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From the Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch:
Former NASCAR driver Lennie Pond was recovering at home in Chester, VA on Monday after undergoing surgery last Friday for a cancerous tumor on his brain.
Pond’s brother, Wright Pond, said the surgery was successful and doctors told the family they were able to remove all the cancerous tissue from Lennie Pond’s brain.
Wright Pond said his brother still is battling cancer in other parts of his body.
“They had already started chemotherapy and they’ll resume that and some radiation treatment,” Wright Pond said.
Wright Pond said his brother is maintaining an upbeat attitude, “and he and his family really appreciate the support that has poured in.”
Lennie Pond, 75, was among the top stock car racers on Mid-Atlantic short tracks, including his home track, Southside Speedway. He won scores of races, starting in the 1950s on dirt tracks and asphalt tracks in NASCAR’s Modified and Late Model Sportsman classes.
In 1973, he began racing at NASCAR’s elite Cup Series level full time, and he won that year’s Rookie of the Year award, beating out Darrell Waltrip for the title.
Pond recorded his only Cup Series victory in August 1978 in the Talladega 500 at the 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor speedway (since renamed Talladega Superspeedway). At the time, his average speed of 174.7 mph was the record for a 500-mile race.
Pond’s last Cup Series race was in 1989. He had 234 career Cup starts with 88 top-10 finishes.
After retiring from racing, Pond got into automotive sales. He is a member of the staff at Heritage Chevrolet in Chester.
Former NASCAR driver Lennie Pond was recovering at home in Chester, VA on Monday after undergoing surgery last Friday for a cancerous tumor on his brain.
Pond’s brother, Wright Pond, said the surgery was successful and doctors told the family they were able to remove all the cancerous tissue from Lennie Pond’s brain.
Wright Pond said his brother still is battling cancer in other parts of his body.
“They had already started chemotherapy and they’ll resume that and some radiation treatment,” Wright Pond said.
Wright Pond said his brother is maintaining an upbeat attitude, “and he and his family really appreciate the support that has poured in.”
Lennie Pond, 75, was among the top stock car racers on Mid-Atlantic short tracks, including his home track, Southside Speedway. He won scores of races, starting in the 1950s on dirt tracks and asphalt tracks in NASCAR’s Modified and Late Model Sportsman classes.
In 1973, he began racing at NASCAR’s elite Cup Series level full time, and he won that year’s Rookie of the Year award, beating out Darrell Waltrip for the title.
Pond recorded his only Cup Series victory in August 1978 in the Talladega 500 at the 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor speedway (since renamed Talladega Superspeedway). At the time, his average speed of 174.7 mph was the record for a 500-mile race.
Pond’s last Cup Series race was in 1989. He had 234 career Cup starts with 88 top-10 finishes.
After retiring from racing, Pond got into automotive sales. He is a member of the staff at Heritage Chevrolet in Chester.
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