Showing posts with label #21. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #21. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Ford

    Greetings race fans, and welcome once more to the NASCAR Racing Champions diecast blog~ With the recent changes to the upcoming NASCAR schedule, we once more are forced to deal with an ever evolving set of changes that quite frankly, none of us are asking for~ That's why it's nice to work on these blog posts.. to escape to a simpler time in the sport.. back to the good ol' days, where I feel more welcome~

    I'm sure younger, more current fans of the sport get tired of hearing the older crowd complain, but I really don't care what they think~ I want my race car drivers to be men, and act like men.. not that I mind a woman being in the sport.. just not Danica, she sucks~ I just miss the personalities the older drivers had~ The current group of drivers is as boring as the newer tracks NASCAR forced upon us~

   But enough of being an old curmudgeon for now, let's dive into this post~ This one is gonna be on Jerry Nadeau, and his time in the #15 Buss Fuses Ford, which he drove during the 1995 BGN season, in what was his rookie campaign~ The car was owned by Greg Pollex, who also owned the #23 Bayer/Harris Teeter Ford that Chad Little won 6 races in during the 1995 season~ Nadeau drove in five events for the team, and attempted another three, but failed to qualify~

                                             Nadeau's first promo card in the BGN series~
Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Bussmann Ford Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1995 BGN Busch Greg Pollex

    Jerry's first time in the #15 Buss Fuses Ford was actually a DNQ in the "Hardee's 250" @ Richmond, in the third event of the 1995 BGN season~ He was one of seven drives who failed to make the field~ Other notable drivers who failed to make the race were Buckshot Jones, Robbie Reiser, and Shawna Robinson~

    He made his first BGN start in the "Sundrop 400" @ Hickory, where he rolled off 26th in the 30 car field~ Ten drivers failed to make the field, including Andy Houston, Bill Venturini, Tommy Houston, Bobby Hillin Jr., and Patty Moise, who ended up racing anyway when she bought Johnny Chapman's car for the event~ The announcers keep saying it's Chapman in the #70, but it's not.. it's Moise~

    The race was pretty crazy, with a total of 13 cautions for 50 laps~ Chad Little was dominating in the end, and was easily going to win the race, when the lapped car of Kevin Lepage took him out of the race while trying to get a lap back~ It was horrible, and just... I wanted to throw a rock at Lepage~ NASCAR black flagged him, but it wasn't enough for me.. heck, he killed Chad Little.. not really, but gosh.. Lepage always did real dumb stuff that I just couldn't believe~

    After the incident, Johnny Benson held on for the win, followed by Hermie Sadler, Mike McLaughlin (who they called "Magic" at the time~), Jason Keller, and Bobby Dotter~ Pete Silva had a nice 10th place finish in Jack Ingram's ol' #11 car, which was sponsored by Ingles Supermarkets~ Nadeau had a couple minor incidents in the race, but held on till the end (though nine laps down) to finish in 21st~

                                    Nadeau goes for a spin @ Hickory, in his first BGN start~
Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Bussmann Ford Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1995 BGN Busch Greg Pollex

    Nadeau and the team were back the following week @ Loudon, for the "NE Chevy Dealers 250"~ "Magic" Mike McLaughlin was on the pole in the #34 French's Mustard Chevrolet, and Nadeau qualified in the 15th position~ A total of 15 drivers failed to make the field for the event, including Ricky Craven~

    Jeff Green led two large chunks of the race, but creepy Mike Wallace spun him out, and he never regained the lead, finishing in 14th~ Chad Little went on to lead the final 77 laps of the event, on the way to the checkered flag~ He was followed by Elton Sawyer, "Creepy" Mike Wallace, "Magic" Mike McLaughlin, and Johnny Benson Jr.~

    The "Hero of the Race" award goes to Tom Bolles, who brought the #76 Bolles Chrysler-Plymouth Chevrolet home in 9th place, for his first of two BGN career top 10's~ The "Heartbreak of the Race" award goes to Jimmy Spencer, who blew an engine in the #20 Fina Lube Ford, while leading the race~ Nadeau finished the race seven laps down, in 29th~ This race was also the final BGN start for legendary New England driver, Stub Fadden - who finished in 27th place, after starting 42nd~

                                                   Up in the grill of the Buss Fuses Ford~
Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Bussmann Ford Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1995 BGN Busch Greg Pollex

    Nadeau was back in the car (following a three race absence) for the "Carolina Pride/Red Dog 250"
    @ Myrtle Beach, where he qualified in 10th - a season high~ Jeff Green won the pole, driving the #3 GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet~ Five drivers failed to make the field for this race, including Buckshot Jones, again~

    This was a moderately boring race, with Jason Keller and Jeff Green dominating a majority of the event~ In the end, Larry Pearson held on to win what would be his final BGN victory~ He was followed by Keller, Dennis Setzer, Jeff Green, and Bobby Dotter~ Curtis Markham had a decent finish in the #63 Lysol Pontiac, coming to the checkered flag in the 7th position~

    Jerry wound up finishing in 19th place, which turned out to be his season high~ He was six laps off the pace of race winner, Larry Pearson~ This race also marked the final BGN start for Darryl Sage, who had made his most recent start 12 years prior to this event~ It's also fair to mention Doug Heveron's strong run in the #35 Cincinnati Milacron Ford~ Heveron was running up front when rear end problems ended his day~ He led a total of 10 laps after starting from the 11th position~

                                               Nadeau battles the #7 car of Stevie Reeves~
Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Bussmann Ford Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1995 BGN Busch Greg Pollex

    After skipping one event, the team was back for the "Sears Auto Center 250" @ the Milwaukee Mile, where Nadeau qualified 22nd in the 39 car field~ Dennis Setzer won the pole in the #59 Alliance Training Centers Ford, in what would be their final start in the series, and thanks to a low driver turnout, Buckshot Jones finally made a race in the #00 Longhorn Steakhouse Ford~

    This race was another snooze fest, and I hate to say that - because the 1995 BGN season was amazing~ It just so happens that Nadeau entered some of the more boring races, as you'll see later~ Jeff Green led for most of the race, but in the end it was Dale "King of Boring" Jarrett who came out victorious in the #32 Mac Tools Ford~

    Jarrett was followed to the checkers by Larry Pearson, Jeff Green, Dennis Setzer, and "Magic" Mike McLaughlin~ Nadeau came home in 20th place, three laps down to the winner~ Curtis Markham again had a 7th place finish in the #63 Lysol Pontiac~

                                  Nadeau goes around the #74 Lipton car of Johnny Benson~
Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Bussmann Ford Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1995 BGN Busch Greg Pollex

    Nadeau's final race in the car came in the "Kroger 200" @ IRP~ He qualified 30th for the event, while Elton Sawyer won the pole position, driving the #38 Ford Motor Credit Ford~ Everyone that showed up made the field, so Buckshot Jones made the race again, and crashed on lap 7, and 17 year old Kevin Ray made his first and only BGN start, rolling off from the 35th position, and finishing in 21st~

    Elton Sawyer led the first 51 laps before Johnny Benson passed him, who then led for 98 laps until he was caught up in an eight car pileup~ He still finished the race, but was one lap down - in 13th place~ Jason Keller then led the final 51 laps of the event on the way to the first BGN victory of his career~ I'd like to bring up Doug Heveron again in the #35 car, because he just had a rough 1995 season all the way around~ He qualified in 6th, but was taken out the same crash that Benson was involved in~

    Elton Sawyer wound up finishing second after starting from the pole, followed by "Magic" Mike McLaughlin, Tracy Leslie, and Tommy Houston~ This would be the final top 5 of Houston's decorated career~ Speaking of Tommys, Tommy Ellis made a rare appearance in this race, driving the #50 Healthsource Ford - he finished in 17th after starting 31st~  Jerry Nadeau never improved from his poor qualifying effort, finishing in 31st  after suffering suspension issues midway through the event~

   Later in the season, he attempted to qualify the car in the "AC-Delco 200" @ Rockingham, and the "Jiffy Lube Miami 300" @ Homestead, but failed to make the field for either event~ The team shuttered the #15 following the 1995 season, and just ran Chad Little's #23 for the 1996 campaign, in which he went winless~ Nadeau would run 3 more BGN events during his career, but never picked up a top 10, never won a pole, and never led a lap in his entire BGN career~

                                                     Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Ford~
Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Bussmann Ford Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1995 BGN Busch Greg Pollex
                                                                Click pics to enlarge~
Jerry Nadeau #15 Buss Fuses Bussmann Ford Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1995 BGN Busch Greg Pollex

     I've noticed that with certain Racing Champions cars, (mostly the darker colored ones) that they look much better out of the package - this car is a perfect example of that~ In the package, it looks kind of bland - but when you take it out... Man!~ It just sparkles and shines all over the dang place~ This car was also available in a set, where you got the car for free if you bought a pack of Buss fuses~ This type of set is worth quite more than the standard Racing Champions packaged car, and doesn't come with the card, nor the stand~

    Speaking of the card, I just really do not like this card one bit... not one small, little bit!~ It looks as if Jerry is getting his photo taken for the "Employee of the Month" award at Advance Auto, and I just despise Advance Auto!~ I'm on team O'Reilly!~ I like the fact that the secondary sponsor is boldly visible on multiple places on the car, just like the real one~ Racing Champions did such a good job on the car, minus the dumb looking 1995 tires, so why did they give him such a horrid looking card?~

    I'm giving this one a B- on the Racing Champions quality scale, just because I despise that card so much~ The car itself is easily an A+ in my opinion~ I'm sad Nadeau's career ended the way it did, but I'll save that for a different Nadeau post that I'll do in the future when I get a chance~ For now, let's take a look at the bonus car for this post~

                    **BONUS CAR** Tommy Sigmon #21 Tar Baby's Pancake House Buick~
Tommy Sigmon #21 Tar Baby's Pancake House Buick Myrtle Beach Yount's Construction NASCAR Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast 1993 BGN Busch
                             **BONUS PHOTO** The actual car from the 1993 BGN series~
Tommy Sigmon #21 Tar Baby's Pancake House Buick Myrtle Beach Yount's Construction NASCAR Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast 1993 BGN Busch

    The fact that NASCAR picked on poor ol' Carl Long for wanting to be sponsored by Veedverks, and banning him from doing so, yet they allowed a sponsor called "Tar Baby's" race in numerous BGN races during the 1993, and 1994 seasons just really burns me up~ Don't get me wrong.. I'm a satirical person, so I can see the humor of naming your restaurant "Tar Baby's", and I think it's kind of funny seeing it on an actual BGN car and all... but why pick on poor ol' Carl Long over a fake week vapor sponsor?~ It seems petty, and absurd, and I don't like it one little small crumb!~

    As you can see by the pictures, I tried to get the car as close as I could to what the original one looked like~ I messed up on the black in the back a little bit, but I'm satisfied with what I did with it~ I used Clifford Allison's #12 Sports Image Buick for this one, and I think it looks pretty awesome myself~ I'd guess that at least a few of you are thinking that "Tar Baby's Pancake House" couldn't possibly be open in today's PC world, but you'd be wrong~ It's still operating in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and people love it to death~

    I'd give this car an A- on the Racing Champions quality scale~ I mean heck.. it looks pretty cool, and though I messed up the angle of the black on the back, it's still a nice looking car, even if it does say Tar Baby's on it~ :P     
    
    Thank you all for checking out this edition of the NASCAR Racing Champions blog!~ Please share this post with your social media friends, and don't forget to click the "Follow" button at the top right hand side of the page here~ Below are some videos featuring Nadeau throughout his career~ Enjoy them, and until next time... drink more Ovaltine!~ :)

                                        Interview with Jerry Nadeau 3 years after the wreck~
    
                                   Nadeau's only Cup win was the end of ESPN covered races~

                 1999 TranSouth Financial 400 finish~ Horrible video/amazing commentary~

                                                             Top 5 Nadeau crashes~


   

Friday, December 2, 2016

Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Ford

   Hello again NASCAR fans, and welcome to the NASCAR Racing Champions diecast blog~ I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving~ The Christmas season is now upon us, and filling people with Christmas cheer, which got me thinking about Cheerwine~ The super sweet burgundy soda used to be a regional thing, but is now being sold nationwide by Pepsi Co.~ Growing up in the south, I drank my fair share of the stuff, and I must say, it's truly a classic taste.. especially if you can find it in a glass bottle~

   Our old friend Morgan Shepherd had the honor of driving the #21 Cheerwine Ford partially during the 1994, and 1995 BGN seasons~ In today's post, I'm gonna be going over his time in the Cheerwine car, which spanned 15 races during 2 seasons~ Oddly enough, I couldn't find a single picture of Morgan on track in the car~ If anyone has a picture of it they'd like to send in, you can do so by emailing me @ buttermilkjug@yahoo.com~ Now, let's grab us an ice cold Cheerwine, and get right into this story~

                                           Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Ford hero card~
Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast racing blog BGN Busch Age 2017

    In 1994, at the age of 52, Morgan Shepherd started the BGN season off with newly acquired sponsor, Cheerwine~ The team got off to a bumpy start, qualifying 29th in the season opening Goody's 300 @ Daytona, but was able to fair much better after the green flag fell, charging their way up to a 7th place finish, which turned out to his season high~

    He then qualified 36th in the Goodwrench 200 @ Rockingham, and finished 13th, 1 lap off the pace of race winner, Terry Labonte, who was driving his self-owned #14 MW Windows Chevrolet~ Shepherd wouldn't race again in the BGN series until the 6th race on the schedule, in the Mark III Vans 200 @ Darlington~ While he had a season high starting spot with a 5th place lap, he just didn't have what it took during the race, which was run in very cold conditions, and was only able to muster up a 19th place finish, one lap down to race winner, Mark Martin's #60 Winn-Dixie Ford~

   Shepherd next raced in the Goody's 250 @ Bristol, where he had a horrid weekend~ Starting from the 31st starting position, he never was a threat in the race, and fell out of competition on lap 164, due to rear end issues, and finished 25th~ This was the infamous race where Mark Martin pulled off the track 1 lap early, thinking the race was over~ He ended up finishing in 11th place, and the race was instead won by David Green, who ended up winning the BGN championship that season~ It was the only race he won all year long~

                                                           Cheerwine advertisement~
Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast racing blog BGN Busch Age 2017

   Morgan next ran the car in the Champion 300 @ Charlotte, where he started 37th, and was caught up in a lap 46 crash, which involved 9 other drivers~ Chad Little suffered the most damage in the crash, including a broken collarbone~ Phil Parsons went on to win the race, which would be his final BGN victory~ He was driving the #29 White Rose Collectibles Chevrolet, and was using Hoosier tires~

   Shepherd  qualified well in the Fram Filter 500K @ Talladega, with a 6th place run, but  faded during the race, after leading for 5 laps, and finished in 17th, 1 lap down to race winner, Ken Schrader, who was driving the #52 AC Delco Chevrolet~ This would end up being the final win of Kenny's BGN career~ He next ran in the Gatorade 200 @ Darlington, where he rolled off in 29th, and worked his way up to a 19th place finish~

   His final race in the 1994 BGN season came in the Autolite 250 @ Richmond, where he started in 13th, but dropped out of competition after only 41 laps, due to a handling problem~ In the 8 races he ran during the season, he recorded 1 lone top 10 finish, and led a total of 5 laps~ He finished 45th in the final points standings~ Going into the 1995 BGN season, Cheerwine stayed with Shepherd, and the team ran a total of 7 races during the year~ For some reason, Shepherd chose to skip the season opening race @ Daytona, and instead ran his first race of the season @ Rockingham, one week later~

                                          Custom Morgan Shepherd Racing Champions card~
Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast racing blog BGN Busch Age 2017

    In the Goodwrench 200 @ Rockingham, Shepherd had his best run of the season, with a 6th place starting position, and a 5th place finish~ He led for 20 laps, but was passed by Chad Little, who never looked back on his way to victory lane, in the #23 Harris-Teeter Ford~ To date, Shepherd's 5th place finish in the race is his final top 5 in the BGN series~ The following week, in the Hardee's 250 @ Richmond, Morgan qualified in 23rd, and finished in 37th, due to rear end problems~

   He then ran the following week, in the Busch Light 300 @ Atlanta, where he rolled off in 34th, and beat and banged his way up to a 15th place finish~ Johnny Benson Jr. won the race, driving the #74 Lipton Tea Chevrolet, and driver Jim Bown had an outstanding run all day long, leading 4 laps, and finishing 3rd, in the #51 Luck's Foods Chevrolet~

   The Cheerwine team was in good spirits for the Mark III Vans 200 @ Darlington, after a 10th place qualifying effort~ Shepherd was running strong until he blew an engine on lap 72, which resulted in a 36th place finish~ Larry Pearson got the win, driving the #92 Stanley Tools Chevrolet~ It was his first win in the series since 1988~

                                                   Old Cheerwine painted advertisement~
Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast racing blog BGN Busch Age 2017

    After skipping the next 4 events on the circuit, Shepherd was back @ Charlotte, in the Red Dog 300~ After qualifying in 23rd, the car suffered ignition issues after only 51 laps of competition~ This resulted in a 36th place finish for Morgan and the team~ Shepherd must have been a good luck charm for Chad Little, because Little won this race too, driving the #23 Bayer Ford~ Tracy Leslie, who started 2nd, also had a strong race, leading 48 laps, and finishing in 3rd~ Rich Bickle won his first career BGN pole for the race, and finished in 8th~

   Shepherd next raced in the series for the Detroit Gasket 200 @ Michigan~ He started the race in 21st, and was able to come home in the 11th spot, one lap down to race winner, Mark Martin, who was driving the #60 Winn-Dixie Ford~ Dale Jarrett dominated the race in the #32 Mac Tools Ford, and at first, had won the race... it was later found out hours later that Jarrett's car had an illegal carburetor, so he was banished to a last place finishing position, and the win was given to Martin~ This was also the final race for legendary BGN series driver, Jimmy Hensley~

   Morgan's final race with the Cheerwine sponsorship came in the All Pro Bumper To Bumper 300 @ Charlotte, where he qualified 9th in the 44 car field, led for 3 laps, and finished in 6th place~ Mark Martin also won this race, again in the famed #60 Winn-Dixie Ford~ This was the final race for veteran BGN driver, Tom Peck~

    Shepherd ended his 1995 campaign with 7 starts, 1 top 5, and 2 top 10's, while leading a total of 23 laps, and finishing 45th in the final points standings~ His tenure with Cheerwine spanned 15 races during 2 seasons, with a total of 1 top 5, and 3 top 10's, with 28 laps lead, and an average finish of 21st~

                                                Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Ford~
Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast racing blog BGN Busch Age 2017
Click pics to enlarge~
Morgan Shepherd #21 Cheerwine Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast racing blog BGN Busch Age 2017

     If you can't tell what I did with this car, it's really a 1/24 scale bank~ I just shrank it down and made a custom card for it on Photoshop~ As far as I know, a 1/64 scale version of this car was never made, which is sad~ It's bad enough I couldn't even find a picture of the car on the track... we could have at least been given a 1/64 scale version.. that would be much better than a bank, in my opinion~ 

    I love the look of the car~ It kind of reminds me of the ol' Winston cigarettes car that Jimmy Spencer used to drive, though this car came before that one~ A simple red and white paint scheme, yet it's very eye catching~ I'm gonna give this car a B+ on the Racing Champions quality scale, with points taken off for it not being a real 1/64 scale car, and never coming with a card~ Other than that, I love this car, and the history behind it~ 

   The 2017 season is going to mark 50 years since Morgan's first NASCAR race, and I'm so thankful we've had him in our lives this long~ A lot of newcomers to the sport may be heard mocking him, but guys like Morgan are what the sport was all about, and I applaud him for still doing what he loves, at his age~ I've had a lot of friends that will never see the age of 50, yet Morgan Shepherd's been racing for that long.. that's an amazing accomplishment, that deserves more credit and attention that what is currently being given to the man~ 

   Thank you all for stopping by the blog again!~ I'm looking forward to the holidays, and starting a new year, and I hope you all are too~ The blog has grown a lot in 2016, and I'm very thankful for that~ I don't want these old drivers to fade away, and be forgotten about, and you've all proved to me that you don't want that either~ It's fun to look back at their careers, and rekindle the feelings we used to have for the sport we loved~ Below are some clips, including the 1994 Champion 300 crash Morgan was involved in, although I don't think they show his car~ It's the best I could do~ Please share this blog post on any social media sites that you are on~ :)

                  **Bonus car** Morgan Shepherd's 1982 #98 Levi Garrett Buick on a 1989 body~
Morgan Shepherd #98 Levi Garrett Buick Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR diecast blog 1982 Cheerwine Age 2017

                                     1994 Champion 300 crash~ Morgan Shepherd involved~
                                     
                                                        1994 Purolator 500 finish~
                                     
                                                       Morgan Shepherd news piece~
                                     
     Auto Racing Crash-A-Rama Part 10~
 





   

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Cale Yarborough #21 Ford Talladega Torino Cobra

    Welcome back NASCAR fans!~ I hope you all survived Independence day.. as you can probably tell, I did~ I'm on "vacation" for the week, so I'm gonna try and get a few more cars posted while I've got the free time~ I'm too poor to go on vacation~ haha~ In today's blog post, we're going further back in time than we've ever gone before here on the blog.. all the way back to the 1969 and 1970 NASCAR seasons, to take a gander at Cale Yarborough's time in the #21 Ford Talladega Torino Cobra, owned by the famed Wood Brothers~

    Cale's first race for the Wood Brothers came in the 1966 Southern 500 @ Darlington, which was the 42nd race of the season, for those who complain that the current season is too long~ :P From 1967-1968, he won 8 races with the team, along with 8 poles, 19 top 5's, and 23 top 10's, while competing in 38 of the scheduled 98 races during those 2 seasons~

                                                      Ready for the 1969 Daytona 500~
Cale Yarborough #21 Ford Talladega Torino Cobra Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR blog wood brothers

    Going into the 1969 season, the Fords and Mercurys had designed a new car to gain an edge on the competition~ For the Fords, it was the Ford Talladega Torino Cobra, and for the Mercurys, the newly designed Mercury Cyclone~ Cale attempted to run 20 races during the 1969 season with the Wood Brothers, but didn't make the field for the Talladega 500~

    This was a controversial race, as Richard Petty had tried to form a racers union, causing many of the well named racers to pack up, and go home without qualifying~ The drivers who left without qualifying were Richard Petty, Bobby Johns, John Sears, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Wendell Scott, James Hylton, Charlie Glotzbach, and Paul Goldsmith~ Goldsmith's car was still ran by Richard Brickhouse, who went on to win the race, picking up his only career victory~ Several other driver's cars who withdrew were still driven in the race as well~

                                             Cale's #21 Torino Cobra~ Colorized by me~
Cale Yarborough #21 Ford Talladega Torino Cobra Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR blog wood brothers

    For the most of the 1969 season, the Wood Brothers ran the Mercury Cyclones~ Of the 19 races they ran, only 4 of them were in the Torino Cobra, and 1 of those was the 50 lap qualifier for the Daytona 500~ In that qualifier, he started 9th, and finished runner up to David Pearson, also running the new 1969 Ford~

    Cale started in the 5th position in the 1969 Daytona 500, driving the car posted in the above picture~ Cale ran pretty strong all day, and had led for 17 laps... and then he blew a tire on lap 104, acquiring assistance from the track crew to get out of the car, in what was a pretty scary crash~ Thankfully, he only ended up with a few cuts and scrapes~ He finished the race in 38th place in the 51 car field~ LeeRoy Yarbrough went on the win the race on the very first ever last lap pass for the win in Daytona 500 history, passing Charlie Glotzbach on the final lap of the race~

                                                     Cale giving the camera the evil eye~
Cale Yarborough #21 Ford Talladega Torino Cobra Racing Champions 1/64 NASCAR blog wood brothers

    He then ran the car in the Carolina 500 @ Rockingham, where he qualified in the 11th position~ David Pearson won the pole.. and while Cale was able to lead for 65 laps, he was no match for Pearson, who easily won from the pole position, and led 311 of the 500 laps~  It's worth noting that Cale was only driving these Fords because the new Spoiler II for the Mercury Cyclone wasn't approved by NASCAR at the time~

    Cale's final time driving a Ford of any kind for the Wood Brothers came in the 1969 Southeastern 500 @ Bristol~ He started in 3rd place, but wasn't quite fast enough to take the lead from David Pearson, and Bobby Isaac~ Isaac led for 249 laps before his radiator gave out 52 laps shy of the checkered flag~ Pearson led for 237 laps, before being passed by Bobby Allison, who led the final 7 laps, and won the race~  Cale finished 4th, but never led a lap~

    In his first race with the newly approved Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II, he started in 5th place, led 308 laps, and won the race~ The only car besides him on the lead lap was David Pearson~ Paul Goldsmith, who finished in 3rd place.. was 2 laps down, while 10th place Buddy Arrington was 22 laps down~

                                         Cale Yarborough #21 Ford Talladega Torino Cobra~
Cale Yarborough #21 Ford Racing Champions 1/64 die-cast blog NASCAR Wood Brothers Cobra Torino
                                                               Click pics to enlarge~
Cale Yarborough #21 Ford Racing Champions 1/64 die-cast blog NASCAR Wood Brothers Cobra Torino

    I absolutely love these "Collector's Series" cars that Racing Champions made~ I don't have a complete set of any of them, but I'm very close on all 5 sets~ The problem is, finding doubles of them to use here on the blog~ I'd love to do a post on the #30 Dodge Daytona that Dave Marcis drove, but I only have 1 of them.. so I have to wait and find another one for cheap before I can do a post on him~

    This Yarborough car is tough looking as can be~ He never won a race in it, but he came close.. and only ran it in a handful of races~ I love the 2 red stripes that go down the side of the car~ That really sets it off~ The card is pretty dang awesome as well, with Cale getting kissed on both cheeks by 2 lovely ladies~ :P I like the yellow, black, and red scheme on the left side of the card as well~ They should have done that with all the Racing Champions cards, but I guess they had to make these appear more special~

   I give this car an A+ on the Racing Champions quality scale, as I don't really see any flaws with it that I would care to address~ Great card, great quality(for Racing Champions), and a great car.. can't ask for any more than that~ Below are some clips of Cale, spanning throughout his famed career~ Thanks for stopping by the blog again, and feel free to comment with any suggestions on future blog posts~ :)

                                                     Cale wins the 1974 Southern 500~

                                                     The miraculous 1983 backup car~

                                          Cale goes over the wall in the 1965 Southern 500~

                                                            All of Cale's Cup wins~