Saturday before Labor Day was a moment in time that thousands of people thought they would never see, as the gates to North Wilkesboro Speedway swung open for the backstretch crossover to allow competitive racecar haulers to enter the track. It had been almost 14 years since the gates closed as the final haulers pulled …
We’ve been working on the racecars this summer. Right now, the cars are just sitting here ready to go-they just need some paint and Bondo. Right now I’m pretty focused on the business because the economy is so tough. We’re knocking on doors, trying to find sponsorship. We’re having a heck of a time doing …
On September 29th, 1996, Jeff Gordon led 207 laps and won the Tyson Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. After the engines went silent and the fans went home, the gates were closed to racing for the next 14 years at the historic race track in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. While …
Ever so often, while working as an announcer at the local short track and listening to the radio chatter between officials, I think about the difference they’ve made in communications during race events. When I first got involved as an official, in 1961, such convenience was unheard of. At the old Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville, we …
Last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Ray Evernham sat down with Speedway Motorsports Inc. mogul Bruton Smith, president of Charlotte Motor Speedway Marcus Smith and Don Hawk, SMI vice president of business affairs, to introduce the newest development in racing – U.S. Legend Cars International.
I’ve mentioned before about how much I’ve enjoyed being able to meet so many people in my years bouncing around motorsports. One of the best of those experiences came at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1989, when we had a celebrity road race intended to discourage drinking and driving. This was a week-long affair, and Dodge was one …
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten as many comments, or as much email in addition to comments, as I got last week after this column talked about Richie Bisig. One old fan who emailed me asked why Richie’s car had “Yo Yo” painted on the left-front fender. Ah, therein lies another tale… The way this …
One of the three best Figure 8 drivers I ever saw was Richie Bisig, and he won the Figure 8 championship at the old Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville in 1964 and 1969. (For the record, the other two were Andy Vertrees and Kenny St. John.) We had a rule that from the spindles forward, …
Saturday night saw the first running of the Legends Million at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a race for drivers from all over the country that compete every week for a trophy and a couple hundred dollars. This race allowed the people who spend more than they ever win a chance to actually win some real cash …
Funny how some topics come to mind…. I had been going through some notes, trying to decide what to write about this week, when I took a break and went web-surfing. There’s a thread I started some time back called “Historic Stock Car Photos” on the H.A.M.B. section of jalopyjournal.com. I wanted to post some of my …
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