Our biggest win - 1981

[Jimmy McKinley]

So Fenton can claim he won the Governor's Cup....big deal

(Just bustin' ya chops, Jimbo...

In 1981, we got our biggest career win at DeSoto Memorial Speedway. The race was the Coca-Cola 200, the finale' to the Governor's Cup weekend/Florida Triple Crown. Friday night was the Governor's Cup at Tampa, and we ran sixth to Mike Eddy, Ed Howe, Dick Trickle, LeRoy, and Scarborough (I believe...LOL...there were a LOT of GOOD out-of-state cars). Saturday was the Gulf Coast Classic at Sunshine, and we got crashed out there. But Sunday was a different story. Even though I wasn't there that day, I know we beat all them guys on the race track. If I remember, my dad had told me there was a scoring controversy with Anderson, and the finish was protested. But, we got to keep the win. That's my dad on the right (in the light-blue shirt), driver Jim Childers in the middle, and car owner Bob Kirk shaking Jim's hand. Not real sure who the guy on the left is...LOL

[flraceguy]

Great Picture and Story Jimmy...

[Don Nerone]

Yep i was there in the infield . Dick laped the field then ran out of gas. He pited for gas thencame out in the rear and went to the lead but he was a lap down. That was the first tripple crown in florida.
don62

[Don Nerone]

Buy the wy i got he Gate pic of that car and some more.If i can dig them up ill send them to you. Me and bob wernt friends because we both had the same #12 and they parked us side buy side all the time. In 1980 at the same race my crew took the muffler of the gen on the motorhome gust to piss bob of. It was funny then? Your dad was a great guy and with Childers as a driver it was a great team.
Bob would show up on fri from west palm i think then race fri sat and sun if there was a race. At one time JW Hunt sponsored a engine for that car.

rembering when.
Don62

[Jimmy McKinley]

Can't recall if we ever had J.W. Hunt sponsor anything for us...LOL..we had Ward Blazier build our engines for a time, I know that. Yeah, Don, we actually kept the race car at our house in Vero Beach; Bob would drive up from his place in Palm Beach to our house, we'd load up the car, and tow 160 miles one way from Vero to either Tampa, Citrus County, or DeSoto (depending on when it was that Bradenton or Inverness was also racing Friday nights after the Gate closed up).

What "other" #12 were you referring to, Don? The only other #12 that I can think of that we were running against around that time frame was Bontrager; we were scored as the "12D" for years, and Bontrager as the "12R"...

[Don Nerone]

u were young then.
Stan Butler drove it the year u would rember Alburndale and Desoto some. JW Hunt gave bob the heads and stuff for his motor. the years that we raced that car Bontrager didnt race.
I was a bontriger fan when i was 13 years old and thats 51 years ago.

Jimmy its good to think back.

.

[Jimmy McKinley]

u were young then.
Stan Butler drove it the year u would rember Alburndale and Desoto some. JW Hunt gave bob the heads and stuff for his motor. the years that we raced that car Bontrager didnt race.
I was a bontriger fan when i was 13 years old and thats 51 years ago.

Jimmy its good to think back.

Well, what I *do* know for sure, is that we didn't start running the west coast tracks until about '78 or so. From '75 to '78, we ran down at Palm Beach and Hialeah. When we came over to the west coast, DeSoto was a Friday-night track, and we ran Sunshine on Saturdays. When Golden Gate reopened in '81, we went there on Fridays, then to St. Pete. Then the 'Gate closed again in '83, and Inverness went to a Friday-night show.

When we first ran at DeSoto in about '79, we had Jimmy Cope in the car - Cope's very first Late Model ride. In '80, we put Billy Gill in the car; along with about a dozen different drivers, including Wayne Reutimann, Shorty Stuart, Childers, Cope, Pletcher, Scarborough, and a few others. Oh - one I forgot was Bobby Alexander. Had Bobby's name on the car, but we had so many drivers that one year, that we duct-taped over the name, and whoever showed up to drive, we wrote their name on the duct tape with a marker...LOL...

Never knew Stan Butler drove a Late Model at Auburndale or DeSoto; we didn't run Auburndale on a regular basis until about (I think) 1993 when we had Tony Watson driving for us. Quit running DeSoto regularly too, in about 1980; only went down there for the specials on Saturday nights when Sunshine wasn't running, or for the Triple Crown or Sunday-afternoon shows.

[Don Nerone]

do you rember running the cypress 300 at alburndale? 100 laps fri sat and sun? U parked next to us and our car was 12 also. Spokey was driving that night. We also had wayne Ruterman drive it and Dave Breakfield, Ronnie Danels, Stan Butler. Gave the car to Ralph Harris when i opend the gate in 81.

hard to rember some things when u get old but Bob isent one of them.
Don62

[Jimmy McKinley]

Can't recall a "Cypress 300" at Auburndale; what year(s) are we talking about?

[Don Nerone]

I think it was 80. the largest and best cars and drivers ever.
It was wild. It wes never done agin. Every big name it the country was there.
50 or 60 cars.
The promoter told every one that called they could bring there cars. We had a lot of big power dirt cars ASA cars ALL PRO cars mixed with Ohio outlaw Lates.
Ed howel got mad over the rules and put a 4x8 sheet of lexan on the back of his sar and raised the roof with 4' 2x4s. He slowed down.
Lary More was a full sec faster than the field with hie dirt car. the 2nd night they made him take of his 14" wide wheeles and make weight (ad 400lb).
slowed him a little bit.
John bozwell did it in 79 or 80 in 81 we did the triple crown 3 different tracks close to each other
rember when?