Post by rh1no on Dec 3, 2017 13:14:11 GMT -5
After hearing the after story from this race (as recalled by Mark), I just had to build this Bobby Moon owned Camaro. Revell ASA kit with my decals.
In 1987, Mark Martin picked up a win in Martinsville Speedway’s fall classic, now called the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Over the years, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 has become one of the biggest events in short track racing and the biggest asphalt short track race in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic region. The race is known for its craziness and it was just as crazy back in 1987.
“Bobby Moon had a Dillon car and I was a Dillon guy,” Martin said. “I designed that Dillon Mark II chassis. That was the traction for me to run that race, to run a car different from a southern car. The setups and the way we ran those cars in the Midwest were drastically different than the way the Late Model Stocks down that way were based off the logic of Late Model Sportsman or Busch Grand National cars. They were based off those principles.
“Our car because it was a Dillon car, was based off the principles of how we ran our cars in ASA. So, that was the interest in it for me. So, that’s kind of the story behind the car and orange number 30. It was Bobby Moon’s car and he drove it. We got the pole if I remember correctly or qualified second.”
Mark Martin battled with Late Model Stock Car great Barry Beggarly, a two-time winner of the Autumn highlight, for the win. The two drivers made contact which resulted in Beggarly going around and Martin running away with the lead and the win.
“[Beggarly] got ahead of me on the start of the race and I was trying to get by him and I got under him and, in the middle of one and two, he chopped down coming off the corner and we came together,” Martin recalled. “I’m not laying blame on either one of us, we were racing for the lead of the race. I didn’t go after him because I don’t drive like that. He spun out.”
As wild as things were on the track, they were even wilder after the race. William Johnson, father of Late Model Stock Car racer Justin Johnson, owned the car driven by Beggarly. As Martin recalled, he was less than pleased after the race.
“His car was owned by the president of Hell’s Angels chapter,” Martin remarked. “I don’t remember for sure. They were out of Raleigh-Durham. Barry Beggarly, I think, was the driver’s name. I went on to win the race and I got out of the car in victory lane and boy them boys were mad. He was standing this owner was standing out in the middle of the crowd at victory lane with a knife that was a foot long seen in his fingernails.
“My wife and Steve Hmiel’s wife came running up in victory lane and I said ‘y’all get out of here, I don’t want them to know you’re my wife’. She said ‘it’s too late, they think she’s your wife,’ talking about Steve Hmiel’s wife because she smarted off to them. That was a combination race between that race and the Busch race so we ran the Busch race and got the heck out of there after the race and went home.”
Martin made it home safely but he was still nervous throughout the night.
“We lived in an apartment in Greensboro and at 10:30, my doorbell rings and I had a vision of the Hell’s Angels riding in my apartment and terrorizing,” Martin continued. “It was just a friend of mine bringing the trophy to the race because I was pretty nervous, they were mad, they were big boys. They wanted to scare to fool out of me.”
In 1987, Mark Martin picked up a win in Martinsville Speedway’s fall classic, now called the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Over the years, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 has become one of the biggest events in short track racing and the biggest asphalt short track race in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic region. The race is known for its craziness and it was just as crazy back in 1987.
“Bobby Moon had a Dillon car and I was a Dillon guy,” Martin said. “I designed that Dillon Mark II chassis. That was the traction for me to run that race, to run a car different from a southern car. The setups and the way we ran those cars in the Midwest were drastically different than the way the Late Model Stocks down that way were based off the logic of Late Model Sportsman or Busch Grand National cars. They were based off those principles.
“Our car because it was a Dillon car, was based off the principles of how we ran our cars in ASA. So, that was the interest in it for me. So, that’s kind of the story behind the car and orange number 30. It was Bobby Moon’s car and he drove it. We got the pole if I remember correctly or qualified second.”
Mark Martin battled with Late Model Stock Car great Barry Beggarly, a two-time winner of the Autumn highlight, for the win. The two drivers made contact which resulted in Beggarly going around and Martin running away with the lead and the win.
“[Beggarly] got ahead of me on the start of the race and I was trying to get by him and I got under him and, in the middle of one and two, he chopped down coming off the corner and we came together,” Martin recalled. “I’m not laying blame on either one of us, we were racing for the lead of the race. I didn’t go after him because I don’t drive like that. He spun out.”
As wild as things were on the track, they were even wilder after the race. William Johnson, father of Late Model Stock Car racer Justin Johnson, owned the car driven by Beggarly. As Martin recalled, he was less than pleased after the race.
“His car was owned by the president of Hell’s Angels chapter,” Martin remarked. “I don’t remember for sure. They were out of Raleigh-Durham. Barry Beggarly, I think, was the driver’s name. I went on to win the race and I got out of the car in victory lane and boy them boys were mad. He was standing this owner was standing out in the middle of the crowd at victory lane with a knife that was a foot long seen in his fingernails.
“My wife and Steve Hmiel’s wife came running up in victory lane and I said ‘y’all get out of here, I don’t want them to know you’re my wife’. She said ‘it’s too late, they think she’s your wife,’ talking about Steve Hmiel’s wife because she smarted off to them. That was a combination race between that race and the Busch race so we ran the Busch race and got the heck out of there after the race and went home.”
Martin made it home safely but he was still nervous throughout the night.
“We lived in an apartment in Greensboro and at 10:30, my doorbell rings and I had a vision of the Hell’s Angels riding in my apartment and terrorizing,” Martin continued. “It was just a friend of mine bringing the trophy to the race because I was pretty nervous, they were mad, they were big boys. They wanted to scare to fool out of me.”
