JC GoTri Sept15

Transcription

JC GoTri Sept15

GOTri
SEPTEMBER 2015
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Moonshine rising
CHEVY MILESTONES
Goodbye,
Gordon
PRESENTED BY
GOTri
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NICE WHEELS
Check out these
NASCAR drivers’
personal vehicles.
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8
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DRIVERS TO WATCH
Get to know 27 drivers worth
keeping an eye on at
Bristol Motor Speedway.
New BREWS
Craft breweries are popping
up and spreading out
across the Tri-Cities.
GORDON AT BRISTOL
Jeff Gordon says goodbye to
BMS in his last appearance at a
track that has been good to him.
shine on
Moonshining and NASCAR
have deep roots; area distillery
carrying on tradition.
CHEVY MILESTONE
Several big moments
for Chevrolet racing have
happened at Bristol.
CALENDAR
Plenty to see, plenty to do
in late August and
September in the region.
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Publisher
Justin Wilcox
Editor
Kelly Story
Advertising
Sharon Little
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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GoTri Magazine is published monthly by the Johnson City Press and the
Northeast Tennessee Media Group. For more information, visit johnsoncitypress.com.
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GOtri Magazine | gotricities.com
COVER PHOTOS AND BMS AT NIGHT BY NASCAR MEDIA
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Danica Patrick
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Busch
Hometown: Roscoe, Illinois
Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
6 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: 9th
Notable: Patrick is the only woman to
win an IndyCar race (2008 Motegi),
the only woman to win a pole for the
Daytona 500 (2013) and the highest
finishing female ever at the Indianapolis 500 (fourth)
Hometown: Chesterfield, Virginia
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: Win (2011 IRWIN
Tools Night Race)
Notable: Hamlin is a product of the
NASCAR Weekly Racing Series and
won 50 late model stock features
over a two-year stretch from 2003-04
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
20 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: Win (Five times)
Notable: Busch is the all-time winningest driver in BMS history with 16
victories — five wins in Sprint Cup,
seven in the Xfinity Series and four
in the Truck Series. He swept races
in all three series in 2010, the only
driver to ever accomplish the feat.
Kasey Kahne
Kurt Busch
Matt Kenseth
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Brad Keselowski
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G
Hometown: Enumclaw, Wash.
Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
23 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: Win (2013 Food
City 500)
Notable: Kahne and AJ Allmendinger
are the only drivers currently competing in the Sprint Cup Series to
race for Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and
Toyota
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
29 Bristol starts
Notable: Busch, the 2004 NASCAR
champion, is tied with younger
brother Kyle and Jeff Gordon for
having the most Bristol wins among
active drivers.
Hometown: Cambridge, Wis.
31 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: Win (Four times)
Notable: Kenseth is the most recent
Bristol winner, taking the checkered
flag at the Food City 500 back in
April. He also has three wins in the
IRWIN Tools Night Race.
Hometown: Olive Branch, Miss.
Roush Fenway Racing Ford
5 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: 2nd
Notable: Stenhouse and his girlfriend,
Danica Patrick, have had three-time
NASCAR champion Tony Stewart
as their car owner. Stenhouse was
Stewart’s former driver in the USAC
sprint and midget car series.
Hometown: Rochester Hills, Mich.
Team Penske Ford
11 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: Win (Two times)
Notable: 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series champion, the only title for
legendary car owner Roger Penske
Kevin Harvick
Jeff Gordon
Clint Bowyer
Kyle Larson
Tony Stewart
Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.
29 Bristol starts
City 500)
Notable: The defending NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series champion is also
a five-time winner at Bristol in the
Xfinity Series
Hometown: Vallejo, Calif.
45 Bristol starts
Notable: Gordon ranks third on both
NASCAR’s all-time lists for race
wins and pole positions. He has five
career poles at Bristol and qualified
on the outside pole for last year’s
IRWIN Tools Night Race.
Hometown: Emporia, Kansas
Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
19 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: 3rd (Two times)
Notable: Bowyer started out as
a motocross racer and collected
more than 200 victories and numerous championships before
turning his attention to four wheels.
Hometown: Elk Grove, Calif.
Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
3 Bristol starts
Notable: Larson lost by just a half-car
length to Kyle Busch in his first-ever
Bristol race in the Nationwide (now
Xfinity) Series in 2013. It was the
second-closest ever finish at Bristol.
Hometown: Columbus, Indiana
31 Bristol starts
Tools Night Race)
Notable: Stewart is a three-time
NASCAR champion, but also a
former Indy Car champion and the
first driver in history to win the USAC
Triple crown for championships in
Silver Crown, Sprints and Midgets
Jimmie Johnson
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jamie McMurray
Marin Truex Jr.
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.
27 Bristol starts
City 500)
Notable: Besides being a six-time
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Johnson captured six championships racing off-road trucks. Johnson
once jumped his off-road truck 86
feet to win a special competition.
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
31 Bristol starts
Tools Night Race)
Notable: Earnhardt made history with
his Bristol win in August 2004. That
weekend, he became the first driver
to sweep Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series races on the high banks.
Hometown: Joplin, Missouri
Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
25 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: 3rd (Two times)
Notable: Along with A.J. Foyt and
Mario Andretti, he is one of the only
drivers to have wins in the Daytona
500 and 24 Hours of Daytona
Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey
Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
19 Bristol starts
Notable: Truex scored his first-ever
Xfinity Series victory at Bristol in
March 2005, driving a purple No. 8
Chevrolet owned by Dale Earnhardt Inc.
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Austin Dillon
Aric Almirola
Trevor Bayne
Joey Logano
Ryan Newman
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Hometown: Lewisville, N.C.
Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
3 Bristol starts
Notable: The 2013 Xfinity Series
champion was picked to bring
back the famed No. 3 to NASCAR
competition, 13 years after the 2001
death of seven-time champion Dale
Earnhardt
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
12 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: 3rd
Notable: Almirola’s win in the Coke
Zero 400 at Daytona in July 2014
was the first win for the famed No.
43 car since John Andretti’s win at
Martinsville in 1999.
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
2 Bristol starts
Notable: Bayne became the youngest Daytona 500 champion in the
sport’s history in 2011, winning the
race only one day after his 20th
birthday
Hometown: Middletown, Connecticut
Team Penske Ford
13 Bristol starts
Tools Night Race)
Notable: Since what he called a
“biggest career win” at last year’s
night race, Logano has gone on to
win a second time at his home track
of New Hampshire and this year’s
Daytona 500.
Hometown: South Bend, Indiana
27 Bristol starts
Notable: Newman is a three-time
pole winner at BMS and his track
record qualifying speed of 128.709
mph set in 2003 stood for 10 years
until being broken by Kyle Busch.
Carl Edwards
Greg Biffle
Sam Hornish Jr.
Paul Menard
David Ragan
Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
22 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: Win (Three times)
Notable: All three of Edwards’ previous wins at Bristol came in Jack
Roush-owned Fords. His qualified
third and finished 24th in his first
Bristol race for Joe Gibbs in April.
Hometown: Vancouver, Washington
25 Bristol starts
Best BMS finish: 3rd
Notable: Biffle is both a former
champion of the Xfinity Series and
Camping World Truck Series, and a
runner-up in the Sprint Cup Series.
Hometown: Defiance, Ohio
Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
8 Bristol starts
Notable: One of the most successful
open wheel drivers of recent years,
Hornish is a three-time IndyCar
champion and the 2006 winner of the
Indianapolis 500
Hometown: Eau Claire, Wisconsin
16 Bristol starts
Notable: Menard is a 10-time winner in the International Ice Racing
Association and occasionally does
some snowmobile racing in his native
Wisconsin.
Hometown: Unadilla, Georgia
Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
17 Bristol starts
Notable: Ragan is the son of
longtime independent racer Ken
Ragan, a former car owner for
Johnson City driver Mike Potter in
the Sprint Cup Series.
— Jeff Birchfield
NASCAR MEDIA
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WOLF HLLS BREWING INSTAGRAM
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GOTRI MAGAZINE | GOTRICITIES.COM
TONEY CASEY
Finally untapped
Taps at Mellow Mushroom in Johnson City
Craft beer breweries
are popping up all over
the Tri-Cities region
Craft beer production is far from new in the Tri-Cities area, but this time might go down in local history as
somewhat of a “big bang” as one of the most productive years for craft brewers.
With both Depot Street Brewing in Jonesborough having historically been one of the area’s first places to sit
and enjoy locally made craft beer, the recent additions
of the Johnson City Brewing Company and Yee-Haw
Brewing Company in Johnson City, Holston River Brewing Company and Studio Brew in Bristol and Sleepy
Owl Brewery and Triple B Brewery in Kingsport, there’s
nearly a new beer joint around every corner. And the
locals are eating — rather, drinking — it up.
When Eric and Kat Latham opened up the Johnson
City Brewing Company in the King’s Centre in downtown Johnson City in October of 2014, they filled a
downtown niche for area craft beer lovers. One of the
big things they do is work on incorporating local elements in the beers they produce.
Two of the biggest draws for the area — the Johnson
City Cardinals, a minor league baseball team within the
St. Louis Cardinals’ system, and the Blue Plum Festival,
downtown Johnson City’s biggest event of the year —
both received their customized brews from the Johnson City Brewing Company.
The Cardinal Park Red Ale was released leading into
the 2015 season, which was prime for the baseball park
that only began allowing alcohol to be served at games
in recent years. Getting their hands on actual blue
plums before the Johnson City event that bears that
name, the Lathams concocted a brew that would be
served at local watering holes surrounding the festival.
“This is a great opportunity to show off the area,”
said Eric Latham in an interview with a Johnson City
Press reporter at the time. “Downtown Johnson City is
a great area and it’s coming alive, so we can show off
what we do at Johnson City Brewing Company, which is
experiment and make something that’s unique.”
The Lathams ran with the Blue Plum Ale after an
experimental batch served their customers proved to
be a hit.
As of mid-July, Yee-Haw Brewing Company has
thrown its hat, or, more aptly, its beers into the ring
of local contenders. Since then, the first four flagship
beers have been poured from taps across the Tri-Cities
TRIPLE B BREWERY WEBSITE
HOLSTON RIVER BREWING COMPANY FACEBOOK
Each of the TriCities and several
other areas in the
region have become
home to a locally
owned brewery.
NATHAN BAKER
YEE-HAW BREWING COMPANY FACEBOOK
PRESS FILE PHOTO
by way of the Cherokee Distributing Company, which
delivers suds across the region.
In the two other Tri-Cities, Kingsport and Bristol,
craft breweries have also popped up to add to the evergrowing list of available tap rooms and ale houses. At the Sleepy Owl Brewery in Kingsport, co-owner
Brian Connaster has opened up a place where locals
can catch some music as they enjoy his finely tuned
craft beer. Becoming a small music venue for passingthrough and local bands, Sleepy Owl also has helped
increase the musical options.
Triple B Brewery has been doing much of the same,
with later hours than some of its competitors. It thrives
on a chilled-out atmosphere, musical performances
and the offering of traditional Belgian-styled beers.
Erich Allen’s Studio Brew boasts barrel-aged craft
beers and other interesting suds for beer lovers in
Bristol, opting to open up just across the state line in
Virginia, where taxation is more friendly to a person
in his position. Virginia also permits a higher level of
allowed alcohol content, compared with Tennessee’s
6.2-percent alcohol figure. Tennessee’s law changes on
January 1, 2017, allowing for higher alcohol, or “high
gravity” beers to be produced in Tennessee, making it
more competitive with neighboring North Carolina and
Virginia.
The Holston River Brewing Company’s position directly behind Bristol Motor Speedway provides a great
spot for a party-like environment, with loud tunes and
food typically available.
Wolf Hills Brewing in Abingdon, Virginia, by the state
line, has done well to include musical performances
with its interesting and higher-alcohol content craft
beers, including handfuls of award winners. With a night of drinking not recommended on an
empty stomach, brewmasters and owners alike have
formed a symbiotic relationship with area mobile food
vendors. Many of these food trucks will make a circuit
to and from breweries and places like Johnson City’s
Atlantic Ale House, where suds are being poured.
Several other Tri-Cities breweries have plans to open
in the coming months, increasing those lists of options
for people who want enjoy a fine-crafted beer, rather
than something mass-produced.
— Tony Casey
SLEEPY OWL BREWERY FACEBOOK
September 2015 | GOtri Magazine
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NASCAR MEDIA
Goodbye,
Gordon
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A look back at some of
Jeff Gordon’s biggest moments
at Bristol Motor Speedway
NASCAR MEDIA
J
eff Gordon has evolved from “Wonder Boy” to
NASCAR’s elder statesman in his two-plus decades in the Sprint Cup Series.
This Saturday night, the 44-year-old Charlotte resident is scheduled to take part in his last August race at
Bristol Motor Speedway, a place which has provided
some of the most memorable moments in the career of
the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet.
Overall, Gordon has five wins, five poles and 25
top-10 finishes in 45 Cup Series starts at BMS. While
he counts the first Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis as his
biggest victory and has great memories of a first win in
his adopted hometown of Charlotte and three wins in
the Daytona 500, there is no doubt that Bristol holds a
special place for Gordon, who was an ace on the short
tracks on his way up the racing ladder.
Before the Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas last
month, a reporter asked Gordon which track he was going to miss the most. The four-time NASCAR champion
didn’t take long to respond.
“I love Bristol. I think Bristol is just an awesome track,”
he said. “It’s the one track that I go in the night before
and I walk over to the track when there’s nobody there
and I just look at it and I go, ‘man this place is cool.’
There is no other place like it, the stadium and those
hills and Tennessee. If ever we had a coliseum or a real
stadium, it would be Bristol.”
It wasn’t a love affair in the beginning, as Gordon’s
first visit to Bristol didn’t go very well.
Driving the Bill Davis Racing No. 1 Ford in the Busch
Series (now Xfinity Series), he wasn’t a factor at all in
the 1991 Budweiser 200. The reigning USAC Midget
Series champion qualified 19th and finished last among
32 drivers as the engine broke in his Ford after just 22
laps.
He did significantly better the next race, qualifying
on the outside pole and finishing third. By the third time
he raced at Bristol, Gordon had the feel he needed. He
qualified on the outside pole and dominated the first part
of the 1992 Budweiser 200. It appeared Gordon was on
his way to an easy victory when the race was stopped
for a rain delay.
Once the rain changed the grip on the track, veteran
Harry Gant went on to win that day while Gordon faded
to fifth.
A year later, Gordon made his Cup Series debut at
Bristol and again the results were less than spectacular.
While Rusty Wallace won the 1993 Food City 500 and
paid tribute to fallen champion Alan Kulwicki, who died
three days earlier in a plane crash near Blountville, Gordon was pretty much a non-factor who finished 17th.
Two years later, Gordon held off Wallace for the first
of four straight wins in the Food City 500.
Gordon won a rain-shortened race the next year,
ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Terry Labonte
after 342 laps.
It was the next year when Gordon showed he wasn’t
afraid to mix it up, bumping Wallace out of the way on
the final lap for his third straight Bristol win.
A year later, the Gordon and Ray Evernham combination was at the height of its power. Once Gordon
(continued on page 13)
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COURTESY OF BMS
COURTESY OF BMS
COURTESY OF BMS
NASCAR MEDIA
COURTESY OF BMS
Clockwise from top, Jeff Gordon
celebrates his first Bristol win in the
1995 Food City 500; right, Gordon
leads the field at the start of the 2007
Food City 500; Gordon (No. 24) battles
teammate Jimmie Johnson in April
2015; and Gordon with his trophy from
his 2002 August night race win.
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— Jeff Birchfield
NASCAR MEDIA
grabbed the lead on lap 438, he never gave it up, holding
off Terry Labonte on a final restart for his fourth straight
Food City 500 victory.
His next Bristol win and his only one in the August race
to date came four years later.
It was another last-lap, bump-and-run which Gordon
used to get by Wallace. It was a key win for Gordon, who
broke a 32-race winless streak.
While Gordon hasn’t won at Bristol since, he remains
tied with Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch for the most wins
among active drivers.
He has added more memories in recent years, including a strong effort in the 2011 IRWIN Tools Night Race
when he led 206 laps and ultimately finished third after a
spirited battle with Martin Truex Jr. for the runner-up spot.
There was the wreck two years ago in the 2013 Food
City 500 when Gordon blew a tire, which took him and
Matt Kenseth out of the race as the two were battling for
the lead.
In April, Gordon overcame a series of obstacles from a
23rd place qualifying effort to falling two laps down. With
a never-give-up attitude, the veteran driver fought back to
finish third behind Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson.
He started on the inside lane on the final restart, but
couldn’t hold the position against the faster high line.
Still, he was pleased to finish higher than he originally
expected.
“You’re on old tires and you’ve got to carry momentum
in the corner and not spin the tires,” he said. “I thought
I got as good a restart as I could have asked for on the
bottom lane.
“For us, it was just chaos the entire race. We had the
loose wheel and got behind. I thought we had a top-five,
but I was really proud to have a top-three finish.”
CONTRIBUTED/JIMMIE JOHNSON
Jimmie Johnson’s 1968 Chevrolet Camero
Race car drivers talk about their favorite Chevys
Some of the biggest names in auto racing drive Chevrolet vehicles on the race track. For most,
the bowtie is more than a brand which they compete with, but their favorite street cars. Four of the
biggest stars in NASCAR and one of the NHRA’s biggest names talk about their favorite Chevrolet cars:
Jimmie Johnson’s 1955 Chevy pick-up truck
CONTRIBUTED/JIMMIE JOHNSON
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Jimmie Johnson, the six-time NASCAR champion,
first made a name in racing as a six-time champion in
off-road trucks. It comes as little surprise that his vehicle of choice is a truck, although not quite one would
think. His favorite is a 1955 Chevy pick-up, although
he and defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick
are also proud owners of 1968 Camaros.
Johnson answered a series of questions about his
favorite Chevys outside of his No. 48 race car.
1. Which of these vehicles do you like to drive best
and why?
“The truck is a great for an everyday driver and
typically what I’ll use just running around Charlotte.
The Camaro has a lot of power, which makes it fun
to drive. We put a lot of work into that car making it
something really special. I really like both.”
2. Do you drive either of them on a regular basis or
are they more collector cars?
“I drive the truck on a more regular basis. The Camaro is probably more special occasion or ‘collector.’
Both are so sweet to drive, but I definitely drive the
truck more.”
3. What is it about Chevrolet’s (both new and old)
that make them great vehicles?
“I’ve always been a Chevrolet guy — from the start
of my career racing off-road trucks I was in Chevrolets.
The quality of vehicle they produce is awesome both
on the race track and off, and I enjoy getting to experience some of the history with their older vehicles.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR’s 12-time most popular driver,
a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 and the first driver to sweep
Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series races at Bristol in the same weekend.
As a third-generation NASCAR star, it’s not a surprise that his
favorite street car would have ties to the sport.
“My favorite cars include a 1967 Camaro and a 1973 Camaro,
but my all-time favorite is a 1976 Chevy Laguna,” said the driver of
the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series.
“It’s definitely a unique choice,” he said. “It’s not a very common hot
rod collector, but it has some ties to NASCAR that make it nostalgic
for me and make it an enjoyable drive. It’s a S3 model and I like to
drive it more than anything else.”
The car, a version of the Chevelle, has a tie-in to his all-time
favorite driver outside of his dad. The Laguna, with a No. 11 on the
side and a yellow and white Holly Farms paint scheme, was the
primary car which Cale Yarborough used to win three straight NASCAR championships from 1976-78.
“It was a great race car,” Earnhardt said about the Junior Johnson-owned Chevy. “It was so good that they outlawed the car after
a few years because of the competitiveness of the front air dam and
nose, and the downforce the nose created.
“It was a great race car which had a lot of success. Cale ran the
Laguna in 1976 and ’77, and then he ran the Oldsmobile Cutlass
some in 1978. They would switch back and forth depending on the
track they were at, but the Laguna was very competitive.
“Darrell (Waltrip) drove one for the DiGard team with the Gatorade colors. It was quite an impressive race car.”
CONTRIBUTED/DALE EARNHARDT JR.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 1967 Chevy
Laguna is his all-time favorite car.
Right, Earnhardt with his mother,
Brenda Jackson, and the ’76 Laguna.
CONTRIBUTED/CHEVROLET
CONTRIBUTED/DALE EARNHARDT JR.
Courtney Force is a secondgeneration drag racer, the
daughter of the NHRA’s all-time
winningest driver John Force.
She drives a 300-mph Funny
Car just like her famous father
and enjoys a street car that still
gives her some of the feel she
gets on the track.
“I drive a Chevy Camaro SS,
which I love,” she said. “I got a
racier kind of interior and I got
the navigation, which I need in
California since it’s so easy to
get lost.
“The sound of the motor, how
it drives, it’s very smooth on the
freeway. There are a big mess
of things I love about it.
“As a race car driver, you
get home and you still kind of
get that vibration and raciness
that you want in your at-home
vehicle.”
Jeff Gordon with his 2015 Chevrolet Suburban
Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon will be making his final start at Bristol Motor
Speedway. While he’s driven plenty of high-performance vehicles like a number of Corvettes,
his favorite Chevrolet is the one used to transport his family.
“My personal vehicle is a 2015 Chevy Suburban, I drive this car every single day and I love
this vehicle,” Gordon said. “This is the perfect vehicle for me and my family. I travel a lot. I am
driving back and forth taking my kids to school, going to the race shop and I’m going to the
airport.
“So, I need something that has a lot of space for a lot of luggage. Something that is great for
my kids and safe for my kids. And then for me, when it’s just me driving, I love the fact I get in
the MyLink recognizes that it’s me. My phone, if somebody calls — boom — it just pops right
up. It’s my music right into the Bose entertainment system. I’m just so impressed with what they
have done inside this car.”
Gordon, who is third all-time on NASCAR’s all-time list and a five-time winner at Bristol,
explained that he’s always been a Chevrolet guy. While he drove Chevys to four straight Food
City 500 wins at Bristol, he also has driven mainly Chevys off the track.
“My first vehicle was a Chevrolet,” he said. “When I turned 16, I had a 1980 Chevy step-side
pickup truck. Chevrolet has always been an important part of my life.”
SEPTEMBER 2015 | GOTRI MAGAZINE
15
CONTRIBUTED/KEVIN HARVICK
Tony Stewart, a three-time NASCAR champion has two
Chevys among his very favorites in his extensive car collection. The first is an orange 1955 Chevy Nomad station wagon,
while the car he’s most often seen tooling around town in is a
50th anniversary Corvette.
He talked about how he has become as passionate about
collecting cars as winning races.
“I’ve gotten a lot of really good advice on how to collect collector cars. It’s really neat,” he said. “You get the same feeling
that you get when you win a race when you actually win one
of those cars in the auction. The hard part is that you’ve got
to pay for them after you win. Instead of getting a paycheck,
you’ve got to sign them a paycheck.
“Even if you don’t buy anything out there, just being out
there is kind of like going to the Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500
or the Bristol night race. You’re going to an event. It’s not just
an auction. It’s a whole event that you’re going to. It’s a great
time.”
Stewart, who was the first driver in USAC history to win the
prestigious triple crown with championships in Silver Crown,
Sprints and Midgets, feels as much at home at a car auction
as he does at the race track.
“It’s neat being part of that community. It’s much, much
like the racing community as far as how close they all are
together,” he said. “You’ve got guys from all over the country
who for that one week come out to the auction and spend time
together.
“They’re very, very knowledgeable. We’ve spent a lot of time
with Mike Joy (FOX broadcaster) out there because Mike’s
kind of my advisor on what’s really good and what’s really not
good. He’s so knowledgeable on it. I’ve found a hobby that I
really enjoy. It’s just an expensive one.”
— Jeff Birchfield
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CONTRIBUTED/TRUE SPEED COMMUNICATION
Kevin Harvick’s 1968 Chevrolet Camero
Tony Stewart has become a car collector. Two of his favorites are his
50th anniversary Corvette and a 1955 Chevy Nomad station wagon.
CONTRIBUTED/TRUE SPEED COMMUNICATION
NASCAR MEDIA
CONTRIBUTE/EAST TENNESSEE DISTILLERY
Appalachian history & racing roots
President of East Tennessee Distillery and moonshine distiller Neil ‘Tiny’
Roberson with the Mellomoon No. 44 Toyota Camry that was driven by Nate
Monteith in the February 2013 UNOH Battle at the Beach short track race
Moonshine & NASCAR
have strong ties
Most people know the story: during Prohibition, moonshiners in the Appalachian mountains
needed faster cars to outrun the police. In order
to accomplish this, they had to alter the mechanics of their vehicles.
The practice inspired friendly competition,
and the moonshiners decided to start organizing informal races — races that, according to
popular belief, acted as the precursor to modern
NASCAR.
This is just one example of how moonshine
and other alcoholic beverages have indelibly
impacted the culture and history of the region, a
history that has stretched back decades and even
centuries.
During the 18th century, a heavy tax on liquor
led to the Whiskey Rebellion in the fledgling
United States, a move that demonstrated the cultural pride and economic value associated with
producing moonshine — concepts that elicited
a strong response from the producers of liquor
during that time period.
“This pride in making alcohol is somewhat a
cultural issue, something that had been practiced in the Old World and brought over,” said
Ted Olson, a professor of Appalachian Studies
at East Tennessee State University. “Given the
difficulties in the terrain, (people living in the
mountains) couldn’t compete for the production
of regular crops, but they could convert what
crops they could produce into sellable alcohol
through the practice of producing moonshine.”
After Sullivan County lifted its ban on moonshine in 2010, distilleries were given license to
begin selling moonshine to the public, albeit with
a lower alcohol content. Since then, the market
has become saturated with new distilleries. Neil “Tiny” Roberson, president of East Tennessee Distillery in Piney Flats, said his company
has expanded out of Tennessee, selling its moonshine in South Carolina and Florida, and recently
earning the ability to distribute its product in
East Tennessee Distillery produces Robinson’s Tennessee Mellomoom in a range of flavors and it is distributed in four states.
Ohio, a difficult feat to accomplish.
“From my research in the business, it’s
probably the second hardest state in the
country to get into,” Roberson said. “You
have distilleries in Ohio that don’t even
have distribution in Ohio.”
East Tennessee Distillery is a first generation business and was started in 2011
by Roberson, Byron Reece and Gary Melvin. Their top-selling item is Mellomoon,
a beverage created by Roberson that has
won several awards including a platinum
Best of Show award at the 2013-14 World
Beverage Competition.
“I’m a pretty big guy, and I used to
frequent the bars quite often,” Roberson
said. “And I could run up a pretty big
bar bill and have nothing to show for it.
I just said, ‘Heck, it would be cheaper to
make my own.’ ”
Roberson started with beer and wine
but eventually moved into the moonshine business after production was
legalized.
None of Roberson’s ancestors were
involved in the moonshine business be-
fore he opened his distillery, but Olson
said people have identified moonshine
production as an important Appalachian
cultural folkway.
“I think people today are reconnecting with that part of Appalachian history through the consumption of these
regulated products that are being called
moonshine,” Olson said. “They’re being
sold in ways that tap into moonshine as
being symbolic of Appalachian culture.”
— David Floyd
NASCAR MEDIA
Chevy milestones at Bristol
July 30, 1961
There are 14 Chevrolets entered in the first Cup Series race
at Bristol, the 1961 Volunteer
500.
Jack Smith with relief driving
help from Johnny Allen wins the
race in a Pontiac. Ned Jarrett
is the highest-finishing Chevy
driver, third in the No. 11 car
owned by B.G. Hollowell.
In an all-local entry, Johnson City driver Paul Lewis in a
Chevy owned by Johnson City’s
Jess Potter finishes 11th.
Future NASCAR Hall of
Jack Smith, left, got the race-win credit but Johnny Allen, right,
Famers Wendell Scott and
was in the car when the checkered flag fell on the July 29, 1961,
Rex White drive their Chevys
Volunteer 500. Allen took over for Smith and drove the final 209
to finishes of 24th and 25th
laps after Smith’s right foot was burned during the race. Here
respectively.
both drivers celebrate the dual-win in Bristol’s Victory Lane.
April 1, 1984
Darrell Waltrip in the
Junior Johnson-owned
No. 11 Chevrolet wins
his record seventh
straight Bristol Cup Series race by holding off
fellow Chevrolet driver
Terry Labonte for the
victory in the Valleydale
500.
Just four months later,
Labonte would return the
favor with his victory in
the 1984 Busch 500 putting an end to the record
streak.
COURTESY OF BMS
April 6, 1985
Maybe Dale Earnhardt’s most
legendary drive at Bristol after he
lost power steering on the No. 3
Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 100 laps into the 1985 Southeastern 500.
Living up to his sponsor Wrangler’s label of “One Tough Customer,” Earnhardt held off Ricky Rudd
for the victory.
20
Dale Earnhardt captures
his first career victory in
the Southeastern 500
driving a No. 2 Chevrolet
Monte Carlo owned by
California businessman
Rod Osterlund.
Earnhardt would go
on to capture 75 more
wins and a record-tying
seven NASCAR Cup
Series titles. Chevy drivers
dominated the race with
Earnhardt leading 163
laps, Darrell Waltrip out
front for 155 laps and polesitter Buddy Baker leading
138 laps.
Curtis Turner becomes the
first Chevrolet driver to start a
Bristol Cup Series race from
the pole. Turner finishes 30th
after completing just 209 laps
due to a blown engine.
Paul Goldsmith and Richard Petty score a 1-2 finish in
a pair of Plymouths. Future
Hall of Famer Bobby Allison
in his rookie season is the
highest finishing Chevrolet
driver in fifth.
NASCAR MEDIA
April 1, 1979
July 24, 1966
Dale Earnhardt won his
first-ever NASCAR Cup
race when he took the
1979 Southeastern 500
at Bristol International
Raceway. Earnhardt won
nine Cup races at Bristol.
August 25, 1990
The first victory for the Abingdon,
Virginia-based Morgan-McClure Racing
team as driver Ernie Irvan in the No. 4
Chevrolet holds off defending NASCAR
champion Rusty Wallace for the victory.
The hometown win in the Busch 500
was a definite highlight for the MorganMcClure team, which would go on to
win three Daytona 500s with Irvan and
Sterling Marlin.
August 29, 1992
Darrell Waltrip in the No. 17
Chevrolet beats fellow Chevy
drivers Dale Earnhardt and
Ken Schrader for his 12th and
final Bristol victory.
Waltrip would score his
84th career and final Cup Series win just a week later with
his win in the rain-shortened
Southern 500 at Darlington.
Cale Yarborough
receives the
winner’s trophy
from BMS
founder Larry
Carrier in 1973.
July 11, 1971
COURTESY OF BMS
Charlie Glotzbach wins
the caution-free 1971
Volunteer 500 with an
average speed of 101.074
mph, a record that still
stands today.
Glotzbach, who got
relief driving help from
Friday Hassler, is driving
a Junior Johnson-owned
white Chevrolet with a red
No. 3 on the doors. He
finishes three laps ahead
of runner-up Bobby Allison
and six laps ahead of
third-place Richard Petty.
March 24, 1973
Cale Yarborough in the No. 11 Chevrolet leads every lap
of the 1973 Southeastern 500, the only time a driver has
led every lap of a Bristol Cup race.
It is the fourth straight win for Chevrolet and the fourth
straight win for car owner Junior Johnson, following Bobby
Allison’s sweep of 1972 Bristol races.
Charlie Glotzbach with his No. 3
July 8, 1973
March 14, 1976
April 2, 1978
Darrell Waltrip wins the first of his
record 12 Bristol Sprint Cup Series
victories in a No. 88 DiGard Racing
Chevrolet.
After pole sitter Neil Bonnett got
in an early crash, there was again
a 1-2-3 finish of Chevy drivers with
Benny Parsons and Dave Marcis
behind Waltrip.
COURTESY OF BMS
After Richard Petty’s
Dodge broke Chevy’s streak
of seven straight wins in
1975, Cale Yarborough
started a new streak of five
more wins for Chevy.
The Bowtie Brigade had
the top three finishers with
Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip
and Benny Parsons.
Benny Parsons, with relief driving help
from Bluff City’s John A. Utsman, extends
Chevy’s winning streak to five straight races
in the L.G. Dewitt owned No. 72 entry.
It is the only win of Parsons’ championship season and a second-place finish also
marked a career-high for Newport’s L.D.
Ottinger, who would go on to win two Late
Model Sportsman National Championships.
Cecil Gordon, no relation to Jeff, but in
a No. 24 Chevrolet, would finish third with
relief driving help from Richard Petty.
April 2, 1995
Jeff Gordon scored
the first of four straight
wins in the Food City
500 by using the bumpand-run on veteran
Rusty Wallace on the
final lap.
Gordon in the
rainbow-colored No.
24 Chevrolet would
duplicate the move
some seven years later
to again beat Wallace
to the finish line in the
2002 August night race.
Jeff Gordon with car owner Rick
Hendrick after his first Bristol win.
August 26, 1995
Earnhardt-Labonte, Part 1. Dale Earnhardt hits Terry Labonte
coming to the finish line, and Labonte’s No. 5 Chevrolet crashes
into the wall as it takes the checkered flag. Labonte and crew are
all smiles in victory lane as smoke billows out of the crumpled
piece of machinery and they celebrate the win.
(continued on page 22)
August 28, 2004
COURTESY OF BMS
August 28, 1999
Earnhardt-Labonte, Part 2. Dale Earnhardt’s black No. 3 Chevrolet again crashes Terry Labonte in Bristol’s most famous finish,
only this time it happens in turn two.
Earnhardt goes on for his ninth and final Bristol victory while
Labonte is left fuming. It leads to the most famous sound clip in
Bristol and perhaps NASCAR history when Earnhardt says, “I
didn’t mean to wreck him. I just meant to rattle his cage.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
becomes the first driver
to sweep Sprint Cup
and Xfinity Series races
at Bristol in the same
weekend.
Earnhardt, who was
badly burned in a sports
car accident in California
weeks earlier, led 295
of 500 laps in his No.
8 Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Chevrolet.
Seven months later,
fellow Chevrolet racer
Kevin Harvick would become the second driver
to score the Cup-Xfinity
(then Busch) Series
sweep.
SHERRYL CREEKMORE/NASCAR
March 25, 2007
March 21, 2010
Jimmie Johnson charges from sixth to first on a
late restart to capture the Food City 500. It is his
first win at Bristol and his 50th career Sprint Cup
Series victory.
Johnson, the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet,
would go on to win that season’s championship
for a record fifth straight series title.
Kyle Busch in a No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports entry wins
the first race for NASCAR’s new “Car of Tomorrow” and
scores a milestone 600th win for Chevrolet.
Chevys dominate the final order with the top four
positions of Busch, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Kevin
Harvick, and seven of the first eight positions.
Busch would go on to become Bristol’s winningest
driver in NASCAR’s top three series. He has 16 Bristol
wins overall (five in Cup, seven in Xfinity and four in
Truck Series).
Kasey Kahne becomes the
most recent Chevrolet winner at
Bristol by driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a
1.7-second victory over the car’s
former driver Kyle Busch.
It is the 10th win for car owner
Rick Hendrick at Bristol and a
record-extending 43rd victory
on the high banks for the Bowtie
Brand. Ford ranks second on
the Bristol all-time win list with
34 victories.
— Jeff Birchfield
22
NASCAR MEDIA
March 17, 2013
calendar
Plenty to see, plenty to do
21
22
24
27
29
30
AUGUST
Black Hat, 6:30 p.m.; Infinite Soul, 8 p.m., King Alley, Gate
City, Va. Free. Kicking Back at King Alley music series.
www.kingalley.com
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger
Performing Arts Center in Greeneville. $30-$40, bundle
deals available. 423-638-1679 or www.npacgreeneville.com
Appalachian Fair, Aug. 24-29, at the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Gray. Event features entertainment, contests,
Midway rides, concessions and more. Main stage concerts
by Scotty McCreery, Cole Swindell, Michael Ray, Chris
Stapleton, The Charlie Daniels Band, Dailey & Vincent and
Matthew West. 423-477-3211 or www.appalachianfair.com
The Sullivan County Imagination Library fifth annual Rolling
for Readers Bunco and Dinner event, First Presbyterian
Church in Kingsport. Dinner at 6 p.m., followed by Bunco, a
dice game, at 7. Minimum donation $20 per person. Email
[email protected] to reserve a spot or table.
“Shake, Rattle, and Roll: A Rockin’ Tribute to the King” opens
at Barter Theatre, Abingdon, Va. www.bartertheatre.com or
276-628-3991 for showtimes and tickets.
Jonathan Butler, 7:30 p.m., NPAC, Greeneville. $25-$35, bundle
deals available. 423-638-1679 or www.npacgreeneville.com
The Mountain States Foundation’s annual Dragon Boat Festival, Warriors’ Path State Park in Kingsport. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The event will also include various food vendors, Art in the
Park and other activities. Proceeds will benefit Woodridge
Hospital’s Willow Project benefiting the hospital’s inpatient
behavioral health unit for children and adolescents.
Spirit of Soul Dance Band; Sunflowers and Sin, gates open
at 5 p.m., music at 6. Ginny Kidwell Amphitheater at
Dogwood Park in Greeneville. Greeneville Parks & Rec
Dogwood Park 2015 Concert Series. Free. 423-638-3143
4
11
12
13
19
24
26
27
september
“I’ll Be Back Before Midnight,” a comedy thriller, opens at
Barter Theatre, Abingdon, Va. www.bartertheatre.com or
276-628-3991 for showtimes and tickets.
Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival, Sept. 11-13 at Sycamore
Shoals State Historic Area in Elizabethton. Scottish games,
costume contest, clan/society gatherings, traditional music,
sports, food and more.www.uppereasttncelticsociety.org
A world premiere adaptation of “The Three Musketeers”
opens at Barter Theatre, Abingdon, Va. www.bartertheatre.
com or 276-628-3991 for showtimes and tickets.
The Brother Boys featuring Ed Snodderly and Eugene Wolf,
gates open at 5 p.m., music at 6, Ginny Kidwell Amphitheater at Dogwood Park in Greeneville. Parks & Rec Dogwood
Park 2015 Concert Series. Free. 423-638-3143
Johnson City Symphony presents Bark in the Park, a fun
walk for pets and their owners, 1-3 p.m. Winged Deer
Park, Johnson City. $25. Preregister by Sept. 9 by calling
423-926-8742 or jcsymphony.com. JCSO concert, 6-8 p.m.,
Winged Deer Park. Lakeside Concert Series. Free.
Kansas, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger Performing Arts Center in
Greeneville. $40-$50, bundle deals available. 423-638-1679
or www.npacgreeneville.com
Buffalo Valley Music Festival/Johnson City Folk Festival,
Sept. 24-27 at Farmhouse Gallery & Gardens, Unicoi. Gates
open at 11 a.m. Free parking. Kiddie Koral, 60 bands, food,
storytelling and more. Daily passes are $10. Free camping.
202-255-1995 or www.buffalovalleymusicfestival.com
Magician and illusionist Mike Super, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger
Performing Arts Center in Greeneville. $25-$35, bundle deals
available. 423-638-1679 or www.npacgreeneville.com
The Pink Bride Tri-Cities bridal show at Meadowview
Convention Center, Kingsport, from noon-4 p.m. Wedding
vendors, tastings, giveaways and cash prizes. Save $2 by
purchasing tickets in advance. www.thepinkbride.com
Want your event included in next month’s Plenty to See, Plenty to Do calendar? Email it to Editor Kelly Story at [email protected].
Tiffany
SM KE FREE
Electronic Cigarettes and Accessories
423-928-VAPE 423-928-8273
TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU!
1407 W. Market Street
(Between Lamons Lane & Indian Ridge Rd.)
742B Gray Station Road
(Right down from Sit-N-Bull Restaurant)
New Shipment of
Tiffany!
Gift Certificates Available
Williams Electric Supply
2824 WEST MARKET ST.
903 S. WILCOX DRIVE
JOHNSON CITY, TN • 423-926-7312
KINGSPORT, TN • 423-392-4330
1245 VOLUNTEER PARKWAY
3195 E. ANDREW JOHNSON HWY
BRISTOL, TN • 423-764-6166
GREENEVILLE, TN • 423-638-2241

JC GoTri Sept15

Transcription

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