A sight for sore eyes!!!!

[carolwicks]

WOW! This photo brings back so many memories. I can remember the excitement of knowing we would be on the edge of our seats watching these guys race... For those of you who dont know...from left to right are LeRoy Porter, Dickie Anderson and Jimmy Cope... three hard driving racers who put the adrenaline into our race tracks!
The pic is courtesy of Robert Howell....thank you Robert.
Also a huge thank you to joyce who worked so hard to bring this event to die hard race fans and for giving honor to these awesome racers... what an enormous undertaking... i know how hard it can be... great job!!!!
hope to have more later but have to get to work.
carolwicks

[flvideo]

And if you look to the left a little you'll see another sight for sore for those a little older. Gordon Lee of Golden gate and Sunshine Fame. In about a week you'll be able to see and hear these legends on DVD. Robert shot this Pic as I was shooting an interview with these 3. "Mr Excitement" Jimmy Cope was doing the interview. He also was the esteemed Flagman for the play time, Oh I mean racing. I really got a kick out of one ole Codger, present company excluded, when he won his race the crew wheeled out his oxygen bottle. Man it was great. Thanks to Joyce who was the driving force behind this effort and Don and Sandy. Great Job guys. I look forward to another, But PLEASE lets have it in Nov or DEC. We like to have melted. It was hotter than Hades, and the humidity had to be 110%. I got home and I smelled so bad the dogs wudn't hav any thin to do wid me. Till we do it agin. Bob...

[AJ14]

Great photo .There is some incredible racing talent at that table . Some pretty fair story telling talent as well .

[carolwicks]

oh boy!

wish i was a fly on that wall. maybe dickie is telling them about the time he opened a gate! rofllllll i hate not seeing these people and wish so much i could have gone. hopefully will make the next one and also hope Joyce will take the advice of having it on a cooler day.... we are all getting OOOOOLD and heat kills us...but then again so does cold.... i think october or nov. would be ideal...NOT FEB !!! thats our NSS reunion! lol......
carol

[Frasson118]

I hope Joyce posts a listing of all the Drivers that did show up. The quantity wasn't what they hoped for (P.S. - Joyce... don't feel one single bit of shame or guilt for that), the quality was outstanding in my opinion. Not really knowing many of these people by appearance, I wasn't real sure who many of them were, until I could get close enough to read the name tags. But here is a partial list of guys that I know were there:

Leroy Porter
Terry DeCaire
Ron Abney
Jim Brinkley Sr.
Dick Anderson
Larry Moyer
Bobby Spaeth
Dave Pletcher
Wayne Anderson
Gordon Lee
Jim Fenton
Butch Yoakam
Buzzie Reutimann
Bob Pennington
Gayle Lovelady (or was it Gayle Haines... now I'm confused!)
Donnie Lewis


Plus the Vintage cars of:
Jim Higgenbotham
Geoff Yoder
Richie Iverson
Casey Jones
Bill McPeek
Ron Hess
Ronnie Rohn
.... among several others. I was kinda impressed with the turnout Of the Vintage Cars. All tolled, the car count was around 35.

[Kenny Alderman]

I enjoyed the reunion. I was a little dissapointed in the drivers that didn't make it, but it was fun. I saw a lot of Sunshine/Golden Gate drivers who were mentioned above.

I asked Buzzie to go say hello to Jim Gray in the motorhome closeby, when he got a chance. Jim, being unable to walk, spent most of the time in the motorhome. Buzzie immediately walked in to see Jim for a minute. After nearly an hour of re-racing the last 50 years and answering everything we could ask about David, he politely excused himself so he could mingle with others. We met Linda2 and found out what a wonderful lady she is. This example of kindness Buzzie and Linda displayed ABSOLUTELY made our day, especially Jim's. THANK YOU BUZZIE and LINDA.

[carolwicks]

Buzzie

if every racer had the integrity, warmth and humility Buzzie has, racing would make a quick change for the better... the Reutimanns are one of the finest families in all of racing. ;-) i love when people write good things about them because they have earned our love and respect. thanks...
carolwicks

[ronabneysr]

i'll second that i spent time with jim gray benny moore

jim fenton leroy porter dickie anderson -mr fair cloth and thanks to jim brinkley and all the other people don sandy joyce daniel keene

but would espeselly like to thank jimmy cope and here's why i raced for over 40 years but if i had of not been in a cope car sunday i probably would be here today

i feel that open wheel up pretty good and i sure am glad it was a cope car in all the years i raced i never hit wall drivers side full bore

as i was hamering off into turn two heims joint broke on left front at full bore and left front tire turned back under frame and i had gas matted to floor and car turned complete turn around the wrong way backwards

broadside into wall i had enough time to say o shi=== bam was car hurt yes took two wreckers to load it hit drivers door broadside hard

even being 65 years old not scratch nothing broke saftey crew was there by time car came down on it's wheels less than one minute thank you safety crew also my son- don nerone god and gimmy cope

if you race i don't care if you are 13 or 80 race a safe car you never know when it's time to go had a great time thank ever one RON ABNEY SR # 35 OPEN WHEEL

[Rick Williamson]

Oh by the way..this shouldn't be the first and only time this kind of the happens. Nor should it just be at a north Fla. track. Other track should wake up to the fact that this kind of thing would do their track good TOO.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Sure wish I coulda made it, as I watched a LOT of these guys growing up in the '70s and '80s. Dad's car raced against Cope, LeRoy, and Dickie many, many times at tracks from Pensacola to Hialeah. Lake City's a LONG ways for me, especially when you work the hours and days that I do. In fact, if I recall correctly, I believe we gave Jimmy (Cope) his first ever (Super) Late Model ride in 1979 at St. Pete.

I may get a copy of the DVD.

Thanks to all who put this thing together.

Next time, I'd like to see this show at a more central location (Speed World, Inverness, New Smyrna, Bronson...)