rbroyles
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Ned Jarrett wanted to get into NASCAR Grand National (now Cup) racing but didn't have the $2000 that Junior Johnson wanted for a year old car. He waited till the banks were closed on Friday, wrote a worthless check, took the car to two races and won to cover the check.
Known as "Gentleman Ned", he sold at a very low price, a two year old early 60s Chevy to Wendell Scott, the first and only regular competing black driver in Cup.
I watched Scott at Bristol in a '65 Ford that had every body panel wrinkled. He would pull in the pits with his son the only crewman, jump out of the car and change the tires while his son refueled. He had no air wrench, and used a cross lug wrench so his pit stops took about 5 minutes or more. He bought used tires from other teams. I talked to track owner Larry Carrier after the race to tell him if I would be on his crew next race for free. He told me I was too young to get a pit pass and to join NASCAR as well.
There was a NASCAR regular from Johnson City named Herman Beam, the father of well known crew chief Mike Beam. He was known as the "Turtle" because he drove so slow, usually down on the apron of the track. His cars were always pristine, and he and the car were capable of competitive speeds as he always qualified. Once he even was on the pole, but pulled into the pits and let the field go by on the first lap.
Marvin Panch drove for the Wood Brothers in 1963, and at Daytona was also entered to drive a Maserati in the Continental road race. In a practice crash, he flipped the Maserati which caught fire with him trapped upside down. Tiny Lund a 300 pound driver who was trying to get into Cup was nearby and lifted the car up and pulled Panch out. Panch was too severely injured to drive in the 500, and he asked the Wood Brothers to put Tiny in the car. Lund then won the race. A peculiar fact was they never changed tires during the race. The Woods realized the tires were so hard they were barely wearing and gained much time in the pits.
Known as "Gentleman Ned", he sold at a very low price, a two year old early 60s Chevy to Wendell Scott, the first and only regular competing black driver in Cup.
I watched Scott at Bristol in a '65 Ford that had every body panel wrinkled. He would pull in the pits with his son the only crewman, jump out of the car and change the tires while his son refueled. He had no air wrench, and used a cross lug wrench so his pit stops took about 5 minutes or more. He bought used tires from other teams. I talked to track owner Larry Carrier after the race to tell him if I would be on his crew next race for free. He told me I was too young to get a pit pass and to join NASCAR as well.
There was a NASCAR regular from Johnson City named Herman Beam, the father of well known crew chief Mike Beam. He was known as the "Turtle" because he drove so slow, usually down on the apron of the track. His cars were always pristine, and he and the car were capable of competitive speeds as he always qualified. Once he even was on the pole, but pulled into the pits and let the field go by on the first lap.
Marvin Panch drove for the Wood Brothers in 1963, and at Daytona was also entered to drive a Maserati in the Continental road race. In a practice crash, he flipped the Maserati which caught fire with him trapped upside down. Tiny Lund a 300 pound driver who was trying to get into Cup was nearby and lifted the car up and pulled Panch out. Panch was too severely injured to drive in the 500, and he asked the Wood Brothers to put Tiny in the car. Lund then won the race. A peculiar fact was they never changed tires during the race. The Woods realized the tires were so hard they were barely wearing and gained much time in the pits.
