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Faded Scenes and M-14's
Mike Bradbury
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Might Seem a little “petty”……….But……….

Posted Monday, December 12, 2011, at 7:57 AM

 

I wrote my 200th blog about stock car legend Richard Petty, but had temporarily lost track of the photos I'd taken back there in Randleman, N.C. back in 2003.

I just found them again and wanted to share them with you folks who might be interested.

car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 005             car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 006

The house Richard was born in.........and his museum, which had recently opened a month or two before I got there.

car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 015              car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 014

The first major thing you see when you walk in the doors, is his 1970  Plymouth Superbird, just a link in a long chain of hemi-powered MOPARS he dominated NASCAR with, in a career that spanned 34 years......(and that's a LOT OF MILES in one these 4,000 lb "Big Block" machines!)

car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 016               car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 013

A shot of the "office".........................and like a rack full of high powered rifle, a row of the "4-wheeled weapons" when ol' "43" was the one to beat out there, whether on dirt or asphalt.

car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 009               car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 010

Richard's father, LEE, was a NASCAR pioneer, and won the very first Daytona 500 with this 1959 Olds "88"

car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 012               car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 011

The museum REEKS of history, with not only the hemi's like that 66 Plymouth, but an early 57 Olds that Richard drove back in '58 when HE first started driving along with Lee.  (Note the removable hardtop on the Olds-------if the weather was nice, they'd sometimes run convertible races for the fans).

car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 008              car photos, petty museum, fairlane, dillinger's grve 007

Wanna go back further than THAT?  Lee Petty (#42) drove the early tracks on the stock car circuit (when they actually WERE "stock" cars) in cars like this '50 Plymouth.  Photo on the right represents about a TENTH of all of the trophies in there.   (200 Grand National/Winston Cup wins......7 championships......7 "Daytona 500" wins.......126 poles.......27 wins in ONE SEASON (1967), which included 10 STRAIGHT..........you name it--he did it, and no driver has ever been more popular with the fans.  That's why they called him the "King."

pet pistols,line photos,P-51. model cars 006               pet pistols,line photos,P-51. model cars 007

And if you just happen to get there on the "right day"...............

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    Fun! And you are lucky being 'there at the right time"

    -- Posted by jessiemiller on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 8:02 AM
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    Thanks for the pictures. My only live race was in Alabama. Watched from the bleachers AKA cheap seats on the back straightaway. Saw every wreck but the "big one" on the tri-oval. I can still feel the push, smell the exhaust and will swear you can't put a pack of cigarettes between the bumpers. It was a restrictor plate race and I watched a Chevy beat all of the rest of the then US made "stock" cars.

    I have trouble enough at 25 MPH not to try driving at 180 plus.

    Care to hazard a guess who won that day?

    -- Posted by wh67 on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 8:33 AM
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    No problem, and it was old No. 3. That was an amazing trip for me. I got to Huntsville late the day before the race and my employees picked me up at the airport. We stopped on the way to the motel to pick up a couple of sixpacks so we could set by the pool and plan our Sunday outing. The plan included picking up more refreshments somewhere along the way. On Sunday in Alabama. Not gonna happen right? Well we stopped at a conveinience store that advertised fishing bait somewhere between Redstone Arsenal and the race track. (had to have beer right?) A little towheaded seven or eight year old in a (helping DAD run the store) pleaded with me not to tell anybody where we got it for "fear" that if his momma found out Dad sold it to met, she'd whip "bofem". I don't think he understood when I suggested to him that he was safe because I didn't have clue if I was even IN ALABAMA.

    I can't tell you the year because of all of the other amazing stuff that happened before we got back to our motel rooms sometime after 2:00 AM Monday.

    -- Posted by wh67 on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 9:49 AM

  • So cool! I wish I'd had an opportunity to watch the Man in Black race. I remember the day he died.

    -- Posted by lilmissmelmo on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 5:59 PM
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    I just got this link about a short movie called Pickin and Trimmin. It's about 20 minutes long, but speaks volumes about NASCAR county, music and traditional meeting places. Take a look if you want. http://vimeo.com/31066145

    -- Posted by wh67 on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 8:38 PM
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