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Angie
 Stock car racing has always been a team sport. Each person in the organization plays a key role in the success of the team. One minor mistake can ruin a driver’s day and the smallest thing can often make the biggest impact.
Just ask Doug Taylor.
After a brief career in the Air Force that taught him electronics, Taylor was looking for a new direction when he heard that 2-way radios were being used in Indy and stock cars. He began to focus on developing a better system for in-car communications.
At first only a few drivers were interested but through word of mouth advertising, more and more seemed to take notice. In 1974 things began to come together when Junior Johnson became his first customer.
You might recognize a few of the legendary names he has worked with in his 25-year long career. They include A.J. Foyt, Benny Parsons, Darrell Waltrip, the Woods Brothers, Paul Newman and many more. Continue reading →
Angie
 Richard “Richie” Evans was just announced as a NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee for the second year in a row. For those of you who only follow the Sprint Cup Series drivers, his name may be unfamiliar. But his record speaks volumes about why he was included in such a prestigious class of NASCAR drivers.
Evans won nine National Modified Championships, including eight consecutive championships from 1978 to 1985. His eight straight championships still stand as a record in any NASCAR division to date. He has been hailed as the best to ever drive the asphalt modified circuit.
During his career he won more than 400 feature races and over 30 track championships. One of his best seasons was in 1979 when Evans ran 60 races capturing 54 top five finishes that included 37 victories.
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists his achievements as “one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports.” Continue reading →
Angie
 Banjo Matthews was an ordinary man with an extraordinary gift. A master craftsman who wasn’t in it for the fame or fortune, he let his work speak for him.
In this modern era of quicker is better and quantity over quality, it’s easy to forget men like Matthews. But that would be a huge mistake.
Edwin Keith Matthews was born on February 14, 1932 in Akron, Ohio. Matthews got stuck with the nickname “Banjo Eyes” in grade school because of the thick-lensed glasses he wore. Surgery later in life helped improved his vision but the nickname, shortened to Banjo, remained.
When he was fifteen, he moved to Miami and spent five years racing and working on cars. After deciding that he wanted to earn his living as a racer, he moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 1952.
Matthews raced on both dirt and asphalt tracks and became one of the best modified drivers around. In the early 1960’s he headed for the superspeedways of NASCAR. He had 50 career starts on the Grand National circuit. His best finish was a second place at Atlanta.
You might read those statistics and see an uneventful career. But Banjo Matthews was about to find his true destiny.
In 1963 he left racing and began building cars for the Ford factory team. When the factory teams pulled out of NASCAR, Matthews opened his own shop and began his second career as a car builder.
One of his most successful collaborations was with John Holman of Holman-Moody. He made a deal with Holman to build kit-type Fords in 1971. Matthews built the body and framework for the cars and Holman-Moody put in the motors. He later went on to build cars for Chevrolet.
When it came to building cars, Matthews was in a class by himself.
As an owner, Matthews’ cars claimed nine victories with 14 poles in 160 starts. His cars won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona three times with legendary drivers Fireball Roberts, A.J. Foyt and Donnie Allison.
Allison also won the World 600 at Charlotte and two other races. One of his most cherished wins was at Rockingham in 1968.
“My biggest memory was in Victory Lane that day (at Rockingham),” says Allison.
“Banjo, standing there with tears running down his cheeks, says to me, ‘I knew that I could win another race.’ As a car owner, he just never had the opportunity to have a regular driver who could concentrate on winning races. As a person, Banjo was as good as I ever knew. As a racer, he was the most knowledgeable I’ve ever known.” Continue reading →
Angie
 Image via Wikipedia
PRESS RELEASE
New Hampshire will mark debut for No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet as well as Elliott Sadler‘s 10-race driving deal with JR Motorsports; Earnhardt Jr. to compete in Bristol Nationwide race in No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Wednesday, June 16, 2010) – Delta Apparel – a leading activewear and headwear manufacturer – has agreed to a partnership with JR Motorsports to promote the Realtree Outfitters licensed brand, which will receive primary placement on the No. 88 Chevrolet for five NASCAR Nationwide Series events this year, general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced today. Realtree, the camouflage brand made famous by its long-running outdoor-themed television programming, recently signed Delta Apparel to an exclusive apparel and headwear licensing deal with its Realtree Outfitters brand.
One of the five races – the Aug. 20th event at Bristol Motor Speedway – will feature team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel of the No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet. Two other events – the June 26th race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Sept. 25th race at Dover International Raceway – will introduce Elliott Sadler as driver of the No. 88 Realtree Outfitters Chevy. Sadler has signed a 10-race driving agreement with JR Motorsports to drive the No. 88 car.
“I think this partnership with Delta Apparel and Realtree Outfitters is something we’re announcing now, but it started a long time ago just on mutual friendship,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Realtree has been in the sport a long time, because there is a common interest in racing and hunting. NASCAR fans wear Realtree camo.”
The complete schedule for Delta Apparel/Realtree Outfitters-sponsored races includes New Hampshire Motor Speedway (June 26), Iowa Speedway (July 31), Bristol Motor Speedway (Aug. 20), Dover International Speedway (Sept. 25), and Gateway International Raceway (Oct. 23). Drivers for Iowa and Gateway are still to be determined. Continue reading →
Angie
 (c)doyleperformance.com When we take a look back at the beginnings of NASCAR, we often focus on the legendary drivers who became the stars of the sport. But if we stop there, we’ve really only scratched the surface.
You can’t really understand NASCAR without taking a look at the talent behind the scenes.
Smokey Yunick is a perfect place to start, but be forewarned. It’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction when discussing this colorful character.
Yunick was involved in all aspects of racing from designer to driver but is most well-known as a mechanic, builder and crew chief. His innovations led to at least eleven patents.
Yunick was also quite famous for his ability to walk that fine line between bending and breaking the rules.
He was a familiar sight at the track and easy to spot with his trademark white uniform, cowboy hat and corncob pipe.
Henry “Smokey” Yunick was born in 1923 and grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. He dropped out of school at the age of sixteen after the death of his father.
Yunick spent his days working on the farm but built and raced motorcycles in his spare time. When a fellow competitor couldn’t remember his name, he called him “Smokey,” because the motorcycle Yunick was driving had an engine that smoked. The name stuck.
In 1941, when World War II broke out, Yunick joined the Army Air Corps and piloted a B-17 Flying Fortress. After the war, he married and moved to Daytona Beach, Florida.
After the war, he opened a garage called “The Best Damn Garage in Town.” He ran the garage for thirty years, closing it in 1987.
Yunick’s career in NASCAR began when he was approached by Marshall Teague, a local stock car team owner, who invited Yunick to join his team. Although he had never worked on stock cars, Yunick accepted the job.
He was the chief mechanic for Herb Thomas who won the Winston Cup championship in 1951 and 1953. Yunick had 61 starts as a car owner and earned eight career victories. He won more than 50 times as a crew chief, chief mechanic or engine builder.
But that’s only the beginning of Yunick’s story. Continue reading →
Angie
 I recently had the opportunity to cover the NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway as a member of the media. Below is a summary of my experience, slightly skewed for entertainment purposes.
My journey began with a trip to Darlington to pick up my media credentials to cover the upcoming Nationwide and Cup Series races. While I was there, I just had to stop by the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum.
As I stepped out of my car and looked at the faces adorning the front of the museum, I knew that I was in for a treat.
Everywhere I looked, I saw a different piece of stock car racing history.
Some things were immediately familiar like the number 43, trademark blue, 1967 Plymouth of Richard Petty.
And then there were the surprises.
Over to one side was a 1956 Ford convertible. This particular car won 22 races in a single year racing in the convertible series.
One of my favorite parts of the museum was a glass case with an array of confiscated items taken off the competitors cars.
I just had to laugh at the ingenuity of these drivers who used every advantage they could find to win…at least until they got caught. It seems like some things never change. Continue reading →
Angie
 Joe Weatherly had a short but extraordinary career. His exploits off the track were as legendary as his accomplishments on the track.
When you hear people talk about the drivers who were there at the beginning of NASCAR, you often hear them called “good old boys.”
If you’re not sure what that means, just take a close look at Joe Weatherly.
He was well known for his love of liquor, women and hard racing. Weatherly was also the king of practical jokes and became known as “The Clown Prince of Racing.”
In the days before start switches, Weatherly would sneak along pit road and steal the keys to all the cars. When the command, “Gentlemen, start your engines,” was given, only one car fired up. It didn’t take much detective work to figure out that Weatherly was the culprit. Continue reading →
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