Jim Fenton Wins The Governor's Cup - 1979

[ancrdave]

The only year it was held at Sunshine Speedway....
1) Article on the Gilf Coast 100 held the night before...
2) Article on the 1979 Governor's Cup race....
3) Perry Lovelady crashes during the race...
4) Dick Trickle on his way to finishing second passing Bob Pennington...
5) Jim Fenton in victory lane with Frank Dery, Jr. and Dan Jones... How about that head of hair!!!

[Jim Fenton]

Here's a couple of clearer shots of the same presentation.

In the first shot, the man on the far left behind the car, in blue jeans, light denim shirt with his arms folded looking at the cameraman, is Herman Jensen, (Herman Jensen's Auto Body) one of our sponsors for many years.

The man on the far right, sunglasses, light blue tee shirt with dark ring around the neck and shoulders, was one of our crew, Ronnie Lurch.

Ronnie was a sheet metal man by trade. Best in the business that I'd ever seen at the time or since. Ronnie could duplicate a Chevelle or Camaro front fender or rear quarter panel out of flat stock with a hammer and a vice. If I tore up a nose or rear clip on on a Friday night he'd have a new one made and back on the car before race time Saturday.

Ronnie was a great guy and never got rattled when the pressure was on to produce. He's gone now but not forgotten.

Incidentally, IMHO, the two promoters in this shot was also the best in the business. I can't say enough positive things about my experiences with both of them.



In this second shot, the couple hugging behind the car to the right of Dan Jones is my sister and brother-in-law, Barbara & Kenny Faircloth. It was a very emotional win for them as they were also the owners of the FOUR. My sister is also gone now and I miss her dearly. (Please be sure to tell the ones you love that you love them as often as possible.)



(BTW, I'm much younger and better looking now!)