From The Road
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@carolinacyclesdotcom
Letter from Rick
Aaaaahhhh….August. The dog days of summer are in full swing. But you know what? I’ll take heat and humidity over cold and ice any day. I’m fortunate to live in a state where I can ride my bike pretty much all year long.. Now don’t get me wrong about summer, I’m not in love with riding in 95 degree weather with a heat index of 105. No. I’m saying that I can get on my bike at the crack of done and ride 2 or more hours in any direction to beat the heat and be back by noon if I desire combined with the extended daylight hours and I’m in for a good long day of riding.
In this issue, I talk about my ride down to Darlington Speedway in Darlington, SC. It was a hot ride, but worth the trip. There’s a museum there that is worth the trip to the speedway. On the day I went, there was a special bonus. You’ll read about it in this issue.
No, I didn’t get to go on to the track as I had hoped, but I’m not giving up. The grounds crew was in preparation for the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend. I’ll try again in the fall.
Last but not least.Antiques on Main in Chesnee, SC. Each year on the “Last Weekend in July” this free, family event is attended by thousands of bikers and families. Famous for the heat during the event, this year was no different.
I'm excited to say I have teamed up with Carolina Cycles to soon include some of my stories and pictures of my travels. Be sure to check them out and sign up for their free newsletter. You can find Carolina Cycles on the web https://www.carolinacycles.com/ or on FaceBook @carolinacyclesdotcom
Ride safe! Ride Often!
I would love to hear your road stories and share them with others in my newsletter. If so, just email your story and send a few pictures to:
storiesroad53@gmail.com
Carolina Challenge Tour Card
While waiting in Thunder Tower for a friend of mine to complete purchasing his new Harley Road Glide, yeah I’m a little jealous, an employee asks if I would like to participate in the Carolina Challenge Tour Card Program to win a new 2018 Heritage Classic. Continuing, she informed me I would just fill out the card and visit the participating Harley Davidson Dealers and get it
stamped. November 18, 2018, would be the final date for stamps and log my ending mileage.
It’s not to late to signup and start collecting those stamps! Visit your nearest HD dealership and get yours!
See ya on the road!
Ride Safe Ride Often
Darlington Speedway
Too Tough to Tame
During the seventies, I spent every February camped out in the Daytona Speedway infield. However, one track I never visited for a race was Darlington Speedway, and I thought it would be cool to see its history.
One fall day in 1949, businessman Harold Brasington stood in an area on the west side of rural Darlington, South Carolina, and envisioned more than a field
of cotton. The smell of rubber, the roar of engines, and a cheering crowd could fill the air if a fledgling sport, stock car racing, caught on. So, Harold believing that Bill France’s NASCAR would become the next big sport, began a project known locally as ‘Harold’s Folly” to create a 1-1/4 mile oval speedway. But before Brasington could start his dream, he would have to obtain the land from Sherman Ramsey. Ramsey was on board with Brasington. However, he did not want his nearby minnow pond disturbed. To accommodate Ramsey's request to save the minnow pond the west end of the track (Turns 3 and 4) was narrowed, making the distinctive Darlington’s signature egg-shaped design. On Labor Day 1950, the first race at Darlington Speedway would be held. Brasington was hoping for 10,000 fans. He would not be disappointed. On the day of the competition, a crowd of over 25,000 fans filled the stands. The first driver to win the Southern 500 would be Californian Johnny Mantz taking over six hours to complete. Darlington Speedway would set a precedent for the sport to grow and be the largest spectator sport in the country.
What I had considered being the front of the track is actually the rear of it. The museum is located between turns 2 and 3 off of hwy 34. So, my buddy and I park our bikes near the museum entrance to go in. I push on the glass door to enter the building, but it’s locked! What the…? We move over to the other door, but it’s locked too! Mumbling to ourselves, we are about to turn to leave when a woman opens the door and explains she was closing the museum early. However, she was going to be there a few minutes longer, and we could go in for free until she had to go. So, we enter the museum, thanking the lady profusely, to take in as many sites as we could during our allotted time. As we head into the gallery, Richard Petty's blue 1967 Plymouth is on display. Did you know in 1967, Petty won 27 races to win his second Grand National Championship? Of 48 starts during 1967, he finished in the top five 38 times and the top ten 40 times. He also won 10 races in a row and earned $130,275 that year. Not a bad payday for the year in 1967! We are heading back into the next generation of NASCAR race cars when the ‘museum lady’ informed us we would need to wrap up our visit. Although our visit was cut short, we were grateful for the time we had and especially
the price. A mental note was made to revisit the museum at a later and cooler date. As we were heading out, the ‘museum lady’ told us that gate 39A was open to the public, and we could go in to view the track. Albeit we wouldn’t be allowed on the track, we would be able to see the raceway in its entirety from the 3rd and 4th turns.
Did you know in 1967, Petty won 27 races to win his second Grand National Championship? Of 48 starts during 1967, he finished in the top five 38 times and the top ten 40 times.
about liability insurance and we figured he meant us being on the wall was against the insurance policy.
Excited about our good fortune, we mount our bikes and head to entrance 39A. We were informed there would be a security officer we needed to check in with before continuing into the facilities. All signed in, we head to the designated area to park and find a good place to view the track. From my vantage point, I could see a ramp that led to the top of turn 3 and 4 with another 3-foot wall on top of that. Apparently, I was not the only person that wanted to get on that wall due to the presence of 2 8x12 cinder blocks to aid anyone wanting to get up there to get an excellent view of the track! We scale the 3-foot wall and get pictures of the entire raceway and infield when we notice a guy on top of a building waving his arms. We waved back to be friendly and continued taking pictures. He then yelled something
We scale the 3-foot wall and get pictures of the entire raceway and infield when we notice a guy on top of a building waving his arms.
Entrance 39A
Happy with our photos and not being escorted off the premises, we head towards our bikes for the trip home.
Darlington Photo Gallery
Antiques on Main
Last weekend’s trip to Antiques on Main in Chesnee, SC continued to be an event I have attended for 3 years now. My introduction to this event came during my tenure with a local biker magazine. Many times I delivered magazines to Chesnee Classic Cycles capping off my delivery with a cold beverage with owner Dennis Harris. One day, while sitting in front of a little fan strategically placed on the floor of his shop, I asked him how the Antiques on Main came to be.
It all began, or so I’m told, in May 2005, when a bunch of friends was invited to bring their bikes of any shape or size to his shop for display. About 25 or 30 of his friends showed up and a good time was had by all. After about 3 or more years, the event got moved to "Always the Last Weekend in July”. Each year attendance grew until over 10,000 were showing up for the event, outgrowing the front of his shop on East Chester Street and taking over the town.
A little story about the event logo affectionately known as 'Barney.' After
Sam Greenway, a frequent visitor to Chesnee Class Cycles succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. Mrs. Greenway asked for help resolving his effects and donated their last new Greenway Harley Davidson shirt from a franchise Mr. Greenway owned in 1955. Barney sitting on his old motorcycle was on the front of that t-shirt, and in 2007, Barney and his bike became the logo for Antiques on Main, a fitting tribute to Mr. and Mrs. Greenway.
Antiques on Main is now considered one of the top summer motorcycle events and is legendary for the heat. Next summer, make Antiques on Main a must attend motorcycle destination. It is a fun, free family event for everyone.
Chesnee 2018
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