In Memorium

[LUKE'57]

This was Nascar's version of "The Day the Music Died". I can remember exactly where I was as a kid of fourteen when the news came over my brand new pocket transistor radio. The Clown Prince of Stock Car Racing ( 2 time champion Joe Weatherly)and the sport's first superstar, both gone within a six month period.

Wonder how different racing would have become if Bill France hadn't made Ralph Moody tear out that first "fuel cell" tank in '64 because it wasn't "stock" while leaving those non-production Hemis in the Mopars because he knew what a Chrysler boycott would do to the "gate". Sad thing is that is happened anyway the next season. And before anyone gripes, that '63 is a model.

[bigphoto]

Gone but not forgotten!! He even dabbled in roadracing!!

[LUKE'57]

Not just dabbled, he raced a Ferrari and even won the stock car race at the road course in Augusta Ga.

[Tony T]

Jerry - Thanks for bringing this up. I was too young to remember, but do remember reading about Fireball when I was a kid.

I'm sure racing today would be very different if some of the true heroes of racing had survived. Earnhardt, Bonnett, Kulwicki, Allison (Davey), Petty (Adam) to name but a few from more recent years. There are probably a dozen more I could name if I thought about it, I'm sure...Jim Clark, Ayerton Senna, Gilles Villeneuve...a few more that come to mind...

[Greg Myers]

How could this be ? I remember going to school at Easter Arizona College in Thatcher Az '65-'67 driving a '56 Chevy and later an MGA. Needing parts for the MG a friend and I went into the big town Safford. Looking around in the back of an auto parts store some one came out , after a short conversation he said "you guys might want to see this" taking us through the shop to the back he showed us a race car with 22 on the side. "You boys know whose car this?"is?" Of course we did. He even let us sit in it. To this day I'm having a hard time wondering how that car got to Safford Arizona. I have another interesting story about how the Summers Brothers GoldenRod got to Sun City ARIZONA (I have Pictures).

Edited July 2, 2010 by Greg Myers