rep for Best Buy
Lynne Allmendinger - A.J.'s wife
Robert Miller (talking to Lynne) - VP of Business Development for Richard Petty Motorsports

As A.J. took the checkers, his lap was solid enough at the time for the front row. When the dust settled, he had fallen back to seventh. A great run - the best start I was going to see for the 43 in many, many years.

With qualifying completed, we slipped up to the stands to watch Edwards decimate the field in the Nationwide race.

To be continued...

TMC

Dover part 1: The arrival, the King, the races

2011-10-12T22:17:00.002-05:00

I've had the pleasure of attending close to 60 NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup races. I've got my favorite tracks to go - places such as Bristol, Charlotte and Talladega (well, back in the day).

Over the last 15 years or so, I've enjoyed the opportunity to visit tracks for the first (and probably only) time. I've got the ticket stub, event pin, and Schaefer stories from places such as Texas, Loudon, Indy, Vegas, and Richmond. This year, I was finally able to notch one for Dover.

We had plenty of good times during the extended race-trip weekend. I'll try to focus on the races themselves and the track in this post. From there, well ... I'll see. I've got a few ideas rattling around in my head about how to 'theme' post them. Stay tuned.

Knowing this may well be our only trip to the Monster Mile, fellow Schaefer HOFer Philly and I wanted to do it right. As life-long Petty fans, we had no choice but to sit in the Richard Petty Grandstand.

Representatives of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor rolled in at various times Thursday, September 29:

SROH member 200WINZ from Trenton, NJ (and Dover fan since 1969) rolled into the grounds with his camper Thursday morning.
SHOFer Uncle Dave from Cleveland, OH trucked 439 miles to the Philadelphia airport to pick up me.
SHOF co-founder Philly charted a multi-hour, long, interstate drive from Charlotte, NC, and
yours truly, SHOF co-founder TMC from Middle by-cracky Tennessee flew into Philadelphia airport, donned a Schaefer cap, and thumbed a ride at the curb with Uncle Dave.

The first recognizable sight Uncle Dave and I saw as we entered the campground was the full-flowing, old-school, red-and-blue, 43 flag. We immediately knew where our home was going to be the next 3 days.

WINZ landed an ideal camping spot - right in front of the track and Richard Petty Grandstand. We had a bit of highway noise at night, but we could also hear the roar of the engines from the track as practice sessions took place. An ideal, audial experience.

After shaking hands, settling our gear, celebrating the beginning of race weekend with a cold Schaefer (or two or three), etc., it wasn't long before we wanted to go eat. So off we headed for Sambo's, a local seafood tavern in Leipsic - about 3 miles from the track.

As we arrived, we spotted a familiar silhouette in the shadows of a street light. Sure enough, it was the King, Richard Petty! He and a few others had just finished their dinner. As he is with all his fans, he was gracious enough to stand for a photo-op and offer an autograph. Petty has been retired as a driver for 20 years. I was a fan then and still am today because of his simply stopping long enough to recognize a fan.

After parting ways, it was time for crab cakes, hush puppies, fresh shrimp and crabs, and plenty of cold beer to celebrate our fortuitous timing and good fortune.

Dover opened in 1969, and in some ways I'm not sure the track has changed much since. We were taken aback by some of the old school aspects of the track that remain.

For instance, we sat near the top of the Richard Petty Grandstands. Near us was a stairway leading out of our section. Yet we had to descend multiple sets of stairs for bathrooms, concessions, and souvenirs. Unlike other tracks who have amenities on every concourse level, all of Dover is lower-level based.
The bathrooms didn't have soap dispensers - seemingly a standard everywhere these days including just about every dive bar. But Dover didn't have the motion-activated ones or even the hand-operated kind. Instead, each sink literally had a bar of soap. I'm no germophobe, but even that cootie haven freaked me out a bit.
Thirdly, the garage areas for the Nationwide and Cup teams were tighter than a CFO's cost budget in an Obama economy. I realize Dover was built before the days of tractor trailer haulers. And I understand they have a horse racing 'trotter' track inside the speedway that affects how much expansion the track can do. But it was amazing how close every team was to one another, now little room the teams had to maneuver, and how fans could easily have run over if you didn't keep your head on a swivel.

We spent Saturday morning touring the Nationwide and Cup garage areas. Saturday afternoon, we watched Cup qualifying from pit road and then slipped into the stands to watch Carl Edwards flat-out dominate the 200 lap Nationwide race. Carl's Ford was hooked up to be certain, but the overall racer quality was pitiful. At least 12 start-and-parkers - about 25% of the field - were back on their haulers within a handful of laps. And by lap 100, only 12 cars remained on the lead lap.

Carl in the process of completing his victory back flip...

Credit: Brian '200WINZ' Hauck

I'm not exactly sure how many fans the track can accommodate. Probably 120,000 or so. What I do know is that Saturday's Nationwide race couldn't have had more than 12,000 fans - despite being a companion event. Dover has already shuttered three Nationwide tracks it owns: Memphis, Gateway and Nashville. Now it can't even draw a respectable crowd to its one remaining, flagship track.

For the Cup race, the stands were barely half-full - this despite the track's attempt to cover many sections with ad banners. This economy is in trouble. This sport is in trouble. And this track is in trouble.

But we went to Dover to RACE baby - not be a voice of gloom-and-doom about the state of the sport. Despite brisk temps, a fierce wind, and misting rain, we made our way through the gates of Richard Petty Grandstand and settled in.

Our seats were great. I've been to many 1-1/2 mile tracks and short tracks. But Dover is right between them at one-mile in length. The track's banking, limited infield clutter, the one-mile distance, and our seat location made for an ideal setting to take in all of the sights of the race.

Earlier in the week, the weekend forecast was fantastic. Virtually no chance of rain, plenty of sun, and warm temps. The weather geeks nailed it - for Friday and Saturday morning. But after lunch on Saturday through Sunday, wow. Clouds rolled in, temperatures dropped, the wind picked up, and we got a good dose of rain Friday and Saturday nights. Fortunately, we didn't lose either race on Saturday or Sunday to rain - though Sunday's race had two cautions for a light misting shower passing through.

By the time I started earning my own way in this world and had the discretionary income to go racing, my hero's competitive days were behind him. With rare exception, Richard Petty fared poorly in the last few races I got to see in his final few years as a driver. Sadly, the drivers of his teams at Petty Enterprises and more recently Richard Petty Motorsports haven't fared much better when I've been in the stands.

So it was a fantastic, adrenalin-rush day to be there and witness the competitiveness of the legendary 43 with A.J. Allmendinger as the driver. Making the day even more memorable was that first-year RPM driver and Glen winner, Marcos Ambrose, was competing for a top 10 finish most of the day.

Nearing the half-way mark, A.J. was atop the leader board and I was on cloud 9.

A.J.'s spot atop the pylon was even more remarkable because of what happened on lap 7. Denny Hamlin doinked the 43 coming into turn 3. Incredibly, A.J. had the presence of mind to hang the car waaaay to the right and dirt track it through turns 3 and 4. Sure enough, the car bit, A.J. straightened it out, and he later climbed into the #1 spot. I really thought it was the team's day...

Credit: Brian '200WINZ' Hauck

I expected Hamlin's nudge of the 43 would lead to an afternoon of retaliation, collateral damage, etc. In addition, with overnight rains washing rubber off the track, Chasers fighting for precious points, and many drivers auditioning for 2012 sponsors and rides, I thought we would see many wrecks. Instead, cautions were infrequent and mainly for yet-to-be-found debris, a light rain, and single car wall bangers.

Several drivers took turns leading a handful of laps. Their moments up front didn't really matter, however, because the 48 of Jimmie Johnson ran off and led for long stretches of the race. I wasn't happy at all that JJ and Chad Knaus were on their game and headed for victory because:

Jimmie won both times I went to Loudon.
He won when I went to Vegas.
He won the Coke 600 at Charlotte in 2004 - my first time back at Charlotte in seven years.
He won the only time I went to Darlington in what was then thought to be the final Southern 500.

When the teams pitted for the last time with about 40 laps to go, however, Kurt Busch's team made the right adjustments. He forged ahead of Johnson following the restart and motored away to the win. I'm not the biggest KuBu fan - but he did beat the 48 and that was good enough for me.

To be continued...

TMC

October 9 - This day in Petty history

2011-10-09T07:43:00.013-05:00

1983 - Richard Petty starts 20th but passes championship contender Darrell Waltrip with 23 laps to go and drives away to win the Miller High Life 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for career win #198. About 4 hours after the race ended, however, NASCAR announces the Petty team will be fined $35,000 and 104 Winston Cup points for having an over-sized engine and illegal tires. Whoops.

Finishing in second place was Darrell Waltrip in Junior Johnson's Chevrolet. Both were livid Petty's win was allowed to stand. What the two of them conveniently forget to remind the press and fans then - and now - is the #11 Pepsi Chevy was loaded on the hauler immediately after the race. As the post-inspection took place on the 43, Waltrip's car was high-tailing it back to Junior's shop in Ronda, NC. Consequently, NASCAR was unable to inspect Waltrip's car, and many to this day suspect the #11 maaaaay not have been within the rules that day either.

Once a NASCAR official spotted the wrong tires on the 43, Maurice Petty confessed to Dick Beaty, NASCAR's chief official, about the over-sized engine and how he got it through inspection.

Maurice said he placed wax in the engine, wedging open valves on the eight cylinders to foil an air-pump test of the cylinders' cubic inch displacement. When the race started, heat quickly melted the wax. The engine then produced increased speed and power from the over-sized cylinders. ~ Greg Fielden, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume IV, p. 400.

Ticket courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

A couple of victory lane photos ... several hours before NASCAR likely said to Richard "Umm, ya mind coming in here a sec?"

Photo courtesy of Ray Lamm

Got about 45 minutes? If so, you can watch the highlights of the race at YouTube.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

Richard's tainted win was a 'no-turning-back' race. A week or so after the win, he announced his departure from the family Petty Enterprises team beginning with the 1984 season. He joined a new team financed by Mike Curb and won his final two career races in a non-Petty-owned car. Kyle Petty, who was still rough around the edges as a driver, remained with PE for 1984, but he did not have much success until he too left the team. Maurice Petty fielded an un-sponsored PE team in three races in 1985, but he too drifted out of the limelight shortly thereafter.

TMC

October 5 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-10-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

1975 - Richard Petty banks his 176th career victory, his 12th win of the season, and a season-sweep at Charlotte by winning the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Petty-prepared cars ran Charlotte from the time it opened in 1960 and scored multiple wins:

1964 World 600 - Jim Paschal (Richard finished 2nd)
1966 World 600 - Marvin Panch (with Richard taking the checkers as a relief driver)
1972 World 600 - Buddy Baker in the Petty #11 STP Dodge

Yet, Richard couldn't score his own win - until 1975. He won the World 600 in May and followed it up with a win in the National 500 by leading about half the laps.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 5 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-10-05T07:43:00.001-05:00

1963 - Richard Petty wins his 26th career race in a 200-lap race at the quarter-mile Tar Heel Speedway in his own backyard of Randleman, NC. Petty Engineering teammate Bob Welborn finishes 3rd in a #42 Plymouth.

Tar Heel Speedway hosted only three NASCAR Grand National races - all in the 1963 season (one in November 1962 and the other two in 1963). Petty-prepared Plymouths won all three of them. Jim Paschal nabbed the first two (the second win in car #43), and Richard completed the team sweep with this October 1963 victory.

Fred Lorenzen dominated the early part of the race leading the first 159 laps. But as they say in golf, "drive for show, putt for dough". Freddy lost a differential and ended up finishing 5th. Meanwhile, Petty led the final 40 laps for the win.

The resolution of the article below is a bit tough to read. But if possible, note the dust-up between two future NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Ned Jarrett. According to Greg Fielden's Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 2, Pearson dumped Jarrett on lap 1. Jarrett's crew repaired the car and sent him back onto the track. Around the mid-point of the race, "Gentlemen Ned" pulled a Cole Trickle and turned into the side of the Silver Fox to end his race early. Afterwards, Jarrett said "I can be just as mean as anybody, and I will if I have to be."

Ned's frustration may have been escalated because it was the second year in a row he'd been wrecked...at the same track...on the first lap.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 1 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-10-01T08:43:00.012-05:00

1972 - Richard Petty scores his 148th career Grand National win in the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Much is made in today's historical reporting about the 'rivalry' between The King Richard Petty and the Silver Fox David Pearson. However, the true rivalry beginning in the late 1960s and continuing through the early 1970s was between the factory-supported Petty and the upstart, independent Bobby Allison.

Richard had established himself as The King by the late 60s. Bobby had established himself as an exceptionally talented 'car guy', a solid on-track racer, and a driver who routinely whined about conspiracies against him when he didn't win. Just as today's drivers such as Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski have said take THAT to the established drivers, Allison did the same in his era.

After a series of minor run-ins prior to 1972, Allison and Petty took it to a different level at Wilkesboro. They beat the absolute snot out of each other lap after lap. With two laps to go, one car carried the other into the turn 1 guard rail. Somehow, both cars took off again with Allison leading. On the last lap, Richard muscled by Allison again and took the win. Allison crossed the start-finish line with smoke billowing everywhere.

Source: www.racintoday.com/archives/26965

After Richard took the checkers and went to victory lane (the track's frontstretch I think), an Allison fan who disagreed with how things went down decided he'd settle up with Richard. One problem: the one thing Maurice Petty may have done better than build engines for the 43 was fight - especially to defend his brother. The guy got clocked upside the head with Richard's helmet and DING DING DING that was the end of that. (Had Maurice not been successful with his L.L. Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out approach, I wonder if that Hank Williams Jr. look-alike could have had Richard's back.)

Program Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Headline, article and victory photo courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

October 1 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-10-01T07:43:00.005-05:00

As this entry posts, the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor are enjoying the sights and sounds of a weekend at the Monster Mile - Dover International Speedway. Follow me on Twitter for more in-the-moment observations about this weekend's race festivities.

1967 - Richard Petty picks up his 75th career win in the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The win was also his tenth consecutive win and 27th overall during the 1967 season - two records that still remain today. As a Plymouth driver, Petty's win was even sweeter because the director of Ford's racing program was at the track.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 30 - This day in Petty history - part 3

2011-09-30T08:43:00.006-05:00

1973 - Richard Petty wins his 154th career race in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville. The race was shortened by 20 laps because of rain.

Article and photos courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 30 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-09-30T08:07:00.006-05:00

1970 - Richard Petty wins his 117th career Grand National race and the final NASCAR Grand National race run on dirt - the Home State 200 in Raleigh, NC. He drives a Plymouth owned by Don Robertson - not Petty Enterprises - to a two-lap victory over second place driver Neil Castles.

In October 2010, the governor of North Carolina presented an historical marker to recognize the fairgrounds track as the site of the final Grand National dirt race. (Despite what the sign says, I'm all but certain this race was not the final NASCAR dirt race.)

As the Petty team began to look towards 1971 and an all-asphalt series, a Plymouth was sold to Robertson who fielded cars sporadically - primarily for Jabe Thomas. Because Richard still needed to race on the dirt at Raleigh, the team rented back the car for this event though it was still officially entered under Robertson's name.

In May 2010, writer Rick Houston interviewed Petty as part of a NASCAR.com series on each of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees. At the end of the interview, he asked him about Don Robertson as a favor for me.

RP: They were boys out of somewhere in Virginia. What we did, we sold the car to Jabe Thomas and at that time, they was going to mostly asphalt tracks. Wasn't but two or three dirt tracks a year, so we didn't even have a dirt track car. So what we'd do ... we did it two or three different times ... we'd go borrow his car, bring it back to the shop.

RH: Are we talking about Jabe Thomas or Don Robertson here?

RP: This guy (Robertson) owned Jabe's car. So we'd borrow the car back. We'd put a new engine in the thing, put all new suspension and just refurbish it, just like we would our car. Then, we didn't pay him anything for borrowing the car, but when he got the car back, he had a brand-new motor with one race on it, had brand-new spindles, hubs, rear ends, axles. He had a brand-new car again ... we won a couple of races. We borrowed it a couple, three times and I know we won two races with it. But it was one of our cars.

In his book, Silent Speedways of the Carolinas, Perry Allen Wood laments:

Instead of hats and horns and some sort of fanfare worthy of a truly landmark event, NASCAR let the era of the dirt track slip away for good on Wednesday night, September 30, 1970. About 6,000 race fans witnessed that last battle on the dirt and what a shame it was...It is a real shame that everybody and his brother did not try to run that last scheduled dirt race...The Home State 200 itself was an anti-climax to 21 years of great dirt track history. Big John Sears took the pole and led early. Then Benny Parsons paced the pack over the next 89 laps until Petty got out front and it was all over...Then they loaded up the trucks and trailers and literally left NASCAR's heritage in the dust. (pp. 150-151)

For many years, Petty 'wrote' a column for the monthly Stock Car Racing magazine. In a September 2009 column, he wrote about the legacy of dirt racing in NASCAR's Grand National series. Here are some excerpts from the column about the final dirt race at Raleigh:

... John Sears, a drivers dirt track racer, won the pole and led the first 10 laps. Then Benny Parsons took the lead and led from lap 11 through lap 88. I took over on lap 89 and led the rest of the race, which was through lap 200. I think I averaged about 68 miles per hour. Neil Castles finished second, Bobby Isaac third, James Hylton fourth, and Cecil Gordon fifth. Bobby Allison finished sixth.

Now, I want to tell you something about how we won the race. At Petty Enterprises we didn't have a car built exclusively for dirt track racing. We were running the Plymouth SuperBird on the big speedways and the regular Plymouths on the paved short tracks. But we remembered selling driver Jabe Thomas and team owner Don Robertson a '69 Plymouth built for dirt track racing, or let's say it was better suited for dirt than anything we had to race at our shop. So what we did was borrow that car from Jabe and Don. We put one of our engines in the car and won the race. Then we returned it to Jabe and Don and left our engine in the car as a payment.

The other two dirt track races that year were at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, SC. That track was as hard as asphalt. We ran the first race at Columbia that year on April 30. We did the same car-borrowing then. That was the first time we borrowed our old car back from Jabe and Don. We were lucky enough to win that race too. Bobby Allison finished second and Bobby Isaac third. Neil Castles ran fourth and James Hylton fifth.

We did the same thing after the win too. We turned the car back over to Jabe and Don with one of our engines in it. What you must remember is that back in the early days of stock car racing, we ran a lot of state fairgrounds tracks, and they were all dirt. In fact, I don't remember Hillsborough, NC having guard railings for a long time. You ran off the track going into the third turn, and you drove off down into a pine thicket. Nope, racing wasn't always as prim and proper as it is now.

~ Full column is here. HT to Dave Fulton, fellow Racers Reunion member and former special events/media coordinator for Wrangler Jeans, 7-Eleven and Richmond International Raceway, about it.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 30 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-09-30T07:43:00.005-05:00

Greetings from the camp area number 9 at Dover International Speedway. The Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor are well represented. Details to follow soon.

1962 - Richard Petty wins his 13th career race by leading exactly half - 160 laps - of the Wilkes 320 at North Wilkesboro. Teammate Jim Paschal finishes 5th in a second Petty Enterprises #41 Plymouth.

According to Greg Fielden's Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 2, Petty spun on lap 18 but recovered to lead half the race. Perhaps more embarrassing than Petty's spin was the performance of Fireball Roberts. Again according to Fielden, the track recognized Roberts and his career in pre-race activities, but ... he blew a head gasket, was one of the first cars out of the race, and finished 29th in a 31-car field. DOH!

Green flag! Green flag!

Photo and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 29 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

As this blog posts, I am about to depart for my first trip to Dover International Speedway to see the AAA 400 Sprint Cup race!

1968 - Richard Petty wins his 90th career race by leading three-quarters of the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro. In media reports about Petty's report, the following article's writer refers to Petty's rival and second place finisher David Pearson as a "titular aspirant" - an adjective rarely used I'm quite sure in racing circles. But I suppose kudos are due him (or her) for slipping a subtle double entendre by the editor.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 28 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-28T07:43:00.003-05:00

1969 - Richard Petty wins his 101st career race in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville in his Ford.

The scanned image below is really small and tough to read. For an alternative version of the race recap read this article from the Sumter Daily Item.

In the summer of '69 (someone should write a song with that title!), many NASCAR drivers formed the Professional Drivers Association to address key issues with Bill France, Sr. and NASCAR. Petty was elected as its initial (and turns out, only) president. Its interesting the PDA was mentioned in the tag line accompanying the victory lane photo.

Article and photo courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 24 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-09-24T09:43:00.002-05:00

1972 - In a battle with Bobby Allison who led over 80 percent of the race, Richard wins his 147th Grand National race and his twelfth at Martinsville in the Old Dominion 500.

Visit this Flickr set for a great collection of Petty-related color photos from the race.

Article and photo courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

TMC

September 24 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-09-24T07:43:00.002-05:00

1967 - Richard Petty keeps his 1967 winning streak alive and extends it to 9 races in a row by winning his 74th career race in the the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville.

Oh. Hello.

Photo and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 22 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-22T07:43:00.004-05:00

1968 - Richard Petty banks his 89th Grand National victory by winning the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville by 3 laps over second place finisher Cale Yarborough.

Photo courtesy of and credit to Smyle Media

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 20 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-20T07:43:00.003-05:00

1970 - Richard Petty qualifies 2nd alongside Bobby Isaac, leads more than half the race, and wins his 116th career race in the Mason-Dixon 300 at Dover in the winged Plymouth Superbird.

A shot of the starting line-up taken by SROH member Brian "200WINZ" Hauck.

The race winner's trophy I spotted at the Richard Petty Museum earlier this year.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 18 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-18T07:43:00.001-05:00

1960 - Richard Petty earns his third career victory by winning from the pole and leading every lap of the 110-lap race at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, NC (the track formerly known as Occoneechee Speedway).

Junior Johnson tried to give Richard a run. However, he ran off the track and his pursuit was done. Richard's father, three-time Grand National champion, and 1960 spring winner at Hillsboro, Lee Petty, settled in second place after Johnson was gone. But with less than 20 laps to go, Lee broke and ended up finishing 11th.

TMC

September 17 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-17T07:43:00.004-05:00

1967 - Richard wins his 73rd career race and his eighth race in a row in 1967 by winning the Hillsboro 150 at Orange Speedway from the pole - all while suffering from the flu.

Author Perry Allen Wood writes in his book, Silent Speedways of the Carolinas:

The old track was alive but barely with only 5,500 people there. It was a large field compared to recent races, matching the 28 in this race in 1964. Richard Petty sat on the pole and led all but ten laps when Tiny Lund shoved a year-old Ford out front... Except for (Dick) Hutcherson keeping it close, Petty won an incredible eighth in a row dating back to August 12th... (pp. 120-121)

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 16 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-16T07:43:00.006-05:00

1979 - Richard Petty wins his 189th career race by nipping Donnie Allison in the CRC Chemicals 500 at Dover. In doing so, he closes the points gap on Darrell Waltrip as he pursues his seventh Grand National / Winston Cup championship.

I've also got a yellowed-copy of this picture I clipped from Southern MotoRacing bi-weekly racing newspaper.

Brian '200WINZ' Hauck is a veteran of many Dover races going all the way back to the first one in 1969. He and a bunch of friends attended the 1979 race and shared a few photos from the day with me.

Two NASCAR Hall of Famers - The King and the Silver Fox - pace the field for the start:

Petty gets under a scruffy-haired rookie driver:

From the late 70s through early 80s, Darrell Waltrip garnered about as many boo's as Kyle Busch does today. Brian said the crowd cheered lustily when the 88 Gatorade Chevy driven by Boogity 3x was hauled to the garage after slapping the wall. (Again, remember he was the points leader at the time.)

The 43 STP Monte Carlo making a pit stop. Note the circular piece of sheet metal near the STP emblem on the right rear quarter-panel. The piece was riveted to the panel to cover a right-side fuel filler - the standard location for it for the Riverside road-course race.

Dale Inman clarified the Dover car was the primary Riverside car in 1979. With limited sponsorship funding in that era and Riverside as the only road-course race, teams generally did not build a separate car just for a left-and-right circuit. Yet, it seems strange to think of a chassis set-up for Riverside having anything in common with what was needed for Dover.

As an aside, Inman claims the first road course car he built was for the JD Stacy team with driver Tim Richmond in 1982. And guess who swept the '82 Riverside events. Yep, Tim Richmond with Inman as his crew chief. But I digress...

Thanks to Chris at Racers Reunion for helping me get this info from Dale.

In an e-mail conversation I had with Steve Hmiel, current Director of Competition for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and employee of Petty Enterprises from the late 70s through the early 80s, he provided a bit more detail on what Inman said. A year here or there may be different, but the insight as to the building of the cars in that era is interesting - at least to me it is.

We never had a lot of cars. We built a new car every fall, and it went to Daytona. The previous year's car was then used as the short track car, and we sold the oldest one. In fact, the car that was wrecked at Daytona with Pearson was repaired and ran at Rockingham 2 weeks later. When we switched to GM, we built an Olds for the superspeedways and had 2 Monte Carlos for everywhere else. I left in 1982, and we never had a road-race specific car. We just used one of the short track cars. In 1983, the JD Stacy bunch built a really nice road race only car for Joe Ruttman, and by 1984 most of the rest of the teams had one too. The main differences were we took the left turn offset out of the suspension and moved oil tank, ignition boxes, battery, etc. to the right side. You can't do that with the current rules.

The scruffy-haired youngster - Dale Earnhardt - went on to earn Rookie of the Year honors in 1979 and ended up with a pretty good career when all was said and done.

Petty makes a hard left turn to head for victory lane:

And the crowd goes crazy - at least the Petty faithful does. (Hauck is in the center of the photo with the exuberant fist pump.)

I'm pretty sure I clipped this picture from the next year's ticket brochure. Although I've never been to Dover (yet...but stay tuned!), the track put me on their mailing list way back in the day. The brochures often gave me small - but useful - pictures such as this one.

Cover of race program I nabbed from an ebay listing.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 15 - This day in Petty history - part 3

2011-09-15T08:43:00.001-05:00

1974 - Richard starts second in the Delaware 500 at Dover, dominates the race by leading 491 of 500 laps, and wins by 3 laps over the 2nd place finisher to capture his 164th win.

Photo and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 15 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-09-15T08:07:00.008-05:00

1968 - Richard scores his 88th career victory by winning from the pole in the Hillsboro 150 at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro NC as the legendary Curtis Turner makes his final Grand National start.

Orange Speedway was originally known as Occoneechee Speedway. Say it with me now: Oh-Ko-Knee-Chee. Also, I've seen the town where the track was located spelled as Hillsboro and Hillsborough. The speedway was a 9/10 mile dirt track and was one of the original tracks sanctioned by NASCAR for its Grand National series.

As the series experienced growing pains from the late 60s through the early 70s, Orange Speedway disappeared from the schedule as another superspeedway - Talladega - opened in 1969. However, a group of committed fans and former racers have labored hard to keep the memories of the speedway alive with the formation of the Historic Speedway Group.

In his book, Silent Speedways of the Carolinas, author and fellow Racers Reunion member Perry Allen Wood writes:

When the green sent the boys on that last journey, Petty led (David) Pearson and the others for 74 laps. With some spine-tingling, door-to-door banging, Pearson led for 11 laps before they swapped it a couple of more times. In the meantime, (Buddy) Baker made only five laps before losing the drive shaft and on lap 116, Curtis Turner rolled into the dusty pits with a blown engine. Four laps later, Pearson parked it, and after 11 more (Bobby) Isaac hung it up. Even (G.C.) Spencer conked out. and Petty coasted to a yawner of a seven-lap victory... (p. 122)

Photo courtesy of Ray Lamm

Photo and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 15 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-09-15T07:43:00.000-05:00

1967 - Richard wins from the pole in the Maryland 300 at Beltsville Speedway for his seventh win in a row in 1967.

Promotional ad:

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 14 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-14T09:43:00.005-05:00

1975 - Richard wins his 174th race the hard way and in dramatic fashion in the Delaware 500 at Dover. He leads much of the race and builds a sizable lead. But with about 150 laps to go, he has problems, pits, and is lapped eight times. Yet he un-laps himself down the stretch and still manages to win the race.

Greg Fielden writes in Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - The Modern Era:

Buddy Arrington, running over 50 laps behind, parked his Plymouth in a turn in an effort to bring out the day's fifth and final caution flag with less than 15 miles remaining. NASCAR officials decided Arrington's car was out of the main racing groove and left the green light on. Arrington drove the car to the pits and after talking with his pit crew, drove back on to the track and parked in the upper groove in the third turn. He waited there until NASCAR dropped the yellow flag. The caution period enabled Petty to close the gap on leaders Dick Brooks and Benny Parsons... After the yellow flag came out, Arrington drove to the pit area where NASCAR black-flagged him for the day. But the damage had been done. Petty, manning the fastest car in the race, drove around Brooks and Parsons with nine laps to to go and won going away... Arrington had just purchased a car-hauler from Petty Enterprises..."I couldn't have won without that last caution flag," Petty admitted. "I don't know anything about that, so I'd best not say anything about it." pp. 140-141

The King closes the gap on Bobby Allison in his #16 American Motors Matador and Jabe Thomas in #25.

Photo credit to and courtesy of Lee Greenawalt at Racers Reunion

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

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September 13 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-13T09:43:00.001-05:00

1970 - Richard wins his 115th Grand National race by dominating the Capital City 500 at Richmond Fairgrounds Speedway. He wins the pole and then leads 487 of the 500 laps.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

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September 10 - This day in Petty history - part 3

2011-09-10T08:43:00.003-05:00

1972 - Richard wins the Capital City 500 at Richmond Fairgrounds Speedway to earn his 146th career win. He had to do it the hard way by waging a tough battle with Bobby Allison all day. And as Petty was leading, Buddy Baker got into the back of the 43. The King's STP Plymouth rode the guardrail for a while, popped off, never lost the lead, and went on to win the race.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 10 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-09-10T07:43:00.004-05:00

1967 - Richard Petty wins his 71st career race and his sixth in a row in 1967 in the Capital City 300 at Richmond.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 10 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-09-10T07:43:00.003-05:00

1965 - Richard Petty wins his 39th career race in the Buddy Shuman 250 at Hickory Speedway in North Carolina.

TMC

September 9 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-09T09:43:00.004-05:00

1973 - Richard wins the Capital City 500 at Richmond - his 7th straight win at the track and 153rd career victory. The race is halted for about 90 minutes following a multi-car, fiery crash on the fifth lap.

Brian '200WINZ' Hauck remembers:

Here is 1973 Capital City 500 Program and race ticket. Note the price! I remember leaving home at 6 AM and driving to Richmond for the day. Arriving at 11 AM, we parked in the shadow of the unreserved bleacher which was located in the first turn. Went directly to the ticket booth and purchased our seats ... RACE DAY MORNING! There were maybe two or three tables set-up pedaling "souvenirs" - things like those little, plastic, one-color, 36 Ford stock cars with white wheels; checkered flags that said "Speedway Souvenir" on them; sew-on patches; and maybe some decals. No mega-bucks haulers with underwear, rain hats, dog collars and women's sox with driver number, name, blood type and so on like today. Richard whooped ass leading 429 laps and had 2 laps on second place Cale!

Program and ticket courtesy of Brian Hauck

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 8 - This day in Petty history - part 3

2011-09-08T08:43:00.007-05:00

1974 - Richard Petty milks a softening tire to win the Capital City 500 at Richmond from the pole position. Its his 163rd career win and the 12th win at Richmond.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 8 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-09-08T08:43:00.006-05:00

1968 - Richard wins his 87th career race by winning the pole, leading tw0-thirds of the race, and winning the Capital City 300 at Richmond. The race was the first one run on an asphalt surface at Richmond. From its opening, Richmond had been a dirt track.

Source: Collection of Harvey Tollison at Racers Reunion

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 8 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-09-08T07:43:00.003-05:00

First things first. This day in TMC history - 1990: toomuchcountry marries his bride, not_enough_country. (Two young 'uns - son: toomuchtexting and daughter: toomuchculture - followed later.)

1967 - Richard Petty wins his 70th career race and 5th race in a row during the 1967 season in the Buddy Shuman 250 at Hickory Speedway. Unlike many of Petty's dominating wins that season, he had to work a bit harder for this one. The lead changed hands multiple times during the race before Petty took over to lead the final 27 laps.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

September 4 - This day in Petty history

2011-09-04T07:43:00.009-05:00

1967 - Petty Enterprises takes two of the top three finishing positions at the Southern 500 in Darlington. Richard Petty wins the race from the pole, and G.C. Spencer finishes 3rd in car #42. It was career win #69 and win #4 in a streak of 10 straight for the King.The win was Petty's third and final career Darlington victory and his only Southern 500 win.

Here is Richard's pole-winning trophy I spotted in the trophy case at the Richard Petty Museum earlier this year. I love the fact his pole-winning speed included two numerological sequences of '43'.

Bobby W., a fellow member at Racers Reunion, remembers...

In 1967, Richard Petty was THE MAN...that was the 27-wins-10-wins-in-a-row unbelievable season. Richard came into Darlington having won the 1966 and '67 Rebel 300's. Although the Petty's had never had much luck at Darlington on Labor Day, that Labor Day was all about the King. As the race progressed, only David Pearson in the #17 H-M Fairlane remained as a very distant threat, with Pearson only leading when Richard pitted. Richard never won at Darlington again, but man he sure wore 'em out that day.

And NBickley1, a fellow poster at Fans of Richard Petty Motorsports remembers...

I saw Richard win many times. But the one that stands out is the 1967 Southern 500. I was 14 and rushed to victory lane. I was able to sneak inside as Richard pulled in. I stood there and watched it all. As things were wrapping up Richard saw me, reached inside the car and threw me his goggles. I had those things for years before they finally broke. That was a day I'll always treasure.

Photo credit to and courtesy of Smyle Media

If the article below is too small to read, a second article about Petty's win can be read from a Palm Beach Post article on Google News Archive.

Photo and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

The yellow flag flew about 70 laps into the race following a vicious wreck by Sam McQuagg. After losing the car, McQuagg hammered the wall separating the track from pit road and shattered it. Fortunately, he didn't suffer severe injuries. Coincidentally, Petty would drill the same wall closer to the entrance to pit road just three years later during the 1970 Rebel 500.

TMC

August 29 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-29T07:43:00.005-05:00

1970 - Richard Petty wins the Halifax County 100 from the pole at South Boston Speedway in Virginia for his 114th career victory. Note the time of the race - 1 hour, 22 minutes. Its hard to imagine the brevity of that race when looking through the lens of a series sponsored by Winston, Nextel and Sprint.

According to Greg Fielden in Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 3, Bobby Isaac qualified second to Petty. Right before the start of the race, however, the legendary crew chief Harry Hyde opted to bolt on a softer tire compound on Isaac's Dodge (something that can't be done today). Because of the change, Isaac had to start 24th and shotgun on the field. He passed every car but one - the blue Plymouth of Petty who led all but 10 laps of the 281-lap race.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 28 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-28T07:43:00.007-05:00

1970 - Richard Petty pockets his 113th career victory by winning from the pole in the Myers Brothers 250 at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC.

Richard's 1970 season is most closely associated with his runs in the winged Plymouth Superbird.

However, the Grand National schedule in that era included far more short-track races than in NASCAR's 'modern era' (Winston-Nextel-Sprint Cup years). The 'Bird wasn't the best car for those tracks, so Petty Enterprises ran a Plymouth Road Runner similar to this one in many events - including Richard's win at Bowman-Gray.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 27 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-27T07:43:00.011-05:00

1971 - Richard Petty wins his 136th career race from the pole in the Sandlapper 200 at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina.

With R.J. Reynolds joining the sport with its Winston cigarettes as the series' title sponsor, the 1972 schedule was cut to 31 races from 48 races in 1971. As a result, Petty's win at Columbia turned out to be the final NASCAR Grand National/Cup race at the track.

The race included a mixture of the full-sized Grand National cars such as Petty's Plymouth and Dodge Chargers and the smaller-sized cars from NASCAR's Grand American series such as Ford Mustangs and AMC Javelins. As noted in this article, the race was the third event with cars from the two series. If you read the article, you will find that NASCAR and the track promoter were still fiddling with the rules two days before the race. Its not just a recent phenomenon folks.

In his book, Silent Speedways of the Carolinas, Perry Allen Wood writes:

[T]his was Columbia Speedway's goodbye in its final race. Time trials were completed with Petty on the pole and H.B. Bailey of Houston outside in a red Pontiac Firebird 36...The first half mile went to Petty, but Keselowski (Ron - uncle of current driver, Brad K) crashed out for last, 30th, just like last time here...On the 55th circuit and still badgering leader Petty every lap, H.B. got the Firebird crossed up entering the first turn and pulverized the rail, nearly leaping off into the night...From the green flag to the checkers, it boiled down to a war between Petty and Grand American superstar (Tiny) Lund and (Jim) Paschal...With 13 laps to go, Petty made a daring move under those infield lights as he out-horsepowered the Camaro and Javelin down the backstretch, passing Tiny just as they braked for turn three. From there, [nothing] could keep Petty from his second straight victory in a row here and seven for 24 overall. (pp. 80-81)

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

TMC

Before The Bristol Trophy

2011-08-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

Since 1983, the Bristol Cup winner has been awarded an awesome, big-honkin’ trophy. 4-1/2 feet tall, pewter, winged angels, ornamented. Before Bristol winners started hoisting it, however, the trophy was presented elsewhere.

Before the Bristol dominator of the 1980s, Mr. Boogity x3...

Before Rowdy, the current conqueror of Bristol...

Before Jeff Burton whose 2008 win lead a top 3 sweep by RCR cars when the efforts of three Joe Gibbs Racing cars came off the rails with just a few laps remaining...

Even before Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights (the movie that should have received an Academy Award in the category of Greatest Movie Ever Made)...

Before the rise of the Wonder Boy...

Before Cuzzin...

Before a driver who is genuinely Happy...

And before one who fakes his happiness...

Before Texas Terry following his legendary win in the '95 Bristol night race...

And before the Intimidator who rattled Terry's cage a couple of years later...

Yep, before any of these superstars earned the coveted trophy for grinding it out on the Bristol bull-ring, Ol' TMC was part of an effort to bank one.

The McGavock High School Marching Raiders band was awarded the same trophy in October 1979 as the grand champion of the Music City Invitational competition in Nashville, Tennessee. We earned it a second time in October 1982.

TMC in his uniform as Drum Cap'n

So I was involved in the collective efforts to win this great trophy before any NASCAR driver. As you'll notice in the photo, we also earned another trophy - the Governor's Cup - for being the top band in the state of Tennessee those years. These trophies came with a trade-off though. While I got to hold the Governor's Cup, NASCAR winners got to squeeze up to Miss Winston Cup, Miss Nextel Cup, and Miss Sprint Cup. Oh well...

TMC

August 25 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-25T07:43:00.004-05:00

1967 - Richard Petty earns his 68th career victory by winning from the pole in a 200-lap race at Savannah Speedway in Georgia.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 24 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-24T07:43:00.007-05:00

1975 - Richard Petty narrowly wins his 173rd career race over rival and fellow future NASCAR Hall of Fame member, David Pearson, in the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan. The two swapped the lead five times during the final five laps. When the checkers fell, the King won by half a car-length.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

TMC

August 23 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-23T07:43:00.006-05:00

1968 - Richard Petty earns his 86th race at South Boston, Virginia by winning the pole and leading all but two laps of the 100-mile, 267-lap race.

NASCAR ran 10 Grand National races at the .375 paved mile South Boston track between 1960 and 1971, and Petty won five of them.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 22 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-22T07:43:00.009-05:00

1969 - Richard Petty wins his 100th career NASCAR Grand National race. He wins the pole and leads only 9 laps in the Myers Brothers 250 at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC.

The race is significant enough to merit its own Wikipedia entry!

Petty's accomplishment nearly had to wait until another event. After starting on the pole, Petty spun on lap 1 after nudging the back end of of Bobby Isaac's car. However, he was able to get it headed in the right direction without losing a lap. Isaac then proceeded to dominate the race by leading 241 laps. He and Petty had to make a final pit stop for fuel. Isaac ran out of gas after he had passed the pit road entrance. He lost a 2-lap lead as he coasted around. Petty too ran out of gas; however, he ran out before the pit road entrance. He was able to coast into his pit stall, get some fuel, and take the win.

Petty's milestone win is almost twice the total of the second winningest driver, Lee Petty. Lee finished his career with 54 wins. And for those who have only become NASCAR fans (or media members) in recent years, Richard's 100 wins were all in the Grand National/Cup series vs. accumulated through three series as accomplished by Kyle Busch.

Interestingly, Richard earned his 100th win in the single season he raced Fords rather than his traditional Plymouths and Dodges.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

A few years ago, WIX Oil Filters released a collectible die-cast of Petty's car to commemorate the 100th victory.

TMC

August 21 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-21T07:43:00.009-05:00

1962 - Richard Petty wins from the pole in a 200 lap race at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds speedway in David Pearson's hometown, Spartanburg SC, to score his 12th career victory.

To illustrate how much times have changed, the race was run on a Tuesday night. Perry Allen Wood writes in his book Silent Speedways of the Carolinas:

The last five races had been won by either Petty or (teammate Jim) Paschal in a Plymouth, and 14 other cars came to Spartanburg to put a stop to it...Qualifying those stockers by power sliding through the first and second turns was a thing of beauty. They came thundering down the homestretch and right before it ended, cut the power and cocked the car left, setting the rear end out toward the boards. Dead silence for just a beat. Then accelerator to the floor while turning back hard right, wide open through one and two, and down the backstretch with the engine roaring, car drifting around searching for grip and firing dust from the screaming rear tires... As in the past, (Joe) Weatherly and Petty duked it out at the front in an electrifying display the entire race... One hour and forty minutes after the start, Petty won his third and the team's sixth in a row, beating Weatherly by half a lap. (pp 15-16)

Wood also pointed out the race featured a top driver from California, Dick Getty. So it was expected either Dick Getty or Dick Petty (as he was often called early in his career) would win. As it turns out, the two book-ended the finishing order. Petty won the race, and Getty finished dead stinkin' last.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 19 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-19T07:43:00.007-05:00

1979 - Richard Petty wins his 188th career race in the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Roger Penske's Michigan International Speedway.

Rookie driver, Kyle Petty, made his first Michigan start in an STP Dodge Magnum and finished 13th.

Richard and Lynda Petty in victory lane along with Ralph Salvino from STP. Lynda and Ralph are sporting the traditional Petty cap look - flat brim with angled edges. Richard apparently didn't have time to adjust his.

Above article, photos, and ticket stub courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

The finish...

Richard with his own STP angled-brim hat (guessing it was later passed to Lynda for the photo shown above)...

TMC

August 18 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-18T07:43:00.008-05:00

1962 - Richard Petty picks up career win number 11 by winning the International 200 at the quarter-mile track in Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC.

Bowman-Gray was a staple track on the Grand National circuit from the late 1950s until the schedule was restructured as the Winston Cup Grand National Series in 1971 . Petty had pretty good success at the track with four wins and 20 top 5's in 26 total starts.

Earlier this year, NASCAR.com published an article about Bowman-Gray under its Hometracks section - including a photo from the 1962 Petty-winning race. The article gets a +1 bump for being written by Paul Schaefer.

The final Grand National race at Bowman-Gray was the Myers Brothers 250 in 1971 and was won by Bobby Allison. Well, sorta...

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

TMC

August 17 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-17T07:43:00.005-05:00

1967 - Richard Petty wins from the pole in the Sandlapper 200 at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina to earn his 67th career victory. In winning, he breaks the record for the number of wins in a season.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 16 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-08-16T08:07:00.004-05:00

1981 - Richard scores career win number 195 by taking the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan. The King took the lead from Bobby Allison with 5 laps to go and then held off Darrell Waltrip by two car lengths for the win.

As a bit of trivia, Dale Earnhardt made his debut as the driver for Richard Childress Racing. He raced a Wrangler Jeans Pontiac to a ninth place finish. He had resigned after the previous race from the J.D. Stacy racing team.

Many fans see today's Richard Petty as the laid-back guy with the cowboy hat, sunglasses, toothy smile, and a fancy autograph. And he is. But in his time, he was also a fierce competitor. I love his swagger in this article.

Articles, pictures and ticket stub courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 16 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-08-16T07:43:00.003-05:00

1964 - Richard Petty earns his 35th career victory by winning the Mountaineer 500 in Huntington, West Virginia.

The expression on the winner's face is priceless.

Photo and article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

TMC

August 12 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-12T07:43:00.003-05:00

1967 - Richard scores his 66th career win in the Myers Brothers 250 at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC.

The win was Petty's 18th of the season which tied the record of Tim Flock set FIFTEEN years earlier. After nabbing this win, 43 kept on a'rollin. When the season ended, Petty obliterated Flock's record by winning 27 races in 1967.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 11 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-08-11T08:43:00.006-05:00

1974 - Richard wins his 162nd career race in the Talladega 500 at Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway). He was the sixth different winner in the race's six editions. The different-winner streak continued thirteen years until 1982 when Darrell Waltrip won the race for the second time.

Below is a picture of the King in victory lane along with dad Lee and 14 year-old son, Kyle. To Richard's left is businessman and career Tennessee politician and scoundrel, John Jay Hooker from Nashville. (When life doesn't revolve around NASCAR or Schaefer, you can bet it revolves around Nashville.) At the time, Hooker worked for STP.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

Talladega opened in 1969 amidst controversy - and a lot of what happened at the track in the years to follow got even more bizarre. On race morning of the 1974 Talladega 500, many teams discovered their cars had been sabotaged overnight.

TMC

August 11 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-08-11T07:43:00.005-05:00

1970 - Richard Petty starts 3rd and buries the competition to win his 112th race in the West Virginia 300 in Ona, WV. The 43 Plymouth won by 8 laps over 2nd place finisher, James Hylton.

Judging by the photo below, I find it interesting how different victory celebrations were then vs. the choreographed way they are in the the modern era.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 8 - This day in Petty history - part 4

2011-08-08T09:07:00.000-05:00

1971 - Richard wins his 135th Grand National race in the West Virginia 500 at Ona, West Virginia. Finishing 2nd was Bobby Allison in his Grand American Ford Mustang 'pony' car.

Two nights earlier, Allison won a combined Grand National / Grand American race at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC, and the King finished 2nd. To this day, however, NASCAR does not recognize Allison's win as an official Grand National victory. Petty is credited as the second place finisher; therefore, the race has no official winner.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

I spotted the winning trophy on display at the Richard Petty Museum during my visit earlier this year:

TMC

August 8 - This day in Petty history - part 3

2011-08-08T08:43:00.001-05:00

1965 - Richard Petty scores his 38th career victory by winning the Western North Carolina 500 from the pole at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in North Carolina.

Richard did not race stock cars for the first-half of 1965. The Chrysler Corporation boycotted NASCAR because of its rules against Plymouth's hemi engine. As a Plymouth driver, Petty respected the boycott and didn't race. Instead, he turned to drag racing for part of 1965. When the boycott was lifted about mid-season, Richard returned to his winning ways. He notched two wins in his first four races back - including this one.

Photo Courtesy of Paul Woody at RacersReunion.com

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 8 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-08-08T08:07:00.018-05:00

1963 - Richard Petty notches his 25th career victory by winning the Sandlapper 200 at Columbia (SC) Speedway from the pole.

Columbia Speedway is a track in a class of its own. For many years, it was a half-mile dirt track where Petty ran his first Grand National race and won his first race (in the NASCAR convertible series). Father-son drivers, Buck and Buddy Baker, also scored their first wins at Columbia.

When R.J. Reynolds signed on to sponsor NASCAR's top series as Winston Cup, most of the half-mile and under dirt bullrings were dropped from the schedule. Columbia tried to adapt by paving the track; however, the track was indeed dropped after 1971. Local races continued to be run at Columbia until the late 1970s when it was finally closed. Many tracks of the past have been lost forever to new developments or complete abandonment. Many committed folks, however, have worked diligently recently to keep the track around a bit longer. Events with old-school drivers have been held at the track in the hopes folks will remember the good ol' days or learn about them for the first time.

One bit of non-Petty trivia about the race. Independent driver, Frank Warren, was most often associated with car number 79, Chrysler products, and Native Tan as a sponsor - at least he was for me during the 70s.

But in the 1963 Columbia race, he raced car ~~number~~...err...letter 'X'. That's it. The letter X - no numerals. Maybe X was intended to mean 10, who knows. But from what I can tell, its the last time NASCAR allowed a car to run a letter to identify it.

Petty's 1963 victory at Columbia is one of four for which I don't have a photo or article to share. (hint, hint to anyone reading who can provide one...)

However, Tim Leeming, fellow member at Racers Reunion, had the good fortune to see a lot of the King's wins. Here are great memories from him from the 1963 Columbia race.

A group of friends of mine and I had started a Richard Petty Fan Club in February 1962 and held meetings once a month. By 1963, we had grown to about 20 local members - all of us kids (teens) with a great interest in the fortunes of Richard Petty. In August 1963, we got more intense and decided to officially "charter" our fan club with what little bit we knew about such things. We typed out a "charter" on an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper and painted in the words "CHARTER, RICHARD PETTY FAN CLUB OF COLUMBIA" in Petty Blue model car paint.

Richard was to be in Columbia on August 8th for the Sandlapper 200 at Columbia Speedway and was to spend the day at Burnside Chrysler-Plymouth dealership. We met him there that morning when he got out of the truck, and he signed the Charter for us. That night at Columbia Speedway, Lee signed the Charter as well. So, we were now official. I still have that framed Charter hanging on my wall.

That was also the day my parents (who previously would only say they "wouldn't walk across the street to see a race if it was free") got to meet Richard because the Winn-Dixie where they shopped was next door to Marion Burnside Chrysler-Plymouth. I was able to get them to meet Richard (thanks to Richard's willingness to step next door). From that moment on, my parents were huge fans, started attending races, and eventually bought a motorhome to travel to almost all the races in the Southeast.

That night at Columbia Speedway, Richard won the pole and led more than half the race. But as I recall, he had to chase down David Pearson late in the race to take the win. I vividly remember Richard talking to my mother after the race in the pits. What an ambassador he was.

As to the Richard Petty Fan Club of Columbia, we grew to more than 400 members in 17 states and even had a member in Guam who was in the Navy. We set up a meeting in turn three of the infield at the Southern 500 in 1964, and we had more than 40 folks show up from all over: Illinois, Virginia, New Jersey, and of course North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida.

We published a monthly newsletter on an old mimeograph machine my church donated to us. We had a checking account because Marion Burnside Chrysler-Plymouth donated a check to us in 1964. To this day, I stay in contact with several members of that fan club, and all their memories are as vivid as mine as for those early days though most of them drifted away from the sport of late.

2011-08-10 edit:
Tim Leeming gave me permission to share this photo of the King during the 1963 appearance at Burnside Chrysler-Plymouth. Note the unusual font for the 43. Thanks Tim!

TMC

August 8 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-08-08T07:43:00.004-05:00

1962 - Richard Petty wins career race #9 in Huntsville, Alabama. As Greenbow, AL native Forrest Gump says "and that's all I got to say about that."

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 7 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-07T07:43:00.004-05:00

1966 - Richard Petty wins his 48th career race in the Dixie 400 at Atlanta.

Schaefer Ring of Honor member, "Bruton" (also known in some circles as GaPettyFan) recalls:

The 1966 Dixie 400 - my first race and I had yet to even turn three. I don’t remember the events prior to the race, but my grandfather told me later that on the pace laps he picked up one of us while my Dad hoisted my twin brother. They pointed out Ol’ Blue and told us, “See that blue car? That’s Richard Petty. That’s who we pull for.” The King won my first time out! He started fifth, led 90 laps, and earned $13,525 for his efforts. [TMC: dang good memory for a kid who was three at the time!] My Dad had a brand new, bright red ’66 Chevelle that was gorgeous. He got good and drunk that day. After the race some poor schmoe backed into it. My Dad immediately jumped out of the car (my Grandfather was driving) and wanted to fight the guy. Yes, I come from impressive stock. I was so scared I peed all over myself. Sadly, I remember that part.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 4 - This day in Petty history

2011-08-04T07:43:00.004-05:00

1974 - Richard Petty wins his 161st career race in the rain-shortened Purolator 500, the inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National race at Pocono International Raceway. How sweet it must have been for the management of STP Oil Filters to have their driver win a race sponsored by their competitor.

Race program:

The Winner!

The Pocono trophy I saw on display at the Richard Petty Museum earlier this year:

How it went down:

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 2 - This day in Petty history - part 2

2011-08-02T08:43:00.004-05:00

1970 - Richard wins his 111th career race in the Dixie 500 at Atlanta driving the famed Plymouth Superbird. Teammate Pete Hamilton finishes 6th in a second #40 Petty Superbird.

Think about this for a moment. A NASCAR race in Atlanta. In August. Wonder what Einstein thought that was a good idea. Probably the same person or team who slotted Talladega for many years in late July.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 2 - This day in Petty history - part 1

2011-08-02T07:43:00.004-05:00

1964 - Richard wins his 34th career race in the Nashville 400 at Nashville Speedway (400 laps, 200 miles).

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

Teammate Jim Paschal was originally scored as finishing 3rd. However, the scoring results were updated, and he was credited with finishing second driving #41 Petty Enterprises Plymouth.

TMC

August 1 - This day in Petty history - Part 2

2011-08-01T08:43:00.004-05:00

1976 - Richard wins his 179th career race in the Purolator 500 at Pocono. He was greeted in victory lane by Miss Winston, Pattie Huffman. Less than three years later, Miss Winston became Mrs. Kyle Petty and in turn, Richard's daughter-in-law.

If you read the accompanying article closely, you may note Junior Johnson's team changed a blown engine in Cale Yarborough's Chevy. Until the mid 70s, changing engines during a race was unheard of. From the mid 70s through the early 80s, the practice happened a bit more often - with Johnson's team doing it perhaps more than others.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

August 1 - This day in Petty history - Part 1

2011-08-01T07:43:00.005-05:00

1971 - Richard wins his 134th race in the Dixie 500 at Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway). With the win, he becomes the first NASCAR driver to top $1 million in career earnings. Teammate Buddy Baker in a white #11 Petty Enterprises Dodge Charger wins the pole but ends up 25th in the race.

Schaefer Ring of Honor member, Bruton (aka GaPettyFan to some), attended the race and remembers it this way:

I was at the 1971 Dixie 500. As usual for July here, it was hotter than Hades. I wasn’t quite 8 years old and spent the better part of the next few months thinking The King won $1 million that day. When it was explained what actually took place, somehow it no longer seemed like so much money.

Article and pictures courtesy of Jerry Bushmire.

TMC