New Thread - The Independents

[LEGENDS RCR]

Hey Dave... Remember Curtis Crider ? Met him one nite after Auburndale a long time ago.....

[Bigbuck]

One thing

I thing maybe the thing i like most about this thread , well actually everything. But the old pics of Daytona, never knew the stands were so small! Bet if thy were that small now the'd always have a full house.

[Frasson118]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...vivor7/15a.jpg

Testing

[egspeedway]

Nice to see the mention of Capps sons and Little Earl. I bought three go kart motors from Lee and he was certainly one of the nicest people I have ever dealt with in motorsports, Mike and Earl put on one of the best go kart races I have ever seen. It was at Hyman Myers Speedway in Tallahassee. The track was patterened after Bristol and was banked at least 20 degrees and maybe a little more Mike and Earl would pass each other at least 4 times a lap and stayed that wat the whole race.

[ABYSS64]

RONNIE THOMAS Christiansburg,Va
Ronald "Ronnie" Thomas is a retired NASCAR driver who drove in the Winston Cup series from 1977 to 1989 and the Busch Series in 1982 and 1985. He was the 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, edging out Roger Hamby in a race that went down to the wire at the Los Angeles Times 500. Thomas's father, Jabe Thomas was also a NASCAR driver. In 1980, his best season he finished 14th in the points in #69 War Eagle Construction car. He led a career total of three laps in Winston Cup competition.


LENNIE POND Ettrick, Va.

Lennie Pond (born August 11, 1940 in Ettrick, Virginia) is a former NASCAR driver. He won NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors in 1973, and won his only race at Talladega Superspeedway in 1978 for Ronnie Elder and Harry Ranier.

His career totals include 234 career stars, 1 win, 39 top fives, 88 top tens, 5 poles, and a best championship finish of 5th in 1976.

He beat out Darrell Waltrip for rookie of the year honors in 1973.

DAVE MARCIS Wausaw, Wi.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dave Marcis
Born March 1, 1941 (age 70)
Wausau, Wisconsin, United States
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
883 races run over 35 years
Best finish 2nd – 1975 Winston Cup Series season
First race 1968 Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway)
Last race 2002 Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway)
First win 1975 Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville Speedway)
Last win 1982 Richmond 400 (Richmond Fairgrounds)
Wins Top tens Poles
5 222 14

Dave Marcis (born March 1, 1941 in Wausau, Wisconsin) is a retired driver on the NASCAR Winston Cup (now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup) circuit whose career spanned five decades. Marcis won five times over this tenure, twice at Richmond, including his final win in 1982. Dave was most famous for two things: racing for his own team and racing while wearing wingtip shoes to absorb the heat in the car. He made the Daytona 500 every year from 1968 until 1999. The 2002 Daytona 500 was the last time Marcis raced in NASCAR.

[palmbayer]

How about Monroe,NC.'s Baxter Price ? Per one of the Nascar officials last season, Baxter is and has been one of the big wigs for the Charlotte Pipe CO. (they make most of the PVC pipe used everywhere )

[ancrdave]

Buddy Arrington at Daytona in 1969...

[mr south 59]

egspeedway. The Capp's boys like I said are some of the nicest guys in the business. They make great power too. We won many many many state, divisional, and national WKA karting events flying under the Capps banner and are very proud of it.

WOW Dave. I didn't realize that Buddy was in that '69 500. That was the first year I went to the 500. I was 10. I didn't get to know the Arrington relatives until I moved to West Palm. The big thing I remember in '69 was a guy named Friday something that my uncle Bill knew. I can remember going up to his car and hanging around for a while. I though it was funny to be named Friday when I was 10 I guess. Don't remember his last name.

[jacko241]

Must have been Friday Hassler, who was killed at Daytona in 1972. I didn't know that Buddy Arrington was from South Florida. He was one of my favorites, because he campaigned a Chrysler product like my hero, The King.

[mr south 59]

Joe. He had relatives that lived here that I was friends with. Buddy would come down a couple times a year. And you could be right about Friday. I was thinking Hester all these years but I never really could remember. My uncle Bill told me when I was little that he went to school with him in Tenn when they were boys.

[Frasson118]

Buddy was from, or very near, Martinsville Va. My folks took me to the races there in 1970, and Buddy ran a gas station not far from the track. It was pretty cool as an about-to-be 10 year old seeing a "Grand National" car at a little 2-bay garage, then out on the track the next day. This was when he still ran a #5 car, prior to the 67 he was more famous for.

During that "Old Dominon 500", I turned 10 years old and got to see ALL the big names of the day.

[Winger]

My memory isn't what it should be but I believe JD McDuffie was an independent with Rumple Furniture, or something like that, as his sponsor. He was an also ran in most races but there was something about him that I liked. Never could tell you what. He was killed at Watkins Glen in 1991, I believe.
Alan Kulwicki is probably the most well known independent to more recent Nascar fans. He was the last independent owner driver to win the championship in Cup racing. Many think he was the last independent but that's not true. I'm not sure who the last true independent was that ran a full Cup season. The Bodines come to mind, as they both (Geoff and Brett) owned and drove their own cars late in their careers. Has any independent run a full season since they did?

[ancrdave]

I first met Friday Hassler at Bristol in 1968... He was quite a guy... Got a win at Bristol in '71 driving relief for Charlie Glotzbach in Jr. Johnson's Chevy... This picture is from Daytona in 1971...

[ancrdave]

Here's Bunkie Blackburn at the Firecracker 400 in 1965 with a '65 Chevy that was built and owned by Ray Fox... Absolutely gorgeous car... Bunkie was from Fayetteville, NC but moved later to Daytona Beach... Won one of the Permatex races at Daytona in a Ray Fox Dodge... He also drove a short time for Petty Enterprises in the early '60s...

[Gary J]

Jay Friday Hassler jr also used to race latemodels, was at Lanier once .let us not forget the most downtrodden of them all: Wendell Scott , anyone have a photo of his Ford Talledega?