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A Few Questions And A Little History
My first, is the book about Bobby 5X5 Day still available? I've kept up with most of the racing down there since moving back to Va. but Im curious, what happened to Jimmy and Mike Cope? there are several drivers that seem to have fallen off the face of the earth. Shane Sawyer? Anyone know what Balough is up to these days?
Since I'm sorta a newb here, I did belong to the forum of old on Karnac back during the 90's,man was that a strange time. I moved to Clearwater in 87, seen the wedge style cars race and the next year they we're gone! My first big race down there was the old All American Challenge Series ( which became All Pro) run at Sunshine, man there were like 60 to 70 Late Models in that place that night, I hadn't been to allot of asphalt racing at that time other than crapcar, I grew up around dirt late models, but after that night I was hooked forever. The old USA series, later to become Hooters Supercup, Florida Pro Series, the old Bud twin 50's at Desoto, all the big name races around the state, dirt and asphalt, the Cope/Warren feud, Tom Stimus, man back then racing in Florida was off the hook and I ate it up like candy, I even at one poiny helped the LaWarre bunch in Titusville when Jimmy Cope and later Mike Garvey drove for them, I was even the gasman for Ken Schrader when we loaned him a car to run the old Holeshot 400 at Charlotte County back in the day. I have plenty of pictures, I'll share them with you guys as soon as I get them all scanned in.
Another of my good friends was Bruce Everette and ol chocolate thunder, pulled that old car with a 70's Monte Carlo and always had his dog with him. Nobody knew how fast that old car was!!
I was also a good friend with Kenny Vaughn, I have several stories about that guy, I think he was a green beret or special forces, something along those lines, I just knew he was a bad dude! One night down at punta gorda for a big LM race, he came rolling in late and by himself as usual, I was giving Wendall Overstreet a hand, well Kenny started scratch because he was late and Wendall had been in a wreck and put to the rear of the field,well then it started, those two beat the damn fenders off each other, and after the race was over Wendall and another guy helping thought they might go down to Kenny's trailer and have a talk with the old dude and they were thinking I would come along, I said hell no I ain't going down there, you guys go ahead, you might walk down there but you won't be coming back, I told those guys don't think because he's by himself he's easy prey, he'll wipe the track with your hides! I talked them out of it thank god. Kenny always seemed to be an underdog, that's kinda why I became a fan, plus I always thought he was a cool dude, again, you never knew just how fast some of those cars were. I got allot more to tell later, glad I found this place again.
Since I'm sorta a newb here, I did belong to the forum of old on Karnac back during the 90's,man was that a strange time. I moved to Clearwater in 87, seen the wedge style cars race and the next year they we're gone! My first big race down there was the old All American Challenge Series ( which became All Pro) run at Sunshine, man there were like 60 to 70 Late Models in that place that night, I hadn't been to allot of asphalt racing at that time other than crapcar, I grew up around dirt late models, but after that night I was hooked forever. The old USA series, later to become Hooters Supercup, Florida Pro Series, the old Bud twin 50's at Desoto, all the big name races around the state, dirt and asphalt, the Cope/Warren feud, Tom Stimus, man back then racing in Florida was off the hook and I ate it up like candy, I even at one poiny helped the LaWarre bunch in Titusville when Jimmy Cope and later Mike Garvey drove for them, I was even the gasman for Ken Schrader when we loaned him a car to run the old Holeshot 400 at Charlotte County back in the day. I have plenty of pictures, I'll share them with you guys as soon as I get them all scanned in.
Another of my good friends was Bruce Everette and ol chocolate thunder, pulled that old car with a 70's Monte Carlo and always had his dog with him. Nobody knew how fast that old car was!!
I was also a good friend with Kenny Vaughn, I have several stories about that guy, I think he was a green beret or special forces, something along those lines, I just knew he was a bad dude! One night down at punta gorda for a big LM race, he came rolling in late and by himself as usual, I was giving Wendall Overstreet a hand, well Kenny started scratch because he was late and Wendall had been in a wreck and put to the rear of the field,well then it started, those two beat the damn fenders off each other, and after the race was over Wendall and another guy helping thought they might go down to Kenny's trailer and have a talk with the old dude and they were thinking I would come along, I said hell no I ain't going down there, you guys go ahead, you might walk down there but you won't be coming back, I told those guys don't think because he's by himself he's easy prey, he'll wipe the track with your hides! I talked them out of it thank god. Kenny always seemed to be an underdog, that's kinda why I became a fan, plus I always thought he was a cool dude, again, you never knew just how fast some of those cars were. I got allot more to tell later, glad I found this place again.
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