Card #12 Tim Flock (May 11, 1924 - March 31, 1998) Age 73
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 13 years in 187 races with 39 Wins, 102 Top Fives, 129 Top Tens and 38 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Before the Petty's & Earnhardt's there were the Flock's. Julius Timothy Flock was a two time Cup series champion (1952 & 1955). He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.
Flock had his best year in 1955 as he captured his second championship. He won 18 of 39 races, a record that stood until 1967, when Richard Petty registered 19 victories.
JOCKO FLOCKO was a Rhesus monkey and remains the only known "co-driver" in NASCAR history. On May 16, 1953, Jocko helped Tim win the Grand National race at Hickory, N.C. - becoming the only winning monkey to date. Unfortunately, Jocko was forced to retire from "driving" duties two weeks later in Raleigh, N.C.
Card #14 Ethel Mobley (March 8, 1920 - June 26, 1984) Age 64
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 1 year in 2 races with 0 Wins, 0 Top Fives, 0 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Before the Petty's & Earnhardt's there were the Flock's. Part of the racing Flock family, three of her brothers are considered to be NASCAR pioneers: Tim Flock, Fonty Flock and Bob Flock. She was married to Charlie Mobley, who fielded Tim's car in NASCAR's modified series.
She raced in over 100 NASCAR Modified events in her career.
She had two Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup) starts. She raced against her brothers at NASCAR's second event ever on July 10, 1949 at the Daytona Beach Road Course. The event was the first to feature a brother and a sister, and the only NASCAR event to feature four siblings. Ethel beat Fonty and Bob by finishing eleventh (her career high), and Tim finished second. She made her only other career Cup start at Langley Speedway and finished 44th. Both events featured three female drivers (Sara Christian and Louise Smith).
Card #15 - Cotton Owens (May 21, 1924 - June 7, 2012) Age 88
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 15 years in 160 races with 9 Wins, 52 Top Fives, 84 Top Tens and 10 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD Radio take away: Everett "Cotton" Owens raced for 15 years (1950 -1964) and was a NASCAR driver. For five straight years (1957–61), Owens captured at least one Grand National (now Sprint Cup) series win. Owens was known as the "King of the Modifieds" for his successes in modified stock car racing in the 1950s. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and was announced as a member of the 2013 Inductee Class at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Card #16 - David Pearson (December 22, 1934 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 27 years in 574 races with 105 Wins, 301 Top Fives, 366 Top Tens and 113 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: David Pearson had the nickname "The Silver Fox". He raced from 1960 to 1986. He was named 1960 Rookie of the year and won 3 championships (1966, 1968 & 1969). David Pearson ran a part time Cup schedule the last 17 years (1970 - 1986) after winning his third championship in 1969. Fifty Two percent (52%) of the time he showed up to a Cup race he finished in the TOP 5 compared to Richard Petty's 46.9% TOP 5 finishes! He is second in all time wins with 105 and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest drivers. He was inducted in to the NASCAR Hall of Fame with the class of 2011.
One of my favorite stories: “The name Silver Fox really applies because David was a little bit prematurely gray and absolute slyness on the track – just exceedingly smart,” said Hall of Fame motorsports writer Tom Higgins, who proceeded to tell a story about how Buddy Baker and Pearson went door-to-door at Darlington one year. It seems Baker was doing all he could to hang with Pearson. As the two battled side-by-side, Baker looked over and couldn’t believe what he was seeing – Pearson lighting a cigarette.
“That absolutely blew Buddy’s mind,” said Higgins. “I asked Pearson a little bit later if he did things like that on purpose and he was chewing that gum and his eyes were sparkling and he said, ‘Well, maybe.’ But he was a very, very smart driver.”
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 11 years in 62 races with 4 Wins, 22 Top Fives, 34 Top Tens and 14 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced from 1953 to 1964. He founded the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team in 1953 which holds the unique distinction of being the oldest active team in NASCAR.
The Wood Brothers invented the modern pit stop. In the early days of all types of motorracing, when service was needed during the race it was common for drivers to pull into the pits, turn off the car, get out and even smoke a cigarette as the crew took their time changing tires and servicing the cars. The Wood Brothers recognized that by limiting the time off the track, it could increase their position on the track. Thus, they created and perfected what is now known as the pit stop.
He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and and was inducdted in to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the Class of 2012. Wood Brothers Racing
Card #18 - Bobby Isaac (August 1, 1932 - August 14, 1977) Age 45
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 15 years in 308 races with 37 Wins, 134 Top Fives, 170 Top Tens and 49 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced for 15 years (1961 to 1976). He began racing full-time in 1956, but it took him seven years to break into the Grand National division (Cup Series). Isaac won the Cup championship in 1970 driving the #71 Dodge Charger Daytona sponsored by K&K Insurance. His crew chief was legendary Harry Hyde. Isaac & Hyde took the car to Talladega in November and set a closed-course speed record.
He pulled out of a 1977 Late Model Sportsman race at Hickory Motor Speedway with 25 laps left, and called for a relief driver, collapsing on pit road. Though he was revived briefly at the hospital, a heart attack in the early morning hours proved fatal to the 45-year-old.
Card #19 - Joe Lee Johnson (September 11, 1929 - May 26, 2005) Age 75
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 7 years in 55 races with 2 Wins, 10 Top Fives, 20 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced from 1956 to 1962. Joe Lee Johnson was a NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) driver who won the inaugural World 600 in 1960. He was also the 1959 NASCAR Convertible Division champion. He made his last NASCAR start in 1962. He was the owner of the Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland Tennessee. He is of no relation to Junior Johnson or Jimmie Johnson. Wikipedia Joe_Lee_Johnson
Card #20 - G.C. Spencer (July 9, 1925 - September 20, 2007) Age 82
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 20 years in 415 races with 0 Wins, 55 Top Fives, 138 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Grover Clifton Spencer raced from 1958 to 1977. Spencer drove for his own independent team for most of his career, and was one of the most successful independents of the day. His best season came in 1965, when he finished fourth in points with 14 top-5 finishes and 25 top-10s and his only career pole. Although he drove GM and Chrysler cars for most of his career, he drove Fords in 1965, where he found most of his success.
Card #21 - Jack Smith (May 24, 1924 - October 17, 2001) Age 77
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 15 years in 264 races with 21 Wins, 95 Top Fives, 142 Top Tens and 23 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Jack Smith raced from 1949 to 1964. He made his debut in NASCAR's first race in 1949 at the Charlotte Speedway and finished 13th. He is remembered for flipping his car five time and rolling into the parking lot at a 1958 race at Darlington. He won the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award in 1959.
Card #23 - Bill Rexford (March 14, 1927 - April 18, 1994) Age 67
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 5 years in 36 races with 1 Win, 8 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Bill Rexford raced from 1949 to 1953. He was the 1950 championship which was controversial, as Lee Petty was stripped of 809 points (at that time, the equivalent of winning 4 races or 5 third place finishes) by NASCAR for racing in non-NASCAR sanctioned races. Two other major contenders, Fireball Roberts and Curtis Turner, went through major late season slumps at the same time that Rexford was at his best.
Over 50 years later, Bill is still the youngest driver to win a championship in what has become the Sprint Cup series. He remains the only driver from the Northeast to win a champion, and was the only non-Southerner to win a title in the series until 1989, when Missouri's Rusty Wallace won.
Card #27 Speedy Thompson - (April 3, 1926 - April 2, 1972) Age 45
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 14 years in 197 races with 20 Wins, 77 Top Fives, 105 Top Tens and 19 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Alfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson raced from 1950 to 1962 & 1971. He finished 3rd in points 4 years in a row (1956-1959). He left the cup series to run modifieds.
During a late model race on April 2, 1972 at Metrolina Fairgrounds in Charlotte, where he started the race despite reporting he was not feeling well, Thompson suffered a suspected heart attack during the race and crashed his car, breaking his neck as well. He died on the way to the hospital, one day before his 46th birthday.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 15 years in 216 races with 17 Wins, 96 Top Fives, 126 Top Tens and 21 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Marvin Panch raced from 1951 to 1966. He came in second in the point's championship in 1957 and when he was running factory sponsored cars he did real well. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.
Card #30 Buddy Shuman - (September 8, 1915 - November 13, 1955) Age 40
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 4 years in 29 races with 1 Win, 4 Top Fives, 16 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Louis Grier "Buddy" Shuman raced from 1951 to 1955. His win came at Niagra Falls, Ontario 7/1/52 in a Hudson Hornet. Buddy was one of many drivers who fielded cars for Junie Donlavey. Shuman died in a hotel fire in Hickory, NC in 1955. NASCAR honored Shuman by naming their "Lifetime Achievement Award" the "Buddy Shuman Award."
Card #31 Neil Castles - (October 1, 1934 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 19 years in 498 races with 0 Wins, 51 Top Fives, 178 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Neil "Soapy" Castles raced from 1957 to 1976. Though he never won a race he was ninth or better in championship season points 5 times in his career.
There was a short story done about Neil Castles from the book American Zoom by Peter Golenbock. Neil Castles was an also-ran of the old days who once found himself having an uncharacteristically good day. He had lapped Curtis Turner, but the flagman apparently did not believe it, for he kept giving Castles the move-over flag to let Turner around him. As Castles told the story: "The starter kept doing this, and I was getting real mad, so I just picked up my gun and when I come by the stand the next time I took aim and shot that flag out of his hand."
Card #32 Buck Baker - (March 4, 1919 - April 14, 2002) Age 83
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 26 years in 635 races with 46 Wins, 246 Top Fives, 372 Top Tens and 45 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. better known as Buck Baker raced from 1949 to 1976. He was the first back-to-back winner of the Grand National (now Sprint Cup) Championship in 1956 and 1957. He finished second in Grand National (now Sprint Cup) Championship points twice (1955 and 1958) and finished in the top five on four other occasions.
He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and one of five nominees to be inducted into the 2013 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 8, 2013.
Card #33 Curtis Turner - (April 12, 1924 - October 4, 1970) Age 46
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 17 years in 183 races with 17 Wins, 54 Top Fives, 73 Top Tens and 16 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Curtis Turner raced 17 years from 1949 to 1961 then from 1965 to 1968.
Turner conceptualized, secured financing for, and built Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 before being forced out by his business partners.
He was suspened from NASCAR for life for attempting to organize a union for the drivers, the Federation of Professional Athletes, in 1961. The ban was lifted after four years in 1965. Bill France was in a bind and needed to mend some fences. 1962 and 1963 NASCAR-points champion Joe Weatherly was killed driving a Mercury at Riverside, California on January 19, 1964, and his star driver Fireball Roberts had died following a fiery crash on May 24, 1964, at the World 600 in Charlotte. The track owners wanted Turner back. "Turner was slated to drive for a newly-organized group, The Grand American Racing Association, organized July 31 in Sumper, S.C. Turner was due to compete in the first of 17 scheduled races at Concord, N.C. Aug 21." France was also short of cars. The Chrysler factory were boycotting NASCAR over the organizing body's ban of the Hemi engine, and Richard Petty went drag racing in the first half of the 1965 season. The Ford factory were also in dispute with NASCAR over the SOHC engine, which faced a joint NASCAR-USAC ban on December 17, 1965.
Turner, then 41, soon notched the first victory of his comeback in a Ford at the inaugural American 500, at the North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina, on October 31, 1965, winning a purse of $13,090. Turner lost his Ford ride in 1966 when: "Ford withdrew its factory backed racing teams from competition when the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing and the United States Auto Club ruled April 6 that Fords equipped with an overhead cam engine must carry 427 additional pounds." Turner started the 1966 season in a Ford, but with the Ford-factory withdrawal, he signed to drive a Chevrolet for Smokey Yunick out of Daytona Beach, Florida. He raced from 1965 to 1968.
He died in an airplane crash near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1970. The crash also killed golfer Clarence King. "Police said the aero-commander 500 piloted by Turner crashed shortly after taking off from the Dubois-Jefferson Airport en route to Roanoke."
Card #34 Larry Frank - (April 29, 1929 - January 5, 2010) Age 80
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 11 years in 103 races with 1 Win, 10 Top Fives, 32 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Larry Frank raced from 1956 to 1966. On October 28, 1956, Frank made his debut in the NASCAR Grand National Division in the Old Dominion 400 at Martinsville, Virginia driving Lonnie Fish’s No. 76 Chevrolet finishing 38th after losing oil pressure on lap 77. In 1957 Frank spent most of his time competing in the Convertible Series racing in all but one race. Frank also made four starts in the NASCAR Grand National Division during the 1957 season driving Fish’s No. 76 Chevrolet. In the 1958 NASCAR Grand National Division, Frank competed in 11 events. He finished third in the Nashville 200, recording one top five and four top tens.
The next few years Frank had average runs in both the Grand National and the Convertible Series. The high point of Frank's career occurred in 1962 when he qualified 10th for the Southern 500. He led 85 laps and lapped the entire field finishing the race with two blown tires. After a scoring issue, Junior Johnson was declared the winner. Frank filed a protest and after a review he was declared the winner of the Southern 500. In 1966 Frank decided it was time to call it quits.
Card #35 Lee Roy Yarbrough - (September 17, 1938 - December 7, 1984) Age 46
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 12 years in 198 races with 14 Wins, 65 Top Fives, 92 Top Tens and 10 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Lee Roy Yarbrough raced from 1960 to 1972. LeeRoy Yarbrough is not related to NASCAR champion Cale Yarborough. Their surnames have different spellings although they are pronounced similarly.
LeeRoy Yarbrough drove for the legendary car owner Junior Johnson and had quite a productive career as a driver as one of the best super speedway drivers in NASCAR history. He joined Johnson's race team in 1967, and it was a perfect match. "Lee Roy had the most raw talent I've ever seen." said Junior. In 1969, he won the Daytona 500, the World 600, and the Southern 500, the equivalent of the Winston Million. LeeRoy drove the #98 Mercury Cyclone II to victory in the 1969 Daytona 500 and went on to set a record for consecutive super speedway wins in a single season. His Mercury was definitely a threat to win every time it entered a race. Unfortunately, injuries he received in a crash shortened his career. Sadly, in 1984 he died at the age of 46 in an institution while battling alcoholism. Lee Roy Yarbrough
Card #36 Ralph Liguori - (October 10, 1926 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 6 years in 76 races with 0 Wins, 5 Top Fives, 30 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Ralph Liguori raced from 1951 to 1956. He was a New York tailor and when he saw an indoor race in NY he went out and got a '37 Ford coupe from a junkyard for $25. He won $25 the first time I raced it and then he went home and quit his job to race.
He ran the midget races in the NY area sanctioned by NASCAR. He heard about the races in the south so he moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"Bill France (NASCAR founder) was an incredible visionary, and even though nearly all his stock car drivers and tracks were in the South, he knew the importance of getting other parts of the country involved. One day, I told him I had decided to go back to New York and run open-wheel cars.
"He said, 'Ralph, you've got to stay here. I need a Yankee down here, and I've got a guy who will pay you $60 a week and all the money you can make racing. I'm going to advertise you as 'the Fayetteville Yankee.'
"Well, he was quite a salesman, too, so I stayed."
Liguori made enough money to buy property in Tampa in 1956, and he and his wife later built the Sunshine Trailer Park. He also worked at Tampa Bay Downs, George Steinbrenner's track.
Card #37 Wendell Scott - (August 29, 1921 - December 23, 1990) Age 69
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 13 years in 495 races with 1 Win, 20 Top Fives, 147 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Wendell Scott was the Jackie Robinson of racing and he raced from 1961 to 1973 in 495 races. On December 1, 1963, the third race of the 1964 season, NASCAR ran a split season then. At Speedway Park in Jacksonville, a one-mile dirt track. Wendell Scott beat Buck Baker to become the first African-American to win a Cup race.
There is some controversy with this race since Buck Baker got the win that the checkered flag. Wendell Scott petitioned the win and was declared the winner hours later. It was a 200 lap event and the checkered flag dropped when Buck Baker went 200 laps but Wendell Scott completed 202 laps! Only 10 of 22 cars were still running at the end, and four of those were at least 15 laps behind. The race was a mess and it was all done with manual scoring.
CRAZY STAT: Only six other African-American drivers are known to have started at least one race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series: Elias Bowie, Charlie Scott, George Wiltshire, Randy Bethea, Willy T. Ribbs and, most recently, Bill Lester, who made the field for races at Atlanta and Michigan in 2006. Those drivers have made a combined 9 Cup starts Wendell had 495.
Card #38 Jim Paschal - (December 5, 1926 - July 5, 2004) Age 77
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 23 years in 421 races with 25 Wins, 149 Top Fives, 230 Top Tens and 12 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Jim Paschal raced from 1949 to 1972. In 1949, Jim drove in the first event in what was to become the Cup Series. His first cup win came in 1953 at Martinsville. Paschal was a short track genius. All but two of his 25 wins (the Coca-Cola World 600s of '64 and '67) were on short tracks. In 1956 he finished 5th in the final points standings in his #75 car. His 25 wins puts him tied for #22 with Joe Weatherly on the all time Cup wins list. NASCAR Race Legend - Jim Paschal
Card #40 Jimmie Lewallen - (August 22, 1919 - October 16, 1995) Age 76
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 12 years in 142 races with 0 Wins, 28 Top Fives, 57 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Jimmie Lewallen raced from 1949 to 1960. He had three consecutive Top 10 finishes in the series points from 1953 until 1955. His best career race finish was second, which he accomplished four times. While Lewallen never won in the Grand National, he won dozens of races in NASCAR's Modified and Sportsman divisions.
Card #41 Maurice Petty - (March 27, 1939 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 5 years in 26 races with 0 Wins, 7 Top Fives, 16 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Maurice raced from 1960 to 1964 as a Cup driver and is Richard Petty's younger brother by 3 years. He was a part of the famed Petty family, Maurice Petty is best known as the chief engine builder for Petty Enterprises. With Dale Inman (their cousin) turning wrenches and Maurice Petty providing horsepower, Richard Petty drove to 200 NASCAR victories during Maurice’s career. In 1989 he partnered up with W.C. Shackelford to create Winners Circle Auto Parts which gave away the 1989 Winners Circle Drug Awareness racing cards.
Card #42 Nelson Stacy - (December 28, 1921 - May 14, 1986) Age 64
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 6 years in 45 races with 4 Wins, 13 Top Fives, 24 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced in 1952 and then returned to racing at the age of 39 in 1961 until 1965.
Stacy was originally from Kentucky and a veteran of World War II serving as a Tank Driver in the U.S. Third Army under the command of General George S. Patton.
He made his first Sprint Cup start known then as a NASCAR Grand National Series on September 21, 1952 at Dayton Speedway, Dayton, OH. He finished 12 out of 30 cars. He decided it would be best to drive in the MARC Series. He was ARCA Champion for three years 1958, 1959, 1960.
After a decade in the MARC series, Stacy decided give Grand National racing another try. In 1961 Stacy entered back into NASCAR competition at age 39. All his Cup totals were achieved after the age of 39 !
Card #43 Fireball Roberts - (January 20, 1929 - July 2, 1964) Age 35
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 15 years in 206 races with 33 Wins, 93 Top Fives, 122 Top Tens and 32 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: NASCAR has a higher number of heroes’ passing before their time due to the nature of the sport. Edward Glenn Roberts, Jr. was one of the biggest.
Glenn Roberts made a name for himself as a high school pitcher with a blazing fastball, but he didn't truly shine until he charged through the superspeedways. Though tagged with the nickname "Fireball", Roberts went racing dirt tracks at the age of eighteen. Though his father didn't approve of this, Glenn talked his mother to sign the release form to race modified stock cars. Roberts raced the modifieds, until the joined the famed Holman-Moody team in 1956. He raced to success, and soon his winsome smile, and crew-cut became the most recognized face on the NASCAR circuit. Sought after for endorsements that took him all over the country. Affable, yet reserved, Roberts disliked his nickname, to his friends he was just "Glenn".
At the world 600 on May 24, 1964, he, Ned Jarrett, and Junior Johnson crashed on lap 7. Fireball's car landed on its roof, and flaming gasoline filled the car. Ned pulled him out of the car, and he was rushed to the hospital with burns over 80% of his body. He suvived for 37 days before he succumbed to pneumonia on July 2, 1964.
Just like Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001 spurred NASCAR to tackle major safety initiatives, Roberts' death -- along with those of Joe Weatherly, Jimmy Pardue, Billy Wade, and Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald at Indianapolis -- resulted in a number of changes to the cars. After Weatherly's crash at Riverside, NASCAR made shoulder harnesses and window netting mandatory, and strengthened the rollcage on the driver's side door. The accidents involving Pardue and Wade led to the introduction of inner safety liners and were mandated for use by NASCAR in 1966.
Following Roberts' fiery crash, the sanctioning body immediately required all drivers to wear fireproof uniforms and gloves. In addition, NASCAR required rubber bladders inside fuel tanks to keep fuel from spilling out if the tanks were damaged. Plus, fuel check valves were added to stop the flow of fuel in case a car flipped upside down. Gas cans in the pits were also retrofitted with catch valves.
The foam-filled fuel cells and Nomex racing suits used today are the direct result of actions taken following the accident that claimed the life of Roberts at Charlotte more than four decades ago.
Card #44 Banjo Matthews - (February 14, 1932 - October 2, 1996) Age 64
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 10 years in 51 races with 0 Wins, 4 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens and 3 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Edwin Keith "Banjo" Matthews raced in 1952 than from 1955 to 1963. He won three poles, one each at the Daytona Beach Road Course, Daytona International Speedway, and Atlanta International Raceway.
He served as car owner for several of the biggest names in NASCAR in the 1960s and 70s including Fireball Roberts, A. J. Foyt, Junior Johnson, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough. He is best known, however, for having constructed (with the assistance of Holman Moody in his first car building years) many cars in the 1970s and 80s, including 72 percent of the winning cars in the top NASCAR division from 1974 to 1985, including all 30 races in 1978, and four consecutive Winston Cup championships (1975-78). On many occasions, cars built by Banjo Matthews comprised over half the field, Not only did he build them, he also repaired them. In addition to Winston Cup cars, he built Limited Sportsman, Modifieds and IROC cars.
Card #45 Pete Hamilton - (July 20, 1942 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics Raced 6 years in 64 races with 4 Wins, 26 Top Fives, 33 Top Tens and 3 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Pete Hamilton raced from 1968 to 1973, four short years. He won four times in his career (including the 1970 Daytona 500), three times driving for Petty Enterprises. He was the 1968 NASCAR Rookie of the Year. He retired from full-time racing in 1971 because of a neck injury suffered in a Grand American race in 1969.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: So on the heels of the hugely popular 1988 Maxx set make decide to kill two birds with one stone. One was to show the NASCAR card collector what the new cards were going to look like but the other was to help get rid of excess inventory. They produced the 1989 Maxx Previews which included 4 of the 8 preview cards and one cover card. Also included were Three 1988 Maxx 10 card cello packs. These are the same packs that were available in the wax packs. They were collated so that one half of the preview set was in one pack and the other half was in another pack. Two items to note are the words on the front (Contains: New and out-of-print cards!" and the back which is the first price guide for the 1988 Maxx cards! Notice that the #87 card is the most expensive (Picture of Dale Earnhardt and crew) at $4.00. The #99 which we see all over eBay was held and never released. It wasn’t until the Maxx bankruptcy that they started to find their way to the second hand market.
You other sports guys are all use to having price guides available when you started collecting but Beckett would not produce a price guide until 1996 for Racing and the first Racing Price guide would not be produced until the fall of 1989!
There are three different cover cards. The first version (which is rare) has the words “Maxx Race Cards” exploding through the card with the Preview set checklist on the back.
The second version has Bill Elliott’s car art on the front and the back has either Preview set checklist on the back or a 100 Laps back toward the 500 needed for a subscription to the magazine Grand Nation Scene.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: In 1984, Rick Hendrick founded All-Star Racing (now Hendrick Motorsports). With five full-time employees and 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of work space, he fielded one NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) team. With Geoff Bodine the driver, his team managed to race in all 30 races to finish ninth in the final standings with three wins and pole positions.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:3,077 sets were produced and issued as a complete set in a Pioneers of Racing binder. Each binder was signed by the creator Greg Fielden.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Lloyd Seay: NASCAR's Greatest Driver Who Wasn't?
Most of today's NASCAR fans have never heard of Dawsonville's Lloyd Seay, but he very well could have been one of NASCAR's greatest drivers ever had he not been murdered six years before the sanctioning body was founded.
Bill France, The NASCAR founder, who saw all of the great stock car racers from the birth of the sport up to his death in 1992, stated that Seay was "the best pure race driver I ever saw."
If that isn't a strong enough endorsement, Seay provided one of his own in August-September 1941. He won at the Daytona Beach Road Course - the circuit that preceeded Daytona International Speedway - on August 24. He won at the High Point Speedway in North Carolina seven days later, before immediately traveling to Lakewood for a Labor Day event. He won the race, his third win in three different states in 15 days.
The morning after his Lakewood triumph, Seay and his brother Jim were confronted by their cousin, Woodrow Anderson, over a sugar bill charged by Lloyd to Woodrow's account. Anderson shot both Seays, fatally wounding Lloyd. He was just 21-years-old.
Comments
Card #12 Tim Flock (May 11, 1924 - March 31, 1998) Age 73
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 13 years in 187 races with 39 Wins, 102 Top Fives, 129 Top Tens and 38 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Before the Petty's & Earnhardt's there were the Flock's. Julius Timothy Flock was a two time Cup series champion (1952 & 1955). He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.
Flock had his best year in 1955 as he captured his second championship. He won 18 of 39 races, a record that stood until 1967, when Richard Petty registered 19 victories.
JOCKO FLOCKO was a Rhesus monkey and remains the only known "co-driver" in NASCAR history. On May 16, 1953, Jocko helped Tim win the Grand National race at Hickory, N.C. - becoming the only winning monkey to date. Unfortunately, Jocko was forced to retire from "driving" duties two weeks later in Raleigh, N.C.
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Link
His First Card:
Card #A (13)
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: This is the checklist card but on the checklist there is no 13 and the card front states card "A".
Card #14 Ethel Mobley (March 8, 1920 - June 26, 1984) Age 64
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 1 year in 2 races with 0 Wins, 0 Top Fives, 0 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Before the Petty's & Earnhardt's there were the Flock's. Part of the racing Flock family, three of her brothers are considered to be NASCAR pioneers: Tim Flock, Fonty Flock and Bob Flock. She was married to Charlie Mobley, who fielded Tim's car in NASCAR's modified series.
She raced in over 100 NASCAR Modified events in her career.
She had two Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup) starts. She raced against her brothers at NASCAR's second event ever on July 10, 1949 at the Daytona Beach Road Course. The event was the first to feature a brother and a sister, and the only NASCAR event to feature four siblings. Ethel beat Fonty and Bob by finishing eleventh (her career high), and Tim finished second. She made her only other career Cup start at Langley Speedway and finished 44th. Both events featured three female drivers (Sara Christian and Louise Smith).
Her First Card.
Card #15 - Cotton Owens (May 21, 1924 - June 7, 2012) Age 88
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 15 years in 160 races with 9 Wins, 52 Top Fives, 84 Top Tens and 10 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD Radio take away: Everett "Cotton" Owens raced for 15 years (1950 -1964) and was a NASCAR driver. For five straight years (1957–61), Owens captured at least one Grand National (now Sprint Cup) series win. Owens was known as the "King of the Modifieds" for his successes in modified stock car racing in the 1950s. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and was announced as a member of the 2013 Inductee Class at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
His First card.
Card #16 - David Pearson (December 22, 1934 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 27 years in 574 races with 105 Wins, 301 Top Fives, 366 Top Tens and 113 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: David Pearson had the nickname "The Silver Fox". He raced from 1960 to 1986. He was named 1960 Rookie of the year and won 3 championships (1966, 1968 & 1969). David Pearson ran a part time Cup schedule the last 17 years (1970 - 1986) after winning his third championship in 1969. Fifty Two percent (52%) of the time he showed up to a Cup race he finished in the TOP 5 compared to Richard Petty's 46.9% TOP 5 finishes! He is second in all time wins with 105 and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest drivers. He was inducted in to the NASCAR Hall of Fame with the class of 2011.
One of my favorite stories:
“The name Silver Fox really applies because David was a little bit prematurely gray and absolute slyness on the track – just exceedingly smart,” said Hall of Fame motorsports writer Tom Higgins, who proceeded to tell a story about how Buddy Baker and Pearson went door-to-door at Darlington one year. It seems Baker was doing all he could to hang with Pearson. As the two battled side-by-side, Baker looked over and couldn’t believe what he was seeing – Pearson lighting a cigarette.
“That absolutely blew Buddy’s mind,” said Higgins. “I asked Pearson a little bit later if he did things like that on purpose and he was chewing that gum and his eyes were sparkling and he said, ‘Well, maybe.’ But he was a very, very smart driver.”
This is his first card (non sticker).
Card #17 - Glen Wood (July 18, 1925 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 11 years in 62 races with 4 Wins, 22 Top Fives, 34 Top Tens and 14 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced from 1953 to 1964. He founded the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team in 1953 which holds the unique distinction of being the oldest active team in NASCAR.
The Wood Brothers invented the modern pit stop. In the early days of all types of motorracing, when service was needed during the race it was common for drivers to pull into the pits, turn off the car, get out and even smoke a cigarette as the crew took their time changing tires and servicing the cars. The Wood Brothers recognized that by limiting the time off the track, it could increase their position on the track. Thus, they created and perfected what is now known as the pit stop.
He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and and was inducdted in to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the Class of 2012. Wood Brothers Racing
His First Card.
Card #18 - Bobby Isaac (August 1, 1932 - August 14, 1977) Age 45
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 15 years in 308 races with 37 Wins, 134 Top Fives, 170 Top Tens and 49 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced for 15 years (1961 to 1976). He began racing full-time in 1956, but it took him seven years to break into the Grand National division (Cup Series). Isaac won the Cup championship in 1970 driving the #71 Dodge Charger Daytona sponsored by K&K Insurance. His crew chief was legendary Harry Hyde. Isaac & Hyde took the car to Talladega in November and set a closed-course speed record.
He pulled out of a 1977 Late Model Sportsman race at Hickory Motor Speedway with 25 laps left, and called for a relief driver, collapsing on pit road. Though he was revived briefly at the hospital, a heart attack in the early morning hours proved fatal to the 45-year-old.
He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.
His First Card.
Card #19 - Joe Lee Johnson (September 11, 1929 - May 26, 2005) Age 75
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 7 years in 55 races with 2 Wins, 10 Top Fives, 20 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced from 1956 to 1962. Joe Lee Johnson was a NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) driver who won the inaugural World 600 in 1960. He was also the 1959 NASCAR Convertible Division champion. He made his last NASCAR start in 1962. He was the owner of the Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland Tennessee. He is of no relation to Junior Johnson or Jimmie Johnson. Wikipedia Joe_Lee_Johnson
His first card.
Card #20 - G.C. Spencer (July 9, 1925 - September 20, 2007) Age 82
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 20 years in 415 races with 0 Wins, 55 Top Fives, 138 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Grover Clifton Spencer raced from 1958 to 1977. Spencer drove for his own independent team for most of his career, and was one of the most successful independents of the day. His best season came in 1965, when he finished fourth in points with 14 top-5 finishes and 25 top-10s and his only career pole. Although he drove GM and Chrysler cars for most of his career, he drove Fords in 1965, where he found most of his success.
His first card.
Card #21 - Jack Smith (May 24, 1924 - October 17, 2001) Age 77
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 15 years in 264 races with 21 Wins, 95 Top Fives, 142 Top Tens and 23 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Jack Smith raced from 1949 to 1964. He made his debut in NASCAR's first race in 1949 at the Charlotte Speedway and finished 13th. He is remembered for flipping his car five time and rolling into the parking lot at a 1958 race at Darlington. He won the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award in 1959.
His first card.
Card #22 - Frank Mundy (June 18, 1918 - May 15, 2009) Age 90
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 5 years in 52 races with 3 Wins, 14 Top Fives, 24 Top Tens and 4 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Frank "Rebel" Mundy raced from 1949 to 1952 & 1956.
His first card.
Card #23 - Bill Rexford (March 14, 1927 - April 18, 1994) Age 67
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 5 years in 36 races with 1 Win, 8 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Bill Rexford raced from 1949 to 1953. He was the 1950 championship which was controversial, as Lee Petty was stripped of 809 points (at that time, the equivalent of winning 4 races or 5 third place finishes) by NASCAR for racing in non-NASCAR sanctioned races. Two other major contenders, Fireball Roberts and Curtis Turner, went through major late season slumps at the same time that Rexford was at his best.
Over 50 years later, Bill is still the youngest driver to win a championship in what has become the Sprint Cup series. He remains the only driver from the Northeast to win a champion, and was the only non-Southerner to win a title in the series until 1989, when Missouri's Rusty Wallace won.
His first card.
Card #24 - Dick Rathmann - (January 16, 1924 - February 1, 2000) Age 76
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 5 years in 128 races with 13 Wins, 69 Top Fives, 79 Top Tens and 13 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Dick Rathmann raced from 1951 to 1955.
His first card.
Card #25 Bill Blair - (July 14, 1911 - November 2, 1995) Age 84
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 10 years in 123 races with 3 Wins, 30 Top Fives, 54 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Bill Blair raced from 1949 to 1958.
His first card.
Card #26 Darel Dieringer - (June 1, 1926 - October 28, 1989) Age 63
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 12 years in 181 races with 7 Wins, 45 Top Fives, 79 Top Tens and 9 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Raced from 1957 to 1969 & 1975.
His first card.
Card #27 Speedy Thompson - (April 3, 1926 - April 2, 1972) Age 45
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 14 years in 197 races with 20 Wins, 77 Top Fives, 105 Top Tens and 19 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:Alfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson raced from 1950 to 1962 & 1971. He finished 3rd in points 4 years in a row (1956-1959). He left the cup series to run modifieds.
During a late model race on April 2, 1972 at Metrolina Fairgrounds in Charlotte, where he started the race despite reporting he was not feeling well, Thompson suffered a suspected heart attack during the race and crashed his car, breaking his neck as well. He died on the way to the hospital, one day before his 46th birthday.
His first card.
Card #28 Donald Thomas - (July 10, 1932 - December 16, 1977) Age 45
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 7 years in 79 races with 1 Win, 14 Top Fives, 37 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Donald Thomas raced from 1950 to 1956 and is the yonger brother to Herb Thomas.
His first card.
Card #29 Marvin Panch - (May 28, 1926 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 15 years in 216 races with 17 Wins, 96 Top Fives, 126 Top Tens and 21 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Marvin Panch raced from 1951 to 1966. He came in second in the point's championship in 1957 and when he was running factory sponsored cars he did real well. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.
His first card.
Card #30 Buddy Shuman - (September 8, 1915 - November 13, 1955) Age 40
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 4 years in 29 races with 1 Win, 4 Top Fives, 16 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Louis Grier "Buddy" Shuman raced from 1951 to 1955. His win came at Niagra Falls, Ontario 7/1/52 in a Hudson Hornet. Buddy was one of many drivers who fielded cars for Junie Donlavey. Shuman died in a hotel fire in Hickory, NC in 1955. NASCAR honored Shuman by naming their "Lifetime Achievement Award" the "Buddy Shuman Award."
His first card.
Card #31 Neil Castles - (October 1, 1934 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 19 years in 498 races with 0 Wins, 51 Top Fives, 178 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Neil "Soapy" Castles raced from 1957 to 1976. Though he never won a race he was ninth or better in championship season points 5 times in his career.
There was a short story done about Neil Castles from the book American Zoom by Peter Golenbock. Neil Castles was an also-ran of the old days who once found himself having an uncharacteristically good day. He had lapped Curtis Turner, but the flagman apparently did not believe it, for he kept giving Castles the move-over flag to let Turner around him. As Castles told the story: "The starter kept doing this, and I was getting real mad, so I just picked up my gun and when I come by the stand the next time I took aim and shot that flag out of his hand."
His first card.
Card #32 Buck Baker - (March 4, 1919 - April 14, 2002) Age 83
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 26 years in 635 races with 46 Wins, 246 Top Fives, 372 Top Tens and 45 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. better known as Buck Baker raced from 1949 to 1976. He was the first back-to-back winner of the Grand National (now Sprint Cup) Championship in 1956 and 1957. He finished second in Grand National (now Sprint Cup) Championship points twice (1955 and 1958) and finished in the top five on four other occasions.
He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and one of five nominees to be inducted into the 2013 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 8, 2013.
His first card.
Card #33 Curtis Turner - (April 12, 1924 - October 4, 1970) Age 46
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 17 years in 183 races with 17 Wins, 54 Top Fives, 73 Top Tens and 16 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Curtis Turner raced 17 years from 1949 to 1961 then from 1965 to 1968.
Turner conceptualized, secured financing for, and built Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 before being forced out by his business partners.
He was suspened from NASCAR for life for attempting to organize a union for the drivers, the Federation of Professional Athletes, in 1961. The ban was lifted after four years in 1965. Bill France was in a bind and needed to mend some fences. 1962 and 1963 NASCAR-points champion Joe Weatherly was killed driving a Mercury at Riverside, California on January 19, 1964, and his star driver Fireball Roberts had died following a fiery crash on May 24, 1964, at the World 600 in Charlotte. The track owners wanted Turner back. "Turner was slated to drive for a newly-organized group, The Grand American Racing Association, organized July 31 in Sumper, S.C. Turner was due to compete in the first of 17 scheduled races at Concord, N.C. Aug 21." France was also short of cars. The Chrysler factory were boycotting NASCAR over the organizing body's ban of the Hemi engine, and Richard Petty went drag racing in the first half of the 1965 season. The Ford factory were also in dispute with NASCAR over the SOHC engine, which faced a joint NASCAR-USAC ban on December 17, 1965.
Turner, then 41, soon notched the first victory of his comeback in a Ford at the inaugural American 500, at the North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina, on October 31, 1965, winning a purse of $13,090. Turner lost his Ford ride in 1966 when: "Ford withdrew its factory backed racing teams from competition when the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing and the United States Auto Club ruled April 6 that Fords equipped with an overhead cam engine must carry 427 additional pounds." Turner started the 1966 season in a Ford, but with the Ford-factory withdrawal, he signed to drive a Chevrolet for Smokey Yunick out of Daytona Beach, Florida. He raced from 1965 to 1968.
He died in an airplane crash near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1970. The crash also killed golfer Clarence King. "Police said the aero-commander 500 piloted by Turner crashed shortly after taking off from the Dubois-Jefferson Airport en route to Roanoke."
His first card.
Card #34 Larry Frank - (April 29, 1929 - January 5, 2010) Age 80
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 11 years in 103 races with 1 Win, 10 Top Fives, 32 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Larry Frank raced from 1956 to 1966. On October 28, 1956, Frank made his debut in the NASCAR Grand National Division in the Old Dominion 400 at Martinsville, Virginia driving Lonnie Fish’s No. 76 Chevrolet finishing 38th after losing oil pressure on lap 77. In 1957 Frank spent most of his time competing in the Convertible Series racing in all but one race. Frank also made four starts in the NASCAR Grand National Division during the 1957 season driving Fish’s No. 76 Chevrolet. In the 1958 NASCAR Grand National Division, Frank competed in 11 events. He finished third in the Nashville 200, recording one top five and four top tens.
The next few years Frank had average runs in both the Grand National and the Convertible Series. The high point of Frank's career occurred in 1962 when he qualified 10th for the Southern 500. He led 85 laps and lapped the entire field finishing the race with two blown tires. After a scoring issue, Junior Johnson was declared the winner. Frank filed a protest and after a review he was declared the winner of the Southern 500. In 1966 Frank decided it was time to call it quits.
His first card.
Card #35 Lee Roy Yarbrough - (September 17, 1938 - December 7, 1984) Age 46
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 12 years in 198 races with 14 Wins, 65 Top Fives, 92 Top Tens and 10 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Lee Roy Yarbrough raced from 1960 to 1972. LeeRoy Yarbrough is not related to NASCAR champion Cale Yarborough. Their surnames have different spellings although they are pronounced similarly.
LeeRoy Yarbrough drove for the legendary car owner Junior Johnson and had quite a productive career as a driver as one of the best super speedway drivers in NASCAR history. He joined Johnson's race team in 1967, and it was a perfect match. "Lee Roy had the most raw talent I've ever seen." said Junior. In 1969, he won the Daytona 500, the World 600, and the Southern 500, the equivalent of the Winston Million. LeeRoy drove the #98 Mercury Cyclone II to victory in the 1969 Daytona 500 and went on to set a record for consecutive super speedway wins in a single season. His Mercury was definitely a threat to win every time it entered a race. Unfortunately, injuries he received in a crash shortened his career. Sadly, in 1984 he died at the age of 46 in an institution while battling alcoholism.
Lee Roy Yarbrough
His first card.
Card #36 Ralph Liguori - (October 10, 1926 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 6 years in 76 races with 0 Wins, 5 Top Fives, 30 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Ralph Liguori raced from 1951 to 1956. He was a New York tailor and when he saw an indoor race in NY he went out and got a '37 Ford coupe from a junkyard for $25. He won $25 the first time I raced it and then he went home and quit his job to race.
He ran the midget races in the NY area sanctioned by NASCAR. He heard about the races in the south so he moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"Bill France (NASCAR founder) was an incredible visionary, and even though nearly all his stock car drivers and tracks were in the South, he knew the importance of getting other parts of the country involved. One day, I told him I had decided to go back to New York and run open-wheel cars.
"He said, 'Ralph, you've got to stay here. I need a Yankee down here, and I've got a guy who will pay you $60 a week and all the money you can make racing. I'm going to advertise you as 'the Fayetteville Yankee.'
"Well, he was quite a salesman, too, so I stayed."
Liguori made enough money to buy property in Tampa in 1956, and he and his wife later built the Sunshine Trailer Park. He also worked at Tampa Bay Downs, George Steinbrenner's track.
Liguori Racing
His first card.
Card #37 Wendell Scott - (August 29, 1921 - December 23, 1990) Age 69
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 13 years in 495 races with 1 Win, 20 Top Fives, 147 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Wendell Scott was the Jackie Robinson of racing and he raced from 1961 to 1973 in 495 races. On December 1, 1963, the third race of the 1964 season, NASCAR ran a split season then. At Speedway Park in Jacksonville, a one-mile dirt track. Wendell Scott beat Buck Baker to become the first African-American to win a Cup race.
There is some controversy with this race since Buck Baker got the win that the checkered flag. Wendell Scott petitioned the win and was declared the winner hours later. It was a 200 lap event and the checkered flag dropped when Buck Baker went 200 laps but Wendell Scott completed 202 laps! Only 10 of 22 cars were still running at the end, and four of those were at least 15 laps behind.
The race was a mess and it was all done with manual scoring.
CRAZY STAT: Only six other African-American drivers are known to have started at least one race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series: Elias Bowie, Charlie Scott, George Wiltshire, Randy Bethea, Willy T. Ribbs and, most recently, Bill Lester, who made the field for races at Atlanta and Michigan in 2006. Those drivers have made a combined 9 Cup starts Wendell had 495.
Wendell Scott
His first card.
Card #38 Jim Paschal - (December 5, 1926 - July 5, 2004) Age 77
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 23 years in 421 races with 25 Wins, 149 Top Fives, 230 Top Tens and 12 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Jim Paschal raced from 1949 to 1972. In 1949, Jim drove in the first event in what was to become the Cup Series. His first cup win came in 1953 at Martinsville. Paschal was a short track genius. All but two of his 25 wins (the Coca-Cola World 600s of '64 and '67) were on short tracks. In 1956 he finished 5th in the final points standings in his #75 car. His 25 wins puts him tied for #22 with Joe Weatherly on the all time Cup wins list.
NASCAR Race Legend - Jim Paschal
His first card.
Card #39 Johnny Allen - (September 17, 1934 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 13 years in 173 races with 1 Win, 19 Top Fives, 61 Top Tens and 3 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Johnny Allen raced from 1956 to 1967.
Card #40 Jimmie Lewallen - (August 22, 1919 - October 16, 1995) Age 76
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 12 years in 142 races with 0 Wins, 28 Top Fives, 57 Top Tens and 1 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Jimmie Lewallen raced from 1949 to 1960. He had three consecutive Top 10 finishes in the series points from 1953 until 1955. His best career race finish was second, which he accomplished four times. While Lewallen never won in the Grand National, he won dozens of races in NASCAR's Modified and Sportsman divisions.
His first card.
Card #41 Maurice Petty - (March 27, 1939 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 5 years in 26 races with 0 Wins, 7 Top Fives, 16 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Maurice raced from 1960 to 1964 as a Cup driver and is Richard Petty's younger brother by 3 years. He was a part of the famed Petty family, Maurice Petty is best known as the chief engine builder for Petty Enterprises. With Dale Inman (their cousin) turning wrenches and Maurice Petty providing horsepower, Richard Petty drove to 200 NASCAR victories during Maurice’s career. In 1989 he partnered up with W.C. Shackelford to create Winners Circle Auto Parts which gave away the 1989 Winners Circle Drug Awareness racing cards.
His first card.
Card #42 Nelson Stacy - (December 28, 1921 - May 14, 1986) Age 64
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 6 years in 45 races with 4 Wins, 13 Top Fives, 24 Top Tens and 0 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Raced in 1952 and then returned to racing at the age of 39 in 1961 until 1965.
Stacy was originally from Kentucky and a veteran of World War II serving as a Tank Driver in the U.S. Third Army under the command of General George S. Patton.
He made his first Sprint Cup start known then as a NASCAR Grand National Series on September 21, 1952 at Dayton Speedway, Dayton, OH. He finished 12 out of 30 cars. He decided it would be best to drive in the MARC Series. He was ARCA Champion for three years 1958, 1959, 1960.
After a decade in the MARC series, Stacy decided give Grand National racing another try. In 1961 Stacy entered back into NASCAR competition at age 39. All his Cup totals were achieved after the age of 39 !
His first card.
Card #43 Fireball Roberts - (January 20, 1929 - July 2, 1964) Age 35
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 15 years in 206 races with 33 Wins, 93 Top Fives, 122 Top Tens and 32 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: NASCAR has a higher number of heroes’ passing before their time due to the nature of the sport. Edward Glenn Roberts, Jr. was one of the biggest.
Glenn Roberts made a name for himself as a high school pitcher with a blazing fastball, but he didn't truly shine until he charged through the superspeedways. Though tagged with the nickname "Fireball", Roberts went racing dirt tracks at the age of eighteen. Though his father didn't approve of this, Glenn talked his mother to sign the release form to race modified stock cars. Roberts raced the modifieds, until the joined the famed Holman-Moody team in 1956. He raced to success, and soon his winsome smile, and crew-cut became the most recognized face on the NASCAR circuit. Sought after for endorsements that took him all over the country. Affable, yet reserved, Roberts disliked his nickname, to his friends he was just "Glenn".
At the world 600 on May 24, 1964, he, Ned Jarrett, and Junior Johnson crashed on lap 7. Fireball's car landed on its roof, and flaming gasoline filled the car. Ned pulled him out of the car, and he was rushed to the hospital with burns over 80% of his body. He suvived for 37 days before he succumbed to pneumonia on July 2, 1964.
Just like Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001 spurred NASCAR to tackle major safety initiatives, Roberts' death -- along with those of Joe Weatherly, Jimmy Pardue, Billy Wade, and Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald at Indianapolis -- resulted in a number of changes to the cars. After Weatherly's crash at Riverside, NASCAR made shoulder harnesses and window netting mandatory, and strengthened the rollcage on the driver's side door. The accidents involving Pardue and Wade led to the introduction of inner safety liners and were mandated for use by NASCAR in 1966.
Following Roberts' fiery crash, the sanctioning body immediately required all drivers to wear fireproof uniforms and gloves. In addition, NASCAR required rubber bladders inside fuel tanks to keep fuel from spilling out if the tanks were damaged. Plus, fuel check valves were added to stop the flow of fuel in case a car flipped upside down. Gas cans in the pits were also retrofitted with catch valves.
The foam-filled fuel cells and Nomex racing suits used today are the direct result of actions taken following the accident that claimed the life of Roberts at Charlotte more than four decades ago.
He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and was tied for the last spot in the 2012 NASCAR HOF voting but Buck Baker won the tie breaker.
NASCAR.com Fireball Roberts
Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts
Glenn 'Fireball' Roberts BIO
His first card.
Card #44 Banjo Matthews - (February 14, 1932 - October 2, 1996) Age 64
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 10 years in 51 races with 0 Wins, 4 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens and 3 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Edwin Keith "Banjo" Matthews raced in 1952 than from 1955 to 1963. He won three poles, one each at the Daytona Beach Road Course, Daytona International Speedway, and Atlanta International Raceway.
He served as car owner for several of the biggest names in NASCAR in the 1960s and 70s including Fireball Roberts, A. J. Foyt, Junior Johnson, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough. He is best known, however, for having constructed (with the assistance of Holman Moody in his first car building years) many cars in the 1970s and 80s, including 72 percent of the winning cars in the top NASCAR division from 1974 to 1985, including all 30 races in 1978, and four consecutive Winston Cup championships (1975-78). On many occasions, cars built by Banjo Matthews comprised over half the field, Not only did he build them, he also repaired them. In addition to Winston Cup cars, he built Limited Sportsman, Modifieds and IROC cars.
Wikipedia Banjo Matthews
Legends of NASCAR - Banjo Matthews
His first card.
Card #45 Pete Hamilton - (July 20, 1942 - Present)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Raced 6 years in 64 races with 4 Wins, 26 Top Fives, 33 Top Tens and 3 starting at the Pole.
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Pete Hamilton raced from 1968 to 1973, four short years. He won four times in his career (including the 1970 Daytona 500), three times driving for Petty Enterprises. He was the 1968 NASCAR Rookie of the Year. He retired from full-time racing in 1971 because of a neck injury suffered in a Grand American race in 1969.
His first card.
Card # No Number (Cover Card)
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: So on the heels of the hugely popular 1988 Maxx set make decide to kill two birds with one stone. One was to show the NASCAR card collector what the new cards were going to look like but the other was to help get rid of excess inventory. They produced the 1989 Maxx Previews which included 4 of the 8 preview cards and one cover card. Also included were Three 1988 Maxx 10 card cello packs. These are the same packs that were available in the wax packs. They were collated so that one half of the preview set was in one pack and the other half was in another pack. Two items to note are the words on the front (Contains: New and out-of-print cards!" and the back which is the first price guide for the 1988 Maxx cards! Notice that the #87 card is the most expensive (Picture of Dale Earnhardt and crew) at $4.00. The #99 which we see all over eBay was held and never released. It wasn’t until the Maxx bankruptcy that they started to find their way to the second hand market.
You other sports guys are all use to having price guides available when you started collecting but Beckett would not produce a price guide until 1996 for Racing and the first Racing Price guide would not be produced until the fall of 1989!
There are three different cover cards. The first version (which is rare) has the words “Maxx Race Cards” exploding through the card with the Preview set checklist on the back.
The second version has Bill Elliott’s car art on the front and the back has either Preview set checklist on the back or a 100 Laps back toward the 500 needed for a subscription to the magazine Grand Nation Scene.
Card # Geoff Bodine (No Number)
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: In 1984, Rick Hendrick founded All-Star Racing (now Hendrick Motorsports). With five full-time employees and 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of work space, he fielded one NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) team. With Geoff Bodine the driver, his team managed to race in all 30 races to finish ninth in the final standings with three wins and pole positions.
Card # Bill Elliott (No Number)
Card # Bobby Hillin Jr. (No Number)
Card # Sterling Marlin (No Number)
Card # Mark Martin (No Number)
Card # Richard Petty (No Number)
Card # Rusty Wallace (No Number)
Card # Michael Waltrip (No Number)
Card # 1 Stolen Victory
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away:3,077 sets were produced and issued as a complete set in a Pioneers of Racing binder. Each binder was signed by the creator Greg Fielden.
Card # 2 '55 Charlotte Grand National
Card # 3 Two Wheelin' Winner
NASCARD RADIO.COM take away: Lloyd Seay: NASCAR's Greatest Driver Who Wasn't?
Most of today's NASCAR fans have never heard of Dawsonville's Lloyd Seay, but he very well could have been one of NASCAR's greatest drivers ever had he not been murdered six years before the sanctioning body was founded.
Bill France, The NASCAR founder, who saw all of the great stock car racers from the birth of the sport up to his death in 1992, stated that Seay was "the best pure race driver I ever saw."
If that isn't a strong enough endorsement, Seay provided one of his own in August-September 1941. He won at the Daytona Beach Road Course - the circuit that preceeded Daytona International Speedway - on August 24. He won at the High Point Speedway in North Carolina seven days later, before immediately traveling to Lakewood for a Labor Day event. He won the race, his third win in three different states in 15 days.
The morning after his Lakewood triumph, Seay and his brother Jim were confronted by their cousin, Woodrow Anderson, over a sugar bill charged by Lloyd to Woodrow's account. Anderson shot both Seays, fatally wounding Lloyd. He was just 21-years-old.
Lloyd Seay: NASCAR's Greatest Driver Who Wasn't?
Card # 4: 4-Abreast Start