MAY 15, 26.. NASCAR AUTO RACING..
Today our friends at NATIONAL TODAY gave us an absolute “No Brainer” Holiday!!
We hope you will remember that for Patti and me it was a “No Brainer” and very well may NOT be for you.
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I can only speak for myself, but I am sure some other young boys felt the same way as I did growing up. I wanted to “Make The Big Time” in sports. In Junior and High School, and to some degree in University and in the Military Service, I played baseball, football (in the Marine Corps), basketball, ice hockey, and tennis. At best I was only O.K.
Through an absolutely amazing series of events, I made “The Big Time” in professional Automobile Racing as a Race Engine builder.
Allow me to assure you all, one does not make “The Big Time” without some luck (being in the right place at the right time to meet certain key people).
Yes Oh Yes, one has to have the skills and the expertise but without key people you may never get the opportunity to exhibit your skills. I have friends who played in the National Football League and their story is similar. They met and were coached by people who were absolutely critical to getting into the N.F.L.
On my upward progress in auto racing, I worked with Lloyd Ruby, Pete Hamilton, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones and finally, perhaps the most famous NASCAR Driver of all, Richard Petty !!
Richard Petty’s famous “Car 43”..
Richard Petty and myself.
Patti and me.
Above and below, I still have my Petty Enterprises Team Jacket. Fifty Four (54) years ago. 1972 – 1974.
Patti adds: Cap took me to Richard Petty’s shop to meet Richard Petty. Richard was out in the shop and when told Cap was there, he came rushing out with a huge smile and an enthusiastic handshake.
Richard instantly ushered us into his shop saying he wanted Cap to see his latest project. The project turned out to be a motorcycle he was restoring.. and.. it was painted “Petty Blue”, the same color of his famous car 43!! We had a nice, short visit and I have always treasured meeting Richard in person.
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NASCAR is an acronym for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, an auto racing sanctioning and operating company.
NASCAR DAY is celebrated on the 3rd Friday of May.
Last year in 2025 it was celebrated on May 16.
Very Nice! The NASCAR Foundation created NASCAR Day to help raise funds and awareness for the betterment of children’s lives all over the world.
The NASCAR All-Star race is this weekend at The Dover Motor Speedway (the “Monster Mile”) from May 15-17, 2026, featuring a tripleheader of action. Saturday, May 16, features Cup Series qualifying/pit crew challenges and the BetRivers 200 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race.
NASCAR events take place 10 months each year beginning in early February and ending in early November.
To read more just click onto the below link..
https://nationaltoday.com/nascar-day/
What an experience NASCAR was!
In the 1970’s it was like working in the Carnival Business. We worked seven days a week. Every week was another race. I had absolutely no benefits (no Health Insurance with a wife and two children, no vacation time). Then I received a very lucrative offer to return to the “Real World” with all of the benefits including a Retirement Plan. I had done “My Thing” at some negative aspects for my family. We lived in three different states (Indianapolis, Indiana.. Atlanta Georgia.. Spartanburg, South Carolina) meaning my sons were in and out of different schools. So I have absolutely no regrets that I left the professional auto racing business. Ahead of me lay four years of working and living in West Germany. Full retirement at age 52 years.
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Cap and Patti
10 thoughts on “MAY 15, 26.. NASCAR AUTO RACING..”
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Tim always mentions how cool you worked with Richard Petty. Wow.
Tonight we’ll be thinking of your racing days as we’ll try to attend the grand reopening of the drag strip in Sturgis. New owners, so we’re all happy about it continuing as it has been closed for a while.
Happy racing memories for you today!
Kit, Tim and the fur menagerie
Yes Kit .. Wow is correct !! Tim sure can relate to the Big Time World of NASCAR racing. I always think of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits down in Tampa, Florida, when it comes to Drag Racing. We continue to pray for both you and Tim and his recovery from shoulder surgery. Cap and Patti
And, courteously of you, I certainly treasure meeting Richard in the pits at a race (either Riverside or Ontario) in SoCal.
Oh Yes Oh Yes Robert. I “kinda sorta” hoped that we might hear from you. You were up close and very aware of what was happening with me. You and your sporty Jaguar XKE and running up the road to Twin Peaks in San Francisco. Cap
I love your NASCAR stories. Seven days a week and no benefits with a family to care for-yikes! That’s a bit rough. I’m sure they were happy when you took a regular job.
Yes indeed Kathleen. It was difficult on our two sons. When we moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Spartanburg, South Carolina, they got harassed by their school peers UNTIL .. Those “Peers” learned that their Dad (me) was a professional racer. That was it for them getting bullied. Cap
I recognize a lot of those names from my younger years–paragons of racing. Must have been exciting days.
Yes it was both exciting and along with it, a lot of long stressful hours Gullible. When I left “That World” and returned to the “More normal working World” I never looked back. However I nearly picked up with a European Formula 1 Team that was owned by Roger Penske and was to have been driven by Mark Donohue another one of the greatest drivers of all time. I got to know the Penske Team when I worked the 1969 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Sad to say Mark Donohue was killed in August 1975 during a testing session for the Austrian Grand Prix. I can vividly remember when my wife Beverly told me that “Mark has died.” We were living in Frankfurt, West Germany. I truly have never really looked back wishing I was still racing. Smiles.. Cap
My husband always watched the Indy 500.
The Indy 500 begins in Mid to late April for the teams. Getting set up for the race is quite a process. Cap