East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and 2005 Reunion Update
From the office of Nancy Wilson, Director of the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and 2005 Reunion.
Wally Parks Award
We are announcing a first in special awards for motorsports, an annual award honoring the statesman of the year. Our board of directors decided at our recent board meeting to honor one of the major icons Wally Parks, former Editor of Hot Rod Magazine and founder of the National Hot Rod Association to be the first recipient for 2005. Hereafter, this annual tribute to motor sports finest will be named the Wally Parks Motorsports Statesman of the Year Award.
Cotton Owens
Excitement is building for the 4th annual East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame & Reunion to be held October 14, 15 & 16, 2005 in Historic Downtown Henderson, NC. The event is one of the Vance County Tourism Departments special projects along with the "Show, Shine, Shag and Dine. Sponsors include, Superior Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Harris Incorporated.
We couldn't be more excited to announce Grand National Champion, Cotton Owens of Spartanburg, SC, will be among the Motorsports legends attending the October event. Owens had a successful career in NASCAR and he participated in the sport of drag racing, announced Nancy Wilson, Director/Event Planner of the Vance County Tourism Department.
In the sixties, a race attraction in Atlanta was to pair up a NASCAR stars in a Super Stock match race against one of Atlanta's top dragsters or occasionally against another NASCAR star. According to Arnie Beswick, the strip promoters would arrange for a NASCAR star to drive a local car provided by Phil Bonner, Dyno Don Nicholson, Hubert Platt, or Huston Platt. Following the NASCAR ban on the Chrysler Hemi in the mid-sixties, some NASCAR stars built their own drag machines.
Match races were held between May 1963 and May 1966. Most of these races took place at Yellow River Dragstrip or Southeastern International Dragway in Dallas, but were also staged at Cumming and Atlanta Speed Shop Dragway. NASCAR stars involved include Fireball Roberts, Fred Lorenzen, Parnelli Jones, Wendell Scott, Richard Petty, Lee Roy Yarbrough, Cotton Owens, Curtis Turner, Jr. Johnson and Darel Dierenger.
Phil Bonner often provided a Ford 63 Galaxie or 64 Thunderbolt for these match races when a Ford NASCAR star was involved. Bonner actually had a second car used for these match races, sponsored by LaFayette Ford, although his own car was sometimes used.
Cotton Owens built a Dodge Dart station wagon for drag racing. He said it was a great experience. He put a Hemi in the back of a 1965 Dodge Dart station wagon, painted it yellow and called it The Cotton Picker. You could adjust the car to transfer so much weight to the rear wheels it would do wheelies.
The Cotton Picker is now owned by a collector, Marco DeCesaris from Maryland. The car will be on display at the event along with the original builder and owner, Cotton Owens. Owens will be available Saturday and Sunday to share some of his historic moments and for autographs.
Sunday, Owens will be honored for his contribution to motorsports. Owens won more than 100 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour races during the 1950's before making the transition to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition. For six straight years (1957-62), Owens captured at least one series win - Owens claimed three wins in 1960, all of which were in his home state of South Carolina. His most successful season was in 1959 where he won two races, notched 22 top-10 finishes (through 37 starts) and ranked second in the series season-long points chase to Lee Petty. In 1970, Owens was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame at Darlington, SC, Raceway.
Drag race icons and nostalgic drag cars from nineteen states will be here for the three-day event. Legends, Hubert Platt, Phil Bonner, Randy Payne, Ronnie Sox, Bud Faubel, Sam Carroll, Billy Holt, Steve Earwood, Barbara Hamilton, Wally Bell, Terry Earwood, Sy Sidebotham, John Livingston, Tony Feil, Ed Eaton, Gene Fulton, Bob Banning, Andy Phillips, Bill Taylor, Bunk Bobo, Kenny Warren, Jack Redd, Tom Raley, Dick Brannan, Bobby Warren, Jerry Baltes, Sam Auxier, Tom Sneden, Dave Reitz, Herb McCandles, Frank Spittle, Fred Bear, Pork Zartman, Gene Altizer, Dave Hales, Carroll Hahn, Bill Jeunette, Sherman Sligh, Tom "Smoker" Smith, Jack Olcott, Fred Ristagno, Joe Jacono, Bob Fermier, Butch & Gene Mori and many more will be attending.
More Info
Wally Parks Award
We are announcing a first in special awards for motorsports, an annual award honoring the statesman of the year. Our board of directors decided at our recent board meeting to honor one of the major icons Wally Parks, former Editor of Hot Rod Magazine and founder of the National Hot Rod Association to be the first recipient for 2005. Hereafter, this annual tribute to motor sports finest will be named the Wally Parks Motorsports Statesman of the Year Award.
Cotton Owens
Excitement is building for the 4th annual East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame & Reunion to be held October 14, 15 & 16, 2005 in Historic Downtown Henderson, NC. The event is one of the Vance County Tourism Departments special projects along with the "Show, Shine, Shag and Dine. Sponsors include, Superior Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Harris Incorporated.
We couldn't be more excited to announce Grand National Champion, Cotton Owens of Spartanburg, SC, will be among the Motorsports legends attending the October event. Owens had a successful career in NASCAR and he participated in the sport of drag racing, announced Nancy Wilson, Director/Event Planner of the Vance County Tourism Department.
In the sixties, a race attraction in Atlanta was to pair up a NASCAR stars in a Super Stock match race against one of Atlanta's top dragsters or occasionally against another NASCAR star. According to Arnie Beswick, the strip promoters would arrange for a NASCAR star to drive a local car provided by Phil Bonner, Dyno Don Nicholson, Hubert Platt, or Huston Platt. Following the NASCAR ban on the Chrysler Hemi in the mid-sixties, some NASCAR stars built their own drag machines.
Match races were held between May 1963 and May 1966. Most of these races took place at Yellow River Dragstrip or Southeastern International Dragway in Dallas, but were also staged at Cumming and Atlanta Speed Shop Dragway. NASCAR stars involved include Fireball Roberts, Fred Lorenzen, Parnelli Jones, Wendell Scott, Richard Petty, Lee Roy Yarbrough, Cotton Owens, Curtis Turner, Jr. Johnson and Darel Dierenger.
Phil Bonner often provided a Ford 63 Galaxie or 64 Thunderbolt for these match races when a Ford NASCAR star was involved. Bonner actually had a second car used for these match races, sponsored by LaFayette Ford, although his own car was sometimes used.
Cotton Owens built a Dodge Dart station wagon for drag racing. He said it was a great experience. He put a Hemi in the back of a 1965 Dodge Dart station wagon, painted it yellow and called it The Cotton Picker. You could adjust the car to transfer so much weight to the rear wheels it would do wheelies.
The Cotton Picker is now owned by a collector, Marco DeCesaris from Maryland. The car will be on display at the event along with the original builder and owner, Cotton Owens. Owens will be available Saturday and Sunday to share some of his historic moments and for autographs.
Sunday, Owens will be honored for his contribution to motorsports. Owens won more than 100 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour races during the 1950's before making the transition to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition. For six straight years (1957-62), Owens captured at least one series win - Owens claimed three wins in 1960, all of which were in his home state of South Carolina. His most successful season was in 1959 where he won two races, notched 22 top-10 finishes (through 37 starts) and ranked second in the series season-long points chase to Lee Petty. In 1970, Owens was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame at Darlington, SC, Raceway.
Drag race icons and nostalgic drag cars from nineteen states will be here for the three-day event. Legends, Hubert Platt, Phil Bonner, Randy Payne, Ronnie Sox, Bud Faubel, Sam Carroll, Billy Holt, Steve Earwood, Barbara Hamilton, Wally Bell, Terry Earwood, Sy Sidebotham, John Livingston, Tony Feil, Ed Eaton, Gene Fulton, Bob Banning, Andy Phillips, Bill Taylor, Bunk Bobo, Kenny Warren, Jack Redd, Tom Raley, Dick Brannan, Bobby Warren, Jerry Baltes, Sam Auxier, Tom Sneden, Dave Reitz, Herb McCandles, Frank Spittle, Fred Bear, Pork Zartman, Gene Altizer, Dave Hales, Carroll Hahn, Bill Jeunette, Sherman Sligh, Tom "Smoker" Smith, Jack Olcott, Fred Ristagno, Joe Jacono, Bob Fermier, Butch & Gene Mori and many more will be attending.
More Info
posted by David @ 12:24 AM
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