Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / July 15, 1999, edition 1 / Page 20
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Her tpi nd a Herald/Times July 15, 1999 Racing Editor, Mike Cearley July 14th & 15th, 1999 Cnn = ERR AS «4 Mike Ceatley NASCAR Winston Cup ring gigantic fireworks display stock cars. It’s hard to say how ; worked with or for Grassy following the action. many cars he went on to build. i Ss including Robert Yates, Keith “We're expecting a good It had to be well into the / ‘Racing Editor | Dorton and Waddell Wilson.” crowd,” said Elkins. “I would hundreds. A It’s only fitting that the biggest dirt track race in local history will be in honor of racing’s most influential pioneer. The late Clarence “Grassy” Smith will be honored Thursday night (July 15) with a memorial race at Thunder Valley Speedway in Lawndale. Grassy Smith passed away last January © after a bout with cancer. He was 79. 5 Track promoter Ernie Elkins is expecting up to 45 of the nation’s top super late model drivers for the 60-lap main : event. The winner will take home $5,000. “This is all in honor of Grassy,” Elkins said. “He is one of the pioneers in racing, not just dirt track, but all of racing. The bulk of engine builders in Headlining the field will be Grassy’ s son Freddy Smith, who is the defending and only five- time world dirt track champion. Freddy's son Jeff Smith is also entered in the field along with Hav-A-Tampa points leader Dale McDowell, Ray Cook, C.S. Fitzgerald, Ronnie Johnson, Randall Chupp, Mike Duvall, Ricky Weeks, Jack Pennington, Ray Tucker, Phil Hall, Petey Ivey, Dennis Franklin, Clint Elkins, Randy Morrison, Dale Lineberger, Doug Sanders, Dan Brewer, Larry Blankenship, Steve Hendren and Wendell Wallace. The main event will be a Southern All Stars race. Gates ~ open at 4 p.m., with hot laps scheduled for 7:15 and racing at set for 8. All super late models will run time trials to set the running order for heat races. There will also be racing in five other divisions and a like to see the place fill up. Grassy’s family are all from Kings Mountain, and I would like to see all of Cleveland County come out and support one of it’s big names.” Although Grassy never drove a race car, he built championship engines for more than 50 years. He was a part of NASCAR's early history as an engine builder for Holman- Moody in Charlotte where he worked on motors for drivers such as Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Bobby Allison. When Freddy Smith started racing go-carts in the early 1960s, Grassy left the NASCAR garages behind and started his own business in Kings Mountain, Smith and Sons Automotive. “There wasn’t anything about racing he didn’t know,” Freddy said. “When I turned 18, he started helping me with - LOCAL TRACK ROUNDUP Galloway wins Tim Smith won the limited sportsman feature, while Ray Rambo wins “I give him all the credit for my success,” Freddy said. “I've won 770 races in my career and he was involved in 90 percent of them.” Grassy fielded several champion late model dirt track cars during the 1980s and ‘90s. He continued to build engines until a few seasons ago. “The last motor he built was season before last,” Freddy Smith said. “We put the motor in a car and sold it to a driver from Georgia named Bruce Taylor. His first time out, he set the fastest qualifying time. And his second race, he won. It tickled Dad to death. I think Taylor went on to win five or six races that season.” Belmont’s Doug Sanders was another one of Grassy Smith's success stories. Sanders drove for Grassy in the early 1990s when he won a Shrine 100 at Carolina Speedway. Franklin held off a charge from Mike Gault, who was “Anything you wanted to know about a racing motor, all you had to do was ask Grassy,” Sanders said. “He was one heck of an engine builder. He was class. Rodney Goins took the ; ; THE HERALD/FILE PHOTO * Freddy Smith (left) and Ricky Weeks will be among the Super Late Model drivers competing in the Grassy Smith Memorial Race. always willing to help any driver that'came to him. Anything you needed to know, he‘would help you and he always told the truth.” HAV-A-TAMPA STANDINGS ° ° Warlick was the stock 8 winner. making his season-debut in a limited sportsman win, while thir d straight Scott Tessner won in mod 4 at Gaffney super re model car. Doug Brian Connard won the mod 4 Lh Dowell senna 3031 action, Barry Bryant took the Sanders was third. main. Keith Morgan won the 3s i ot Wallace grein, 2982 James Galloway won his third stock 4 main, and Rodney Dennis “Rambo” Franklin Roger Hamrick was the stock 4 and Justin Reid the a F Gk 2871 straight late model main event Hubbard finished first in the was the super late model feature limited late model winner, while rookie 4 features. 5F it i Re 2836 rookie 4 division. winner at Cherokee Speedway Jamie Mattison won for the first Cherokee will host a Shrine Freddy Smith ...........oer. 2807 ‘at Carolina Speedway last Friday. Galloway, Who, broke’ a two- -month win'drought three weeks ago, had plenty of competition + from David Lindsay. Lindsay was returning to action after a three-month absence from the local tracks. Lindsay finished second, : : while Gene Miles took third. Andy Thompson won the * thunder & lightning main event, while Greg Barker returned to winner's circle for the first time since April in the Mod 4 ~ division. Billy Greenway picked up his first pure stock 8 win at Carolina, while Marc White ~ won his second straight pure stock 4 race. Wilkes 1 wins § thriller ha "James Galloway eet i avid Lindsay ¢ i ..Gene Mil Greg Bark ? Te it a sin - Shamma bt Steel Heads (365 C.1.) 225 Y Ibs : | Sigmon to win East Lincoln Andy Thompson Doe acer ; $200 Bonus for Steel Head {fo Win Speedway’s late model main last Saturday. Dan Yarborough was a close third followed by Gene Miles and Keith Bowman. Arnold Drye won for the second straight week in the thunder & lightning class. Billy Bishop was the pure stock 8 winner, while David Sigmon took the mod 4 main, and Charlie Lunceford won the pure stock 4 feature. The sprint winner was Pete Brower. Parker returns to Thunder Valley Ron Parker and Doug Sanders returned to Thunder Valley last Friday and staged one of the best super late model races of the season. Parker took the win, while Sanders was second followed by Sieve Hendren. Complete Line of Racing Parts As A Tan \ AERO Wheels » Hypercoil * Carrera Truck & Car Tires * Custom Wheels ¢ B.F. Goodrich Bridgestone BARNES RACE PARTS & a RN — COMPLETE TIRE SERVICE KEVIN BARNES (704)435-8727 3117 TRYON COURTHOUSE RD. CHERRYVILLE, NC in Gaffney last Saturday. rpm ER tracks 4, pure stock 4. 4, pure stock 4, spiins Carolina Speedway, Highway 274 South (Union Rd.), Gastonia 704-869-0313 Promoter: Dewey Stump Racing: Friday nights, . Admission: $10 grandstand, $15 pits. Divisions: late model, thunder & lightning, limited sportsman, super stock 8, modified ‘Thunder Valley Speedway 248 Old Statecoach Rd., Lawndale 704-538-9666 Promoter: Ernie Elkins Racing every Friday night. Admission: $10 Grand Stand; $16 Pit. Divisions: super late model, late model, thunder & lightning, UMP modified, limited sportsman, mod 4, stock 4, rookie 4. East Lincoln Speedway, 1873 Mariposa Rd., Stanley 704-263- 5347 Promoters: Boyd Knight, Richard Meabon Racing every Saturday night. Admission: $10 grandstand, $15 pits. Divisions: late model, thunder & lightning, pure stock 8, open mod 4, mod TE Racing July 9 & 10 Carolina Speadyay Jim Patterson rasesutesr Jason Rice Pure Stock 8 Billy Greenwa Mark Towell Late Model Donald Wilkes Tim Sigmon .Dan Yarbourou h: Thunder & Lightning .. Arnold Drye Mike Walker Jason Rice Pure Stock 8 Bill Bishop ..Doug Patterson im Walker Jimmy Davis Super Mod 4 David Sigmon ...Damon Crump Pure Stock 4 Marc White ...Charlie Lunceford ...Henry Duffield O'Dell Harris East Lincoln Speedway Wayne Lunceford Neal Lunceford Mike Bills Jerry Oliver Terry Fennell Darrell REY anchiin Pure Stock 4 Charlie Lunceford Matt Sigmon Adam Yarborough Travis Childers Sprints Pete Brower ..Ben Henson Tim Allen Thunder Tolley Speedway Super Late Model Ron Parker ....Doug Sanders Steve Hendren Lance Laufenberger Limited Sportsman Tim Smith ....Rodney Goins Bobby Howard David Clay Ray Warlick otton Pittman ...Jason Green Kelly Pearson Supe Late Model Dennis Franklin Mike Gault Sanders etey Ivey Limited Late Model ....Roger Hamrick Odie Robertson Ken Rominger Thunder & Lightning amie Mattison sally Fowler ..Kyle Davis Bo Mace ed Sportsman .Rodney Goins Chris Steele Scott Tessner David Roach Jim Blackburn Scott Childress Josh Ledford . Tommy Reeves Sinaia William Bivens Rookie 4 Rodney Hubbard Ricky Fox Brandy Champion Allen Franklin Cherokee Speedway Jeff Cooke David Ayers ....Brian Connard Jeff Cooke Caton arland Keith Morgan Roger Terry ....Jeremy Clements Terry McFalls Epler pERp Bp Justin Reid Greg Butler Russell Falls ...Josh Wilkerson BONE time in the thunder & lightning “THE NEW race tonight (Wednesday). SPEETUIY Lawndale, NC The Super Late Nace Headline The Program *Modified-4 » SLM (365 C.1.) 2400 Ibs. $150 Bonus for Highest Finishing Steel Head $75 Bonus to Second Highest Finisher PLUS Limited Sportsman 4 *Siock-3e Rookie-4 Stock-4 bh 4 TN gs Inaugural nase Smith Memorial Thursday Night July 15th , Added Prize Money in all Other Divisions Gate Open at 4- Racing at 8pm PLUS Limited Sportsman Modified-4 ¢ Stock-4 Stock-8 ¢ Rookie-4 For More Info Call: (704) 732-2685 or (704) 538-9666 (track) www. welcome. to/thundervalley Fan NB BU TAIRA EE NR NRO ran weas Sees Se RN a vi 7.) ER
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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July 15, 1999, edition 1
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