MAGIC HAPPENS ON THE TRACK
My neighbor had a 1966 Ford Galaxie sitting in his driveway for a good couple of years. I would pester him, to gut it and build it into a replica of a NASCAR racer. It wouldn’t take a whole lot since the drive train was good, it was the trim and interior that was all beat up. Stuff you don’t need when you are rubbing paint on left hand turns.
That was a couple of years back and he ended up selling it as is to build out a couple of chopper projects. Then recently veteran motorsports photographer Mike Slade gets a hold of me to offer some recent vintage racing photos for an article.
Oh, man these shots were cool.
Apparently in Virginia, North and South Carolinas, there are several clubs of racers who wanted to escape the weekly drama of sanctioned sportsman racing, to create special event races at local and regional tracks. Palmetto Vintage Racers, Carolina Vintage Racers, are great friends with the Southern Ground Pounders. Some clubs are rather specific, like the Flathead Ford Racers, and Bell & Bell Vintage Modified Racing Series is specifically on dirt.
Mike introduced me to Mack Tatum. Son of racer Bubba Tatum, Mack is President of the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club. So, I called Mack to get the scoop on what they are doing and put some words behind these photos.
Racing season just ended and hunting season is just about to begin, so Mack had some time for a quick interview. He said that a few years back a bunch of guys he raced with on the circuit were tired of the high-dollar, big ego and insane drama of rich boys racing and decided to create a program which consists of two races per night for a set amount from the track going to each racer along with pit passes. They do not run for the purse. It is a no-contact racing exhibition with specific rules to keep it fun and not wreck each others rides. After a couple of seasons of racing they changed one rule where when you lap a car, you have to pass on the outside. They were noticing that when passing a slower guy on the inside, there were more wrecks. The tracks contact the clubs with a couple of timeslots on race night. They are paid a lump sum which gets distributed equally to all the racers who start. Fastest car wins.
It’s a family
The clubs have created something magical. It’s a fellowship, social club, family. If a guy loses a waterpump, another racer will take one off his truck so the guy can race that night. It is all about having fun with their racecars and their families. Wives, kids, nieces and nephews are all a part of the magic. They race about 16 weeks in the summer months and finish off the year with an annual banquet where they give out fun awards like “Hard Hitter” for the guy that hit the wall the hardest.
Guys spend about $15K on their cars and buy used parts at swap meets and sales at the end of race night. They scavenge what they can just so they can have some fun on the track. Mack shared that it costs a racer/team about $350.00 for the night of racing with driving to the place, race fuel, used tires, etc. If you have a car, and want to give it a go, you can jump into your first event for free, after that you have to be a member of a club to race. NASCAR Charger Division License (appx $110.00/person/year) and have your car safety checked.
Check out the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club’s Facebook page for more info or their website SGPVintageRacers.com.
Photographer Mike Slade would like you to check out the Carolina Vintage Racers too! Hit the link: CarolinaVintageRacers.com. It’s a throwback weekend every time CVR hits the track!
