Billy Taylor Passes

[ancrdave]

Another one of the Central Florida legends has left us... Billy Taylor was well known and a top racer at Ft. Pierce, Vero, Eau Gallie, Orlando and other tracks back in the 1960s before moving to North Carolina... My favorite car of his was his blue & white #19 '57 Ford with the unique sponsor combo of Dixie Cream Donuts and Falstaff beer... He also ran at Daytona in the Permatex race twice in a #19 1960 Ford... Billy also won a ton of races driving the famous #3C Pontiac owned by the late Leon Sheffield... Leon's son Noel posted this on Facebook a little while ago:

We lost one heck of a gentleman around Noon today. Billy Taylor has passed, and is now reunited with so many great racers, family and friends who left this world before us. I was too young to know him personally back when he was driving my dads' race cars. I grew up, and got transferred to North Carolina with my work where I reconnected with him. There, I established a completely different type of relationship. That relationship put me in contact with so many of my childhood racing heroes. The one consistent comment made, reflecting back, is that he was a real "Gentleman Racer". He won a lot of races, but also won a whole lot of friends. He was one of my dads closest friends. It warms my heart to know that he and Dad can catch up on things now. Thanks for showing the world how to be a winner while maintaining the humility and class that defined who you were.

[egspeedway]

Truly sad news indeed. Your description of him is exactly as I remember him. He was one of the quietest people I ever watched at a racetrack except for Dumont Smiths backer Jimmie Caudle. I am sure Billy, Jimmie and Gene Johnson are bench racing as I type this. Your choice for a favorite car would have been mine as well as it was a regular at Eau Gallie. One other thing I remember was that he was one of the few to try the cross fire engine concept. While we both liked the 57 Ford the 3C Pontiac was no slouch either. RIP.

[egspeedway]

Truly sad news indeed. Your description of him is exactly as I remember him. He was one of the quietest people I ever watched at a racetrack except for Dumont Smiths backer Jimmie Caudle. I am sure Billy, Jimmie and Gene Johnson are bench racing as I type this. Your choice for a favorite car would have been mine as well as it was a regular at Eau Gallie. One other thing I remember was that he was one of the few to try the cross fire engine concept. While we both liked the 57 Ford the 3C Pontiac was no slouch either. RIP.