Author: Angie Campbell

Raymond Parks is probably the most important man in NASCAR that you’ve never heard of.

You may think you know how NASCAR began but if you’re not familiar with Raymond Parks, you only know half the story.

Before his passing in June 2010, Parks was the last living member of the group that gathered in 1947 at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida to form NASCAR.

While most of the credit for forming NASCAR goes to William “Big Bill” France, it may not have happened at all if not for Raymond Parks and others like him who shared a dream.

“At the time, I didn’t know what I was getting into,” Parks once said. “I might have had a vision, but I certainly never saw where NASCAR was going. It surpassed anything I imagined. I’m just glad to have been in it at the beginning.”

Parks was born in Dawsonville, Georgia in 1914 and was the oldest of his father’s 16 children. He left home and moved to Atlanta at the young age of 14 and got into the business of hauling moonshine. Within a couple of years, the teenager owned a service station and ran a network of moonshine distributors.

Red Vogt owned a garage just down the road from Park’s service station and soon became the mechanic of choice for the bootleggers. More importantly, this was the beginning of a partnership that would make NASCAR history.

If you really want to know what racing was like before there were corporate sponsors and television cameras, just listen to Raymond Parks.

“Racing was a lot different back then,” said Parks. “It was really just getting started. I guess Lakewood (near Atlanta) was the first real track that we raced on. There were dozens of other tracks that would spring up in pastures or on farms, with just some fence wire separating the fans from the racing.”

“Sunday afternoon was a time that most people relaxed. It was normal for those who had fast Fords or other types of moonshine cars to want to get together. They might decide to go out on a highway outside of town and see who had the fastest car.”

“Other times, they would find some farmer that would let them go out in his pasture. Maybe it was one or two cars, but usually, it was several. And when the cars revved up, the local people would always be there.”

His entry into racing as a professional team owner came about at the urging of two cousins.

His cousins, “Lightning” Lloyd Seay and “Rapid” Roy Hall were also in the moonshine business and convinced Parks to finance them in their racing careers.  Parks provided them with quality cars with Red Vogt as his chief mechanic.

Hall and Seay attained celebrity status and became two of the first stars on the amateur racing circuit.

Roy Hall was the subject of the Jim Croce song “Rapid Roy, that Stock Car Boy.”

Seay, who was killed in a moonshine dispute in 1941, was a frequent thorn in the side of Georgia lawmen.

One deputy described Seay as “without a doubt the best automobile driver of this time. He was absolutely fearless and an excellent driver on those dusty, dirt roads. I caught him eight times and had to shoot his tires off every time.”

Another deputy remembers a night when he stopped Seay for speeding as he headed north for another load of moonshine. Seay handed the deputy two $10’s. The officer told him, “You know the fine is only $10.00.” Seay responded by saying, “I’m paying for my return trip later tonight.”

By the early 1940s, Parks was making a little money with his amateur racers. One of those racers was the future founder of NASCAR, Bill France.

Just when racing was getting off the ground, World War II broke out. Parks was off to Germany and spent about three years in the service. He participated in the famous Battle of the Bulge where he spent over 100 days in a foxhole.

Parks survived the war with barely a scratch and soon returned to racing with a new driver, Red Bryon.

Byron had also been in World War II but was not so lucky. His bomber had been shot down and Byron nearly lost a leg. As a result of the injury, he had to wear a leg brace and an orthopedic boot so driving a car wasn’t easy.

But with some modifications to the clutch pedal by Red Vogt and a lot of determination, Byron was able to race competitively.

In December of 1947, France invited all the most successful names in racing to that famous meeting at Daytona Beach where NASCAR was formed. Raymond Parks, Red Vogt and Red Byron were among the participants.

That meeting was just the first step. Parks continued to play a dominant role by contributing money, cars and advice to France and the fledgling organization.

The team of Parks, Vogt and Bryon went on to win the first two NASCAR championships ever awarded; the Modified Class in 1948 and the Strictly Stock Grand National Championship in 1949.

Parks and Vogt continued to find success and later fielded cars for Fonty Flock and Curtis Turner. However, Park’s career as a car owner was short-lived. In the mid-1950s, Parks walked away from NASCAR.

“It was money, that’s what it was,” Parks said when asked why he had left the sport. “I loved racing, but I had to make a living. My business was doing well, but I was splitting the purses with the drivers and paying all the expenses, including parts, and my money was coming up shorter each week.”

After Parks left NASCAR, he focused on his other business interests including real estate, service stations, convenience stores and vending machines.

Parks may have left NASCAR but he never forgot it. He watched it grow from a weekend pastime to the well-oiled machine that it is today.

Parks once said, “If there’s one thing I regret, it’s the way NASCAR has tried to distance itself from those early drivers. Some of them were as rough as the liquor they hauled, but I always respected them.”

Shortly before his passing, he contributed memorabilia to the NASCAR Hall of Fame where his accomplishments are immortalized.

Although his time in NASCAR was brief, he was instrumental in legitimatizing the sport.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. once called Parks “the sport’s unsung hero.”

In 2009, NASCAR historian Buz McKim called Park’s team, “the Hendrick Motorsports of its day.”

“He always had the best of equipment, McKim continued, “the best drivers and the best mechanics. He always made sure the cars were totally spotless when they came to the track. That’s just the way he did things.”

NASCAR chairman Brian France acknowledged the contributions of Raymond Parks after his passing.

“Raymond was instrumental in the creation of NASCAR as a participant in the historic meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach,” said France. “Raymond is a giant in the history of NASCAR and will always be remembered for his dedication to NASCAR.”

Richard Petty perhaps said it best.

“He set the standard,” Richard Petty said. “Mr. Parks brought the sport class. A lot of people looked at that and said, ‘If he can do it, we can do it. We can clean the sport up. We can clean ourselves up.’

“It took people like Mr. Parks to lay the foundation that we’re still living off of. And without people like him, we wouldn’t have the history we have and we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Achievements and Awards:

1948 Won the Modified Class Championship
1949 Won the Strictly Stock Grand National Championship
1995 Inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame at Darlington
1996 Inducted into the Jacksonville Raceways Hall of Fame
2002 Inducted into the first class of the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
2009 Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
2017 Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Bud Moore was recently announced as an inductee into the second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

His reaction was poignant.

“I’m really thrilled,” Moore said. “You just don’t know how thrilled I really am to be chosen. It is one of the greatest moments of my life.”

However, on a day intended to honor and celebrate his life’s work, controversy reared its ugly head. There are those who question his inclusion over more well-known names such as drivers Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough.

There is no standardized template for the perfect Hall of Fame candidate. It’s not as simple as comparing statistics to determine who comes out on top. Each individual’s contributions, both on and off the track, must be considered. For often indefinable reasons, there are always those special few who shape the sport for future generations.

Bud Moore is one such man.

Walter M. “Bud” Moore was born on May 25, 1925, in Spartanburg, South Carolina and once described himself as “an old country mechanic who loved to make ‘em run fast.”

As a young man, he was drafted into the Army and went off to serve his country as an infantryman. Moore returned from World War II as a highly decorated hero with two Bronze Stars and five Purple Hearts.

He showed that same level of commitment and focus when he began his racing career and was a prominent figure in the early days of NASCAR. When you talk about the founding fathers of NASCAR, you’re talking about Bud Moore.

He owned and operated a NASCAR team for 37 years and in 959 starts accumulated 63 victories, 43 poles, 298 top-five finishes and 463 top-10s.

Moore was the crew chief for Buck Baker when Baker won the championship in 1957. He won back to back championships as a car owner with Joe Weatherly in 1962 and 1963. Moore also won a Grand American championship in 1968 with Tiny Lund and a Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am title in 1970 with Parnelli Jones.

If you take a look at the biggest names in NASCAR history, it’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t driven a Bud Moore car.

Those drivers include David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Fireball Roberts, Bobby Alison, Buddy Baker, Billy Wade, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Morgan Shepherd, Dale Earnhardt and more.

Bud Moore had a front row seat to NASCAR’s future stars.

“The thing is, a lot of people ask me, who was the best? They all were good,” Moore once said. “Some were better on some racetracks and others were better on others.”

“Buddy Baker was the best on mile-and-a-half, two-mile racetracks. Bobby Allison was good on all the racetracks, and Dale Earnhardt was just as good, or better.”

“But those (last) two stand out to me, as far as being drivers on all the tracks. But I can’t pick a favorite. I liked them all.”

Bud Moore cars have also won at some of NASCAR’s most prestigious tracks.

Darel Dieringer won the Darlington Southern 500 in 1966. Buddy Baker won three straight races at Talladega in 1975 and 1976 in Moore owned cars. Bobby Allison won the Daytona 500 and the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1978.

Bud Moore’s retirement tells a familiar story of talent versus money. After problems finding sponsors, he finally closed his shop and retired from racing in 1999.

“I spent a bunch of my own money keeping the team alive, keeping the shop and keeping key personnel on board,” Moore said. “Whenever we thought we had a sponsor deal, somebody would say to them, ‘Wait a minute. Why in the world would you spend millions on Bud Moore? We’ll put you on four or five cars for a million.’ If that was you, what would you do? You’d go on four or five cars. So that put us out of business. From 1994 to 1999, there were 23 single-car teams that went out of business.”

Bud Moore may not have been the popular choice for the NASCAR Hall of Fame but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t the right choice.

If you don’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe Dale Earnhardt.

In 1983 Bud Moore predicted that Dale Earnhardt would make NASCAR history.

“He can do more things with a car than anyone I’ve ever seen. I’ll put it this way, he’s the best I’ve ever seen, and that includes Fireball Roberts and guys like that.”

When Earnhardt heard what Moore had said, he responded by saying, “It takes more than a driver. You have to have a good team and they’re hard to come by.”

He went on to say, “I’m glad Bud feels that way. I can also say, I think he’s the best. It’s an honor coming from him considering what he’s seen and the drivers he has seen go by.”

Awards and Achievements:
Two Cup championships with Joe Weatherly in 1962 and 1963
One Grand American championship with Tiny Lund in 1968
63 career victories
43 career poles
Inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in August 2002
Inducted into International Motorsports Hall of Fame in April 2009
Announced as Inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010, Induction ceremony to be held in May 2011

Quotes courtesy of darlingtonraceway.com, Todd Shanesy at goupstate.com and Tom Higgins – The Charlotte Observer

Even the most casual NASCAR fan has heard of Richard Petty, Bobby Allison or Dale Earnhardt.  If you really want to know the heart of stock car racing, you sometimes need to dig below the surface. If you take the time to do that, you’re often rewarded with a hidden gem.

On my excursion this month, I found a treasure in the guise of Herb Thomas.

Thomas doesn’t fit the stereotypical profile of most drivers in the 1950’s. He didn’t come from a racing family and he didn’t hone his driving skills running moonshine. You won’t hear tales about a flashy lifestyle of drinking and carousing.

While others grabbed headlines, Thomas was busy winning races.

“It’s win or bust with me,” Thomas said. “Second place is never good enough.”

Herb Thomas was a pioneer of stock car racing in every sense of the word.  

He was there when it all began at the first NASCAR sanctioned race at Charlotte Speedway in 1949. Thomas was the first two time Cup Series champion, the first owner/driver to win a championship and the first three-time winner of the historic Darlington Southern 500.

Although he only drove seven full seasons, he was one of the most successful drivers of his era.  But that’s only part of the story. Over fifty years later, Thomas still holds the record as the driver with the highest winning percentage in the history of the sport.

Herbert Watson Thomas was born in the small town of Olivia, North Carolina in 1923. He worked as a farmer and later at a saw mill before he ventured into the world of racing.

At first, racing was just a hobby for Thomas but it didn’t take long before he began to see the possibilities. When Bill France began organizing races under the newly formed NASCAR banner, Thomas was ready for the challenge.

He also became friends with Bill France who would often stop by to visit Thomas and his wife, Helen, when he was out that way posting flyers for the next race. It seems France couldn’t pass up a chance for one of Helen’s home cooked meals.

Thomas raced as an owner/driver, pouring most of his winnings back into the car.  In his first full season of competition in 1950, Thomas claimed his first victory at Martinsville Speedway.

His career took off in 1951 when he began driving what would come to be known as the “Fabulous Hudson Hornet.” Thomas also joined up with the legendary Smokey Yunick and began a partnership that would prove to be almost unbeatable.

This was also the year that Thomas would win his first Southern 500 at Darlington. After seven total victories that season, he went on to capture his first championship, beating out rival Fonty Flock by a narrow margin.

Thomas was back with a vengeance the following year with an impressive eight wins but lost the championship to Tim Flock and had to settle for second place.

During the 1953 season, Thomas scored a series record of twelve race wins. His domination gained him another title and he became the first two-time champion.

The next year Thomas was once again fighting for the championship. He won another twelve races including a second Southern 500 win, making him the first two-time winner of the race. In the end, he lost the championship to Lee Petty who proved that sometimes consistency can be the key to victory. Thomas had to settle for second place again.

The 1955 season proved to be a pivotal point in Thomas’s career. While competing at a race in Charlotte, he was involved in a crash that would leave him sidelined for three months. Thomas vowed to not only return but to win races.

“Don’t worry about me.  I’ll be racing again by the time the Darlington 500 comes up in September. And I’ll win it again, too,” Thomas predicted.

When it was time for the Southern 500, Smokey Yunick devised a unique strategy.

The Flock brothers were touted as the ones to beat in their Chrysler 300’s. Thomas was running a smaller Chevrolet with less horsepower and was clearly considered the underdog.

But Yunick had a plan. He mounted a set of specially designed tires on the lightweight Chevrolet and instructed him to run a conservative pace.

It took him most of the race but with less than 100 laps to go, Thomas finally pulled into the lead. He went on to take the checkered flag after running the entire race on one set of tires.

The victory made Thomas the first three-time winner of the Southern 500.

Despite missing part of the season, Thomas had a total of three wins and finished in fifth place in the championship standings.

In 1956, Thomas won one race as an owner/driver and won another race while driving for Smokey Yunick. He then joined forces with Carl Kiekhaefer who had enticed Thomas to join his team with promises of more money and better equipment. It looked like a match made in heaven and Thomas won three consecutive races.

Their success was short lived. Thomas soon grew tired of traveling all over the country and became disillusioned with the partnership. By the end of the season, Thomas was once again racing as an owner/driver and had already clinched second place when his career came to an abrupt halt.

He was racing at a track in Shelby, North Carolina and had just passed Speedy Thompson for the lead. In retaliation, Thompson bumped Thomas’s rear bumper and sent him spinning head first into the outside guardrail.

From all accounts, at least six drivers crashed into Thomas’s car.  He suffered from a fractured skull, a badly lacerated scalp, a ruptured eardrum and internal injuries that left him in a coma. He was rushed to the hospital where he underwent brain surgery.

Thomas later said, “I don’t remember much about it. I remember passing Speedy and the last thing I remember is going straight into the wall.  That’s all I remember from that night.”

Thomas started in two races in 1957 and one in 1962, but with little success. Feeling like he’d lost his edge, he decided to retire from racing.

“Those boys were passing me in the turns when it used to be me passing them,” lamented Thomas.

With his racing days behind him, Thomas went back to tobacco farming and also owned a trucking company which he operated on a part time basis.

Thomas passed away on August 9, 2000 after a heart attack, at the age of 77.

I had the opportunity to speak with Thomas’s grandson, and biggest fan, Chris. We talked about his famous grandfather and Chris shared a few special memories.

One of the things that Chris loved most about him was his sense of humor.

“When we were not working in tobacco, he was a joker. He loved to laugh and make others laugh.”

“Most of what I know about his racing, I learned from my Grandma Helen,” he told me. “You would have never known he was a NASCAR driver simply because he just did not talk about those days much.   You did know that he was a very hard working farmer who expected the best.”

I asked Chris if his grandfather had kept up with NASCAR.

“He never missed a race,” said Chris. “If a race was on, Granddaddy would be sitting there in his recliner, eyes glued to the television set.”

“Did he have a favorite driver?” I wondered.

Chris laughed and said that a friend of his had once asked his grandfather that question one day when they were at home watching a race.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Thomas said, “Hell, there’s only one man on the track, Dale.”

In racing and in life Herb Thomas always gave 100 percent. The legacy he left for his family was not all about trophies but more about life lessons.

“I think he wanted to be remembered for being the best that he could be at everything he did,” Chris proudly told me.

Smokey Yunick once said of Thomas, “Herb Thomas could really drive. He was smart in a race. He knew how to pace himself. He was as good as they came and they have never given him enough credit for his ability.”

Achievements:

The first two-time Cup champion in 1951 and 1953.

The first owner/driver to win a title which he did twice.

He finished second three times in the points standings, in 1952, 1954 and 1956. In 1955 he finished fifth in the points standings.

The first three time Southern 500 winner, in 1951, 1954 and 1955.

Thomas won races in seven consecutive seasons from 1950-56.

Recipient of the Buddy Schuman Award for loyalty and outstanding contributions to NASCAR auto racing in 1957.

Inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1965.

Inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.

Named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998.

Herb Thomas was the inspiration for the character “Doc Hudson” in the movie “Cars”.

A NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee in 2010 and 2011.

Thomas won 48 times in series competition, a number that ranks 12th all time. His 48 victories in 228 starts equates to a series-record winning percentage of 21.05.

Thanks to howstuffworks.com and legendsofnascar.com for quotes.

Special thanks to Chris Thomas for sharing his memories of his grandfather