March 21, 2009
By Brenda Benedict
Want to take a step back in time? If you watched the Legend’s race at Bristol last Saturday that is exactly what you did. It was one of the highlights of the weekend for me. The race featured many past greats from NASCAR including Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough and Harry Gant. The race was televised on ESPN2. It was great to see drivers such as Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough and Harry Gant. As a relatively new fan, I never had an opportunity to watch these drivers during their NASCAR careers. It was even sweeter that the purse was this race was dedicated to charity.
“Many of today’s NASCAR fans have only seen drivers like Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Cale Yarborough race on ESPN Classic,” said Julie Sobieski, ESPN vice president, programming and acquisitions. “This event gives new and longtime fans a chance to connect with some of NASCAR’s greatest drivers.” And I agree.
NASCAR is rich in tradition that means a great deal to fans. NASCAR could use this loyalty to build a greater fan base and increase the fan experience as it did at Bristol. I’ve heard several commentators call for series of races featuring past NASCAR greats. Is NASCAR ready for a senior race circuit? Darrell Waltrip recently said that racing is too different from golf “I get tickled when some of my buddies like to point out that Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and others play in these legends matches long into their later years. For some reason, they think it should be the same for drivers. But stop and think about this for a second, do you know what the difference golf and racing? Well in golf in your later years, you simply can't hit it as far. But trust me, in racing, you can still hit it just as hard.”
I don’t agree Mr. Waltrip. I think fans could appreciate a series of legends races spaced throughout the season.
The Old School Racing series that was to begin with a Stars of NASCAR’s Past race has been hit by the economic downturn. Their statement to me was “We are taking a big hit from the economy and not too many sponsors are willing to take much of a chance on an upstart series like Old School Racing.”
Richard Petty stated, “Stock-car racing is a very popular sport, but every year that goes by, we leave a little bit of our past behind," He is right. It has been said that every time an old person dies, we lose a library. In the case of NASCAR, we lose people who can tell us where our sport came from. A series of legend races would be a connection to the past and give us an opportunity to see and enjoy those past drivers while they are still with us. A series such as this would need the backing of NASCAR to be successful.
Richard Petty also recently released the Richard Petty Audio Scrapbook that records the history of NASCAR in the voices of some of the pioneers. The four-hour, four disc series traces NASCAR from a regional sport to the expansive presence enjoyed today.
“It’s a big ol’ bull session with drivers like David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Junior Johnson,” said Petty. “We’ve all been to a lot of places in racing and can tell a lot of tales.” The Richard Petty Audio Scrapbook is available online for $43.43.
David Poole of the CharlotteObserver.com wrote about the Audio Scrapbook and said, “The guys who did this project did exactly the right thing by not over -thinking the process. It’s legendary Motor Racing Network anchor and long-time Petty family friend Barney Hall sitting down with The King and with Dale Inman, Richard’s long-time crew chief, and having them talk and tell stories.”
Since I’m talking about NASCAR’s past, I should mention that I’ve heard from many of you with suggestions about your choices for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. NASCAR is picking five people to be included in the first induction ceremony in May 2010. Most people agree on the top contenders but there have been some very interesting suggestions that have really helped me to learn about NASCAR history of others who should be considered.
One such letter was from Mike. Mike wrote, “My pick for the HOF is 1960 NASCAR Champion Rex White and it's not because he's a close friend of mine. He was named one of NASCAR's Top 50 drivers, which says something for starters. He was also a pioneer in developing various suspension techniques, parts, and chassis developments that are still be used today. Rex was also a very generous person when it came to helping out his fellow drivers. He loaned out or out-right gave tires and parts to some of his competitors who couldn't afford them. I consider him to be well worth a nomination for the HOF.”
I am sure there are many other worthy individuals who have had similar influences on NASCAR. I would like to hear from readers if they know of some such NASCAR personalities.
It isn’t too late to send your choices. Please include your reasons for your choices if possible. Your ideas have been giving me a great history of NASCAR. I will be sharing all your ideas in a future column. Email me at NASCAR Hall Of Fame Pick
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
