Driving with the Devil
Page 44
St. John, Warren. Rammer jammer Yellow Hammer. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004.
Time Inc. Home Entertainment. LIFE: American Speed, From Dirt Tracks to Indy to NASCAR. Time Inc. Home Entertainment, 2002.
UMI Publications. NASCAR: The Early Years. Charlotte, N.C.: UMI Publications, 2002.
Walsworth Publishing. Dawson County, Georgia Heritage, 1857-1996. Waynesville, N.C.: Walsworth Publishing, 1997.
Webb, James. Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America. New York: Broadway Books, 2004.
Wilkinson, Alec. Moonshine: A Life in Pursuit of White Liquor. St. Paul, Minn.: Hungry Mind Press, 1998.
Wilkinson, Sylvia. Dirt Tracks to Glory: The Early Days of Stock Car Racing as Told by the Participants. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books, 1983.
Yates, Brock W. Against Death and Time: One Fatal Season in Racing's Glory Years. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2004.
————. NASCAR off the Record. Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks International, 2004.
Yunick, Henry. Best Damn Garage in Town: The World According to Smokey. 4 vols. Holly Hill, Fla.: Carbon Press, 2001.
ARTICLES AND OTHER SHORT WORKS
Cansler, Jack. “The World's Toughest Road Race.” Speed Age, Aug. 1950.
Carlson, Peter. “American Bacchanal.” Washington Post Magazine, Sept. 2, 1999.
Clark, George Stephens. “Gasoline and Sand: The Birth of Automobile Racing.”
Mankind: The Magazine of Popular History 3, no. 4 (Dec. 1971). Conley, Kevin. “NASCAR's New Track.” New Yorker, Nov. 2, 2004.
Granger, Gene. “The 1950 Southern 500.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Oct. 1992.
————. “Tim Flock.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Jan. 1993.
Hall, Randal L. “Before NASCAR: The Corporate and Civic Promotion of Automobile Racing in the American South, 1903-1927.” Journal of Southern History 68, no. 3 (Aug. 2002).
Hembree, Mike. “Raymond Parks.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, 1994.
Hinton, Ed. “The Legend: Lloyd Seay Was the Young Sport's Brightest Star until He Was Gunned Down.” Sports Illustrated Presents SO Years of NASCAR, Jan. 28, 1998.
Hodges, Gerald. “NASCAR Racing—Before There Was NASCAR, There Was Dawsonville.” Susquebanna County Transcript, Dec. 24, 2002, http://www.susquehannatranscript.com/archives/12_17_02v4n25/sports.htm.
Ingram, Jonathan. “Last of a Breed.” Speedway Illustrated, Oct. 2004.
Jeanes, William. “France and the Motor City.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Apr. 1992.
Lopez, Steve. “Babes, Bordeaux& Billy Bobs: How I Learned to Love NASCAR.” Time, May 31, 1999.
McCredie, Gary. “The First Race.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Apr. 1992.
Montville, Leigh. “Dawsonville, U.S.A.” Sports Illustrated Presents SO Years of NASCAR, Jan. 28, 1998.
National Championship Stock Car Circuit. Original minutes. “Annual Convention, The National Championship Stock Car Circuit, Ebony Room, Streamline Hotel, Daytona Beach, Florida, Dec. 14-17, 1947.”
Oliver, Susan. “Off to the Races! How the Frances of NASCAR Built a Major Fortune in Stock-Car Racing.” Forbes, July 3, 1995.
O'Reilly, Don. “Bill France.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Jan. 1993.
Pierce, Dan. “The Most Southern Sport on Earth: NASCAR and the Unions.” Southern Cultures, 2001.
Samples, Eddie. “Columbus Speedway's Historic 1948 Inaugural Season; Red Byron's Bittersweet Championship.” Pioneer Pages 8, no. 2 (June 2005).
————. “Garhofa's Raymond Dawson Parks.” Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association's Pioneer Pages 5, no. 1 (Feb. 2002).
————. “Lakewood Speedway: The Indianapolis of the South, Stock Car Racing
Begins.” Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association's Pioneer Pages 1, no. 3 (Aug. 1998).
————. “Lakewood Speedway Continued. …” Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association's Pioneer Pages 2, no. 1 (Mar. 1999).
Stahl, Leslie. Transcript of “The Real NASCAR Family.” 60 Minutes (CBS News), Oct. 6, 2005.
White, Ben. “The Beach.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, July 1992.
————. “The Formation of NASCAR.” American Racing Classics. Concord, N.C.: Griggs Publishing; Talladega, Ala.: International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Jan. 1992.
Wise, Suzanne. “Fast Women: Female Racing Pioneers.” Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South 46, no. 2 (2004), 42-59.
Wolfe, Tom. “The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson… Yes!” Esquire, Mar. 1965.
Yates, Brock. “The Force: Bill France's Vision Made NASCAR the World's Premier Racing Organization.” Sports Illustrated Presents 50 Years of NASCAR, Jan. 28, 1998.
FILMS
Automaniac documentary series. “Moonshine Cars” episode. History Channel, 2005.
Gone with the Wind. Warner Home Video, 2004.
Greased Lightning. Good Times Home Video, 1998.
(Original: Warner Bros., 1977.)
Great Racing Movies, Burning Rubber Thrillers. (Includes: “The Fast and the Furious”; “The Big Wheel”; “Hot Rod Girl.”) American Home Treasures, 2002.
The History of NASCAR. BSC Entertainment, 2003.
The Last American Hero. CBS/Fox, Key Video, 1985.
(Original: Twentieth Century Fox, 1973.)
NASCAR‘s Great Moments: The Early Years. Sony Music Entertainment, 1997.
The NASCAR Story: From Thunder Road to Victory Lane. Vol. 1, 1947-1958.
Charlotte, N.C.: Creative Sports, 1993.
NASCAR—The IMAX Experience. IMAX, 2005.
Tell about the South: Voices in Black and White—The History of Modern Southern Literature, 1915-1940.
Charlottesville, Va.: Agee Films, 1999.
Thunder Road. MGM, 1997.
WEB SITES
www.fireballroberts.com
www.fordracing.com
www.garhofa.com
www.henryfordestate.com
www.iscmotorsports.com
www.juniorjohnson.com
www.library.appstate.edu/stockcar
www.livinglegendsofautoracing.com
www.motorsportshalloffame.com
www.nascar.com
www.nationalspeedsportnews.com
www.ncarhof.com
www.speedwaymotorsports.com
www.racing-reference.com
I I wish I'd started on this project sooner. So many moonshining NASCAR pioneers have passed on—including a few who died durning the course of my research—and so much of the early history of the sport has been lost. That is why I'm grateful to Raymond Parks for remembering so much, saving so much, and sharing it all with me. I truly enjoyed the many hours I spent with him and his wife, Violet. Parks wasn't entirely sure he wanted to see his life on display like this. He remains a southern gentleman, and I could tell he felt there was something unseemly in talking to a stranger about his past. But over time, he warmed up to me, sometimes nudged along by Violet or his brother Virgil or sister Lucille. I'm grateful to them all. Without them, this book would not have happened.
Nor would this book have been possible without the generosity of Eddie Samples (son of 1940s stock car racing legend Ed Samples) and Mike Bell, both with the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Eddie and Mike welcomed me into their homes and shared their massive collections of stock car research. Thank you both for preserving an important piece of southern history. Another inva
luable resource, which grows larger by the day, is the Stock Car Racing Collection at Appalachian State University. My thanks to its creator and curator, Suzanne Wise, for all she's done to help a Jersey boy understand NASCAR. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum in Talladega was another invaluable resource, and I thank Betty Carlan for her assistance.
Enormous thanks go out to the families of Red Vogt and Red Byron … to Tom Vogt, June Wendt, and George Moore; to Nell, Betty, and Beverly Byron; to Virginia and Steve Gassaway; and to Roy Hall's son, Ronnie. I'm also grateful to the following: Billy Watson; David, Sarah, and Vaudelle Sosbee; Gordon Pirkle; J. B. and Willavene Day; Terry Terrell; the folks at the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce and the Dawson County Courthouse; Dan Pierce of UNC-Asheville and participants in his excellent “Mountain Thunder” program at the Ashe-ville library in 2003; Dick Berggren, Chris Economaki, and Peter Golenbock, for the occasional dumb question; Buz McKim and Nancy Kendrick at ISC. Thanks to Catherine Taylor for introducing me to the writings of Horace Kephart and to Cara May for introducing me to the novels of Sharyn McCrumb, which were part of my southern education. That education continued with McCrumb's 2005 book St. Dale, and I feel fortunate to now consider Sharyn a friend.
This book was helped greatly by the weeks spent at the wonderful Hambidge Center's residency program in Georgia (thanks, Fran and Cindy; I hope to be back soon) and the days spent lingering at Mala-props Bookstore in Asheville (thanks, Emoke, Linda, and Andrew). Thanks also to Erik Larson, Buzz Bissinger, Bob Timberg, Homer Hickam, David Hartman, and Robert Hicks for advice at crucial moments along the way.
Family and friends who suffered through early drafts or offered support, advice, or food include Larry Chilnick, Mike Hudson, Pauline and Bill Trimarco, Katherine and David Reed, Brian and Cheryl Klam, Brooke Hopkins, Gerry Fabbri, Ellen Phirrmann, John Plemmons, J. D. Kramer; the Terlingua contingent, Rob and Blaise; and the Yankee contingent, John Mooney, Tom Moran, and Jim Haner. My thanks to them all, and to my father, Phil.
Tommy Hayes, head of the Great Smokies Writing Program, was a reliable source of sound advice and empathy. “Mr.” Adams and his supply of corn liquor (compliments of One-Eyed Ronnie) helped me blast through anything resembling writer's block. And the Drive-By Truckers— with their savvy tunes about bootleggers, stock car racers, and the South—became the loud sound track for the writing of this book.
My deepest thanks go out to my editors: Caroline Sincerbeaux, for her steady hand over the course of two years, and Shana Drehs, for driving this project to the finish line. I'm grateful to everyone at Crown for their continued support—from copy editors to proofreaders, designers to lawyers, publicists to marketing folks, I couldn't have asked for a more professional team. Thanks to Andrew Levine, Beth Davey, and everyone at Inkwell Management. And to my outstanding agent, Michael Carlisle, I say: thank you, and onward.
Finally, much love to my wonderful, lush, zany, inspiring family: Mary, Leo, and Sean. I could neither have started nor finished this without you by my side.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NEAL THOMPSON (www.nealthompson.com) is a veteran journalist who has worked for the Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer, and St. Petersburg Times and whose magazine stories have appeared in Outside, Esquire, Backpacker, Men's Health, and the Washington Post Magazine. He teaches at the University of North Carolina-Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program and is author of the critically acclaimed biography Light This Candle: The Life& Times of Alan Shepard. Thompson, his wife, and their two sons live in the mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina.
Also by Neal Thompson
BLASTOFF!
A LAN SHEPARD was the brashest, cockiest, and most flamboyant of America's original Mercury Seven, but he was also regarded as the best. Light This Candle, based on exclusive access to Shepard's family and closest friends—including John Glenn, Wally Schirra, and Gordon Cooper—offers a riveting, action-packed account of Shepard's life.
LIGHT THIS CANDLE
The Life& Times of Alan Shepard
$14.95 paper (Canada: $21.00)
ISBN-10: 1-4000-8122-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-4000-8122-6
Three Rivers Press New York
Available from Three Rivers Press wherever books are sold
Copyright © 2006 by Neal Thompson
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the
Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.: Excerpt from “Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)” by
Jim Croce. Copyright © 1972 (Renewed) Denjac Music Company. Copyright
assigned to Croce Publishing in the U.S.A.
All rights outside the U.S.A. administered by Denjac Music Company. All rights
reserved.
Part title photo credits: Part I. Top, courtesy of Lyons Memorial Library, College of the Ozarks.
Bottom, courtesy of Library of Congress (LC-USZ62-42075). Part II. Courtesy of Raymond Parks. Part III. Courtesy of Eddie Samples.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thompson, Neal.
Driving with the devil: southern moonshine, Detroit wheels, and the birth of
NASCAR / Neal Thompson—1st ed.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Stock car racing—Southern states—History. 2. Automobile racing—
United States—Biography. 3. Southern states—Social conditions. I. Title.
GV10209.9.S74T46 2006
796.720975—dc22 2006013292
eISBN: 978-0-307-52226-9
v3.0