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., Oct. 5, 1963

They saved the best race at Tar Heel for the third and last appearance for 1963 and history. October 5th will be best remembered as the Saturday the Dodgers completed their sweep of the Yankees in the 60th World Series. However, 19 teams showed up in Randleman and a two-man war broke out. The field was star-studded as Fearless Fred Lorenzen parked his pearl-colored Galaxie 28 on the pole with archrival and hometown favorite Richard Petty to his right. Weatherly had Bud’s Mercury third beside Jarrett’s Bondy Long Ford in row two with Pearson’s Dodge 5 and Bob Welborn’s Petty Plymouth 42 behind them. Sprinkled on back were race winners Paschal seventh, Darel Dieringer ninth, Pardue 11th, Scott 12th, Buck 14th, and Daytona 500 champ Tiny “The Big Fisherman” Lund 18th. A line-up worthy of a bigger venue and $550 first prize rumbled under green for 200 laps on a cool fall afternoon. Lorenzen scooted away to a solid lead as fighting broke out just behind. Jarrett and Pearson went into the first turn on the first lap and the inside lane moved up. David got inside Ned and applied the chrome horn. In 1963, cars really had chrome. So David put Ned in the concrete and it took Jarrett’s crew several laps to get his Ford race-worthy. This is also the 51st race of a 55-event season, and chances are nerves and patience were in short supply all through the field. It took about 90 laps or so, then Gentleman Ned was a gentle man no more. He drew a bead on The Fox (he was not “Silver” yet) and returned the favor in spades. On lap 107, Pearson was neutralized as he chased the fleet Freddy, and Cotton’s demolished Dodge was done for 14th. A war of words ensued afterwards, but it was no big deal. “Gentleman” Ned was a misnomer anyway as the drivers and some fans knew what the press did not write. Lund dropped out for 17th and two-time Tar Heel winner Paschal, now driving for Cliff Stewart, had tranny trouble for 16th. Finally giving his family and friends something to shout about, Petty slammed past Lorenzen on lap 160 and beat—you guessed it—Weatherly to the checkers by just a few ticks. Welborn was third, Dieringer fourth, and Lorenzen fifth, although he lost the rear end and parked with six to go. Baker finished sixth, Massey seventh, a battered-but-game Jarrett ninth, and youngster J. D. McDuffie tenth. Others were Pardue 12th, Scott 13th, Crawfish 15th, Thomas 18th, and Roy “The Wild Injun” Tyner 19th and last. Lorenzen made a rarer-than-rare very short track appearance during that historic season when he became the first Grand National driver to win over $100,000. Of course, the $275 he won here really did not help much. Fred’s rear end ills and Petty’s “It’s my yard!” rule finally took over, and Richard won a race there. Petty Engineering won all three, but Freddy must have lost a bet to have even raced there in the first place.

Three races, 600 laps, 150 miles, and $1,725 paid out to the winners. Tar Heel Speedway was all done in one season. But when darkness blankets the rolling hills and meadows north of Level Cross, that monster-like light standard comes to life beaming down so Weatherly, Scott, Pardue, Lund, Thomas, Dierenger, and old Buck can strap in and bang away. With the holiday race and the intimate crowds, it is the place to race after hours on Thanksgiving.