The Nascar Hall of Fame Is Coming to Charlotte

Then, there was a Big-Three corporate entry with the monster luxury Chrysler brand in the mid-'50s. But during its lone 1955-1956 years, it won the points title both times, with Tim Flock and Buck Baker doing the honors. Between the pair, there were 32 wins, a domination which has never been duplicated. Like Hudson, though, the brand vanished.

It must be mentioned that the top models of both General Motors (with its Cadillac) and Ford (with its Lincoln) had first appeared earlier in the '40s. Lincoln was by far the most successful, winning two races in 1949 with Lloyd Moore at the wheel. He also finished Fourth in the points that long-ago season.

Also during the '40s, the unexpected Kaiser of the Kaiser-Frazer Company made some appearances. In the '50s, some drivers would also use the company's compact Henry J model. Even the Nash made its appearance in the '50s and had some success. Its best year was 1953 when it finished Fifth (out of 13 brands). And would you believe that the tank-like Packard also hit the tracks with some success?

In addition, driver Frank Mundy proved that the Studebaker could get it done, driving the bullet-nosed model to two of its four NASCAR wins. Mundy also took poles in four of the five times a Studebaker earned the accomplishment.

Finally, during the '50s, the little Willys model made a few infrequent appearances.

American Motors was in play during the '70s with Roger Penske being heavily involved. With Bobby Allison at the wheel of an unlikely Matador, there were Fourth and Eighth-Place points finishes in 1974 and 1978, respectively.

There has recently been a lot of talk about the inclusion of Toyota into Nextel Cup. Many say there's never been a foreign car in a NASCAR race, but they would be wrong in that observation.

In one race in 1954, there were a number of foreign brands out there tooling with the good old boys. There were Porsches, Jaguars, Austin Healys, Morgans, and MGs on the track. It happened on a 2-mile road course at an airport in Linden, New Jersey, in a race won by Al Keller. By the way, Keller was driving a Jaguar-a brand which also claimed Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Place in the 100-miler.

The race was a unique invitational road coarse event. The size differential between the full-sized NASCAR cars and some of the tiny foreign sports cars must have presented quite a sight. But then again, thinking back to the '40s and '50s, how about comparing the size of a Cadillac or Packard to a Studebaker or Henry J?
-Bill Holder

Senate Bill 1955: Why You Should Care
Editor's Note: The writer is Senior VP/Group Publisher for Primedia's Performance Automotive Group. He is also a member of the SEMA Board of Directors.

Vic Edelbrock Sr. was working with a couple of guys in his machine shop in Southern California one day in 1949, when a young Robert E. Petersen showed up and pitched Vic on advertising in Hot Rod magazine so that his parts could be discovered beyond the reaches of the local area. The two struck a deal, and, needless to say, the rest is history. Edelbrock is now a major player, not just as a performance company, but as a significant employer that produces thousands of jobs directly and indirectly.

This story is relevant because the U.S. Senate is considering health care legislation (S.1955) that would allow small entrepreneurs to gather together under a trade association banner, like SEMA, and purchase health insurance for their workers at a more competitive rate. More competitive rates mean more jobs and better benefits for workers.

Today, SEMA has approximately 6,500 member companies that employ an estimated one million people worldwide. Many of these companies are small family businesses, just like Vic Edelbrock's company was back in 1949. They are businesses trying to grow and deliver to us great performance, restoration, and customization products at a fair price while providing for the families of their employees. Many are forced to operate with little or no benefits because it is unaffordable to do so. The more they pay out for benefits, the less they can reinvest in their businesses. Fewer jobs means less product and, consequently, less fun and innovation for the consumer.

I recently attended SEMA's Washington, D.C. rally with U.S. Congressional and Senate members. This event is SEMA's largest effort to protect your hobby from legislative threats while promoting pro-hobby laws and regulations. The evening before I arrived, I received a phone call from Steve McDonald, SEMA's vice president of government affairs, delivering the bad news that S.1955 had failed to gather the 60 votes required for passage under Senate rules. The legislation has the majority support of 56 Senators, and there is a continued effort underway to convince 4 more to vote in favor of helping American small businesses and their employees.

I haven't written a column in a very long time but have done so now in hopes of encouraging you readers, millions of you, to let your legislators-federal, state, and local-know where you stand on this issue and hundreds of others that threaten our hobby. From car crusher bills, to muffler laws, to inadequate registration and titling regulations, your government threatens the specialty automotive industry every day. Government can also provide opportunity for the promotion of pro-hobby solutions.

But we need you to get involved, and now. It's easy and won't cost you a dime. Contact Jason Tolleson of the SEMA Action Network (SAN) at jasont@sema.org or 202/783-6007, ext. 39. The SAN is a nationwide partnership between vehicle clubs, enthusiasts, and members of the specialty auto parts industry who want to protect their hobby. Jason will explain how you can individually or through your car club put pressure on Congress as well as lawmakers in all 50 states to be positive about our hobby and pass bills like S.1955. Your efforts will ensure that your great-grandchildren can still enjoy the cars and trucks we all love so much today.
-Doug Evans

Father-Son Win Awards
Stock Car Racing contributor Norm Froscher has been honored with having two of his stories-one of which appeared on SCR's Web site-judged among the best in the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters annual writing competition.

Froscher's son Teague was also a double winner, making the pair one of the first two father-son teams to be honored in the competition, going back to prior to 1970.

The senior Froscher's story was "Rich Pratt is Headed North," a piece on Florida Late Model racer Pratt journeying to Indiana to run the Anderson 400 and other races. He also scored with a piece in his local paper on racers and the cost of fuel. Teague Froscher's stories were on Don "Big Daddy" Garlits and the programs drag racers use to stay in shape for racing. Both appeared on Competitionplus.com.

Joe and Patrick Jennings of Wisconsin and Tallahassee, Florida, respectively, were the other father-son winners. Their stories on the Web dealt with Butch Leitsinger at Mid-Ohio and Indy Car's Buddy Lazier.