NASCAR Pole Position | April-May 2023

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@NPPMAG

Q&AS

MY FAVORITE

KIRK SHELMERDINE

KLIGERMAN

JEB

PARKER

UP-AND-COMER

BURTON

NICK

SANCHEZ

POSTERIZED! BLANEY // STENHOUSE // BUSCH // + MORE Q&A with Ryan Preece

Mod maven gets a second chance at Cup Series competition with Stewart-Haas Racing. P. 48

LEGO Joins NASCAR

The LEGO Technic NASCAR NEXT Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is now available. P. 16

COOL STUFF FOR RACE FANS

FAST RUNS IN THE FAMILY

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NASCAR ® and NASCAR Hall of Fame ® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. © 2023.

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Backstory: Open-Wheel NASCAR

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Senior Salute: Kirk Shelmerdine

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Collector Spotlight: Kaitlyn George

Presented by The Daily Downforce

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My Favorite: Parker Kligerman

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Jeb Burton

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MY FAVORITE

MY FAVORITE WITH

Parker Kligerman Parker Kligerman is back in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, driving for Big Machine Racing.

The No. 48 team is in its third year of competition, and Kligerman aims to contend for the organization’s first championship.

After running a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for several years, Kligerman is ready to show he has the talent and the personality to take the Xfinity Series by storm.

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO BEVERAGE?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT?

WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A NASCAR MOVIE?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF RACING MEMORABILIA?

ACTUALLY, MY

MY GO-TO

“MONEYBALL.” I

CARBONE IN NYC.

DANIEL CRAIG. I

favorite food is

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McLaren-Mercedes

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SPIKED Coolers.

outworking and

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accent and he’s James

model car from the

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outsmarting their

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comfort food.

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disagrees.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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all time.

2001.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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NASCAR Launches Fan Rewards

online community’s most popular history podcast. Hosted by industry veterans Rick Houston, former editor for Winston Cup Scene, and Steve Waid, a journalist who’s been covering the sport since 1972, the Scene Vault podcast features weekly interviews from not only some of the biggest names in stock car racing history, but also many names that fans don’t get to hear from too often.

The unfiltered interviews are renowned

NASCAR is home to the most loyal and passionate fans in all of sports, and now fans are being rewarded for that loyalty.

As part of its 75th diamond anniversary season, NASCAR has launched NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for simply engaging with the sport they love.

There is no cost to join the rewards program. Fans can visit nascar.com/ fanrewards, create an account and immediately start earning points toward rewards. For those who already have a NASCAR.com account, they can simply opt-in to NASCAR Fan Rewards via their profile page. Once points are earned, fans can redeem them for items such as race tickets, VIP experiences, autographed merchandise and gift cards, or even donate to the NASCAR Foundation.

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among fans for not only providing

Some ways to earn points toward rewards include: • Watching Races from Home: Fans can check in on the NASCAR.com (desktop, mobile app or mobile web) leaderboard during any Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series or Cup Series race.

• Attending NASCAR Races: Fans can check in from the NASCAR Track app.

• Playing NASCAR Fantasy Live.

• Participating in Weekly Trivia: Available via the NASCAR Fan Rewards dashboard each week.

• Purchasing Race Tickets and Camping: Points are earned automatically when fans purchase tickets or camping at any NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series or Cup Series race.

• Visiting the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

• Purchasing Merchandise from the NASCAR. com Shop.

For information on the NASCAR Fan Rewards program and a full list of ways to earn points and rewards, visit nascar.com/fanrewards.

unique, never-before-heard insights into the sport, but also the intimate (and often quite emotional) moments that come out when reflecting on the guests’ time in the sport. With the benefit of hindsight, guests on the show are open, honest and willing to give fans an inside look at the history of stock car racing.

And let’s not forget some of the seedier tales that come out on the podcasts only decades later. From nitrous triggers to lasers designed to fool timing lights right up to sacks of cash changing hands – these are stories fans will only get to hear on the Scene Vault podcast.

The Scene Vault podcast is available on all podcasting platforms with new episodes available every Wednesday.

Rick Houston and Steve Waid provide a must-listen show each week for fans of NASCAR history.

NASCAR COLLECTIBLES

COLLECTOR SPOTLIGHT: KAITLYN GEORGE They say you are who you hang out with and that’s definitely true for NASCAR couples.

Kaitlyn George never watched nor attended a race prior to meeting her future husband, Rowland. That all changed once he introduced her to the world of NASCAR. After contemplating which driver to support, Kaitlyn gravitated toward a young California phenom not only for his skills on the track, but the fact that Target, her favorite store, was his primary sponsor.

Since 2014, Kaitlyn has cheered for Kyle Larson and deems herself as his “No. 1 Fan.” Her collection of Larson memorabilia has grown over the years and includes die-cast cars, hats and raced-used sheet metal from the 2021 Cup Series champion’s cars.

RACED WIN DIE-CAST

RACE USED TIRE

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This is my favorite raced

This tire came from Kyle’s

I’ll never forget my first

version die-cast car of the collection. It’s meant to look like Lightning McQueen from Disney Pixar’s “CARS” and it’s one of Larson’s most unique winning paint schemes.

second NASCAR All-Star Race win in 2021. It has Texas-shaped confetti still stuck on the tire and rubber buildup from shredding during his victory burnout.

NASCAR race. It was Spring Dover 2017 and I not only met Kyle for the first time, but he signed this hat – my first piece of NASCAR swag.

AUTOGRAPHED RACE USED SHEET METAL MY FRIEND AND PRN REPORTER Steve Leibowitz hooked me up with this sheet metal from Kyle’s 2017 New Hampshire playoff race, the penultimate race of Target’s presence in the sport. I was able to have a personal meet-and-greet with Kyle in the garage and he signed it.

PHOTOGRAPHY: KAITLYN GEORGE

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Cycling: Brennan Poole’s Go-To Exercise

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

B

rennan Poole became obsessed with cy-

cling a few years ago. It’s become his favorite exercise, and cycling is particularly useful this season as Poole acclimates to a full schedule of NASCAR Xfinity Series racing with JD Motorsports.

Poole takes over the No. 6 car this year after running a partial schedule the last few seasons with various teams. Now, with stability on his side, he looks to be the leading underdog in the Xfinity Series.

AS YOU GET BACK INTO THE ROUTINE OF RACING FULL TIME, HOW DOES CYCLING HELP YOU PREPARE? I fell in love with cycling back in 2017 with Josh Wise and my teammates at Ganassi, Jamie McMurray and Tyler Reddick. My routine has definitely changed over the years. I used to do a lot of weight lifting. If you go back and look at pictures of me in 2016 and 2017, you can tell I was lifting weights.

I noticed a big difference in the race car when

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I started cycling. I tried swimming, but I didn’t really care for it too much. Cycling and running, I’ve really enjoyed. There’s something about being outdoors, riding and being in tune with yourself. You’re focused on the ride, you’re quiet and you’re in nature. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s almost like therapy for me.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT CYCLING? I’ve really enjoyed it over the years. In the summertime, I try to get up to 150 miles per week. I’ve been able to nail that a lot in warmer weather. It’s difficult when it’s 50 or below because it’s freezing when you’re riding 30 mph on a bike. I’ll ride indoors occasionally and I run more in the winter.

I try to maintain my cardiovascular strength.

When you’re in a car for three to four hours, your heart rate is elevated. It’s very intense and you’re taking a car to the edge of being out of control. You’re trying to take this car to the limit.

Your heart rate is elevated in the 150-180 range.

It’s important to try to be able to control that.

In cycling, there’s a lot of moments when you’re going really hard during a sprint, then I try to let my heart rate recover, so I train my body to work on that. It’s crazy how big of a difference it’ll make you feel in the race car. I never wanted to do cycling. It’s really an amazing thing.

Up-and-Coming Driver Q&A:

Is your car, hauler, boat, tractor, truck, or trailer DOT compliant?

ARCA Champ Sanchez Moves to Trucks

Are you restoring a classic vehicle?

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

N

ick Sanchez, the 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion, has graduated to the NAS-

CAR Craftsman Truck Series where the 21-year-old racer from Miami is driving the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet for Rev Racing, NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity team.

The team has an alliance with Kyle Busch Motorsports, and Sanchez is working with veteran crew chief Danny Stockman, which will accelerate his learning process.

In addition to his ARCA success a year ago, Sanchez made eight NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, running for B.J. McLeod Motorsports and Big Machine Racing. With four top-15 finishes in those eight races, including a top-10 result at Martinsville, Sanchez showed car owners he deserved an opportunity.

However, Sanchez elected to move up with his championship-winning ARCA team. It shows a sense of loyalty, as well as a determination to win with the organization that gave him his big break.Here’s how Sanchez responded to our questions: AFTER DOING SO WELL IN THE ARCA MENARDS SERIES, WHAT HAS YOUR JOURNEY BEEN LIKE? It’s definitely been sped up. The journey from ARCA to Xfinity last year with Big Machine wasn’t a wakeup call, but I was constantly learning. It was such a big learning curve, even with the same car. That was the greatest period of growth in my career thus far. It really prepared me for this and it enhanced the experience I’ll have this year.

THROUGH THE ALLIANCE WITH KBM YOU’LL HAVE ACCESS TO KYLE BUSCH. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO PICKING HIS BRAIN? Of course. Even though I drive for Rev Racing, it’s viewed in their eyes as a KBM truck. I can use Kyle Busch’s brain to help me drive faster. To have him to lean on, you don’t need to go anywhere else for information or for questions. The drivers who have come out of the KBM stable, you look at where they are now and they’re competing against him on Sundays. Whatever he preaches to them works, and I want to get all of the knowledge that I can get out of him. I want to learn and grow as a driver.

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS YEAR? To me, it’s very simple. It doesn’t matter what type of track, I want to be in contention to win practice, qualifying and the race. I don’t want to start a weekend off on a bad foot. I want to be competing against myself up front. I have the best opportunity in front of me to focus on my craft and get better as a driver. I don’t have to worry about anything else or any other driver.

I just need to focus on myself. I’m going to race myself out there. I know it’s possible, and I need to just execute it. With that being said, at the end of the year, that will hopefully lead me to a championship. The end goal is a championship this year. Every single race I’m in, I want to win.

WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE BIGGEST THREAT IN TERMS OF YOUR COMPETITION? There has been so much change in the Truck Series. A lot of the top teams changed manufacturers, so that plays into my favor. It’s a tough question. In the past, KBM trucks competed against KBM trucks. The No. 38 team is pretty quick.

It’s kind of an unknown. I haven’t really raced against anyone in the series before, but I think I have a good baseline in the Xfinity Series with the toughest competition that I’ve felt. I don’t want to say I’m not worried about it, but I’m not worried about it. The biggest competition will be myself. I can’t beat myself up or make stupid decisions. That’s what I’m trying to preach to myself.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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PRESENTED BY

FOR THE RECORD

Q&A with Hall of Famer Kirk Shelmerdine

BY BEN WHITE

W

hen Kirk Shelmerdine went to work for driver James Hylton in 1976, the teen-

ager had no idea what he would be able to accomplish during his career in NASCAR Cup Series racing.

The Philadelphia native eventually became a four-time Cup Series championship crew chief with Richard Childress Racing and driver Dale Earnhardt. His cars collected 44 of Earnhardt’s 76 wins, 142 top-five finishes and 246 top-10 results. Shelmerdine led the team to titles in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991 and also spearheaded four consecutive Pit Crew championships.

Following his years as a crew chief, Shelmerdine pursued a driving career in ARCA and NASCAR Cup Series competition.

He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January where he was asked about his career – both past and present.

ANY STORIES STAND OUT ABOUT YOUR TIME WITH RCR AND DALE EARNHARDT? There are quite a few and you have to divide them into particular categories as far as particular tracks, or a kind of race, or maybe a pit stop story, or a race story, or a driving down the road story. There are so many.

We won the (Cup Series) championship the first time in 1986. The last race was at Atlanta. That was always a good track for us. There were no planes or anything back then.

We rode up and down the road in that old Wrangler (team sponsor) van. We got in it to go home. Everyone was still screaming and hollering. We had the side door open all the way back to North Carolina. People were beeping their horns at us. The thing was all painted up in loud (yellow and blue) colors.

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WHAT WAS EARNHARDT LIKE – ON AND OFF THE TRACK? Everyone thought he was haphazard and reckless – a bull in a china shop, a “get out of the way or he’s going to run over you” type. We sort of fanned the flames of some of that stuff to keep them at bay. He really wasn’t that kind of person … just at the track – “That’s my persona. I put the cape on and I’m Superman.”

He really was sensitive and understood the cars very well and the dynamics of how everything works and the math of it all. He had been racing so long before that with his own cars and built everything and did all the handmade stuff. He could talk about how something was bolted onto something and he had a picture of it because he had done that. It helps when you look at things from his point of view.

You have to say, “Ok, you’re Superman, but you have to have something to work with, too. We can’t just let you bear all the load of it, you know?” He’s going to drive way too far into the corner more than everyone thinks he is supposed to because that’s the easiest place to pass people. So why not help him do it instead of trying to talk him out of it. It made things a whole lot less frustrating for him I’m sure and gave him a lot more confidence to know everyone was behind him, as if to say, whatever you do, we’re going to help you.

(Laughter) If you backed into a van in parking lot, it was their fault for parking there.

WHAT’S ONE MEMORY THAT DEFINES DALE EARNHARDT? We were at the old Richmond track.

It was February 1986 and it had rained and everything was squishy and muddy.

There was some kind of incident where someone spun off the track. Mud flew everywhere and covered up his windshield pretty badly.

He was leading the race and he came on the radio and said, “I can’t see anything.

I have stuff all over my windshield.” We weren’t very far from the end of the race.

Then, he said, “Wait a minute. I’ll be right back.”

He’s on the backstretch and we didn’t see him. He comes around onto the frontstretch and there he is sitting on the driver’s side window opening outside the car.

He had dropped the window net, taken his PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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seat belts off, taken his shoe off and was using the top part of his shoe to make a hole in the mud on his windshield so he could see.

Then, he had to get back in there and button everything back up under caution, still at 50 mph or something like that. He had his right knee on the steering wheel and the rest of him was almost all the way out of the car. That was kind of cool. We didn’t help him at all on that one.

WHY THE MOVE FROM RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING AFTER SO MUCH SUCCESS? When I left RCR in 1996, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

I hung bodies for different teams and said, “Ok, what is the game plan?” Really, the only game plan was that I knew I needed to quit this because I was spent. I was just too worn out.

I had a 2-year-old son at the time. That sort of changes how you look at life and look at things. It’s hard to explain the progression. I was consulting but it just wasn’t interesting. I went back and forth with a couple of different teams. There were some fun days. They did really well in the Busch (Xfinity) Series that year.

I was back in the Cup Series the next year. I had a 20th-place finish (while driving) in the Daytona 500 (in 2006). Things went Ok. Then I stood and watched and they (teams) asked me things but it wasn’t the same thing. That kind of fizzled.

CURRENTLY, WHAT KEEPS YOU BUSY? I’ve been out of the loop for about 10 years. It’s hard to find a niche that suits me. As successful as we were with Dale and the race team, we kind of won everything we could win. All you can do is go down at some point. After you’ve been driving, you’re out there on the track, standing in the pits isn’t the same as it used to be. Once you go one place you can’t go back. (Laughter) So I’m still trying to figure out what’s next.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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BACKSTORY

PRESENTED BY

VISIONS OF GRANDEUR NASCAR Tried Open-Wheel Racing

BY BEN WHITE

From its formation on Feb. 21, 1948, “Big Bill” France built NASCAR

Buck Baker competed in NASCAR’s open-wheel Speedway Divison in the No. 87 car .

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on a foundation of racing stock cars on tracks across the United States.

For the 1952 season, France had an idea to expand his fledgling NASCAR empire with a division quite radical from the full-bodied coupes and sedans that were initially raced out of family garages.

NASCAR was preparing for the sanctioning body’s fifth year of racing when France introduced the NASCAR Speedway Division.

It would showcase open-wheel Indianapolis-style cars powered by stock engines.

France believed the economically minded division would captivate southern race fans. It was about enjoying the mystique of the Indianapolis 500, which annually attracted some 250,000 spectators to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while remaining close to home.

The Speedway Division debuted with time-trial runs on the sand in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Sunday, Feb. 6, 1952. Buck Baker, who would eventually earn Cup Series titles in 1956 and ’57, was fastest with a top speed of 132.88 mph. Only four of the 11 cars made one-mile runs that afternoon before high tide forced officials to postpone the program.

Baker returned on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and once again led the speed parade at 142. 291 mph to claim the $1,000 prize in the non-points special event. Baker’s roadster carried a Cadillac engine.

POLE POSITION 2023

Tracks such as Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway, Charlotte (N.C.) Speedway, Langhorne (Pa.) Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway were slated to host events.

With the exception of the Darlington event on May 10 where 21 cars were in the starting lineup, the number of entries fell far short of expectations.

By July, promoters were concerned about the lack of cars. Part of the problem was due to a national steel strike at the time that made it difficult to find materials to build or repair the cars.

NASCAR issued a statement saying, “Due to an unusually warm summer coupled with the paralyzing nationwide steel strike, many promoters have postponed dates until conditions take a turn for the better.”

Although the steel strike was settled in August, the Speedway Division failed to attract any new race dates. Baker became the star of the short-lived series and was crowned champion after only seven points races.

The NASCAR Speedway Division race winners in 1952 were: May 10, Darlington Raceway, Buck Baker; May 25, Martinsville Speedway, Tex Keene; May 30, Monroe County Fairgrounds, Wally Campbell; June 1, Charlotte Speedway, Wally Campbell; June 8, Lakewood Speedway, Al Keller; June 15, Heidelberg Speedway, Tom Cheery; and June 29, Langhorne Speedway, Tom Cherry.

Baker had a reputation for his willingness to drive anything. He once estimated he won 650 races between 1949 and 1977.

“I never worried about anything, especially about being killed (while racing),” Baker said in the October 1992 issue of American Racing Classics. “Heck, no one expected me to live to the old age of 21. I did a lot of experimenting in racing, flying (airplanes) and in life.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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NASCAR COLLECTIBLES

LEGO BECOMES NEW NASCAR LICENSEE, RELEASES NASCAR NEXT GEN CAMARO

NASCAR is building connections with future fans by giving them something extraordinary to build themselves. The sanctioning body’s first-ever collaboration with the LEGO Group – the LEGO® Technic NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – is now available on brickand-mortar and digital toy shelves worldwide.

The new model kit lets fans assemble their own version of the car their heroes race in the NASCAR Cup Series, complete with a No. 75 livery in honor of NASCAR’s 75th “diamond” anniversary season and true-to-life features like cockpit steering, an opening hood, and a replica V8 engine with moving pistons.

“The LEGO Group is one of the most iconic toy brands in the world and we’re thrilled to work with them through this collaboration to engage the next generation of fans,” said Megan Malayter, NASCAR managing director of licensing and

consumer products. “The LEGO Technic line also helps foster interest in the world of engineering, which is a critical part of our sport and an important aspect of our fan development efforts.”

In support of the new product, The NASCAR KidZone will feature the LEGO brand at all NASCAR-owned tracks in 2023, with STEM build stations for kids to construct and race their own cars, photo experiences and more.

The LEGO Technic NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is available for purchase at LEGO.com and other retailers.

The set is recommended for children ages nine and above, contains 672 pieces and measures over 3 in. (7 cm) high, 11 in.

(28 cm) long and 5 in. (13 cm) wide once assembled. In addition to the model kit, kids can learn more about engineering and building with the LEGO Builder app, an intuitive building adventure packed with tools to build with ease.

PHOTOGRAPHY: LEGO

NASCAR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE BUY IT NOW AT

75yearsofracing.com

NASCAR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

NASCAR GETS A ‘WATER-COOLER’ RACE EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from “NASCAR 75 Years,” a book that provides the ultimate history of NASCAR stock car racing, celebrating the sport’s drivers, crew chiefs, pit crews, car owners and race tracks.

By the mid-1970s, NASCAR’s premier Cup Series was beginning to slowly gain traction in America’s sports consciousness.

As a start, stock car racing had become hugely popular in the Southeast and along the Eastern seaboard. Major races often attracted upward of 100,000 fans and regional media. And television had finally discovered what Southerners had been bragging about for years. Compared to previous decades, the sport was doing well.

But nationally, racing still lagged behind college basketball and football, professional football and baseball, and the occasional major golf and tennis tournaments. The media generally tolerated racing but displayed no deep-seeded interest in closely following it, even with popular superstar Richard Petty leading the way.

One race midway through the ’70s helped NASCAR begin to change that perception.

On Feb. 15, 1976, Mercury-driving David Pearson and

BY AL PEARCE

Dodge-driving Petty began the last lap of the season-opening Daytona 500 locked together, Petty leading by several car lengths. Pearson, famous for being crafty and opportunistic, was content in second until dipping low to pass entering Turn 3. He went by cleanly and easily moved in front of Petty. In Turn 4, Petty countered with a lowside pass of his own to briefly regain the lead.

But Petty misjudged the gap as he moved over to clear Pearson along the short chute. They touched off Turn 4, lost control, slammed the outside wall, and began sliding toward the start/finish line, about 600 yards distant. Despite heavy damage, Pearson kept his car running; Petty’s heavily damaged car stalled in the tri-oval grass and wouldn’t restart. He could do nothing but watch in frustration as Pearson chugged past, taking the checkered flag at perhaps 25 mph.

“Nobody knew it then, but that was the race that got everything going,” long-time motorsports writer and broadcaster Dr. Dick Berggren said years later. “It was the first ‘water-cooler’ race, the first time that people had stood around water coolers on Monday and talked about seeing a race on TV the day before. It took a while – years, maybe – to realize how important it was.”

The field gets set for a restart after a caution flag during the 1976

Coming out of Turn 4 and heading for home on the final lap of the

Daytona 500. Leader David Pearson (21) lines up on the outside of

1976 Daytona 500, it looked like Richard Petty would win the sixth

row one with Frank Warren (79) on the inside. Pearson went on to

Great American Race of his career, but it was not to be. Petty and

win the race in a thrilling, crashing finish with Richard Petty.

David Pearson, who had dogged him all day in the No. 21 Wood

(Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

Brothers Racing Mercury, got together as they entered the Daytona International Speedway tri-oval area and both crashed hard into the concrete retaining wall. (Photo by ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)

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POLE POSITION 2023

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In Victory Lane, David Pearson tries to explain one of the

After spinning into the grass following his crash with David

most incredible finishes in Cup Series history. Despite suffering

Pearson on the last lap of the 1976 Daytona 500, Richard Petty

tremendous damage in a last-lap crash with Richard Petty, Pearson

tries desperately to restart his No. 43 STP Dodge while Pearson (21)

was able to win his third Great American Race by driving across the

slowly inches his way toward the Daytona International Speedway

finish line using the engine’s starter motor. (Photo by ISC Archives/

finish line. Pearson was able to keep his car in gear and make it to the

CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)

finish line to score the victory. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives)

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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MILESTONE MOMENTS

A DOZEN MILESTONE MOMENTS THAT DEFINED NASCAR As NASCAR celebrates its landmark 75th anniversary, let’s take a look back at a dozen iconic, unforgettable moments in NASCAR history that transformed the sport and made it what it is today. BY JARED TURNER

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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MILESTONE MOMENTS 1979 DAYTONA 500

A CHAOTIC FINISH, A CRAZY FIGHT AND A RACE THAT THRUST NASCAR INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT THE FIRST 500-MILE RACE EVER BROADCAST LIVE AND IN ITS ENTIRETY on network television proved to be the most important race in NASCAR history.

With the entire East Coast from Georgia to Maine hunkered down due to a massive winter storm, many who knew nothing about NASCAR tuned into CBS’ coverage of the 1979 Daytona 500 because they simply had nothing better to do. It’s safe to say they didn’t walk away disappointed.

In addition to seeing a young rookie and future NASCAR Hall of Famer named Dale Earnhardt make his first start in NASCAR’s premier event, the roughly 6.5 million TV viewers and 120,000 in attendance witnessed a frenzied last-lap battle for the lead between reigning, three-time Cup Series champion Cale Yarborough and cagy veteran Donnie Allison that culminated in the two drivers bouncing hard off of each other multiple times before crashing – and paved the way for then-six-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty to go from third to first in the final half a lap and edge Darrell Waltrip for an improbable sixth Daytona 500 victory.

The real fireworks occurred after the race, however, when Allison and his older brother, Bobby, engaged Yarborough in a bareknuckle fistfight, which was captured on live television and only further fueled viewers’ appetite for this sport about which many who watched that day knew so little.

1992 HOOTERS 500 AT ATLANTA

RICHARD PETTY’S LAST RACE, JEFF GORDON’S FIRST RACE AND A DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE ASIDE FROM THE 1979 DAYTONA 500, NO RACE IN NASCAR’S 74-YEAR history is of greater consequence than the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where a confluence of circumstances created an afternoon for the ages.

First, there was the fact that this was Richard Petty’s 1,184th and final start in NASCAR’s premier series. Meanwhile, a little-known open-wheel driver named Jeff Gordon – who would go on to win four Cup Series championships and 93 races, second only to Petty and David Pearson – was making his first start in NASCAR’s premier division. Then, there was the matter of the battle for the Cup Series championship – and the six drivers who arrived at Atlanta with a mathematical chance of being crowned champ.

After championship favorite Davey Allison was eliminated in a wreck, it came down to Alan Kulwicki and Bill Elliott. While Elliott won the race, Kulwicki won the championship by a meager 10 points – at that time the closest championship margin in NASCAR history.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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MILESTONE MOMENTS 1998 DAYTONA 500

DALE EARNHARDT’S LONG-AWAITED, IMMENSELY POPULAR DAYTONA 500 WIN IN 1998 ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR WINS IN NASCAR HISTORY TOOK PLACE AT the 1998 Daytona 500 when Dale Earnhardt – in his 20th attempt to win The Great American Race – finally prevailed, scoring the victory in his iconic black No. 3 Chevrolet of Richard Childress Racing.

Earnhardt, who had lost this race in just about every way imaginable in his 19 previous tries, showed up at The World Center of Racing with one of the fastest cars as he so often did, but unlike in his previous attempts to win NASCAR’s most prestigious event, nothing went terribly wrong. Earnhardt led 107 of 200 laps, taking the top spot for good with 61 laps to go.

Despite facing strong challenges from the likes of Rusty Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and teammate Mike Skinner, Earnhardt never cracked under the pressure as he held off a late charge from Labonte to take the yellow flag and the white flag together and be assured of the victory (back then, the entire final lap could be run under caution).

Earnhardt later celebrated by spinning through the frontstretch infield grass before pulling down pit road where he was congratulated by at least one member of practically every team – a truly once-in-a-lifetime type of spectacle that you had to see to believe.

1985 SOUTHERN 500

BILL ELLIOTT’S MILLION-DOLLAR PAYDAY AT THE 1985 SOUTHERN 500 AT THE END OF THE 1984 SEASON, R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO. and its Winston brand — the title sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series — announced a new program called “The Winston Million.”

The idea was simple: Any driver who the following year could win three of NASCAR’s four “crown-jewel” races – the Daytona 500, the Winston 500 at Talladega, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and the Southern 500 at Darlington – would pocket a $1 million bonus from R.J. Reynolds.

In those days, winner’s purses were substantially smaller than they are now, so the thought of earning $1 million for a single race win was pretty hard to fathom. Yet it happened – thanks to Bill Elliott’s amazing drive to victory in the Southern 500 that followed his wins in the Daytona 500 and the Talladega spring race.

One of the sport’s most popular drivers, Elliott was the focus of a media avalanche that Labor Day weekend at Darlington and saw his popularity soar to unprecedented heights after he won the pole, led 100 laps and captured the win in front of a roaring crowd.

Appropriately, Elliott earned also left Darlington with a new nickname: “Million-Dollar Bill.”

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POLE POSITION 2023

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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MILESTONE MOMENTS 1994 CUP SERIES SEASON

DALE EARNHARDT’S DOMINANT RUN TO A RECORD-TYING SEVENTH CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE ERNIE IRVAN SUFFERED A SEASON-ENDING INJURY IN A crash at Michigan International Speedway in August 1994, he and Dale Earnhardt were locked in a close battle for the Cup Series championship that saw the two veterans pass the points lead back and forth on multiple occasions over the season’s first 20 races.

But Irvan’s injury effectively put the championship on ice as Earnhardt – who held a slim points lead at the time – never again relinquished his position atop the standings and put so much distance between himself and his closest pursuers that he managed to clinch the championship at Rockingham Speedway with two races still on the schedule.

Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible once NASCAR added a 10-race season-ending playoff for its top division a decade later, but with the championship back then being based on total points accumulated over the season, Earnhardt simply continued to pad his points lead in Irvan’s absence.

Earnhardt, who captured the title on the same day as his fourth and final win of 1994, became just the second driver in NASCAR history to win seven championships, joining “The King” Richard Petty, who celebrated his last championship in Earnhardt’s rookie season of 1979.

2016 SEASON FINALE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI

JIMMIE JOHNSON’S LATE-RACE SURGE TO WIN A RECORD-TYING SEVENTH CHAMPIONSHIP PRIOR TO 2016, JIMMIE JOHNSON HAD WON SIX NASCAR CUP SERIES championships but none in the elimination-style playoff format that culminates in one final race where four drivers compete straight up for the title.

But entering the 2016 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Johnson was one of the four drivers with a shot to bring home the big trophy, and bring home the trophy he did – moving into a tie with seven-time champions Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt for most titles in NASCAR’s premier division.

Make no mistake about it, though: Johnson didn’t win his seventh championship with ease. He spent most of the race running last among the four title contenders, benefiting greatly when frontrunning championship contender Carl Edwards was caught up in a wreck in the final laps.

Later, crew chief Chad Knaus used some shrewd pit strategy to get Johnson out front for the first time all day just ahead of the final restart with two laps to go, and Johnson managed to hang on over those two green-flag laps to win the title over Joey Logano, who finished fourth in the race and second in the championship standings.

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MILESTONE MOMENTS

1994 BRICKYARD 400

JEFF GORDON’S HOMETOWN WIN IN THE INAUGURAL BRICKYARD 400 ONCE CONSIDERED LITTLE MORE THAN A PIPE DREAM, THE idea of stock cars competing at world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway – a track steeped in Indy car tradition – became reality on Aug. 6, 1994, with the running of the inaugural Brickyard 400.

Immediately considered the second biggest race on the Cup Series schedule, trailing only the Daytona 500 in prestige, that first Brickyard 400 featured lots of drama – including an ontrack dustup between brothers Geoff and Brett Bodine that resulted in Geoff, the older sibling, crashing out of the race.

The battle for the win ultimately came down to Ernie Irvan and Jeff Gordon – who, although born in Vallejo, California, spent a significant portion of his childhood years just down the road from IMS in Pittsboro, Indiana. Gordon, whose No. 24 rainbow-colored Chevrolet was one of the fastest cars all race long, took the lead for good with six laps to go when Irvan’s race-leading Ford cut down a tire, ending his chances of a victory.

1984 FIRECRACKER 400

RICHARD PETTY’S LANDMARK 200TH VICTORY AT DAYTONA ON JULY 4, 1984 WITH RONALD REAGAN – THE FIRST SITTING U.S. president to ever attend a NASCAR race – watching from a suite high above Daytona International Speedway, seventime NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty claimed his 200th and final victory in dramatic fashion on July 4, 1984, by edging three-time champion and fellow NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough in a photo finish.

After being passed for the lead by Yarborough coming down the backstretch on the final lap, Petty used a classic slingshot move to regain the top spot in Turns 3 and 4 and then held on to score a win that to this day remains one of the most iconic moments in NASCAR history. After the race, Petty – or “The King,” as he’s long been known – received heartfelt congratulations from Reagan, who had given the command to start the engines from Air Force One before landing at the nearby airport and joining NASCAR president Bill France Jr. to watch the final laps unfold.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

1997 SOUTHERN 500 AT DARLINGTON

JEFF GORDON’S MILLION-DOLLAR TRIUMPH LOOKING TO BECOME ONLY THE SECOND DRIVER TO CLAIM A $1 MILLION bonus from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and its Winston brand that was serving as the Cup Series’ title sponsor, Jeff Gordon needed to win the Southern 500 to cash in on his potentially huge payday, for which he alone was eligible by virtue of winning the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 – two of three “crownjewel” events that had taken place earlier in the 1997 season.

Seeking his third consecutive Southern 500 win, Gordon not surprisingly showed up at the track “Too Tough to Tame” with an extremely fast race car. The only problem? Jeff Burton’s No. 99 Roush Racing Ford was just as fast – maybe even a tick faster – so when Gordon came out of Turn 4 to take the white flag, he had a review mirror full of Burton, who pulled to Gordon’s inside and made an aggressive attempt to pass.

But before Burton could get completely up alongside Gordon’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, the 1995 Cup Series champion threw an aggressive block on Burton, pinching him down and forcing Burton to momentarily back out of the throttle before the two entered Turn 1. Gordon then held Burton at bay over the remainder of the final lap to join 1985 Southern 500 winner Bill Elliott as a recipient of the coveted “Winston Million.”

2001 PEPSI 400 AT DAYTONA

DALE EARNHARDT JR.’S EMOTIONAL WIN AT DAYTONA IN JULY 2001 ONE OF THE MOST EMOTION-FILLED WEEKENDS IN NASCAR history took place in July 2001 at Daytona International Speedway where the Cup Series returned to compete less than five months after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt in a crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Racing with the heaviest hearts of all were Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had finished 1-2 in the Daytona 500 just seconds after Earnhardt – their team owner – crashed into the Turn 4 wall while running just behind them on the race track. Racing in memory of the man who had given them so much, Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip swept the top two finishing positions in the July Daytona race just as they did in February – only this time, it was Earnhardt Jr. coming out on top and Waltrip finishing second.

After the race, the two teammates celebrated together on top of Waltrip’s car, as their pit crews joined in the fun just below and a jam-packed grandstand bellowed its approval.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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MILESTONE MOMENTS

1999 BRISTOL NIGHT RACE

DALE EARNHARDT’S CONTROVERSIAL ‘RATTLE HIS CAGE’ MOVE ON TERRY LABONTE LOVED BY ROUGHLY HALF OF THE NASCAR FAN BASE AND LOATHED by the other for much of his career, Dale Earnhardt built a reputation early on as one of the sport’s most aggressive drivers. Nicknamed “The Intimidator,” the second-generation driver raced especially aggressively on the short tracks where contact is generally deemed more acceptable – and there was no short track on the schedule where Earnhardt customarily took a more no-holds-barred approach than Bristol Motor Speedway, a highbanked .533-mile short track in eastern Tennessee.

Four years after finishing second to Terry Labonte in the Bristol Night Race when he sent Labonte’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet spinning just as it took the checkered flag, it was Earnhardt vs. Labonte Round Two in 1999 — but this time, Earnhardt spun Labonte in Turns 1 and 2 on the final lap and moved past to score a highly unpopular victory that drew boisterous disapproval from the 100,000-plus fans in attendance.

Earnhardt, meanwhile, quipped in Victory Lane that he hadn’t meant to wreck Labonte, only to “rattle his cage.”

2011 SEASON FINALE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI

TONY STEWART AND CARL EDWARDS’ BATTLE FOR THE MOST CLOSELY CONTESTED CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 10 YEARS BEFORE NASCAR INSTITUTED ELIMINATION rounds and a single race championship for its premier series in 2014, the Cup Series champion was determined based on total points accumulated over 10 playoff races.

So, unlike today, title contenders didn’t enter the final race with the same number of points nor was the champion based simply on who among the title contenders finished best in the final event. Therefore, it was theoretically possible for the championship contenders to finish the season with the same number of points – although that had never happened in more than 60 years of NASCAR history.

Against all odds, it finally did happen in 2011 when Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards came home first and second, respectively, in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing the year deadlocked in points. But Stewart, who had five victories to Edwards’ one, was declared champion in a tiebreaker based on number of wins. Given that it’s no longer possible for championship contenders to finish a season tied in points, 2011 will likely forever stand as the Cup Series’ closest championship battle.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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POLE POSITION 2023

NASCAR EXPERIENCE

MAXIMIZE YOUR RACE-DAY Heading to the track sometime soon but not sure how to get the most out of your in-person NASCAR race experience? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a veteran’s guide to maximizing your big day at the track.

1. BRING OR BUY A PORTABLE RADIO AND HEADSET: Imagine paying good money to attend a race, only to quickly realize after the race begins that you don’t even know what’s really happening because you can’t hear the track PA announcer over the engines and you don’t have the FOX NASCAR or NASCAR on NBC broadcast team to spoon feed you information. Unless you’re following the Twitter feed with live in-race updates from someone like highly respected FOX Sports writer Bob Pockrass, you won’t know what’s happening with your favorite driver or any other driver if, for example, he pulls off the track for an unscheduled pit stop.

The only way to closely monitor the action and be assured of not missing something important is to bring a portable radio and headset or purchase one at the track before the race begins. This will allow you to monitor the live playby-play radio broadcast of the race and – depending on the type of radio you

s e k a C r e t t u B y e o o with Ooey G

EXPERIENCE

BY JARED TURNER

have – maybe even listen in on different drivers as they communicate with their crew chief.

2. PACK LOTS OF SNACKS AND BEVERAGES: Unless you just have an affinity for splurging and spending money for no good reason, you’ll certainly want to have plenty to eat and drink in your possession once you get settled into your seat on race day. Packing traditional food, snacks, sodas and water from home will enable you to avoid the ever so costly concession food and beverages that will quickly burn a hole in your wallet if you’re not careful. Plus, you can also steer clear of the lengthy concession lines.

NASCAR tracks permit fans to bring pre-packaged and sealed food and soda items in a soft-sided cooler and/or clear bag. If you choose to do this and pack enough that you don’t end up hungry or thirsty at some point during the race, you’ll have a lot more jingle still in your pockets by the time Monday morning rolls around.

3. DRESS LIKE YOU BELONG: Unless you’re trying to be Ebenezer Scrooge or you’d rather go incognito because you’re worried about some Denny Hamlin fan taking major umbrage with your Ross Chastain hat and T-shirt, there’s no good reason not to wear your passion for your favorite driver quite literally on your sleeve.

Anything less and you risk being considered a fair weather fan who doesn’t haveC a rooting interest or lacks enough gusto for their favorite driver to express support.

M And, let’s face it: If you’re sporting khakis and a polo instead of your Chase Elliott Y or Kyle Busch attire, you might just look a little out of place.

CM In short: Real fans make their allegiances known by proudly adorning themselves in their favorite driver’s car number and colors.

MY 4. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES: No matter whether you’re at 2.66-mile Talladega CY Superspeedway, .526-mile Martinsville Speedway or any NASCAR racing venue in CMY between, you’re going to do a lot of walking when you’re at the track. It’s simply K unavoidable.

To make your walking experience as pleasant as possible and hopefully avoid sore feet, be sure to wear a pair of shoes that’s fit for the occasion. So, in other words, leave the cowboy boots and the high heels at home. Unless you just crave misery on foot, a good pair of walking tennis shoes will serve you a whole lot better.

5. SHOW UP EARLY: Who really wants to arrive at their seats just in time for the national anthem, prerace invocation or the command for drivers to start their engines?

Hopefully, not a lot of people. If you want to get the full race experience and get your money’s worth, you’ll show up early enough to be in your seats at least a full hour before the race starts. This will allow you to take in driver introductions, sip a cold drink and chat leisurely with your friends or family members nearby.

After all, once the green flag waves, any conversations you have with your neighbors will likely be over text message or with pen and paper due to the roar of the engines that tends to drown out, or at the very least, severely muffle any verbal exchanges.

6. KEEP A PONCHO HANDY: Few situations are much more uncomfortable and aggravating than being soaking-wet at a sporting event because you forgot to bring the appropriate rain gear.

Rather than risking the possibility of this happening, it’s important to take matters into your own hands and have a poncho readily available long before the race begins – just in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Umbrellas aren’t allowed inside race tracks, by the way, so a nice poncho purchased at the track or prior to your arrival will have to do. It sure beats no protection from the elements, though.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

NASCAR OUTDOORS PRESENTED BY

Q&A with

JEB BURTON

Second-Generation Racer Hopes to Recapture Frontrunning Form

BY JARED TURNER After a disappointing 2022 season in the NASCAR Xfin-

ity Series with Our Motorsports, Jeb Burton is eager to return to the frontrunning form he enjoyed in 2021 when he scored his first career Xfinity Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway and made the playoffs while driving for Kaulig Racing.

The son of retired NASCAR Cup Series driver Ward Burton and cousin of current NASCAR Cup Series driver Harrison Burton has taken his talents to Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport for this season, wheeling the No. 27 Chevrolet for team owner Jordan Anderson – a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran who’s also made occasional Xfinity Series starts over the last few years.

Although Burton is with his fourth Xfinity Series team in as many seasons, at least some of the Halifax, Virginia, native’s surroundings are familiar – and among the most familiar is State Water Heaters, one of his primary sponsors. State Water Heaters has partnered with the Burton family for more than 15 years, first with Ward – the 2002 Daytona 500 winner – and later with Jeb. In the following wide-ranging Q&A with NASCAR Pole Position, Jeb Burton discusses his longtime relationship with the State Water Heaters brand, his thoughts on a tough 2022 season, life with new team owner Jordan Anderson, his goals for this year and much more.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

WHAT’S YOUR PRIMARY GOAL FOR THIS SEASON? I think it’s just making the playoffs, limiting mistakes and trying to win a race. If we could win a race, that would be icing on the cake, but we really just want to try to make the playoffs. I think that would be a really big deal for the team to do that.

HOW IS JORDAN ANDERSON AS A TEAM OWNER? Jordan’s trying to build a program to make it better, with John (Bommarito), and Jordan’s done a good job to get where he’s at, and he’s a hard worker. I feel like Jordan and I get along well, and we’re around the same age. I just want to make him proud, man, and glad that he’s got me behind the wheel, and go do a good job for him.

WHAT’S IT LIKE HAVING A RACER AS A BOSS? He gets it, you know what I mean? That’s a good thing. He gets what’s going on, and he knows where we need to be better, and he’ll listen to what we’ve got to say.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CONTINUING YOUR LONGTIME SPONSORSHIP FROM STATE WATER HEATERS IN 2023?

It’s not many times you see a company stay with one driver like they have, and they’ve helped me from the start of my career. That means a lot. We really enjoy spending time with their customers, and it’s just been a great fit for me and dad. We’re just kind of part of the State family, and those folks are family to us. I just

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appreciate everything they’re doing, and, hopefully, we can have some good runs with them.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU AND YOUR DAD HAVE SHARED A PRIMARY SPONSOR? I think you’ll see it some with some other guys coming up through the ranks maybe, but it’s pretty special that State was on dad’s car and now they’re on my car.

You definitely don’t see that much.

HOW HARD IS TO HAVE A SEASON THAT FEELS LIKE A STEP BACK? Last year sucked. It wasn’t any fun. We had some decent runs, but last year was a survival year just to get through and do the best we could with what we had. That’s pretty much what it was, but we did build some partnerships and grew some things. But better days are ahead. I’m glad to have had that opportunity last year – there were some positives there – but I’m just glad to be in a better situation now.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR LATE MODEL TEAM THESE DAYS? Me and (brothers) H.C. and Peyton Sellers have a Late Model team. A kid that works on Jordan’s team is actually going to drive 10 races for us this year, so that’s pretty cool. We’re doing some other cool stuff around it.

I’m going to run a couple more races this year. It’s just a cool little program, I have a lot of fun doing it and it’s pretty neat to see how much it’s grown.

NASCAR OUTDOORS PRESENTED BY WHAT’S IT LIKE FOR YOU GOING BACK AND DOING THE LATE MODEL STUFF? It’s fun, but it’s not fun when the car’s not doing what you need it to do. The last race we got it decent. We finished eighth, but it’s just still not where we need it to be. But we’ve got a brand new car, and we just need to race it a little bit more, and I think we’ve got some good ideas now of what we need. It’s tough when I don’t race those cars much and they’re trying to figure out what I want in the setup. It’s taken us a couple of races to figure that out, but I think they’ve got a good idea now, and that should help us for the races coming up.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT AS A DRIVER AND IN WHAT AREA CAN YOU STILL IMPROVE? I feel like just my information of what the car needs that I’ve gotten a lot better with that and understanding where I need to go fast for the car that I’m driving. I think where I need to be a little bit better is sometimes just not putting myself in bad situations on the race track, and trying not to get too much out of the car that I’m driving. I’m really competitive and want to win, and sometimes I’m not in winning race cars so it’s easy to overdrive and put yourself in bad situations. So, I think sometimes I need to remind myself of that.

YOU EXCHANGED WORDS AFTER THE RACE WITH OTHER DRIVERS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS IN 2022. ARE GUYS BECOMING TOO OVERLY AGGRESSIVE? Last year, I got in some altercations because I let my frustration with the race car carry over to after the race sometimes. Yeah, I think sometimes some guys are too aggressive. Everybody makes mistakes, but some guys do drive over their head sometimes. We all do it sometimes, but some do it more than others. There’s just some guys you’ve got respect for and some guys you don’t, and that’s just part of it.

WHAT’S THE ULTIMATE FUN DAY AWAY FROM TRACK FOR YOU? I would say a hunting trip with my buddies – going somewhere and hunting and eating good and having a good glass of Bourbon at night; and playing pool and playing darts. That’s a fun little weekend getaway for us.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TRACK AND WHY? I would say Richmond because it’s close to home and the driver can do a lot at that race track – saving tires – and it’s just a fun little short track.

OTHER THAN YOUR DAD, WHO WAS YOUR HERO GROWING UP IN RACING? I didn’t really have a hero besides family, but when I first came on the scene, I really talked to Jimmie Johnson a lot. He spent some time with me. I came on the scene and was winning all these poles and running really well, and he kind of took a liking to me and helped me some. So, I would say Jimmie.

DO YOU AND HARRISON TALK MUCH? Yeah, I actually took a shower in his bus after my Xfinity race at Daytona in February.

So, we do.

ARE YOU TWO PRETTY GOOD FRIENDS? Yeah. The age difference is big – I’m 6 or 7 years older than Harrison, so it’s not like we’re hanging out all the time, but I’ve got no problem with Harrison. We talk some.

AFTER BECOMING A PRIMARY sponsor of 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton in 2007, State Water Heaters expanded its relationship with the Burton family by signing as the first major sponsor of Ward’s son, Jeb, in 2012 and later serving as a sponsor of the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation and Jeb’s outdoors TV show, “Crossroads with the Burtons.”

When Jeb announced during the offseason that he was leaving Our Motorsports to compete for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the Ashland, Tennessee-based manufacturer of commercial and residential water heaters was eager to come along for the ride.

“There was never really any question that we were going to stick with him and continue our partnership,” said Jeff Storie, State Water Heaters’ marketing director.

Although Burton struggled a bit last year in his first and only season with Our Motorsports after a strong 2021 with Kaulig Racing, it didn’t do anything to dampen State Water Heaters’ enthusiasm for maintaining its longstanding sponsorship of his racing

• Jeb and Brandi Burton

efforts.

“Performance is a nice touch, but with the relationship side and the willingness to participate in customer calls and customer events and things like that, the Burtons are always willing,” Storie said.

“Never have I ever called Ward or Jeb and said, ‘I need a favor,’ that they haven’t said, ‘Sure.’ So, it’s the relationship side of it that’s the cake, and the performance is icing on the cake if you have that as well.”

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PHOTOGRAPHY: CROSSROADS AND GETTY IMAGES

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Aluma Trailers Targets NASCAR Fans

BY JARED TURNER

I

n its first year as the

presenting sponsor of NASCAR Outdoors, Aluma Trailers boasts an impressive product line geared for outdoors lovers of all types – especially those who happen to be NASCAR fans.

Founded in 1992 as a small, one-man operation, the Bancroft, Iowa-based company now offers more than 60 trailer models, builds an average of over 300 trailers a week and ships to all 50 U.S. states, plus Canada and Guam.

Aluma’s product line is both diverse and robust, but it more often than not attracts customers who fall into a few core categories.

“Our sweet spot is car haulers and utility trailers that can haul UTVs and other recreational vehicles,” Aluma marketing manager Dan Nessler said. “The outdoorsman or people working on acreages or farms who own off-road vehicles and use trailers every day are a vital target market, which is why we offer a wide range of models for them to choose from. Aluma trailers are ideal for those situations because they are sturdy and light weight, and aluminum doesn’t rust so they’ll stand the test of time.”

When discussions began last fall about Aluma joining forces with America’s premier auto racing series and No. 2 spectator sport beginning in 2023, members of the company’s leadership team were excited and eager to move forward.

“We think it’s a really big deal for Aluma to associate with NASCAR,” Nessler said. “We’ve never done anything like this, and when the opportunity came up, we started thinking about the possibilities. Everybody gets it in their mind that if you’re going to be in NASCAR, you’re going to be sponsoring a car or something – and that’s not the case. We want to get to the people that love NASCAR and our outdoors people that have trailers and toys and hunt

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALUMA-TOW

and do all the things that people love to do. So, we just think it’s a great way to get more people exposed to our great product.”

Aluma was particularly struck by the reputation that NASCAR fans have built over many decades for faithfully buying products associated with their favorite driver’s sponsors.

“The strongest part of NASCAR, in our mind, is the brand loyalty,” Nessler said.

“If you’re a NASCAR fan and you follow a certain car, you’re very in tune to what your car and your brand is, and I think NASCAR fans are very brand-loyal people. And we feel that anybody who owns an Aluma trailer is very much the same type of person. They probably don’t shop somewhere else after they’ve owned an Aluma.

“So, we thought it was just a really good alignment with the type of person that’s a NASCAR fan and the type of person that’s an Aluma trailer owner.”

Lightweight yet strong and durable, as well as non-corrosive, Aluma trailers are fashioned into shape and prepared for the market in a humble Iowa hamlet that fewer than 4,000 people call home.

“They’re made in the USA – built right in small-town Iowa – and we’re proud of that,” Nessler said. “And I think that speaks to the NASCAR demographic, too.”

Though widely noted for their reliability, all of Aluma’s trailers come with a fiveyear, all-inclusive warranty that is a leading warranty for the trailer industry.

“I think that’s important,” Nessler said. “And we try to listen to our customers when they think there’s something we can do to make things better. We try to implement that from an engineering standpoint, whether that’s with more tiedowns or something different with the rails, something different with the fenders. Whatever that is, we’re trying to make sure that people want to own an Aluma.”

And that’s particularly true of NASCAR fans in search of a reliable trailer.

“At the end of the day, if you’ve got a work-related need for a trailer – and probably even more importantly, a recreational need for a trailer – whether that’s a motorcycle, a snowmobile, a raft, an ATV, a UTV, a classic car and all of those fun things, Aluma is the place to look,” Nessler said. “We feel strongly about our brand. We feel strongly about the loyalty of our customers once they own our brand, and all of those things are really good. Our growth has been great, and we hope to continue that.

That’s why our partnership with NASCAR is so important to us.”

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

39

NASCAR RVING

PRESENTED BY

NASCAR & RVING: SIMPLY

While watching NASCAR racing on television, you’ve likely seen a sea of recreational vehicles filling the track’s spacious infield. But have you ever wondered what makes RVing at a NASCAR race so alluring? Here are a few ways in which NASCAR and RVing were simply made for each other.

1. The Party Goes on All Weekend: When one thinks of tailgating or taking their recreational vehicle to a sporting event, they’ll likely conjure an image of a full parking lot outside of whatever stadium they are attending, complete with long lines of fans rushing to turn in their tickets and buy an overpriced amount of food, drinks and memorabilia.

In racing, however, that first night is only the beginning.

Many NASCAR weekends consist of three days of racing, featuring what is usually the top three national series. Some venues will include a Friday night event for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a Saturday feature for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and finally the main NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday.

Some venues will also host plenty of infield events including concerts, driver appearances and autograph sessions. Without an infield pass, most fans aren’t able to see these events many race tracks are constantly promoting. Bringing an RV to the race track lets you get closer to experiencing the entirety of the NASCAR race weekend and all of the events happening in those infields without leaving the speedway.

Moreover, fans that bring RVs to the track have some of the best seats in racing.

2. A Unique Point of View: Many will sit in the grandstands that all speedway venues include, and at some tracks grandstand viewing will give you some excellent viewpoints of the entire racing circuit. That’s especially true at short tracks.

That’s all well and good, but at the end of the day grandstand viewing will never truly get you up and close to the racing action, nor will it get you close to your favorite drivers.

RVing on the other hand, offers much in terms of access.

Unlike many sports, NASCAR offers an unrivaled amount of fan access to drivers, teams, garages and in some cases even pit road. This is all usually accessed in the infield, and while many venues do offer infield passes, many tracks put RVers in the infield for the whole race weekend. You know, where the action is.

Being in the infield or wherever you find yourself at any racing venue will put you near all of the action for the entirety of the race weekend of your choosing.

What’s even better, with an RV, you’ll be near that action while spending time in your own style of comfort.

3. The Comfort of Home Away from Home: As is the case with any RV trip, you can take your home with you anywhere you go. Many fans who attend any sporting event away from home will usually end up paying extra for a nearby hotel or have to drive back to their living space at the end of the day.

Because NASCAR is almost always a multi-day event, RVers can simply retire back to the mobile dwelling at the end of the day to rest among their personal amenities and prepare for the next day’s events.

It’s also no secret that many sporting venues will charge astronomical prices for food and drinks. With RVs, fans can bring whatever snacks and foods they prefer and have their own kitchen without the hassle of having to find a

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POLE POSITION 2023

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

MADE FOR EACH OTHER concession stand and wait in a long line.

While NASCAR drivers are at a race for work, fans are of course there for fun, and if you’re RVing, there isn’t much limit to how much fun one can have.

4. Party to Your Heart’s Content: It certainly is no secret that what happens in a NASCAR infield or RV lot is a high level of partying.

At Talladega, fans celebrate during the track-sanctioned “Big One,” which features concerts, food and games all along the circuit infield’s boulevard.

It’s a similar case at many other venues as well. There isn’t always a race going on, so when the track is silent, that’s when many fans can go outside and have some fun.

Whether you’re in the open superspeedway infield of Daytona or on the outside grounds near Bristol Motor Speedway, there will almost always be something to do near your mobile dwelling.

It’s always easier to cut loose knowing the place you’re sleeping at is only a few feet away from where you’re having fun, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in your RV campsite the whole time.

And why would you? After all, there is always a community of other NASCAR fans and fellow RVers surrounding your campsite that you can party with the whole weekend.

5. Making New Friends: With any sport, there are always going to be fans. With fans, there will always be a large community of them

BY DALTON HOPKINS

gathering at events.

There’s likely no other sport that highlights a community coming together like NASCAR fans at a speedway campsite. Parties, grilling and music are some ways many race fans gather and celebrate during the course of a weekend.

Unlike most sports, NASCAR has the unique attribute of having multiple teams and drivers to root for, giving RVing fans at a NASCAR race ample reason to bond and make connections over the course of a weekend.

Sometimes those bonds will last for some time. Many RV goers will find themselves renewing their camping passes and campsites year after year for the same race weekend. With that, a small RV community may begin to form.

There are Facebook groups dedicated to certain NASCAR camping communities so fans that have gotten to know each other over the years can connect while the NASCAR circus isn’t in town.

Fans of a certain driver share in the roller coaster of emotions that will carry over the course of a race weekend. With shared emotions of hardship to joy, bonds are formed that, while born over the course of a weekend, may end up lasting for years to come.

In the end, all reasons to bring an RV to a NASCAR race culminate to that. Because really, what point is it to have fun and celebrate if you can’t share it with others?

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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POLE POSITION 2023

PHOTOGRAPHY: LUE CREATIVE, GETTY IMAGES

DEVOTED COLLECTOR ADDS RETRO TOUCH TO NASCAR MERCH

BY DUSTIN ALBINO

LUE Creative expands on the vintage styles that NASCAR fans love while using modern tools and production techniques.

Nostalgia, it can be a beautiful thing. And for Harris Lue, graphic artist and designer, it’s everything.

Since the age of 2, Harris has been an avid NASCAR fan. When his dad would point to the television back then, Harris could name the most obscure drivers in the field. And from a young age, he also knew he wanted to do something in the visual arts world, specifically in racing.

Harris recalls times in elementary school where he would be distracted by drawing race cars. Originally, he thought he wanted to be an engineer, but that required too much math. While in the eighth grade, he came up with his first logo for what would be his future passion.

After earning a graphic design degree from East Carolina University, Harris took a job at Late Model Restoration – one of the biggest Mustang aftermarket companies in the United States – in Waco, Texas. He loves cars, specifically Mustangs, and owns two himself.

While Harris was in Texas for one year, he visited Texas Motor Speedway to see Jeff Gordon’s final race at the 1.5-mile track. Shortly after, one of his former classmates told him about a position that opened at NASCAR. It would allow him to get his big break in the racing world.

“A lot of the things you see now, even some of the stuff that’s been released in the past couple of (months), has elements and designs that I worked on (at NASCAR) in 2018 or 2019,” Harris said. “They are just now surfacing and coming to light.

“The actual vintage merch is getting ridiculous. The prices are going way up and are super-hot right now. Being able to replicate that style in a new way with new clothes that look authentic has been a lot of the fun of what we’ve been able to do.”

Harris spent a few years at NASCAR before landing a job with Stewart-Haas Racing. There, he would design many of the elements for the race team, including hero cards, social-media, and race day designs. He was checking off bucket list item after bucket list item, including a trip to work the 2022 Daytona 500.

Simultaneously Harris was working on freelance projects as LUE Creative, where he now serves as co-owner with his girlfriend and business partner, Emily Butler. Quickly, Harris realized he was short on time, so just over a year ago he and Emily began to focus solely on LUE Creative and growing their business together. LUE Creative is a full-service visual agency that works with clients in and out of racing with over 15 years of combined experience in the motorsports world.

Harris’ style is retro. He’s been a devoted retro NASCAR T-shirt collector since 2015. The first two T-shirts he purchased were of Mark Martin, ahead of the aforementioned Texas race. He then bought a few Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan retro pieces, because those were among his favorite drivers as a kid.

“We’re in a nostalgic era,” Lue noted. “The switch to digital and – things going away from being tangible. I’m a collector and huge into things that you can touch and put on a shelf, that you can wear. You can’t get that connection with a digital item. You don’t have the texture, touch or feel. Things that were made yesterday that someone might have had or wanted but didn’t have the chance to get. Maybe they lost it, sold it, threw it away, but now there’s a huge desire to get that item back and recapture that feeling.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

43

DESIGNER PROFILE “I wanted to study the techniques and learn how to do them digitally. Learn how to take the old techniques that started with drawing on paper and I wanted to learn how to do that on a computer, so I could take my digital work and make it look like the old work.”

In 2015, Harris recalls a full print vintage shirt being roughly $15. Seven years later, it has gotten up to roughly $150, depending on where the customer purchases the merchandise. Since retro began exploding, he believes he has roughly 190 T-shirts.

One of Harris’ most prized possessions is a customized pair of Jordans that he got done ahead of the 2020 Daytona 500. They are black and silver with Sam Bass Illustrated insoles and on the heel of one shoe is the No. 3; on the other is Dale Earnhardt’s signature.

“Whenever I post them, my feed gets flooded with, ‘How can I buy these?’” he said with a laugh. “I say, ‘Due to licensing constraints, you cannot buy these.’”

Some of Harris’ rarest finds are of Davey Allison and he has a considerable amount of Ernie Irvan merchandise. All of his collectibles are separated by driver in his closet.

He often purchases his products through Speedway Screens, BBlaze Vintage and DayzGoneByVintage. If you’re searching for a hidden gem though, eBay or Facebook Marketplace is the way to go.

“If you want to get into it, you’ve got to be in the hunt and find stuff on your own,” Harris said.

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POLE POSITION 2023

Not only is he huge into collecting, Harris’ digital style is also retro. It all began in 2013 at Richmond Raceway with Xfinity Series team owner Sam Hunt. Back then, Hunt was competing in the K&N Series, and wanted photos of his car. Through a mutual friend, Harris reached out and was given credentials for Richmond.

“I think I traded him credentials for track access and photography,” Hunt said. “We made an easy deal there and got to know each other. That was his foot in the door, and he did a good job. We started using him for some other random stuff. He started to get to know some people in the garage and here we are now.”

Since officially opening LUE Creative, Hunt has been one of their biggest clients. LUE Creative has also spent the past three years developing and crafting NASCAR Hall of Famer and 2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte’s SMART Modified Tour campaign alongside Cook Out and Pace-O-Matic. Currently, they’re working with KHI Management on a few special projects for Kevin Harvick’s retirement year. Some of their other clients include Liquid Death, McDonald’s, MoneyLion, Hooters, Bobby Labonte and NASCAR Licensing.

Despite being a race fan his whole life, Harris only went to one Cup Series race prior to 2011. That race, the 1997 All-Star, was where he discovered the motorsports art of the late Sam Bass, who he later met and befriended in 2016. “ Sam was always a huge influence on my life and art and being able to become friends with him and share our work and passion for motorsports was unbelievable. It’s something I’ll cherish forever” said Harris. You could draw quite a few parallels between the late Sam Bass’ life and career to that of Lue’s that extend beyond just their artistic styling. Both exhibiting passion like no other for the vibrant sport of NASCAR that we all love. Harris also talked of growing up financially lean, but that instilled a hard work ethic.

“That’s the stuff that means the most to me; the stuff that can get in the hands of the kids that can’t make it to the race track,” he said. “That’s how we keep the sport alive and moving, whether it’s vintage merch or current merch. The more that we can get into the hands of people that can’t make it to the race track, the better off we’ll be in 20 years.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: LUE CREATIVE, GETTY IMAGES

Bobby Labonte Dishes on Harris Lue HOW DID YOU GET INTRODUCED TO HARRIS AND HIS DESIGNS? He designed the stuff for the Hall of Fame. So when the induction was happening and all of that stuff, my wife Kristin wanted to work on some stuff, so we reached out to Harris and they made a phone call. They speak very similar languages – my wife being very creative. They put all of that together and communicated to make that merchandise better.

When we got the Cook Out deal with the modified, we knew the colors, but “how do we want to do it? Let’s call Harris and have him help design the car.” He did the T-shirts for two years. All of what we do is based around getting Harris to do it for us, because it’s an easy call.

“Can you do a helmet? Can you do a hauler?” It’s easy for us to work with him because we’ve already got this relationship, and he’s easy to work with.

He’s creative, and that’s where my wife is very creative. Those two talk the

same language, it’s crazy. It’s like, “How simple can this be?”

Personally, I don’t have to worry about some of it, I just let them handle it.

HOW VALUABLE IS IT TO HAVE SOMEONE LIKE HARRIS TO TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF OF YOU CREATIVELY? It takes a lot of pressure off of us, just the fact that when it comes to designing something and having something created, it’s a phone call away. That ball is in motion between he and my wife – I just trust that it’s going to be good and they’re doing it. For me, it’s easy.

It’s great because we have a guy like Harris, and he gets what we’re doing. He understands it, and we’re creating some more stuff as we speak that we’re excited about that nobody knows about. It’s good to have him on our side and we like each other. We work well together, and that makes it a lot easier.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN THAT HE’S CREATED FOR YOU? The first Cook Out car to me was cool. It was cool because it was a modified, and it was something I had never really done before. I have to go with that one for making it easy, and we didn’t have to design 25 cars to choose from.

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CUP SERIES Q&A

Q&A with

Ryan Preece

BY JARED TURNER

Mod Maven Gets a Second Chance Not many drivers get a second chance at the NASCAR Preece’s grassroots story is relatable, and the new Cup Series level. Especially after their lone opportunity season brings great opportunity. Three-time Cup Series came with a midpack team. champion Tony Stewart handpicked the 32-year-old from But Ryan Preece isn’t an ordinary driver. He’s old school, Berlin, Connecticut, to replace Cole Custer in the No. 41 Ford and he certainly isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty to collect for Stewart-Haas Racing. checkered flags. Granted, most of his success has come in His first race out – albeit an exhibition event – in the the modified ranks where he was the NASCAR Whelen Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Preece Modified Tour champion in 2013. paced the field for 43 laps. In 115 prior Cup Series starts, he But he’s had glimpses of success in NASCAR’s national seled 25 total laps. And in Custer’s three years in the No. 41 ries, such as winning in his Craftsman Truck Series debut at car, he led 29 laps total.

Nashville Superspeedway in 2021, or when he mortgaged his Confidence is not a problem with Preece. And because house to get a partial Xfinity Series schedule with Joe Gibbs he’s earned a second opportunity at life in the Cup Series, Racing in 2017 that resulted in a victory at Iowa Speedway. he plans on making the most of it.

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POLE POSITION 2023

LAST YEAR, WHEN YOU TOOK THE RESERVE DRIVER GIG AT SHR, WHAT DID YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES? It was something that I didn’t know what the future was or could be, but at the end of the day, sometimes all you need is a little bit of hope and a positive attitude. From that day forward, it was making sure to do your job, make sure you show up, be present and do whatever it takes to hopefully get an opportunity. That opportunity came. It was all worth it.

As a race car driver, you want to be in a race car. In my career, I’ve had to take steps back – or away – and make difficult decisions with the hopes of getting an opportunity in the future.

DESCRIBE THE EMOTIONS OF BEING EMBEDDED WITH A TEAM, YET NOT COMPETING ON A WEEKLY BASIS. Me, as a race car driver, I had other outlets to go do those things. If we’re going to compare Alex (Bowman) and I together, I’m not sure if he raced during that period of time (2016 with Hendrick Motorsports). I started building my own modified around February, so I had an outlet to channel that frustration to build a race car and then go race outside of the national series. I won a couple of races, and we were really fast every time we showed up, so that was good.

On a national level, where some of the fans haven’t been able to see me race and do what I feel like I’m capable of doing at a national level, it was tough not being at the race track in the Cup Series.

YOU COMPETED IN 15 TOTAL RACES LAST YEAR AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL; 10 OF WHICH WERE IN THE TRUCK SERIES. HOW DID YOU APPROACH THE LIMITED SCHEDULE? From a driver’s standpoint, there wasn’t any pressure for the drivers’ championship. Those guys that work on that team, I don’t know the structure that goes into it, but most teams and most of the people that work on those teams depend on making the playoffs because at the end of the season come Christmas time, usually there are bonuses. There is that pressure because they are rooting for you as much as anybody because it directly reflects on them.

HOW WAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO CUP SERIES RACING IN 2023 PRESENTED TO YOU? It was all up in the air. I was hoping and doing everything that I could to get the opportunity. One day, Tony (Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing) calls me and I’m sitting at lunch down the street from SHR. The phone call goes like this: “Ryan, I’ve got some bad news.” Immediately, he pauses and my heart sinks and I’m thinking to myself, “This kind of sucks because I turned away a couple opportunities and am not really sure what I’m going to do, but I have to figure something out.” Then, he finished that sentence by saying, “You’re going to be driving the No. 41 next year.”

He played me into the whole thing. When he said that, I went from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. Most people know my story from when I borrowed money to go do that Xfinity Series race (in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing) and having the support from many people up in the Northeast.

There were a lot of lows along the way, as I’m sure many people have had. There are some untold stories. When that moment happened, it was a feeling of satisfaction but it was PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

also a feeling of, “OK, this is that time when I know what it takes to be successful, and I know what I need to go out and win Cup races.” From that moment forward, it was putting those pieces of the puzzle in place and making sure that we would be ready when it came time.

WHAT’S IT LIKE HAVING TONY STEWART IN YOUR CORNER? As a racer, I’m somebody who respects him and have looked up to guys like him and Kevin Harvick all of my life because my entire life has been about racing. Driving for both him and Gene (Haas, SHR co-owner) and having this opportunity – to try and put it into words, as a little kid and you see these guys and you idolize them. I remember the first time I was within handshaking distance of Tony, and I kind of froze up. I want to say I was 10 or 11 years old and nervous.

It’s awesome to be one of his drivers and somebody that has the opportunity to go out there and chase trophies.

HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO REUNITE WITH CHAD JOHNSTON AND HAVE HIM AS YOUR CREW CHIEF IN THIS SEASON? We clicked right away. He’s such an easy person, for me, to talk with and build a relationship with. I go to lunch with him a couple of times per week. He and I are cut from the same mold; we just love racing and have the same goals and that’s to go out and succeed. We do this to succeed.

I felt it was extremely important that I had him as a crew chief because of that relationship and how well it took off right away. But getting to know him and having somebody that I could communicate with and do all of the things that I felt needed to be done from a crew chief role was very important. I’m happy it all came together and worked out.

WHAT’S THE MEANING BEHIND THE NO B.S. PHRASE? I’m not a mess-around person, and I don’t beat around the bush. I’m very straight forward, honest and open and usually don’t hold back on a lot. This was that opportunity, for me, to go out and do what I knew I could.

I’ve gotten all the things that I need from a team aspect. I feel like we’re ready to go. It’s just no bullshit. I’m there and we’re going to go out and race hard and hopefully win some races, because when you’re in the sport of racing, it’s about winning and that’s what we’ve got to do.

WHAT SHOULD GRASSROOT DRIVERS LEARN FROM YOUR STORY? I listen to some podcasts all the time because it’s not easy chasing after something that might not come. Persistence and perseverance are certainly a thing. Any young driver that’s ever asked me if they should do this, this or this, I always tell them, “You need to go run at your local track and win a lot of races.”

I’m not sure that a lot of people understand the value of racing and winning, and all the lessons you’re going to learn.

Maybe I’m just spoiled and lucky at this point that I’ve raced against really great race car drivers like Teddy Christopher and Mike Stefanik, those are two of the many that I could go on and list. They taught me lessons without me asking; it was taught on the race track.

I would say those are the things that have prepared me for the situation I’m in now. Just don’t quit. Go out, kick ass and chase that dream.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

49

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES Q&A

Q&A with

Grant Enfinger

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Title Contender With his wide Alabama smile and southern accent, in 2017 with ThorSport Racing. He stuck with that team Grant Enfinger is the epitome of a NASCAR Craftsman until the end of the 2021 season, a year in which he split the Truck Series driver. schedule between ThorSport and CR7 Motorsports.

The 38-year-old racer from Fairhope, Ala., has settled into Enfinger returned home to GMS last year, determined to life at GMS Racing, after returning to the team with which find Victory Lane, and he did just that. However, he didn’t he earned the 2015 ARCA Menards Series title. Prior to that qualify for the Championship 4. This year, though, he accomplishment, Enfinger was piecing together deals with wants to finally take home the title. His Champion Power small, part-time teams and making the most of them.

Equipment team, led by crew chief Jeff Hensley, has the When Enfinger ventured into the Truck Series with GMS potential to compete for wins on a weekly basis, and he’s in 2016, it was obvious he had speed. He won in his sevas hungry as ever to do exactly that. enth outing with the organization, earning a full-time ride Enfinger recently sat down and answered our questions:

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POLE POSITION 2023

LOOKING BACK, HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE YOUR 2022 RETURN SEASON WITH GMS? We ended the year pretty good, but the whole season didn’t go exactly how we planned. We had pretty big expectations, but we fell short of some of them. I’m proud of the progress we made throughout the course of last season for sure.

We ended strong as far as speed, and the trucks we brought to the track at the end of the year were very competitive. We had a shot to win a couple of them. The No. 23 team and all of GMS Racing is in a really strong place going into this year.

WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU TO RETURN TO THIS TEAM? It’s huge. GMS is one of the top organizations out there, and I’m honored to drive their trucks. It comes with a fair amount of pressure because GMS, Maury Gallagher and Mike Beam are used to winning races and championships.

Our expectations are very high this year.

I’m appreciative to be back with them and for Champion Power Equipment, which has had my back and has been a major sponsor of mine for nine years now. That’s pretty incredible in its own right, and I’m honored to represent Champion Power Equipment and GMS Racing. From the Chevy side, there are some things different this year and I think we have more support as a whole from Chevrolet. I feel like overall the Chevrolets in the Truck Series will be much stronger. We have a lot of good things going for us this year.

ON THE CUP SERIES SIDE, JIMMIE JOHNSON CAME ON BOARD AS AN OWNER. DOES HIS INVOLVEMENT TRANSLATE OVER TO THE TRUCK SERIES? From the organization’s standpoint, we had all of the resources we needed on the GMS Racing side last year and they’re not taking resources away from us. Jimmie being in the shop and the quality of people he brings around – we already had a lot of smart guys – with Todd Gordon, himself and people on the marketing side.

Cup racing doesn’t relate to truck racing like it used to because the cars are completely different now. But the mentality stays the same. Jimmie is so mentally tough.

He’s done everything we all aspire to do. He’s a leader for our team and a great person to bounce ideas off of. His network that he’s brought into the organization has elevated the whole building to a new level.

THIS IS THE TEAM THAT REALLY BROUGHT YOU INTO THE TRUCK SERIES. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BACK FOR YOUR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR? It’s great. This is my seventh full-time year besides the one year that we weren’t all the way full time. From coming back over here a little over a year ago, it’s been like I was at home. Mike Beam has given us every resource that we can want. Now, it’s up to myself, Jeff Hensley and all of the guys on this No. 23 team to make it happen. We have the tools at our disposal to make it right. They’ve put a lot into my career and it’s been great for both sides of things.

It’s been a great relationship.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

DOES IT FEEL NATURAL TO BE RACING FOR GMS? Definitely. It’s home and it’s a 40-minute drive to the shop.

Walking into the shop everyday feels good. It was great before I left and it’s even more welcoming in my second stint here.

I have the familiarity of Hensley calling the shots. A lot of people are optimistic and I’m entering the year more optimistic than I’ve ever been with where we’re going to stack up.

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP? Well, that’s the goal. We’ve come close with Hensley before. It’s attainable for us this year. We’re entering this championship hunt with more confidence, not just in our ability, but with our organization’s ability. I feel like everything is at a championship level. We have to hit our speed at the right time. We have to have all of our i’s dotted and our t’s crossed.

I feel like we can do that and we’re entering this season where, if we’re at our best, we can win at any of the tracks we go to. If we’re off a little bit, I’ll be the first one to tell you we’re off and we may run 15th. If we’re at our best and we can contend for wins, I truly believe that this year. This is a great opportunity year for us.

HOW MUCH PERSEVERANCE HAVE YOU NEEDED TO GET TO THIS POINT? I think my career in general has taken a lot of perseverance. I’ve been more or less a full-time race car driver and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I was unfortunate a couple of years ago when I couldn’t continue with the team I was with in a full-time capacity. That didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I realized I have other friends out there and other guys I could lean on.

I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, and being with an organization like GMS Racing is a great feeling. When you’re a driver, you want the best stuff and you want to be with a team capable of winning races and championships.

It’s just a good place to be, and it hasn’t been like that my whole career. There were times before the last seven or eight years when I was scratching around, trying to find any race I could and being more of a mechanic than a driver. I’d say perseverance applies to my career as a whole more than it does the last couple of years.

WITH THE TEAM EXPANDING, DO YOU WANT TO GET TO THE CUP SERIES AT SOME POINT? At the end of the day, my job is to win races and a championship. That’s my focus to do that in the Truck Series. If an opportunity comes along to do that in an Xfinity car or a Cup car, that’s great. But I’ve worked so hard and so long to get in a situation exactly like I’m in this year that I’m not going to let outside influences change any of my mindset.

We need to dominate the truck season, win races and the truck championship. Outside of that, you have to see how things go. Throughout the course of my career, I’d say I’ve had limited ways of making my own path or coming up with opportunities. More or less, opportunities found me. I had a great opportunity a year and a half ago, when I had some choices to make in the Truck Series garage, and it felt good to be welcomed to a team like GMS Racing.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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SEASON REWIND

Rexford Wins Title in NASCAR’s Second Season

BY BEN WHITE

In February 1950, NASCAR launched the second season of its premier stock car racing series. The nomadic circuit showed incredible potential for growth as the debut of Darlington Raceway, the sport’s first paved superspeedway, foreshadowed the future.

NASCAR’s newly named Grand National division – dropping the Strictly Stock title – was attracting drivers in search of an adventure. NASCAR founder Bill France sanctioned 19 races as the organization’s premier series visited Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia.

Seventeen of the races were on dirt tracks with the new paved superspeedway in Darlington, South Carolina, and the combination beach/road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, adding variety to the schedule.

Oldsmobiles won 10 of the 19 events with drivers Curtis Turner, Fireball Roberts, Bill Rexford, Dick Linder and Fonty Flock. Plymouth drivers Johnny Mantz, Leon Sales, Herb Thomas and Lee Petty joined Ford/Lincoln-Mercury pilots Bill Blair, Lloyd Moore, Harold Kite, Tim Flock and Bill Florian in Victory Lane.

Rexford, a virtual unknown from Western New York, began his championship quest with a victory at Ohio’s Canfield Motor Speedway on May 30 in an Oldsmobile owned by Julian Buesink. But the title fight came down to a battle between Rexford and Roberts over the final three races. Rexford led the standings after a sixth-place finish at the fairgrounds in Vernon, New York, on Oct. 1, a race Roberts did not enter. Following race No. 17, Roberts was back on top after finishing sixth at Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway, but Rexford ended up third on the same day at Winchester Speedway in Indiana and retook the point lead.

Roberts’ blown engine in the final race at Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, North Carolina, clinched the 1950 Grand National championship for the 23-year-old Rexford.

1950

68

DATE Feb. 5 April 2 April 16 May 21 May 30 June 18 June 25 July 2 July 23 Aug. 13 Aug. 20 Aug. 27 Sept. 4 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 15 Oct. 15 Oct. 29

CIRCUIT Daytona Beach & Road Course Charlotte Speedway Langhorne Speedway Martinsville Speedway Canfield Motor Speedway Vernon Fairgrounds Dayton Speedway Monroe County Fairgrounds Charlotte Speedway Occoneechee Speedway Dayton Speedway Hamburg Speedway Darlington Raceway Langhorne Speedway North Wilkesboro Speedway Vernon Fairgrounds Martinsville Speedway Funk’s Speedway Occoneechee Speedway

WINNER Harold Kite Tim Flock Curtis Tuner Curtis Turner Bill Rexford Bill Blair Jimmy Florian Curtis Turner Curtis Turner Fireball Roberts Dick Linder Dick Linder Johnny Mantz Fonty Flock Leon Sales Dick Linder Herb Thomas Lloyd Moore Lee Petty

TOP CARS GLENN “FIREBALL” ROBERTS, of Palatka, Florida, wheeled Sam Rice’s Oldsmobile to one victory and five top-10 finishes in nine series starts.

PRESIDENT: HARRY S TRUMAN NO. 1 SONG: “GOODNIGHT, IRENE” BY GORDON JENKINS TOP NEWS: JAN. 17: THE GREAT BRINKS ROBBERY IN BOSTON JUNE 16: “FATHER OF THE BRIDE” RELEASED AUG. 5: FLORENCE CHADWICK SWIMS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

BEST DRIVER

BEST RACE

DRIVING THE NO. 41

JOHNNY MANTZ,

Oldsmobile owned by John

winner of the inaugural

Eanes, Curtis Turner scored

Southern 500 at South

four wins in 16 starts. He

Carolina’s Darlington

visited Victory Lane at

Raceway on Sept. 4, 1950,

Langhorne (Pa.) Speedway,

became a NASCAR star

Martinsville (Va.)

with only one career victory.

Speedway, the Monroe

The native of Long Beach,

County Fairgrounds in

California, used hard truck

Rochester, New York, and

tires, similar to those seen

Charlotte (N.C.) Speedway

in Indy car racing, and

en route to a fifth-place

led 351 of 400 laps as he

finish in the championship

capitalized on the heavy

standings. The native of

attrition. Mantz gained the

Floyd, Virginia, recorded

lead at lap 50 and never

10 top-10 results with an

looked back. He participated

average start of 5.2 and an

in only 12 NASCAR premier

average finish of 14.7.

series events through 1956.

POLE POSITION 2023

SEASON RECAP

PHOTOGRAPHY: NASCAR MEDIA

LEGEND PROFILE

NASCAR Legend: Bill Elliott

BY BEN WHITE

Bill Elliott began his driving career on the north Georgia dirt tracks near his home in Dawsonville. He won 44 Cup Series races from 1976 to 2012, logging 320 top-10 finishes and 55 pole positions.

Born Oct. 8, 1955, Elliott began driving makeshift race cars in his father’s junkyard against the likes of his brothers, Ernie and Dan. Of the three siblings, Bill emerged with the most desire and talent to drive cars on a local level.

Success on short tracks in the Southeast led to an eight-race NASCAR Cup Series effort in 1976 aboard a Ford owned by his father, George. Over the next seven seasons, the fledgling family team entered 71 races, recording eight top-five finishes, nine top-10 results and earning one pole.

At the start of the 1983 season, the Elliott family sold its team to Michigan businessman Harry Melling and collected their first Cup Series victory in the season finale at California’s Riverside International Raceway. Three wins in 1984 set the stage for a phenomenal 1985 season that featured 11 victories, including the 1985 Daytona 500 as well as the Winston Million bonus paid by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. for winning three of the four premier races on the schedule.

Elliott collected 18 additional victories as well as the 1988 Cup Series championship before leaving Melling Racing in 1991 to join Junior Johnson and Associates.

After seven victories and a second-place finish in points through 1995, Elliott started his own team but did not break into the win column.

Elliott eventually joined forces with former crew chief and upstart team owner Ray Evernham. Together, they won three times, including the 2001 Brickyard 400. Elliott retired from the Cup Series in 2012.

I feel the experience that I gained working on the race cars helped me immensely and really made me understand them a lot more.

–BILL ELLIOTT

BEST SEASON

9

DURING THE 1985 SEASON, ELLIOTT ENTERED 28 Cup Series races and won 11 times, with superspeedway victories coming at Daytona, Talladega, Dover, Atlanta (2), Darlington (2), Pocono (2) and Michigan (2). Elliott logged 16 top-five finishes and 18 top-10 results with an average start of 4.9 and average finish of 8.7.

RECORD SETTER IN QUALIFYING FOR THE 1985 DAYTONA 500, Elliott posted a record pole speed of 205.114 mph. Then, on May 5, 1985, he turned another record lap of 209.398 mph at Talladega Superspeedway. Finally, on May 3, 1987, Elliott ran 212.809 mph at Talladega, a record that may never be broken.

DEDICATED

BELOVED

INNOVATIVE

DETERMINED

FOCUSED KNOWN FOR THROUGHOUT HIS NASCAR CAREER, ELLIOTT enjoyed a tremendous fan following. Even though he hasn’t driven in NASCAR competition for nine years, he was part of last summer’s six-race Camping World SRX Series. He occasionally works as a spotter for his son, 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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LEARN MORE AT KSEAL.COM POLE POSITION MAG.COM

71

FIRST PERSON NASCAR IN HIS OWN WORDS

NASCAR POLE POSITION

AN OFFICIALLY LICENSED PUBLICATION OF NASCAR 23110 STATE ROAD 54, SUITE 293 LUTZ, FL 33549 EMAIL: INFO@AE-ENGINE.COM WEB: POLEPOSITIONMAG.COM; AE-ENGINE.COM

DONNIE ALLISON’S 1977 ROCKINGHAM VICTORY

BY DONNIE ALLISON, AS TOLD TO BEN WHITE

THE CREW

PUBLISHER: CRAIG BARONCELLI COMMERCIAL VICE PRESIDENT: DAVID WATSON DIRECTORS: MARK MORALES, ROWLAND GEORGE, ARNOUT KOK CONTENT CREATIVE DIRECTOR: JOE RABUCK DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR: NICOLE COOPER DIGITAL CONTENT DIRECTOR: JOSH MULL EXECUTIVE EDITOR: ERIC ESTEPP COPY EDITOR: KEITH WALTZ CONTRIBUTORS: JARED TURNER, KEITH WALTZ, BEN WHITE, JOSEPH WOLKIN, JERRY BONKOWSKI, DUSTIN ALBINO SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATORS: AIDAN ANDERSEN, ETHAN ANDERSEN, SHOGUN SPECIAL THANKS TO: ANDREW ENGEL (NASCAR)

A.E. ENGINE SPECIFIES THAT POST-PRESS CHANGES MAY OCCUR TO ANY INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PUBLICATION AND TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOODS OR SERVICES ADVERTISED. NASCAR® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING, INC.

MAIL ORDER: TO RECEIVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE, SEND A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER FOR $30.95 TO: A.E. ENGINE, 23110 STATE ROAD 54, SUITE 293, LUTZ, FL 33549. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR RETURN MAILING ADDRESS AND AN EMAIL ADDRESS AND MAKE THE CHECK PAYABLE TO A.E. ENGINE. ONLINE ORDER: SUBSCRIPTIONS AND INDIVIDUAL COPIES CAN BE ORDERED ONLINE AT POLEPOSITIONMAG.COM. DISTRIBUTION: IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS OR AN ORGANIZATION INTERESTED IN DISTRIBUTING COPIES OF NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE, PLEASE CONTACT CRAIG BARONCELLI AT CB@AE-ENGINE.COM. SALES INQUIRIES: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING OR WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A FIELD REPRESENTATIVE, PLEASE CONTACT DAVID WATSON AT DKW@AE-ENGINE.COM.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. (OH YEAH!)

There are times during a driver’s career when everything during a race weekend seems to go as it should. One of those race weekends for me came on Oct. 23, 1977, at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Today, the track is known as Rockingham Speedway and it’s located near Rockingham, North Carolina.

I was driving a Chevrolet for team owner Hoss Ellington at the time. The first time I drove for Hoss was in August 1975 at Talladega and I remained with him until March 1980 at Atlanta.

While at Rockingham that weekend for the American 500, the car came off the trailer running and performing really well. We won the pole position for the race that weekend with relative ease. With some research, after 46 years, I found we were able to lead 374 of the race’s 492 laps. There were nine cautions for 74 of those laps.

Cale Yarborough was driving Junior Johnson’s Chevrolet then and I do remember beating Cale off of pit road every time but twice. The first time I got underneath him for the lead. The second time he ran me all over the race track and I passed him on the outside going into Turn 1. I know that surprised the heck out of him. That’s the most vivid memory I have of that race as I think back on it, other than the fact I had a dominant car by a lot that day.

Another part of running so well that day was the fact that Hoss and I had really good chemistry between us. Hoss was a former driver and he was just one of the guys. My relationship with Hoss was a buddy relationship. My racing relationship was more with the guys on the crew. (Shelton) Runt Pittman, my crew chief, was the one that called all the shots.

We had a good season in 1977. We also won at Talladega that year with Darrell Waltrip’s help as a relief driver. We never had a bad season anytime I drove with Hoss. Maybe the only time it happened was 1980 when we started to have some falling out and didn’t stay together.

We only ran a few races together that year, which was Daytona, Rockingham and Atlanta and then we parted ways.

That particular race in 1977 at Rockingham, the car felt good all day. The key to that win was I was running an extremely low rear-end gear in my car. The reason I was running that gear was I was running a spare superspeedway engine. Runt was also our engine builder and he had the Rockingham engine on the dyno (dynamometer) testing it a few days earlier and the engine blew, and he couldn’t get it back together in time for the race. He called me and told me what had happened. I told him that running the superspeedway engine would be all right. We would have to turn more RPMs, which meant having to run a lower rear-end gear.

I could control my engine speed with my foot. Runt said I could turn the RPMs at 7,800 and I said, “OK.” I broke that rule one time. I told him in Victory Lane I didn’t look at the RPM gauge when I passed Cale on the outside coming off of pit road. He said that was OK because we won.

I think that track suited my style of driving. It seems like when you’re driving tracks and you’re in the middle of your career, you don’t really think about those types of things. I never thought about that back when I was racing. Later on, people talk about how well you ran at certain tracks. There are race tracks that you have to really stay after it with the throttle, those being Rockingham, Atlanta, Charlotte – all those race tracks where the driver has to stay after it with the throttle and I believe I was always pretty good at that.

It turned out to be one of those great days when everything came together as it should have.

A lot of days that doesn’t work out when you’re racing hard for a win.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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The Spirited Story of Stock Car Racing and Down-Home Distilling

Discover North Carolina’s NEW Moonshine and Motorsports Trail and experience our state’s history of perseverance and innovation like never before.