Bristol Motor Speedway
Notebook: Red Farmer grabs victory at age 76
From series and special reports
Red Farmer (Scott Oglesby photo)
At 76, Red Farmer, a member of NASCAR's fabled "Alabama Gang," isn't content to sit around and enjoy honors for being an integral part of stock car racing in his home state. He's still mixing it up on the racetrack.
Farmer showed he can still pick up a checkered flag, too, as he raced to a season-opening victory March 9 in NeSmith Chevrolet-sanctioned crate Late Model action at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala. Farmer, among 163 drivers on hand for the opener delayed a day by inclement weather, raced to a feature victory over Adam Martin and Chad Wallace. Steve Kirk and Lee Burdette rounded out the top five at the third-mile oval across the highway from Talladega's big track.
Farmer's victory came just a few weeks after the formal dedication of Red Farmer Driver, a road in Hueytown, Ala., formerly known as Garywood Drive. Red Farmer Drive is a 1-mile stretch between Forest Road and Allison-Bonnett Road, which is named for other Alabama Gang members.
Farmer is entering the 62nd year of his racing career. — From track and BIrmingham News reports
TOP TRACKS SCHEDULE RELEASED: The Top Tracks Challenge Series will open its 13-race season April 19 at Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway. The tour, made up mostly of events paying $1,500 or $2,000 to the winner, plans events at seven tracks in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. The finale pays $5,000 to the winner on Oct. 18 at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga. — From series reports
FASTRAK SCHEDULES RELEASED: The Fastrak Racing Series has released its regional touring schedules and among highlights are a $10,000-to-win event at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va., on Aug. 30-31 and a $5,000-to-win event at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on Aug. 8-9. Most of the Southeast events pay $2,000 to the winner while Northeast events are scheduled to pay a minimum of $1,200 to the winner. The Southeast tour gets rolling March 21-22 at Lavonia (Ga.) Speedway and the Northeast schedule begins May 2 at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio. — From series reports
ODDS AND ENDS: StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, Tenn., will host the first-ever UMP crate feature on March 22. The race pays $1,000 to the winner. ... Sunoco Race Fuel and Bearden Oil of Eastman, Ga., will sponsor the 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Rookie of the Year award. The top rookie driver will receive $5,000 and a new chassis (brand to be determined). Candidates include Jason Hiett of Lincoln, Ala.; Scott Knowles of Lanett, Ala.; Hunter Peacock of Macon, Ga.; Steve Godsey of Bedford, Ind.; Josh Morrow of Murphy, N.C.; Eric Cooley of Fulton, Miss.; Jim Moon of Zionsville, Ind.; Richard Stephens of Phenix City, Ala.; Chad Wallace of LaGrange, Ga.; Frank Wilson of Harold, Fla.; Randy Hill of Dalton, Ga.; and Marcus Minga of Shannon, Miss.
Correction: An earlier version of this story listed the incorrect date for Red Farmer's victory at Talladega. He won March 9.
