NASCAR Then and Now - Ben White [6]
A young Buddy Baker (left) poses for a photo with his father, Buck, in the late 1950s. Buck carried the No. 87 to 46 race wins and championships in 1956 and 1957. Buddy used No. 86 at times and won 17 races during his career, including the 1980 Daytona 500.
Bobby Allison (center) listens intently to his son Davey, then an ARCA driver, in the garage area during the 1982 season. Six years later, Bobby won over Davey in a one-two finish at the 1988 Daytona 500.
In June 2000, Dale Earnhardt (center) poses for a shot with sons Dale Jr. (left) and Kerry before the start of a NASCAR event at Michigan Speedway.
Brothers
Sibling rivalries have been a part of NASCAR from the first official Strictly Stock event on June 19, 1949, in Charlotte, North Carolina. That day, the Flock brothers—Bob, Tim, and Fonty—finished 2nd, 5th, and 32nd, respectively, starting a trend that has continued for more than 60 years. Other sibling rivals have included Bobby and Donnie Allison; Darrell and Michael Waltrip; Rusty, Kenny, and Mike Wallace; Geoff, Brett, and Todd Bodine; and Kurt and Kyle Busch. Most racers will tell you they get a little extra charge out of beating their brothers. After all, siblings are competing with each other in some fashion from day one.
The legendary “Flying Flocks”: brothers (left to right) Bob (4 wins), Tim (39 wins), and Fonty (19 wins). The three former moonshine runners from Atlanta came from a very talented gene pool. Their sister, Ethel, was a driver of some note who competed in 100 NASCAR races. Tim won Strictly Stock championships in 1952 and 1955.
Kyle (left) and Kurt Busch take a rare moment from their busy race schedules to talk—possibly about family, but most likely about racing. The two Las Vegas natives grew up racing through the stock car ranks. Big brother Kurt is the 2004 series champion, while Kyle’s amazing talents make him a favorite in any race he enters.
Men in Uniform
Back in the day, driver attire was, well, rather primitive compared to today’s standards. This shouldn’t be a surprise, though. After all, drivers were racing their family vehicles on makeshift racetracks in open fields: Jeans, work pants, and T-shirts seemed to do nicely. Besides, there wasn’t much else to choose from, except maybe the standard mechanic’s coveralls. But those were hot and cumbersome, especially in the summer. Helmets and goggles— and not very good ones—were the extent of personal safety items.
As the cars became faster and more powerful, the racing became more dangerous. The tragic deaths of several prominent drivers during the 1950s and early 1960s forced NASCAR to demand greater safety measures. Today’s drivers wear multi-layer fireproof suits, gloves, and shoes. Full-face helmets and head and neck support (HANS) devices are also mandatory and have combined to make driver injuries and deaths mercifully rare, considering the speeds involved.
Atlanta native Jack Smith sports a typical driver “uniform” from the 1950s: khaki work pants and a flannel shirt. A leather helmet, work goggles, and single roll bar inside his car are the extent of his protective gear.
Clad in blue jeans and a white cotton T-shirt, Jesse James Taylor poses for a picture before qualifying his No. 31 Ford on the famed Darlington Raceway for the second annual Southern 500 in September 1951.
Kevin Harvick makes last-minute adjustments to his full-face helmet just before climbing into his Chevrolet. The multi-layer driver’s suit offers protection from fire, while the helmet guards against head and facial injuries. The opening at the top of the helmet connects to a blower inside the car that funnels cool air into the helmet on hot days.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s helmet also carries a fire skirt (in black) that protects the face and neck area. Most modern driver helmets sport special individual paint schemes.
The Driver Lifestyle
Today’s top NASCAR drivers enjoy