Text and photos by Perry Allen Wood, 6/2007

• 1: Introduction
• 2: The Tar Heel Speedway: Randleman, N.C.
• 3: The Tar Heel Speedway: Randleman, N.C., Nov. 22, 1962
• 4: The Tar Heel Speedway: Randleman, N.C., May 5, 1963
• 5: The Tar Heel Speedway: Randleman, N.C., Oct. 5, 1963
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The Tar Heel Speedway: Randleman, N.C., Nov. 22, 1962

It was November 22, 1962, and there was good news as President Kennedy announced Cuba’s missile bases had been dismantled and the naval blockade lifted. Richard Nixon said that we would not have him to kick around anymore, and four mop tops in Liverpool sat down together for the first time to record. A couple of miles as the crow flies north of Petty Engineering, The Turkey Day 200 roosted on the tight little quarter-mile asphalt oval. Of course there was a catch: a Petty Mayflower gets to win the race. But which one of the trio would it be?

Nearly 4,000 fans stuffed their way in and delayed their Thanksgiving feasts braving the frigid air under overcast skies to watch a plump field of two dozen drivers dish it out for 200 laps, 50 miles, for $575 in prize money. That is not much bread at any rate. Glen Wood, running one of his last races, took the 12th of his 14 career poles sharing the front row with Jim “The Illustrated Man” Paschal in a ’62 Petty Plymouth. Other souped-up stars on hand driving Spartanburg Iron Indians were defending champion Joe Weatherly in Bud Moore’s 8 and David Gene “The Silver Fox” Pearson in Cotton Owen’s 6. Also at the table were Ned Jarrett in the Burton-Robinson ’62 Chevy 11, Tommy Irwin in a ‘62 Ford 44, and another pair of ’62 Mayflowers for the Petty Boys, Richard and Maurice. When the green napkin waved, the flock flew off and Wood gobbled up the laps as the competition wilted. Jarrett was excused first after six laps with handling trouble finishing 24th and last while Larry Thomas failed to finish the first course with a bum transmission nabbing 23rd. Charlotte’s John Hoffman completed a 51-lap career for 22nd and G.C. Spencer retired Floyd Powell’s ’62 Chevy 18th. Then on lap 173 with a chokehold on the lead, Wood had a flat and chose not to ask for seconds, ending his day in 15th. By the time he would have received new rubber, he would have been too far behind. That moved Petty Plymouth pilot Paschal to the head of the table just before his boss’ tranny cooked and Richard settled for 11th. Paschal led the final 27 bites and rolled on the gravy train to victory by basting the competition by two laps. There was no beef as the leftovers went to Weatherly who took seconds, Tommy Irwin thirds, Pearson fourths, and Maurice a rare fifth.

Others getting their just desserts were Curtis “Crawfish Etouffe” Crider sixth while Bluff City, Tennessee’s Sherman Utsman salted away a four-year, 21-race career with seventh after running the first three races at Birmingham, Tampa, and here. Jimmy Pardue was eighth and Sgt. George Green peppered an eight-year career of 116 starts, following the same path to retirement as Utsman, entering the first three events and parking after a ninth here. Tenth was Wendell Scott, and Arlington, Virginia’s Jack “Venison” Deniston polished off a two-race career 12th, and Ray Hughes ran the last of seven over two years going home to Asheboro 13th. Columbia’s Sonny Fogle launched an eight-race career 17th and Herman “The Turtle Soup” Beam disappointed no one by feathering it around the inside in his ’60 Ford for 21st, the last car running only 89 laps behind. The whole blessed affair took 63 minutes. Everybody must have been in a hurry to get home and feast. And for Jim Paschal…well done!