A Lifetime in Motorsports

Beginning in 1970, Motor Racing Network began as a new entity with a mission to bring NASCAR events to race fans via radio on a national scale. Over time, the network grew into a tremendous cornerstone of the sport. It became so because of the long list of talented broadcasters that brought their talents to the microphone, such as Ken Squire, Mike Joy, Barney Hall and Joe Moore, as well as many, many more in the decades to come. Episode No. 82 of "A lifetime in Motorsports" focuses on a visit with Moore and as he discusses his years with the network. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski explore his years with MRN and how he arrived on the scene and also the origins of the No. 82 during podcast No. 81 of "A Lifetime in Motorsports." Give "A Lifetime in Motorsports" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September of 1969, NASCAR's founder, Bill France, Sr., had a very big problem on his hands. He had built the 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor Speedway near Talladega, Alabama that could generate the fastest stock cars in the world. What would keep that from happening was the fact that there were no tires that were strong enough to handle the 190-mile per hour speeds the cars could generate. They were blistering in three to five laps and making drivers very nervous with every lap completed. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski explore that weekend as it unfolded and bring it to light for race fans of today that may not have ever heard the story from 54 years ago. They will also discuss the origins of the No. 81 during podcast No. 81 of "A Lifetime in Motorsports." Give "A Lifetime in Motorsports" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the very early days of NASCAR's existence, public address and radio broadcasts of races have been a huge part of the sport. Long before television coverage became commonplace, local public address announcers at tracks and then radio networks were the only source for finding out what was going on at weekly NASCAR events. Some of the greatest radio announcers in the sport's history kept fans informed lap after lap about their favorite drivers and where they stacked up as far as track position. Some even made the greatest calls of race finishes in the sport's history that can still be heard today. Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss the business of calling NASCAR races through radio broadcasts with Dave Moody, a longtime member of Motor Racing Network. They will also discuss the origins of the No. 80 during podcast No. 80 of "A Lifetime in Motorsports." Give "A Lifetime in Motorsports" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout NASCAR history, there have been some incredibly strong driver and team owner combinations. One of the most successful of the 1970s and 1980s came with team owner Junior and drivers Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. Yarborough collected 55 wins and Cup Series championships in 1976, '77 and '78 with Johnson, as did Waltrip with 43 wins and championships in 1981, '82 and '85. Even though their styles were vastly different on and off the race track. success came to them and the teams they worked with under Johnson's direction. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss Yarborough and Waltrip with Jeff Hammond, a longtime crew member with Junior Johnson and Associates that worked with close friend Yarborough who was also crew chief for Waltrip. They will also discuss the origins of the No. 79 during podcast No. 79 of "A Lifetime in Motorsports." Give "A Lifetime in Motorsports" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Keeping track of all the numbers in any sport can be a challenge. Looking at them for 40 NASCAR teams at any given time can be a daunting task. Drivers, teams, teams owners, laps. tracks, cars, car numbers, percentages, and how they perform on track week to week and year to year is quite a bit to absorb. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss NASCAR statistics with special guest Dan Beaver of NBC Sports, a renowned Fantasy Racing expert as well as a statistician in other professional sports, The trio of analysts will also cover other subjects including the origins of No. 78, during podcast No. 78 of "A Lifetime in Motorsports." Give "A Lifetime in Motorsports" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Promoting races is so incredibly important to the auto racing industry. From the very early days of NASCAR, getting the word out was done by way of window posters, radio commercials and of course, loyal fan followings of drivers and teams that keep fans coming back year after year. Without a doubt, selling a race ticket is an art form and has been since NASCAR's first Cup Series race on June 19, 1949. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss track promotion with the king of...

Professional painters used to letter race cars in the early days of NASCAR with a variety of colors and brushes of various shapes and sizes. It was the way it was done, wherever the NASCAR Grand National tour visited short tracks or superspeedways. The local sign painters were on standby ready to help get cars ready when last minute sponsors needed their names and logos put on their quarter panels and hoods. Historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss the way cars were hand lettered...

Keeping up with where cars were on a race track was a daunting task in the early days of NASCAR, especially when there were as many as 75 circling such tracks as Darlington (S.C.) Raceway during the inaugural Southern 500 on Sept. 4, 1950. There had to be a way to keep up with the running order with so many cars circling the track. In the early days, NASCAR's founder Bill France, Sr. looked into several plans before settling on a simple yet effective way to keep the running order intact for...

Throughout the 1970s, NASCAR's top drivers enjoyed a great fan following because of their accomplishments on the race track. A good portion of their fame came from the fact they were recognized for their amazing down-home personalities and their willingness to engage with their fans. Historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski are joined by award-winning journalist Mike Hembree of NBC Sports to discuss relationships with drivers of the 1970s, as well as other subjects including the origins of No. 74 during podcast No. 74 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR." Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the very early days of NASCAR's existence, drivers and car owners looked for any way possible to gain advantages that at times led to race wins. NASCAR officials immediately looked at their cars and wasted little time finding problems when they arose after leaving victory lane. On seven occasions, wins were taken away and given to second-place drivers. In the early 1960s, NASCAR's founder, Bill France Sr. stopped the practice of taking wins away and elected to take points away and levy hefty fines. His reasoning was that fans should leave the track knowing which driver was the winner. Over 60 years passed before a Cup Series winner was disqualified, the latest being Denny Hamlin at Pocono on July 24, 2022. Historians Ben White, Jerry Bonkowski and special guest Ken Martin discuss times in NASCAR history when wins were taken away, as well as other subjects including the origins of No. 73 during podcast No. 73 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR." Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the 1970s and 1980s, Benny Parsons was a full time driver in NASCAR's Cup Series and logged 21 victories, including the 1975 Daytona 500. Two years before winning NASCAR's biggest race, Parsons won the 1973 Cup Series championship. When Parsons ended his driving career in 1988, he turned his attention to TV and radio broadcasting and mastered them just as he did driving race cars, Historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss Parsons incredible legacy with fellow broadcaster, Dr. Jerry Punch. Also discussed are the origins of the number 72 in NASCAR in podcast No. 72 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over three decades, Harry Hyde was known as one of the most innovative crew chiefs in NASCAR history. The native of Brownsville, Ky. began his racing career on the local short tracks of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky by building race cars for other drivers after driving for a couple of seasons himself. His reputation for winning helped land a crew chief position in the Cup Series with team owner Nord Krauskopf in 1966 with driver Bobby Isaac. From there, his career produced 56 Cup Series victories with Isaac, Buddy Baker, Dave Marcis, Neil Bonnet, with Krauskopf and J.D. Stacy and Geoff Bodine ,Tim Richmond and Ken Schrader with Rick Hendrick before his retirement in 1993. Historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss Hyde's incredible legacy as well as the origins of the number 71 in NASCAR in podcast No. 71 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Team ownership has been a huge part of the sport since NASCAR's first Strictly Stock (now Cup Series) season of competition in 1948. Some competitors drive, while those that own the teams make sure the cars are prepared and sponsored and ready to race. It's a model that has produced hundreds of victories and many, many championships. A large number of team owners in NASCAR competition are just as well known as the drivers that have raced their cars. NASCAR Historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss many of their incredible legacies as well as the origins of the number 70 in NASCAR history in podcast No. 70 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR. Also discussed is a look back at the life and career of NASCAR legend J.D. McDuffie. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout his life, O. Bruton Smith, he enjoyed a great passion for stock car racing that began during his childhood. His first love was to drive race cars, but when fate sent him in an entirely different direction, he far exceeded his early dreams by building an empire of race tracks for drivers to race. Smith always put race fans first when they visited his Speedway Motorsports tracks located across the country. Historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski discuss Smith's incredible legacy as well as the origins of the number 69 in NASCAR in podcast No. 69 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1967 NASCAR Grand National season dawned like any other with great anticipation that drivers and teams would find their places within the win column and bid for the season-long championship. Among those that drove Fords, Mercury's, Chryslers, Dodges and Plymouths were the stars that fans loved and admired. They were sure their favorites would emerge best and take the coveted crown by season's end. When the season began, no one had any idea the Petty's would ultimately win 27 of 48 races and take the championship going away. It was a magical year for the team from Level Cross, N.C. and even Richard Petty, crew chief Dale Inman and engine builder Maurice Petty were surprised by their own incredible success. Ben White and guest analyst Eric Estepp discuss the Petty's and their incredible 1967 season as well as the 1966 Plymouth Belvedere that carried Richard to the best year of his 32-year career. They also look back at the origins of the No. 67 in NASCAR in podcast No. 67 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the NASCAR Hall of Fame officially opened on May 11, 2010, there was a great deal of enthusiasm among race fans as well as the motorsports media. A prestigious panel of motorsports icons voted on the inaugural class, naming Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. as the first recipients to go into the hall. Over the past 12 years, a remarkable list of individuals have been inducted among drivers, crew chiefs and team owners. Many icons of the sport have yet to be inducted in the years to come. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski look back at many of the stories involving those that haven't been inducted in podcast No. 68 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR, as well as the origins of the car number in this episode. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Cale Yarborough was growing up near Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, in Timmonsville, S.C., the allure of the 1.366-mile speedway was just too difficult to ignore. He was only 11 years old when it opened in 1950 and eventually, the young farm boy would drive there and become a five-time winner at the historic track. The three-time Cup Series champion has quite a story concerning his life and career, some of which includes being lucky to be alive. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski look back at many of the stories involving Yarborough's life in podcast No. 66 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR, as well as the origins of the car number 66 in this episode, a number Yarborough used when he was a team owner in the Cup Series. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When O. Bruton Smith opened the gates of Charlotte Motor Speedway in the summer of 1960, he had no idea what kind of problems he would encounter before returning to reclaim his prize 13 years later. Ultimately, the track served as the foundation and cornerstone of NASCAR's Cup Series and helped make numerous careers in the sport. It continues to serve as the flagship of Speedway Motorsports Inc. formed in 1994 and is predecessor to all of the state-of-the-art race tracks under their umbrellas, NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski look back at many of the stories involving the track's history in podcast No. 65 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR, as well as the origins of the car number in this episode. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rivalries have always been a part of NASCAR history. They began with the first Strictly Stock race on June 19, 1949 at Charlotte, N.C. when Jim Roper drove into victory lane for the very first time, He did so after race winner Glenn Dunaway was declared illegal for having leaf springs at the rear of his Ford. From that day forward, drivers have expressed their unhappiness with other drivers, especially after being sent sideways on the track followed by angry comments on pit road or the garage area. From the 1940s through the 1990s, there were plenty of legendary drivers that kept fans on the edges of their seats with the latest skirmish in the headlines. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski look back at many of those stories in podcast No. 64 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR, as well as the origins of the car number in this episode. Give "A Lifetime in NASCAR" a listen for some interesting information on this week's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout NASCAR's incredible history, there have been plenty of noteworthy stories that have made the sport of stock car racing just that much more enjoyable. They are the trivial yet amazing pieces of information that leaves one with a smile after learning extra tidbits hidden deep in the history books. NASCAR historians Ben White and Jerry Bonkowski look back at a few of these astonishing facts and share their thoughts on how and why they came about. They also look back at the origins and interesting milestones of the No. 63 in NASCAR's past during podcast No. 63 of "A Lifetime in NASCAR." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices