Question for Jim Fenton RE:79 Governor's Cup

[Rick Anges]

I always enjoy reading your "Blasts from the Past", can you tell us what it was like winning the 1979 "Cup" and what your memories are of that race?

[crobinson76]

easy rick you an i both know hes getting up in the years so it may take him a while to go back that far but you can bet on one thing its going to one hell of a story

[Rick Anges]

You know it Craig. I'm thinking this is going to be the best one yet!!!

[Jim Fenton]

Hey Rick,

First, Kudos to Tim Russell, this years Florida 200 winner! Congrats!

Yeah, that 79’ win was very special to me for more than one reason. Not the least of which was the fact that I hadn’t won a single Feature all year that year. I did end up 4th in points with several top-5’s and winning some heats but man-o-man for the main event wins we were getting our lunch handed to us.

Then for the year and a-half or so prior to that after our son was severely injured in August, 1977, and in a coma for several months afterwards so I just didn’t have my head in the game when I did participate.

I don’t remember too much about the first half of the race except for the fact that Anderson had all of us covered big time until his engine overheated and went south. It was a hot afternoon and my engine would run hot too if I followed someone close so I spent a lot of time up high trying to keep the temp down.

Then there was the hood thing just after half-way that really presented a challenge.

We didn’t have our hood hinged at the firewall (too much weight) but rather had it sitting on 4-posts with pins. Just past the half-way point someone backed into me going into the corner :^) which wrinkled the nose slightly and popped the post off on the left rear (driver’s side) corner.

After that every time I came off the corner and accelerated down the straightaway the frigging LR corner of the hood would stand up about a foot high and I couldn’t see out the front. Then it would lay right back down when I lifted to go into the corner. I ended up taking the window net down and driving with my head out the window for 20 or so laps until they stopped the race for a wreck.

I pulled over to the inside edge of the front straightaway where two crew guys pulled the rest of the pins and yanked the hood off. What a break that was otherwise according to officials later they were just about to black-flag me.

I do remember the end however when I caught Trickle with 20 or so to go.

Now IMO Trickle is a class act and a real racer’s racer. I don’t know about now but back then I would defy you to find him doing anything else on race night other than working in, around or under that racecar. If all you saw was legs or feet sticking out from under the thing just follow the cigarette smoke, he’s in there somewhere. Also, at least in my experience, he would answer any questions and /or offer to help with advice. All this gentlemanly spirit was off-track of course. However on track, passing that guy was another matter. IMHO he was twice as hard to get around as Howe was. He wouldn’t wreck you; just make you wish you had six tires instead of four.

Those of you that are familiar with my racing at Sunshine know that I favored running up against the wall. When I caught him I saw he was a little loose and having a hard time keeping it down so I followed him tight for a few laps running in a half-car to his outside then dipping down quickly tight to the inside. I didn’t think for a minute that I could intimidate him but I wanted to give the impression that I favored the inside and that rooting under him was my plan.

However my car was still sticking good and I was fairly confident I could get him around the outside but I didn’t want to show my hand until we were down to the short strokes.

So that’s the way it went for several laps, me running in a half-car out of the inside lane and him blocking me there and back down tight to the inside, until we were under 10-laps. I stuck it in the corner like a crazy man 2-1/2 cars high with about 7 to go which caught him too late to block but he ran that Firebird in so hard he slid right up to my driver’s door.

It wasn’t quite over yet, the fat lady wasn’t ready to sing. I stayed high from there on out for fear he’d do the ol’ bump-n-run so he got up beside me on the inside a few more times which was a real crowd pleaser but I knew I had the momentum so as the old saying goes, the rest is history.

Following are a few images / articles of the event among other things;

Accepting the Governor’s Trophy from Frank Dery, Dan Jones & Mrs. Dery.
Herman Jensen, our primary sponsor at the time appears behind the car, denim shirt,
Blue jeans, arms folded looking towards the ceremony. Our sheet metal man, Ronnie Lurch,
appears over the LF fender, light blue shirt with sunglasses. Note the finishing order pylon
in the background.




Dan Jones gives a pat on the shoulder while Mrs. Dery looks on. My sister Barbara and my
Brother-in-law, Kenny Faircloth, are hugging on the other side of the car.




After accepting the trophy. My dad appears on the other side of the car in coveralls with the
headset on, my sister & brother-in-law beside him. Trickle’s #99 Super-America Firebird sets
behind the FOUR.




This Quinlin Chevrolet promo ad using our car (whose image was from an earlier date) appeared in the Sunshine Speedway special Suncoast Classic program the night before the Governor’s Cup race on Sunday. Good omen huh?

[Jim Fenton]

Some articles of the event and afterwards:






July 25th, 1981

[Jim Fenton]

This is the same car / chassis we ran during the year in 1979 and re-groomed
for the GC race including fresh paint, lettering, windshield etc.
This chassis had various paint schemes, lettering, hood configurations, etc.
prior to the GC race.

[SeminoleWind]

Great story, pictures and articles!

[ronabneysr]

jim is not only a great racer but he has something

worth more than all money in world he has a great attitude you could not meet a better person glad to have met you and known you and enjoyed watchin you race RON srRONjr and whole abney family 35 mod

[Jim Fenton]

Thanks Ron, I appreciate that and right back at-cha too!

Look forward to seeing you and your family at the next "Blast" my friend.

[Andy S]

Jim,

Your photos and stories are absolutely incredible - thanks so much for sharing them and please keep them coming! I wish the cars today had as much character as the ones in your photos. I just wish I could have seen some of them racing in anger, but I guess I can make do now with the antique racing clubs that are doing their bit to keep this heritage alive.

Thanks again for sharing!

[flvideo]

Durn Fenton, you got a memory like a elephant!!!! Good story Jimmbo. You should write a book on the life and times of the famous FOUR! Yeah Ron your right he's a good guy. I'll see you all at the blast in March. Bob....

[Andy S]

You should write a book on the life and times of the famous FOUR!

Or someone should sit Jim down, do a proper interview about his racing career on camera, illustrate it with all those incredible old photos, and sell in on DVD. Hint, hint, hint...

[Rick Anges]

Thanks Jim I knew that would be a good one. I could actually picture you with the hood flapping in the breeze then pressuring Trickle those last few laps around Sunshine. I really liked the articles, the way "You" were the headline story and Petty, Gant Sullivan and NASCAR followed. Good Stuff!!! You my friend should write a book. Thanks for sharing that with us.

[fred23]

Jim,
You are a good story teller....it is cool to hear it from the horses mouth. I wish I would have been able to see you race.

Andy, you are right bout the way the cars had character.... I was looking through some pictures in Jim Jone's trailer last night. He has a book of a lot of teh late 70's early 80's cars. I still wish they would let guys be more creative with the bodies. The sportsman at NSS were allowed to create their own bodies this year and they seem to be catching on....more and more have taken to creating bodies similar to my dads #23. I even talked to Michael Williams and CHad Pierce on the spotters stand Friday and they are both doing the same next year. Oh yeah, it costs about a third of what an ABC body costs.

Sorry to take Jim's thread in another direction but I love seeing the cars built at home.

[Andy S]

I wish I would have been able to see you race.

You know, that was one of the best conversations we were having at the bbq yesterday. The few people who'd seen the legendary Jim Fenton race were telling the rest of us about it, what the racing was like back then, and their audience just lapped it up. One of the things that unified the whole group of us that got together yesterday was that we all agreed on how much we'd love to have seen Jim Fenton race back in the day!

(Nice to meet you on the grid on Friday night, Fred!)