Terry Labonte #14 MW Windows Chevrolet

    Hello once again race fans, and welcome back to the NASCAR Racing Champions blog~ It's been a long time since I've made a post, but I'm feeling up to par today~ In this post, we're gonna be looking back on Terry Labonte's time in the #14 MW Windows Oldsmobile/Chevrolet, which he drove during the 1992-1995 BGN seasons~

    I had planned to do my next blog post on Chad Chaffin, but those plans have been put on hold for now, as I'm trying to work out a live interview with him~ Seeing as how I've been extremely slow on production, I decided I'd just go ahead and do a post on someone else, and I had doubles of the Labonte car, so that's how this post came about~

   I never was much of a Terry Labonte fan while he was driving, but as he got closer to retirement, I started getting sentimental about him, and found myself cheering for him towards the end of his career~ I used to despise Jimmie Johnson, but as he got older, and started winning less.. I find myself pulling for him these days too~ Even if you don't like a driver, when they get old, you just start liking them a little bit... at least I do~ Well, here we go for another installment of the NASCAR Racing Champions blog~

                                                                  Custom promo pic~

    Unlike the "Buschwackers" of today, the Winston Cup drivers who competed in BGN competition in the 80's and early 90's mostly ran their own cars, and they weren't pumping millions of dollars into their "Busch League" hobby~ This was back when leading at the halfway point in a Cup race was a BIG thing, because of the bonus money you'd receive~

    If you won the pole back then, you'd also win $7,600 in bonus money from fuel sponsor "Unocal 76"~ These little bonuses were fought after pretty hard, because drivers still weren't making the big money that would come into the sport just a few years down the road~ Now don't get me wrong.. that doesn't mean these Cup guys were all riding around in clunkers (although Dale Earnhardt did have some pretty ugly Chevy Celebrities back then), guys like Darrell Waltrip, Harry Gant, as well as Earnhardt, had some pretty good cars back then~

   But when they entered a BGN race, they knew they had to watch out for guys like Sam Ard, Tommy Ellis, Tommy Houston, and Jack Ingram, who were all serious competitors for many years in the series~ By the time the 1992 BGN season came around, Terry Labonte had only competed in eight BGN races, but won two of them, including his first ever race in the series, the 1985 "Miller 400" @ Charlotte~

                                                             One sharp looking Chevy~

    Terry's first race with sponsor "MW Windows" came during the 1992 BGN season, in the "All-Pro 300" @ Charlotte, where he qualified 36th in the #14 MW Windows Oldsmobile~ The pole position was won by newcomer Jeff Gordon, driving the #1 Baby Ruth Ford~ Labonte steadily improved throughout the event, and raced his way to a 4th place finish~ Jeff Gordon led 90 laps on the day, and went on to win the event, his third of the season~

    Labonte's next race in the MW Windows car came in the "AC-Delco 200" @ Rockingham, where he qualified 14th, and stayed there for the majority of the event, eventually coming home with a 13th place showing~ This would be his final time in the car during the 1992 BGN season, as well as the final time the car was ran as an Oldsmobile~ Mark Martin went on to win the race, in what was his first of many wins in the famed #60 Winn-Dixie Ford~

   The team quit switched from Oldsmobile to Chevrolet for the start of the 1993 BGN season, with Terry's father, Bob, as the crew chief~ The 1993 BGN schedule was reduced from 31 races to 28, and Labonte was scheduled to compete in twenty events during the season~ Up until this, he had never competed in more than five races in a season~

                                                     This custom photo used to be a t-shirt~

  Terry's 1993 BGN season was about as close to a roller coast ride as you can get, without actually riding a roller coaster~ He was either in the top 10 or better, or he was out of the race, 25th or worse~ His best run during the season was a runner-up finish in the "Fay's 150" @ Watkins Glen~ He was in the lead with 18 laps remaining, but a hard charging Bill Elliott went on to win the race in the #11 Budweiser Ford~

   He won the pole for the "SplitFire 200" @ Dover, and led 40 laps before his steering gave out, resulting in a 25th place showing~ He finished the '93 season with 1 pole, 7 top 5's, and 10 top 10's~ Heading into the 1994 BGN season, he retained the MW Windows sponsorship, and things were about to get a lot better for the elder Labonte~ After starting the season off with a 26th place qualifying effort for the "Goody's 300", he made his way up to the front to lead four laps, and finished 4th~

   Riding high from his top 5 showing at Daytona, he qualified 8th for the "Goodwrench 200" @ Rockingham, and again found himself in the lead, but this time, it was when it counted, as he would go on to win the event over Harry Gant and the #7 Manheim Auto Auctions Chevrolet~ A couple races later, he picked up his second win of the year in the "Miller 500" @ Martinsville, leading 205 of 300 laps, as his only competition that day, Hermie Sadler, was involved in an early crash involving six other drivers~

                                                         1994 was their best year ever~

    Terry won two more times during the 1994 BGN season~ After qualifying 21st for the "Fays 150" @ Watkins Glen, he went on to lead 43 of 62 laps, in his defeat of runner-up Bobby Dotter~ His final win came at the site of his first race with sponsor MW Windows, in the "All-Pro 300" @ Charlotte~ Mark Martin had the car to beat most of the day, but Labonte was able to pass him with 53 laps remaining to take the checkered flag, and his last win of the 1994 season~

   He finished out the season with 4 wins, 9 top 5's, and 14 top 10's, finishing 18th in the final point standings, even after not competing in eight of the scheduled races on the circuit~ The 1995 BGN season would be his last with sponsor MW Windows, and it was a mildly uneventful year, with Labonte picking up 1 pole, and 1 win, both in the "Lysol 200" @ Watkins Glen, while also compiling 9 top 5's, and 11 top 10's~

   For many years now, MW Windows has been involved in multiple class action lawsuits, and in October of 2015, finally had to pay up, after it was found in a court of law that the vinyl clad, wood framed windows contained a defect that led to premature wood rot, staining, warping, and discoloration~ The lawsuit included windows that were made by MW Windows from 1987-2014~ Following the lawsuit settlement, the company had since shied away from the "MW Windows" name, and now refers to the company as "Ply Gem"~ A claim on their website say they are the "#1 Vinyl & Aluminum Windows in the United States", as well as "#1 Manufacturer of Vinyl Siding in North America"~
                
   Terry Labonte ran a total of 61 races in the #14 MW Windows car, 59 in a Chevrolet, and 2 in an Oldsmobile~ His career stats in the car were 2 poles, 5 wins, 26 top 5's, and 36 top 10's~ He changed his car number to #5 for start of the 1996 BGN season, and picked up sponsorship from Bayer/Actron, in what was a hideous looking car, that he won three races with that year~ Other fellow MW Windows drivers included brother Bobby Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip, and David Green, who drove the final MW Windows sponsored car in the 2001 running of the "Carquest Auto Parts 300" @ Charlotte, where the sponsorship first began with Labonte's Oldsmobile~ Green finished 9th in the Frank Cicci owned #34 AFG Glass/MW Windows Chevrolet~

                                             Terry Labonte #14 MW Windows Chevrolet~

                                                               Click pics to enlarge~

    I've gotta admit.. I've been away from doing these blogs for so long, it took me a little while to remember how to do everything~ I feel like my time away hasn't been a total loss, because I've had a chance to get a little better with Photoshop, and the pictures and backgrounds are looking much better now.. so that's nice~ Speaking of nice.. you know I'm a sucker for these simple paint scheme, white race cars, and this one is no exception!~

   Red and white go together just as good as red and black do, in my opinion~ Heck, I may even prefer it now that I'm getting old... it's much easier to read on the track, versus a black and red car~ I'm glad I wasn't a customer of MW Windows back then after my research, but I sure was glad when I got this car~ I didn't take a picture of it, but there is also a Lumina version of this car, which was issued as a "Preview Edition"~ I have it as well, but didn't open it, because I had two of these Monte Carlo versions~ The one you see in the pictures is now the property of my son, who is probably somewhere tearing it up at the moment~ Haha!~

  But that's what these Racing Champions cars were made for in the first place.. to have fun~ Yeah, they're fun to collect and cherish as a nostalgia thing now that we're older... but when I was a kid in the 80's and 90's, I ripped them out of the packaging and had little play races on the floor with them for hours~ (My original Rusty Wallace car is almost unrecognizable these days due to this)~ This was a beautiful car on the track, as well as in Racing Champions form~ I give it an A- on the Racing Champions diecast scale, with a few points taken off only because Terry's name is really light print~ Other than that, it's a real winner~ Speaking of winners, it's time for the Racing Champions NASCAR Diecast bonus car!~

                                            J.T. Hayes #91 Crossroads City of Corinth Ford~

    J.T. Hayes is a former go-kart and sprint car racer from Corinth, Mississippi~ In 1990, he talked the town into sponsoring him for his debut in the Winston Cup Series~ Driving the #91 Crossroads City of Corinth Ford, owned by Junie Donlavey, Hayes would compete in the "GM Goodwrench 500" @ Rockingham, along with teammate Ernie Irvan~

  Of the 38 competitors to make a qualifying lap, Hayes was by far the slowest, and started dead last, while his teammate Irvan qualified 17th~ The race was just 10 laps in when caution waved for Michael Waltrip spinning in the backstretch~ Right before the caution, the black flag was shown for Hayes, and he was parked for not maintaining proper speed/control of his car~

  J.T. Hayes never raced in NASCAR again after that day, and had an operation in 1994 to remove his male parts~ He currently lives his life dressing up as a woman, and has written a book about his experience~ He also prefers to be called "Terry O'Connell" these days, and has admitted to dating men while pretending to be a woman, without informing the men that he's a man himself (which I find to be very rude)~ After his operation, Junie Donlavey was asked if he'd let Hayes race his cars again, to which Donlavey replied he would if Hayes still had the talent to drive~

  Well, that wraps up the first new blog post in over a year, and the first of 2019~ Thank you all who came back to check out this post, and hopefully I won't be as long making the next one~ Below are some clips of the two Terry's~ Enjoy them, and I'll see ya' next time, here at the Racing Champions NASCAR diecast blog!~

                                             Terry's only Truck Series win~ Richmond '95~

                                                             1989 DieHard 500 finish~

                                                            Who's the better Labonte?~

                                                 J.T. Hayes as "Terry O'Connell" on 20/20~

 

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'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~

    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~

    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~

    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~

    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~

                                                                Click pics to enlarge~

     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~

                             **BONUS PHOTO** The actual car from the 1993 BGN series~

    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~

   

Stevie Reeves #7 Clabber Girl Baking Powder Chevrolet

    Hello again, and welcome back to the blog!~ I've been dreading this post for a while, but I've finally decided to do it.. Stevie Reeves' #7 Clabber Girl Baking Powder Chevrolet~ The main reason I've been putting it off is because Reeves was horrible at NASCAR~ He was a two time USAC champion, but that doesn't always relate to success in NASCAR, and poor ol' Reeves never even managed a top 5 finish in 8 years of NASCAR competition~

    Although Reeves never amounted to anything in NASCAR, he was good enough to catch the eye of legendary Grand National team owner, and Bristol's own, Ed Whitaker~ That's right.. Reeves was picked to take over for Harry Gant's old BGN ride~ Gant used to tear it up in this car in the early 90's, and won a lot of races in it, so Reeves should have done the same... right?~ Not even close~ He only lasted one season in the car before being let go of his driving duties~

    I've always assumed that Reeves' father must have been part owner in the Clabber Girl Baking Powder company, because that's the only way I can explain them sponsoring him for as long as they did.. however, I've never found any proof to back up that assumption~ Reeves was born in Indiana, and the company is based in Indiana, and the company also owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so who knows~ At any rate, let's bust into this post on Mr. Reeves' time in the #7 Clabber Girl Baking Powder Chevrolet~

                                                  Custom Stevie Reeves card that I made~

    His first race in the car came in the season opening "Goody's 300" @ Daytona, where he started 34th, and was involved in a lap 8 crash that ended his day, and relegated him to a 43rd place finish~ Things didn't go much better the following week at Rockingham, for the "Goodwrench 200"~ After starting from 22nd, Reeves was only able to move up two spots in the race, to finish in 20th~

    It looked like it was gonna be a lot more of the same for the "Hardee's 250" @ Richmond, with Stevie qualifying 29th.. but he caught some nice breaks during the race, and was able to hang on to a 6th place finish~ Surprisingly, this was the best finish of his entire career... not just for the season, but for all 8 years in the sport, this was his best finish of them all~ He then sadly followed it up with a 33rd place finish in the "Busch Light 300" @ Atlanta, following a blown engine~

   Stevie followed up the blown engine @ Atlanta with a lap 175 crash in the "Opryland USA 320" @ Nashville~ The accident knocked him out of the race, resulting in a 34th place finish~ As if things couldn't get any worse, he blew an engine in the "Mark III Vans 200" @ Darlington, where he finished 35th, and blew another one the following week, in the "Goody's 250" @ Bristol, resulting in a 33rd place finish~

                                   Stevie on track in the original Clabber Girl paint scheme~ 

    Following the blown engine @ Bristol, Reeves then failed to qualify for the "Red Dog 300" @ Charlotte~ He rolled off 19th in the "GM Goodwrench/Delco 200" @ Dover, but finished the race four laps down, in the 21st position~ At this time, Reeves found himself 30th in the BGN points standings~

    By the way this season went, it's no wonder Ed Whitaker was out of the sport only 25 races after his dealings with Reeves~ With Stevie in the car, the team brought in 21,000 dollars less than they did the season before, with Harry Gant at the wheel~ That kind of hit on a small, part time team will really do some damage, and the Whitaker race team was never the same after the season with Reeves~

    Stevie qualified 32nd in the "Sears Auto Center 250" @ the Milwaukee Mile, but was only able to move up six positions during the race, to finish in 26th~ He then qualified 38th for the "Hummingbird Fishfinder 500K" @ Talladega, but was involved in the "big one" only nine laps into the race, ending his day prematurely with a 41st place finish~

                                              Reeves chats with Jeff Gordon at PIR - 1992~

    One of the highlights of the season (if you can call it that) was when Reeves finished 12th in the "Kroger 200" @ IRP, after starting from 29th~ Besides his 6th place run @ Richmond earlier in the year, this is as close as Stevie would come to another top 10 during the 1995 campaign~ Jason Keller won the race in the #57 Budget Gourmet Chevrolet, followed by Elton Sawyer, Mike McLaughlin, Tracy Leslie, and Tommy Houston~

    After finishing 31st in the "Detroit Gasket 200" @ Michigan, Reeves shocked the NASCAR world when he won the pole for the "Food City 250" @ Bristol, in what would be his only career pole~ He led the first 60 laps before getting passed by Johnny Benson Jr., and wound up finishing in 14th place~ Steve Grissom went on to win the race in the #29 Chennellock Chevrolet, followed by Jeff Green, Tim Fedewa, Chad Little, and Terry Labonte~

    Reeves qualified 6th for the Gatorade 200" @ Darlington, and it was beginning to look like he knew what he was doing~ He lasted 28 laps before retiring for "handling" issues~ Mark Martin and the #60 Winn-Dixie Ford went on to win the race, followed by Johnny Benson, Ward Burton, Phil Parsons, and Joe Nemechek~ Larry Pearson, who won the pole for the event, finished in 17th place in the #92 Stanley Tools Chevrolet~

                                                  Stevie and Bobby Dotter on track~ 1995~

    After qualifying 36th for the "Autolite 250" @ Richmond, Reeves again failed to finish the race, going out with 26 laps remaining, due to "rear end" problems~ Let's just hope those rear end problems were with the car, and not the driver~ He would follow this race up with a 35th place finish in the "MBNA 200" @ Dover, following a 12th place qualifying effort~

    Stevie and the team then failed to qualify for the "All Pro Bumper To Bumper 300" @ Charlotte, the same track the dnq'd at earlier in the season~ At least 64 drivers attempted to make the 44 car field, and among some of the other dnq'ers were Rick Wilson, Michael Waltrip, Patty Moise, Derrike Cope, Todd Bodine, and Mike Wallace~ Stevie finished 19th in the "AC-Delco 200" @ Rockingham, and 20th in his final race for Ed Whitaker, in the "Jiffy Lube Miami 300" @ Homestead~

    Reeves finished the 1995 BGN campaign having ran 18 of the 26 events, while dnq'ing for another two, amassing 1 pole, and 1 top 10, while finishing 29th in the final points standings, with an average start of 24.3, and an average finish of 27.5~ For his career, he ran 85 BGN races, finishing on the lead lap in only seven of those races, and he also ran 3 Truck Series races in 2000 to finish out his driving career, where he had a best finish of 24th in the "Michigan 200"~

    Following his driving career, Reeves got work as a spotter for Dale Earnhardt Jr., and later spotted for Jimmie Johnson during a championship season~ He currently is the spotter for Paul Menard in the Cup Series, and also does some BGN (I'm not calling it whatever it is now.. it's forever Busch Grand National to me) spotter work~ So even though he didn't amount to a hill of beans in the NASCAR world, he wound up still being a part of it anyway by transforming into a master spotter~ Sometimes crappy stories have a happy ending after all~ Awww~ :P

                                   Stevie Reeves #7 Clabber Girl Baking Powder Chevrolet~

                                                               Click pics to enlarge~

    Even though I talked a little smack about his racing career, I always was fond of his Clabber Girl cars~ They were always one of the sharpest looking cars out there at the time, and even to this day the paint scheme still holds its own~ His Ed Whitaker car was my favorite of them all, as I preferred the #7 to the #96~

    There was also a #7 Clabber Girl car produced for the 1996 Preview Edition, but Reeves was booted before the season started, and instead drove the #96 Clabber Girl Ford for Donald Laird~ His best finish that season was 15th in the "Goodwrench Service 200" @ Rockingham, and he drove a total of fifteen races that season, so it was pretty bad~ Along with his best finish being dismal, he also failed to qualify for six more races~

    Back to the car here.. I think this car is a true beauty~ That slanted red #7, combined with the white and sky blue Clabber Girl colors really made this car stand out on the race track, as well as in your diecast collection~ It's a truly beautiful car, and if it was only based on the car, I would give it an A+.. but since the card counts as part of the score, I have to give it a B+.. yeah, to me the card is that bad~ The blue paint on this one tends to crack on some cars, so you have to look carefully before you buy one, unless you don't care about cracks~ Anyway.. let's move onto the bonus car for this post~

                                           Shawna Robinson #99 Tombstone Pizza Ford~

    This was the first car Shawna Robinson ever attempted to make a Winston Cup race in~ It was for the 1995 running of the Daytona 500, where 64 drivers were attempting to make the 42 car field~ Robinson wound up 52nd, and didn't make the field~ Among others who dnq'd that day were Bobby Hillin Jr., Greg Sacks, Doug Heveron, Kenny Wallace, Jim Sauter, Jimmy Spencer, James Hylton, and Ritchie Petty, the son of Maurice Petty~

    Robinson being Tombstoned out of the Daytona 500 wasn't the end of her being Tombstoned in the Tombstone car however, as she also attempted to field a Tombstone car for the "Hardee's 250" @ Richmond in the BGN series, and again failed to qualify~ It was to be her final tombstone~

    I guess I'd give this car a C- on the Racing Champions quality scale~ I was kind of rushing it along when I was working on it, and it's a little sloppy in areas that I could have did better on~ I used the 1989 body for it because I already had a blank black old body Ford sitting around, so that's what I used~ It's still a pretty neat looking car, and looks close enough to the real thing she drove back then~

    Thank you all for stopping by and reading this post!~ Please share this post on social media sites to help get some more people reading these posts~ The blog is growing bigger everyday, and it's all because of people like you, who enjoy the posts, and share them around to others who'll enjoy them~ Below are some random videos, because they're aren't any good Reeves videos~ Enjoy them, and goodnight Mrs. Calabash.. wherever you are!~

                                                1991 Martinsville trophy model builder~

                                                 Steve Byrnes and Ned Jarrett bloopers~

                                                  Cale, Ned, and Benny tell rain stories~

                                                J.D. McDuffie 1985 Daytona 500 profile~

                     
  
    

Johnny Benson Jr. #18 Hella Lights / Performance Friction Chevrolet

    Hello, and welcome back to the NASCAR Racing Champions blog!~ I've had a busy schedule the past couple weeks, so I missed last weeks post, but I'm still ahead of schedule, so I hope you'll forgive me~ :P Today's post is on Johnny Benson Jr.'s #18 Hella Lights/Performance Friction Chevrolet, which he drove a total of 7 races in during the inaugural season of the Truck Series~

    He technically only drove this Hella Lights version of the truck in the "1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic", which was the first race of the season, held at Phoenix International Raceway, but ran a similar looking truck during the remaining 6 races he ran throughout the year~ He also failed to qualify for the Lowe's 150 @ North Wilkesboro, which would have brought his total to 8 races ran during the season~ Anyway, let's look back at Benson's time in the #18 Kurt Roehrig Racing Chevrolet~

                                      Benson's only time in the Hella Truck - Phoenix 1995~

    As I stated above, Benson's only race with this specific sponsor came in the 1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic, @ Phoenix~ He qualified 4th for the event, and Ron Hornaday Jr. won the first official pole award in the series, driving the #16 RCCA Products Chevrolet, owned by Dale Earnhardt Inc.~

    After leading the first 23 laps of the race, Hornaday faded back, while Terry Labonte and Mike Skinner put on a show for the fans, battling back and forth for the lead for the remainder of the race~ Lobonte was driving the #5 DuPont Chevrolet, which was painted up like Gordon's old Rainbow Warrior car, while Skinner's truck resembled Earnhardt's famous GM Goodwrench machine~

    In the end, Skinner came home victorious over Labonte, with Ken Schrader finishing 3rd, followed by Joe Bessey, and Geoff Bodine, who finished out the top 5~ Benson was near the front all day long, but faded away near the end of the race, settling for a 10th place finish~


                                            Benson awaits the start of the race @ IRP 1995~

    Due to Benson also running the full BGN Series schedule during 1995, a season in which he ultimately won the Series Championship, he didn't run another Truck Series event until the 10th race of the season, the "Sears Auto Center 125" @ Milwaukee~ He qualified 12th for the race, while Mike Skinner won the pole, and eventually the race, in the famous #3 Chevrolet~

    The race was a three way battle between Skinner, Dennis Setzer, and Ron Hornaday Jr., with the trio combining to lead all but seven laps of the event~ Setzer finished second, followed by Hornaday, Rick Carelli, and Bill Sedgwick~ Benson was able to hold out for a 7th place finish, but never was much of a factor during the race~ He would race in the series again three races later, and would have his best run of the year at IRP~

    Benson qualified on the outside of row number one for the "Action Packed Racing Cards 150" @ IRP, with "Mean" Mike Skinner sitting on the pole~ Skinner led from flag to flag, and never looked back on his way to a dominating victory~ Benson finished in second place, right where he started, and was followed by Rich Carelli, Rodney Combs, and Scott Lagasse~

                                             Benson battles hard with Skinner - 1995 IRP~

    Johnny qualified 5th in the "Fas Mart Supertruck Shootout" @ Richmond, and the pole was won by Terry Labonte in the #5 DuPont Chevrolet~ Though Benson qualified well, he never was a factor in the race, and finished in 11th place~ The race was won by pole sitter, Terry Labonte, with Geoff Bodine coming in second, Mike Skinner third, Joe Ruttman fourth, and Ken Schrader finishing in fifth~ Derrike Cope finished in seventh place, in one of only 15 career appearances in the Truck series~

   Benson had his poorest qualifying effort of the season in the Goody's 150 @ Martinsville, with a 22nd place effort, due to qualifying being rained out~ The pole award was given to points leader, Mike Skinner~ Though he didn't lead any laps, Benson proved to have a strong truck by plowing through the field on his way to a third place finish~ Mike Skinner led a race high 134 of the 150 laps, but in the end, he was outsmarted by a Truck Series legend~

    Joe Ruttman was able to get by Skinner with two laps remaining in the race, and drove the 1-800-COLLECT Ford to victory lane~ Mike Skinner finished in second, followed by Benson, Kenny Wallace, and Hermie Sadler~ I must also not that Kenny's Red Dog truck was super awesome, and one of the best looking trucks of all time~ Also, Ernie Irvan attempted to make his comeback from the crash at Michigan, but failed to make the race, due to qualifying being rained out~

                                                        Benson on track at IRP - 1995~

    Benson made his next to last start of the season in the "Spears Manufacturing 200" @ Mesa Marin, where he qualified in the 11th position~ The pole award went to Bill Sedgwick, driving the #75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet~ Benson didn't improve much in the race, only moving up one position, to finish in 10th place~ The race was won by Mike Skinner, followed by Mike Bliss, Ernie Irvan, Jack Sprague, and Joe Ruttman~

  Johnny's final race of the 1995 Truck Series came in the "GM Goodwrench/Delco Battery 200" @ Phoenix, where he qualified 15th~ The pole was won by Jack Sprague, driving the #25 Budweiser Chevrolet~ The race was again dominated by Mike Skinner, who led 89 of the 124 laps, on his way to victory, and eventually the series championship~ Skinner was followed by Ernie Irvan, Geoff Bodine, Ted Musgrave, and Ron Hornaday Jr.~

 Benson finished the season with 7 races, 2 top 5's, and 5 top 10's, with an average start of 10.1, and an average finish of 8.6~ He eventually went on to become the 2008 Truck Series Champion, and hasn't raced in the series since 2010, following a bad crash in 2009, that pretty much ended his career~

                          Johnny Benson Jr. #18 Hella Lights/Performance Friction Chevrolet~

                                                                Click pics to enlarge~

    As I've said in previous posts, I'm a big fan of the Truck Series, and consider it to be the finest of the NASCAR series'~ I like this truck, but it really isn't anything special~ The card is kind of boring, and the truck is basically the same.. just a little boring~

    I was a fan of Johnny Benson, especially during his tenure in the #74 BGN car~ I feel like he should have had more success in the Cup series, but was always on a second hand team, as with Roush~ All of the good Roush cars were given to Mark Martin back then, but drivers like Benson, and Ted Musgrave still managed mild success with their cars~

    On the Racing Champions quality scale, this truck is getting a C+, because it lacks any stand out logos, and doesn't really have a good paint scheme~ The card is also very boring, so it can't get any higher than a C+~ With this truck out of the way, let's move on to the bonus car, shall we?~

                                         Mark Martin #6 Folgers prototype.. never released?~

    This car was sent to me in photo form from a friend of mine that I met through the blog~ As far as he knows, it is a prototype of Mark Martin's #6 Folgers Ford, that was never released by Racing Champions, but a few were made as test samples~ I asked Fred Wagenhals, and he never heard of the car during his time with the company, but did mention that the car was made by his other company, RCCA, which I have in my collection~

    I can't say one way or the other on this one for sure, but my guess is that it is a custom made diecast, and not a true Racing Champions version~ It does have real tampos, and not decals, so that kind of puts me on the fence about my decision~ The color is definitely off for one thing, and I don't recall Martin using chrome rims, though perhaps he did at some point~

    I still like the car, and would certainly enjoy it in my collection, regardless of how it came to be~ I'm gonna give it a C- on the Racing Champions quality scale, since it's the wrong color, wrong rims, doesn't come with a card, or any kind of verification of its authenticity~ If it came with a story of its existence, it would easily be a B+ car, even with its flaws~

    Thank you all for stopping by the blog again~ I'm now an affiliate with the NASCAR Superstore, so along with the videos below, I'm also going to be offering links to special deals on NASCAR merchandise soon~ I tried to do it this post, but it kept saying error when I clicked on it~ :P     
                                       
                                          Johnny Benson/Kyle Busch Incident Martinsville~

                                                     1993 Detroit Gasket 200 - Benson flip~

                                               Benson's 2008 Truck Series Championship~

                                       1995 Red Dog 300 - Huge wreck - Benson involved~

Todd Bodine #61 Roush Performance Products Ford

    Hello again Racing Champions fans, and welcome back to the NASCAR Racing Champions 1/64 diecast blog!~ You know, with all these new rules for the upcoming season, I sure am glad that I get to write about the good ol' days~ Don't get me wrong, I'll never turn my back on the sport, and I'll always watch every race that I can, but I'm just not a fan of the way the sport has changed over the past 15 years~

    It seems each season gets more and more ridiculous, yet all we have to do is look to the past to find some great racing~ In today's post, I'm going to be looking back to Todd Bodine's time in the #61 Roush Performance Products Ford, which he drove for five races in the inaugural season of the Truck series~ Todd did amazing in this truck, and I think if he had ran the full season, he would have given Mike Skinner a run for his money~ Let's jump right into this thing, shall we?~

                                                         Bodine @ Mesa Marin - 1995~

    Bodine's first truck race didn't come until the 12th race of the season, in the "Heartland Tailgate 175" @ Topeka, Kansas, which was the first road course event in series history~ Todd qualified 3rd for the event, while Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole, driving the #16 Papa John's Pizza Chevrolet, owned by Dale Earnhardt Inc.~

    This race was also the only start in the series for legendary car owner, Rick Hendrick, who drove the #25 Budweiser Chevrolet~ During the race, he tangled with teammate Scott Lagasse, and was eventually put out of the race with transmission issues, finishing in 23rd place~ This was also the series debut of Darrell Waltrip, who was filling in for Ken Schrader in the #52 AC Delco Chevrolet~ Waltrip would start the race from the 8th position, and move up a couple spots during the race to finish in 6th~

    Kerry Teague (no relation to Brad Teague) was involved in a brutal crash on the 9th lap of the race, which effectively ended his racing career~ Bodine stayed up front all day long, and while he never led a lap, he ended up with a solid 4th place finish~ Ron Hornaday Jr. led all but two laps of the race, on his way to victory lane~ Joe Ruttman finished in 2nd, followed by Terry Labonte, Bodine, and Mike Skinner finished out the top 5~ Ruttman was able to lead the other 2 laps, picking up 5 bonus points, and giving him the points lead following the race~

                           I had to make all of these pictures, so I'm sorry for the poor quality~

    Todd's next race in the series came in the "Fas Mart Supertruck Shootout" @ Richmond, Va.~
He qualified 13th for the event, while Terry Labonte won the pole in the #5 Dupont Refinishes Chevrolet, which was painted up just like Jeff Gordon's "Rainbow Warrior" car~ This was Labonte's final start in the series, in which he ran 3 races during the 1995 season~

    Geoff Bodine led a large portion (97 laps) of the race, driving the #7 Exide Batteries Ford, and he looked like he had the truck to beat all day long~ Several driver made their series debut in this race including, Rodney Combs Jr., Hermie Sadler, Derrike Cope, Bugs Hairfield, and probably a couple others that I'm forgetting about~

    In the end, Terry Labonte was able to pick up the win, in what turned out to be his only truck series victory~ The race had a wild finish, with the top 4 trucks finishing just one second apart~ Todd ended up finishing in 6th place, and Derrike Cope finished a surprising 7th~ The top 5 consisted of race winner Terry Labonte, followed by Geoff Bodine, Mike Skinner, Joe Ruttman, and Ken Schrader~

                                  Bodine battles with Ernie Irvan (28) and Mike Skinner (3)~

    Todd next raced in the "Goody's 150" @ Martisville, Va., and qualified 26th for the event, his worst qualifying effort of the season~ Eventual series champions Mike Skinner won the pole in the #3 GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet~ Ernie Irvan, who had been out of racing for some time following his crash at Michigan, was attempting a comeback starting with this race, though he failed to make the field because qualifying was rained out~

    Geoff Bodine's son, Barry Bodine made his NASCAR debut in this race, driving the #07 Tanya Tucker's Salsa Ford for his Dad~ Geoff was dating Tanya at the time, so what a convenient sponsor for his son's debut~ I'm sure the salsa has been discontinued by now, just as Tanya, Geoff, and Barry's careers~ :P

    Kenny Wallace also made his truck series debut, and he finished 4th in the Red Dog Ford~ Mike Skinner led 134 laps, and looked like the truck to beat, but ol' man Joe Ruttman had other plans, and he went on to win the race in the 1-800-COLLECT Ford~ He became the third driver in series history to win more than one race in a season, along with Hornaday, and Skinner~ Todd Bodine finished in 6th place, and the top 5 finishers consisted of race winner Ruttman, followed by Skinner, Johnny Benson, Kenny Wallace, and Hermie Sadler~

                                        Bodine and Bill Sedgwick in the pits at Mesa Marin~

    Bodine next competed in the "Lowe's 150" at North Wilkesboro, NC., where he qualified in the 9th spot~ Mike Skinner again won the pole in the #3 GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet, and Ernie Irvan finally started his NASCAR comeback, qualifying on the outside of the front row in the #28 NAPA/United Brake Systems Ford~

    Geoff Bodine was strong early in the race, but struggled following the halfway break~ He still managed to finished in 3rd place~ Jack Sprague's truck also looked strong for a while, but he eventually faded away to finish in 4th~ This was the series debut of Mike Wallace, who had engine troubles, and finished in 29th place~

    In the end, Mike Bliss picked up his first truck series win, driving the #2 Ultra Custom Wheels Ford~ Bliss passed Jack Sprague with 21 laps to go, and led all the way to the checkered flag~ Ernie Irvan ran strong up until the halfway point, but changes made to his truck didn't work out, and he dropped out due to suspension issues, which resulted in a 30th place finish~ Todd ran a smooth race, and ended up finishing in 7th place~ The top 5 consisted of race winner Bliss, Butch Miller, Geoff Bodine, Jack Sprague, and Ron Hornaday~

                                                           Bodine on the track - 1995~

    Bodine's final race in the #61 truck came in the "Spears Manufacturing 200" @ Mesa Marin~ Now, I watched this race, and the announcers said that Bodine was scheduled to run the next season in the #61 truck, but he never did~ So I'm not sure what happened with that, but he didn't run another truck race until 2004 following this start~

    Bill Sedgwick won the pole in the #75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet, and Bodine qualified alongside of him in the second spot~ Todd led the first lap of the race, which ended up being the only lap he led all season, and although he was strong at first, he quickly fell back, and never was much of a factor in the race~ Surprisingly, this would be his worst finish of the season, and he finished in 8th place~ That's pretty impressive, to say the least~

    Ron Hornaday had the truck to beat all day it seemed, leading 108 of the 200 laps, but he faded at the end, and finished in 15th~ In the end, Mike Skinner won the race in the GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet, followed by Mike Bliss, Ernie Irvan, Jack Sprague, and Joe Ruttman~ The #61 truck never competed again following this race, as Roush fielded the #99 Exide truck following the 1995 season~ I really wish I knew why the Bodine deal fell through, but that's just one of them unsolved mysteries of racing~

                                           Todd Bodine #61 Roush Performance Products Ford~

    I think it's safe to say that Jack Roush wanted the world to know who was sponsoring this truck.. heck, his name is on it in 7 different places~ Even so, it's still not a bad looking truck~ I sort of like the simplistic paint scheme, and it reminds me of the #27 Indianapolis Colts scheme that Rick Wilson's car had during the 1997 Brickyard 400~




    I never did care much for Jack Roush~ I didn't like Mark Martin, because I felt like he was an entitled prick, and Roush would always make stupid driver changes that I didn't agree with~ I really got made when he got rid of Chad Little to make room for Kurt Busch, yet he kept Kevin Lepage, who never did anything in that #16 car~ Little had some great runs in the John Deere car, picking up 1 top 5, and 14 top 10's in 3 1/2 seasons, which is much better than Lepage did~

   Anyway, back to the truck here.. I'm going to give it a C+ on the Racing Champions quality scale~ While it is a pretty exact replica of the real truck, I'm just not a huge fan of it, and the card is absolutely horrible looking~ This truck could have had a much better looking card that this~ Todd never finished outside the top 10 in this truck, and they should have done a better job on the card~ Now, let's take a look at the bonus car~

                                                 Diggity Dave #49 Gold Bond Chevrolet~

    Well, for this one, I used Stanley Smith's #49 Ameritron Batteries Chevrolet, and although they look pretty much identical, I'm gonna have to pat myself on the back, and say that I think this one looks better than the original~ While I do like the Smith car, I just think this Gold Bond car looks better than his Ameritron Batteries car~

    I'm not a fan of foot powders.. because then you've got a bunch of crusty ol' powder all in your shoes~ I do like the Gold Bond logo, though~ When I was a kid, I thought Gold Bond was some kind of magical powder, because I always saw old people with it, and I used to think old people were wizards~ :P I give this car an A- on the Racing Champions quality scale, because I'm not 100% satisfied with the deck lid logo~ It's a little off~

    I'd like to thank you all for stopping by the blog again to get another dose of NASCAR history~ I enjoyed researching this one, because I'm a big fan of the early truck series days~ I was at the very first truck series race that was ran at Bristol, and I was hooked from that day on~ If you're a fan of the blog, please click the follow button at the top right hand side of this page, and share this post on social media~ It helps out a lot, and lets new people find out about the page here~ Below are some clips of the old truck series, as well as some Todd Bodine stuff, though I couldn't find any small clips of this truck~ Have a great weekend, and I hope to see ya' next time on the NASCAR Racing Champions Blog~ :)

                                               Rick Carelli big crash @ Martinsville 1995~

                                                   Wayne Jacks flip @ Portland - 1995~

                               Finish of the Total Petroleum 200 @ Colorado Speedway - 1995~

                                                             Bodine wins Darlington~