Kingsport Times-News from Kingsport, Tennessee • 73

utmse looks bright -hi 11''-111R i ISTOL When the econ- nip questions arise as to -ii ---41' 's' Lability of short track rac- s-- ''-t --7-f- i In t- R' 4 stol International Race- 4111251145 4 4 i matter of fact looks even r- las no worries The future 1- I i d- A 11 51 ter than it ever did For 4 onommoor otimommor et' l' -----7' 'i''' Al one of the most successful 11111 )04 4 ns in the 22 eay history of '1-: r-4- 11 1 7 0 -6- 7-717' igh-banked oval the '533- i 17 blE i4'' 1 40" facility' received a big 77 -v00P61- -40411-' 1fl ft aA 4'47 ''f'IP' vessful California busi- -t 0 man Warner Hodgdon pur- 50 percent of the BIR -17 1 we e- from owner Gary Baker 1'''''i''' '0 r4-11 there are big plans for the 4 Ir E- way one of the fastest 1 i 7" 1 track ovals in the world I- A i wds of 30 'iJ 1 l000-plus led into Bristol last season -11 lob ii'4)" I i 1 1 itch two Grand National grookte'---'1 I the Valleydale 500 and fo 7 7' 1 '7 rtlello4- 7- 5'r i usch 500 Equal if not big- Future BRISTOL When the sags questions arise as to stability of short-track Bristol International has no worries The future matter of fact looks even than it ever did For one of the most successful in the 22-year history of high-banked oval the '333- facility received a big Successful California man Warner Hodgdon 50 percent of the BIR from owner Gary Baker there are big plans for the one of the fastest track ovals in the world Crowds of 30000-plus into Bristol last season watch two Grand National the Valleydale 500 and Busch 500 Equal if not '-7'444'1 041W economy the racing Raceway as a brighter after seasons the mile boost business purchased plant Now speedway short crowded to events the bigger crowds are expected this season Next Sunday's Valleydale 500 will feature the top names in NASCAR The question mark surrounds the Junior Johnson-Darrell Waltrip Mountain Dew team Can they be beat at BIR? Waltrip drove to both titles last season and Johnson has dominated the Bristol track no matter who is driving his car Not only are the Valleydale 500 (March 14) and the Busch 500 (August 21) big attractions but the BIR brass have added a Late Model Sportsman race to the schedule The Southeastern 150 set for Saturday will pit the best in the LMS division on the 36-degree banks The newest addition to the BIR slate is the May 22 Volunteer 300 which will highlight the American Speed AssociationAll-Pro circuits in a tough battle Qualifying for that Saturday night event is set for Friday May 21 David Pearson Waltrip Jody Ridley and Neil Bonnett are possible entries The continued excitement in racing at BIR is enough to keep the fans interested but the track's administration doesn't stop there Improvements to the facility have already begun and the "sky's the limit" This year a $75000 water Waltrip drove to both titles last season and Johnson has dominated the Bristol track no matter who is driving his car Not only are the Valleydale 4i umpiwomai6J1 I Action is always fast at BIR as evidenced by the hard-working pit crew of Dale Earnhardt's Wrangler Machine Action is always fast at BIR as evidenced by the hard-working pit crew of Dale Earnhardt's Wrangler Machine AL 1 BM winners Valleydale 500 Year Driver Speed 1961-Joe Weatherly 7245 1962-Jim Paschal 7528 1963-Fireball Roberts 7691 1964-Fred Lorenzen 72196 1965-Junior Johnson 74938 1966-Dick Hutcherson 69952 1967-David Pearson 7593 1968-Dav ld Pearson 77247 1969-Bobby Allison 81455 1970-Donnie Allison 87543 1971-David Pearson 91704 1972-Bobby Allison 92926 1973-Cole Yarborough 88952 1974-Cale Yarborough 64533 1975-Richard Petty 97053 x1976-Cale Yarborough 87377 z1977-Cale Yarborough 100989 1978-Darrell Waltrip 92401 1979-Dale Earnhardt 91033 1980-Dale Earnhardt 96977 1981-Darrell Waltrip 89530 Race changed from 500 to 400 laps Race changed back to 500 lOPS Top Qualifier- Darrell Waltrip 112125 mph (1981) BUSCH 500 Year Driver Speed 1961-Jack Smith 6837 1962-Bobby Johns 7332 1963-Fred Lorenzen 74844 1964-Fred Lorenzen 78044 1965-Ned Jarrett 61826 1966-Paul Goldsmith 77963 1967-Richard Petty 78705 1968-David Pearson 76310 1969-David Pearson 79737 1970-Bobby Allison 84880 1971-Charlie Glotzboch 10174 1972-Bobby Allison 91735 1973-Benny Parsons 91342 1974-Cole Yarborough 75430 1975-Richard Petty 97016 x1976-Cale Yarborough 99175 1977-Cale Yarborough 79726 z1978-Cale Yarborough 88628 1979-Darrell Waltrip 91493 1980-Cale Yarborough 86973 1981-Darrell Waltrip 84723 )(Race changed from 500 to 400 lops zRoce changed bock to 500 laps Top Qualifier Cale Yarborough 110990 mph (1980) Fairgrounds North Wilkesboro and 100 percent of Phoenix International Raceway '5When you look back on the mark Bristol has made in the last few years on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit you can obviously see why I wanted to be involved with the race track" said Hodgdon "Following the past season there was even more of a reason for me to be interested I'm sure that there will continue to be improvements made at Bristol in many areas and this will in turn improve the track's standings on the entire automobile racing scene I'm really excited about this opportunity" Baker a Nashville attorney was naturally pleased "To be quite honest" said Baker "I was not interested in selling Bristol International Raceway in any way shape form International Motor Speedway where on Aug 2 he won the Talladega 500 beating veterans Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte to the finish line in an incredible last-lap dash It was his Ilth career Winston Cup event the least experience of any Grand National race-winner in NASCAR history Bouchard collected 392 points for the season when final tabulations were completed Mor or fashion following the 1981 season which was by far the most successful we have ever had despite a number of offers "But when a man of the caliber of Warner Hodgdon expresses his interest you stand up and take notice" Not only will Waltrip be on hand but Richard Petty Dale Earnhardt Terry Labonte Bobby Allison Ricky Rudd and Harry Gant are always ready to tangle with BIR The addition of Neil Bonnett to the field adds new interest There is never a dull moment at BIR The ''barrel-like" track tests the drivers' skills to the toughest degree and fender-banging is a common-place curence Five hundred laps of grueling non-stop action provides the fans- with quite a show gan Shepherd of Conover NC was second with 378 while Tim Richmond was third with 358 Shepherd was tin fourth NASCAR rookie to win a race capturing the Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway Bouchard and Shepherd each won a Busch Pole Award in 1981 Bouchard's coming in the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan and Shepherd's in the Richmond 400 "system was installed Next will come an infield press box with a glassed in scoring stand on top Increased parking and seating are in the makings and those problems are hoped to be alleviated by next year The big plans that churn through the BIR minds are those which call for a superspeeday as the ultimate goal Early thoughts are to extend the track and then have an unorthodox layout "I think we could continue to run a short track for 22 more years" said public relations director Eddie Gossage "The question is could we continue to put enough people in the stands to pay the purses" Hodgdon who in addition to owning interest in both Bristol and Nashville International Raceway also own a portion of Winstoil Cup track Richmond Valleydale 500 at Bristol He competed in 22 Winston Cup events in 1981 posting five top five and 12 top-10 finishes His total winnings for the Winston Cup season totalled $152855 much of which came as a result of being the top Champion Spark Plug Rookie Challenger in 11 races exactly half of those in which he competed But Bouchard's greatest 'Claim to fame came at Alabama Ron Bouchard joins top rookie ranks Ron Bouchard didn't join the Winston Cup circuit until March but still offered a strong enough performance to win the Champion Spark Plug Rookie of the Year award for 1981 In doing so he joined Pete Hamilton (1968) as the only rookie winner from IMassachusetts Bouchard first joined the Race Hill Farm Team now sponsored by JD Stacy for the.