Tag Archives: Southern 500

Stock Car Racing Pioneer Raymond Parks Set the Standard During NASCAR’s Early Era

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1949: NASCAR’s first “Super Team,” consisted of car owner Raymond Parks (L), mechanic Red Vogt (C) and driver Red Byron (R). The trio captured the first-ever NASCAR title, the 1948 Modified championship, then went on this year to take home the first NASCAR Cup championship.
Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images

As one of early stock car racing’s most successful car owners, it is appropriate that Raymond Parks captured the first two championships offered by the fledgling National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, an organization Parks helped form in 1947.

Parks and his driver, Red Byron, won NASCAR’s modified title in 1948. The pair, along with mechanic Red Vogt, became the sanctioning body’s 1949 Strictly Stock champions – the initial season of what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

The Dawson County, Georgia, native and his racing team were gone from NASCAR after 1955, winning just twice. But Parks, who died in 2010 at the age of 96, was seen as one of the sport’s seminal figures and a visionary.

“He set the standard. Mr. Parks brought the sport class,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty in a speedwaymedia.com interview shortly after Parks’ death. “It took people like Mr. Parks to lay the foundation we’re living off of.

“And without him, we wouldn’t have the history we have and we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Parks’ contributions will be celebrated Jan. 20 in Charlotte, North Carolina, when he will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN). His fellow inductees among the Hall’s Class of 2017 are Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin and Benny Parsons. Continue reading →

Blaney Honoring the Late Neil Bonnett at Talladega

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Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are planning an encore presentation of their throwback theme first used at the Darlington Raceway earlier this season.

Blaney, at his own request, will wear the same uniform he wore during the Southern 500 to honor David Pearson.

At Talladega, he’ll wear the uniform in honor of both Pearson and the late Neil Bonnett, who was from Bessemer, Ala., and considered Talladega his home track.

Bonnett succeeded Pearson as driver of the iconic No. 21 midway through the 1979 season and used a uniform just like the one Pearson wore. Once aboard the No. 21, Bonnett won in his third start, at Dover International Speedway. He won twice more that season, at Daytona and Atlanta. Continue reading →

Chase Elliott Reflects on Rookie Sprint Cup Season before Crucial Mid-Way Point in The Chase

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Photo - Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

All eyes were on rookie NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Chase Elliott, before he ever gripped the wheel of the famed No. 24 Chevrolet this season. As the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott and the successor of four-time champion Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports in the 24, the shadows of past racing legends and fan expectations loomed for the young talent even during his reign as the 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.

The younger Elliott grew up racing go-karts and late models while watching his father compete in NASCAR-sanctioned events long after his 1988 championship. But for the 20-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native, the realization that the baton had officially been passed didn’t set in until he headed to Daytona International Speedway in early 2016. Continue reading →

NASCAR Legend Buddy Baker Passes Away at 74

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Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

Baker’s NASCAR Career as Driver and Broadcaster Spanned Parts of Seven Decades

Elzie Wylie “Buddy” Baker Jr., the 1980 Daytona 500 champion and famed NASCAR commentator, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 74 (b. 1-25-41).

At 6 feet 6 inches tall, Buddy Baker was often called the ‘Gentle Giant,’ though the nickname ‘Leadfoot’ was more àpropos due to the blistering speeds he often achieved during his 33-year career.

In 1970, Baker became the first driver to eclipse the 200-mph mark on a closed course while testing at Talladega Superspeedway. Although he didn’t win at the 2.66-mile superspeedway that year, Baker visited Talladega Victory Lane four times throughout his stellar career.

A race commentator and radio host during a lengthy and prolific post-racing career, the Charlotte, North Carolina native’s biggest win came in the 1980 Daytona 500. He finished with an average race speed of 177.602 mph – a track record that still stands.

“Many of today’s fans may know Buddy Baker as one of the greatest storytellers in the sport’s history, a unique skill that endeared him to millions,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “But those who witnessed his racing talent recognized Buddy as a fast and fierce competitor, setting speed records and winning on NASCAR’s biggest stages. It is that dual role that made Buddy an absolute treasure who will be missed dearly.”

Baker, son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker, accumulated 19 wins in the premier series, including a victory in the 1970 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway where he lapped the rest of the field. In 1972-73, Baker became the first driver to win consecutive World 600s. He also won the inaugural preseason event now known as the Sprint Unlimited in 1979. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998, and in 2014 was first nominated for inclusion into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

After retiring in 1992, Baker made a successful transition to the television booth as a commentator for The Nashville Network and CBS. He most recently served as a radio co-host on ‘Late Shift’ and ‘Tradin’ Paint’ for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam Debate Continues

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SCS-Grand Slam-Crown Jewel

NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in the country, and the Sprint Cup Series is their cornerstone as the most élite series. The last ten races of the season, known as ‘The Chase,’ gives 16 Sprint Cup drivers a chance to earn the championship title. Only one driver walks away with the championship at the end of the season giving them prestige and elevating their status over all other drivers and teams for the next year.

But is there another chance to recognize a driver/team accomplishing what no other team or driver has done? Perhaps, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam is such an opportunity – when all four premium race victories earn that driver/team a historic Crown Jewel.

In the Sprint Cup Series a long-held debate that comes up nearly every year is the ‘what if’ speculation of honoring a driver/team for winning four prestige events, known as a Grand Slam.  Once again the time has come for the debate to continue discussing the pros and cons of honoring a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam recipient as well as, what races are worthy of inclusion.

Despite no driver being eligible for the grand slam crown jewel this particular season, it seems a reasonable debate in considering the future of the Sprint Cup Series, and perhaps making it an appealing quest for drivers and teams. This is an honor they can strive to earn, giving them recognition that is historic by virtue of the difficulty in winning the four select races of the Grand Slam.

And why not? A Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam would make these four key races even more fun to watch. But what makes this Grand Slam even more special is that, like the Triple Crown in horse racing, it would be rare to see a driver win all four races. Here are some suggestions for the first three races that should headline the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam.

The Daytona 500 is the first race of the season and would become the first leg of the four race Grand Slam feat.  The season opener at Daytona International Speedway is known as the Super Bowl of NASCAR and is already the most anticipated race of the Sprint Cup Series with the winner giving their team momentum heading into the rest of the season. Every driver dreams of becoming a Daytona 500 winner.

The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race on the schedule testing every driver and team’s endurance. For 600 miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway, drivers race in varying race conditions starting in daylight and finishing at the end of the night under the lights. This race runs on the same day as IndyCar’s famous Indianapolis 500, and it should stay that way, since fans love to watch both races over the Memorial Day weekend.

The 400 miles at the Brickyard are at the most legendary track in America – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – and is a must for the third leg of the Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam. It’s a big track with long straightaways and corners that challenge drivers and teams to earn their victory. Drivers winning at Indianapolis relish their chance to kiss the famed yard of bricks with their family and team members at this historic track.

Here’s where deciding the fourth and last track of the Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam debate gets interesting with several possibilities to consider.  Should a road course such as Sonoma or Watkins Glen be added to the Grand Slam as the last leg? Or is a historic short track more valued with perhaps Darlington or Martinsville as potential tracks to complete the quad-fecta?  Should Richmond be a consideration as the last race of the regular season – or would the Chase qualification spot light take away from recognizing the Grand Slam Crown Jewel recipient?  Should the last race of the Grand Slam be decided before or during the Chase?

My personal choice for the fourth event is the Southern 500 at Darlington which is returning to its traditional Labor Day weekend this season.  This historic oval brings short track racing to the venue and is the week before Richmond, the last race of the regular season that reveals the 16 drivers eligible for the Chase.  That would give the Grand Slam winner their own spot light to enjoy their historic feat at one of the most storied tracks in the Sprint Cup Series. A Crown Jewel celebration seems a proper fit at Darlington Raceway – long thought of as a crown jewel on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Alright fans, it’s time for you to weigh in with your thoughts about a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Grand Slam. Yes or No?….and which track/race, in your opinion, should run the last event to honor the historic Quad-fecta Crown Jewel?