A Trip Down NASCAR Memory Lane

[93henfan]

My dad recently gave me a bunch of old pictures, and there were some pretty cool shots from the 70s and our favorite sport. I figured I'd share some of them.

It's really amazing how accessible NASCAR was back then.

The first set is from a trip my dad and I took down to Wilkes County, NC to visit the shop of Junior Johnson, owner of the #11 car of Cale Yarborough. Judging from the "Merry Christmas" banner and the listing of "Winston Cup Champion 1976, 1977, 1978" on one of them, this trip was likely during Christmas break in the winter of 1978-79 just a few weeks before the '79 Daytona 500.

Here was my dad's little statement about the oil crisis, his pimpin' Chevy Chevette, outside the shop. For any license plate geeks, that's an original porcelain black and white four-digit DE plate:


Here are some shots of the engine builders in action. They used to build the whole car, bumper to bumper, chassis, engine, the whole works all under one roof back then. You could never get this close these days without being behind glass. We simply showed up that morning and they let us have free reign in their shop. Unreal:





Here's the Olds that they were prepping for the '79 Daytona 500, which was the first NASCAR race televised live on national TV and regarded as one of the best races in NASCAR history:



Here is the car in action and the crazy finish and fight:
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More pictures to come as I scan them.

[93henfan]

Here are some driver shots (~1976):

Darrell Waltrip and I @ Dover


The King and I


Ned Jarrett and I


Cale Yarborough arriving in his plane


Bobby Allison arriving and piloting his own plane


Bobby and Donnie Allison

[MSUDuo]

Very good sir, very good

[ASUMountaineer]

Very good sir, very good

That's awesome man. Growing up where I did, we were covered with NASCAR talk. My mom grew up beside the Petty's, I went to HS with Bobby Labonte's kids. In fact, Terry and Bobby still have shops in my hometown. Good stuff...true legends there.

[89Hen]

Darrell Waltrip and I @ Dover

[93henfan]

Darrell Waltrip and I @ Dover

That's my favorite picture of the bunch!

[89Hen]

That's my favorite picture of the bunch!

Was it your OU shirt, you plaid pants, DW's awesome shirt, or it reminds you of how he touched you ever so gently?

[93henfan]

That's my favorite picture of the bunch!

Was it your OU shirt, you plaid pants, DW's awesome shirt, or it reminds you of how he touched you ever so gently?

I have no idea what's going on with the OU shirt. Must have been on sale at Ames or something. My plaid pants and DW's shirt kick ass and are basically the epitome of "boogity, boogity, boogity". And save your pedophile thoughts. DW is a good Christian man, and we know Christian men never mess with little boys.

[89Hen]

BTW, I'm pretty sure I had those exact same plaid pants.

[93henfan]

My mom grew up beside the Petty's, I went to HS with Bobby Labonte's kids. In fact, Terry and Bobby still have shops in my hometown. Good stuff...true legends there.

Had to be Level Cross, no? I was such a NASCAR geek as a kid that I could pretty much rattle off any driver's bio. A neighborhood friend and I used to tape the radio spots for the MRN broadcasts, write down the intro scripts, and then lay down our own broadcasts on tape. They were pretty damned amazing for a couple of ten year olds.

That neighborhood friend's name is Mike Bagley, btw, and he now broadcasts for MRN. Lucky bastard.

[ASUMountaineer]

My mom grew up beside the Petty's, I went to HS with Bobby Labonte's kids. In fact, Terry and Bobby still have shops in my hometown. Good stuff...true legends there.

Had to be Level Cross, no? I was such a NASCAR geek as a kid that I could pretty much rattle off any driver's bio. A neighborhood friend and I used to tape the radio spots for the MRN broadcasts, write down the intro scripts, and then lay down our own broadcasts on tape. They were pretty damned amazing for a couple of ten year olds.

That neighborhood friend's name is Mike Bagley, btw, and he now broadcasts for MRN. Lucky bastard.

Nice! My best childhood memory of NASCAR was going to my late grandpa's (mom's dad) house and sitting on the couch (he in his recliner) listening to--not watching--the races on the radio.

Level Cross is correct. My mom grew up down there before they moved to Greensboro. My grandmother (mom's mom) is buried at a church just down from the Petty's place in Level Cross. In Trinity, where I grew up, Kyle and Pattie are still there--I was a year behind Adam in HS.

I now live just south of Mooresville ("Race City USA). We always called Trinity "Race Town USA." HA!