Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3B
Down the Stretch
Parks deserves recognition in Hall of Fame
B ack in April, 1949
NASCAR Cup champion
Red Byron was inducted
into the International Motorsports
Hall of Fame at Talladega,
Alabama. As part of the induction,
Raymond Parks, owner of Byron’s
championship winning racecar,
stood side-by-side with 2007 Cup
champ Jimmie Johnson, both with
their championship trophies. They
were joined shortly thereafter by
all the past championship win
ning car owners and drivers who
are members of the International
Motorsports Hall of Fame.
It was a nice tribute to the history
and heritage of stock car racing.
It was also very hypocritical.
That’s because Raymond Parks,
often referred to as “The Godfather
of NASCAR" is not currently
a member of the International
Motorsports Hall of Fame.
The question, from anyone who
knows what Parks did for the sport,
is, without a doubt, “why not?’’
Parks embodies the history of
early stock car racing, and, to be
blunt, without him, there very
well may not have ever been a
NASCAR.
Parks was born in rural north
Georgia. He became involved at
an early age in the illegal whisky
business that transported liquor out
of the hills and into thirsty Atlanta,
until he moved to Atlanta to help
run the now legendary Hemphill
Service Station in Atlanta with his
uncle, who also ran a bootlegging
business part time.
Parks did well in this business,
and a few other enterprises.
Parks got into racing just before
the war, winning his first race as a
car owner in 1938 at Atlanta’s leg
endary Lakewood Speedway with
his cousin, Dawsonville’s Lloyd
Seay behind the wheel.
As a pilot of Parks’ Fords,
immaculately prepared by legend
ary mechanic Red Vogt in Atlanta,
Seay and his cousin Roy Hall took
wins all over the southeast.
Parks entered Hall in the March
1940 stock car event on Daytona
Beach. Hall’s faster car and quick
er team took the win.
Hall won again on the beach in
March of 1941. Seay was victori
ous there in August.
World War II interrupted Parks’
racing ventures. He served in
brandon
reed
Auto Racing
Europe with
the 99th
Infantry
Division at
the Battle of
the Bulge.
When he
returned
home in 1946,
Parks’ legiti
mate vend
ing machine
business was
successful
enough to fund his race team.
With Vogt again wrenching his
Fords, Parks" teams won all five
races at Daytona Beach in 1945
and in 1946.
Big Bill France, who was pro
moting the beach events and trying
to get his own racing organization
off the ground, was not a fan of
the fast Atlanta crowd. He didn’t
like the moonshine background
they brought to Daytona Beach
with them. But there was little he
could do to keep them out of vic
tory lane.
With Atlanta’s Fonty Flock
behind the wheel, Parks’ team won
the 1947 NCSCC modified cham
pionship, France's pre-cursor to
NASCAR.
Parks’ team won the first
NASCAR sanctioned race, a modi
fied event at Daytona Beach, in
1948 with Byron behind the wheel.
Byron went on to win the 1948
NASCAR championship. Byron,
Vogt and Parks would follow this
up the next year by winning the
first NASCAR Strictly Stock (now
Sprint Cup) championship.
As France worked to make
NASCAR succeed, he often called
on Parks for advice. He also
called on Parks when money to run
the organization became tight.
Without that help, it’s doubtful
that NASCAR would have made it
to where it is today.
Parks helped bring stock car rac
ing out of its rough and tumble
beginnings, where a promoter was
more likely to take off with the
gate money rather than to pay the
purse, to a place of prominence
and respect in the motorsports
world.
The IMHOF thought enough of
him to bring him on stage with all
the other NASCAR hall of fame
championship winners. There's
BANKS COUNTY
FIRE & EMS
155 Yonah-Homer Rd.
Homer, Georgia 30547
706-677-1812 • Fax 706-677-5114
E-mail: beabanks@co.banks.ga.us
Sponsoring classes in
First Aid and CPR
starting July 14 through 16
6 p.m. - 9 .m.
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no reason for them not to add his
name to their ranks.
Several hundred folks turned
out at J.B. Day's place in South
Carolina a few weeks ago to honor
Mr. Parks on his birthday.
Now it’s time for IMHOF folks
to do the same. They don’t need
to mess around and make the same
mistake with him that they did
with Wendell Scott, and honor him
after he’s not around to enjoy that
which he deserves.
He’s more than earned such an
honor.
Brandon Reed is a reporter
and columnist for Mainstreet
Newspapers. E-mail comments
about this column to brandon@
mainstreetnews.com.
Baseball... continued from page IB
BCHS defeated Bainbridge while
dropping close contests to Lumpkin
(8-7), Bainbridge (6-5) and Flowery
Branch (5-3).
“A lot of our younger players were
able to get some valuable experience
in these games,” Lord said. “We
had several players on vacation and
others at the football lineman chal
lenge on June 22. Wesley, Bill, Jeff
and Kasey all pitched well in these
close, competitive games.”
Justin Gibbs continued to swing
the bat well in the tournament high
lighted by a a homerun against
Bainbridge. Kyle Smith also con
nected for a homer against Flowery
Branch in a game played at Piedmont
College.
“Their field is huge and you really
have to get into one to get it out of
there,” Lord said.
The Leopards also defeated Rabun
Gap in a single game 8-2 on June
25.
Porter looked dominant on the
pitcher’s mound and the offense was
sparked by a homer from Hudgins.
BCHS rounded things out
with a doubleheader at Johnson
(Gainesville) the following day. The
Leopards won the opener 11-1 as
Hudgins turned in a solid pitching
performance.
“He led us in wins this spring and
he’s had a very solid summer,” Lord
said. “We will rely on him heavily in
the rotation next year.”
Zack Dale came through offen
sively with two hits and four RBI.
BCHS fell 5-4 in the nightcap.
Redmon settled down after the first
inning to throw a solid outing for the
Leopards.
Gibbs delivered a two-homer in
the game which was agreed upon
beforehand by the coaches as a five-
inning contest.
Recreation signups
conclude Friday
The Banks County Parks and
Recreation Department will con
tinue taking registration for tackle
football, flag football, cheerleading
and soccer through Friday.
Fees for registration will be as
follows:
•Tackle football, $55
•Cheerleading, $60 for uniform or
$30 if you already have one from
last year.
•flag football and soccer, $40
each.
Call 706-677-4407 for more infor
mation.
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recycle this
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