The Scene Vault Podcast

This week, Michael "Fatback" McSwain talks about the origin of his nickname, padding his resume a little bit when he first got into Winston Cup, the influence of Robert Gee and Harry Hyde on his career, trying to make ends meet with team owner Richard Jackson, an INCREDIBLE third-place finish with Morgan Shepherd at Atlanta and how standing up for himself and his beliefs was one of his greatest strengths … and maybe, one of his greatest weaknesses. Then, in our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid tackle the March 13, 1997 issue of Winston Cup Scene. That paper carried coverage of Dale Jarrett's dominant win at Atlanta, a third-place finish by Morgan Shepherd and McSwain and a horrifying crash involving Steve Grissom.

We share the third and final installment of our interview with Humpy Wheeler, and this week, he talks about a 1983 confrontation that he had with Tim Richmond. And speaking of confrontations, Humpy absolutely LOVED it when drivers were mad at each other, because it was one more tool in his tool box that he used to help sell tickets. Humpy also talks about a spur-of-the-moment pitch to run The Winston under the lights at Charlotte, NASCAR’s expansion across the country and the impact it had on tracks like North Wilkesboro and Rockingham and … finally … the movie Cars! In our second segment, we go back to the May 25, 1982 issue of Grand National Scene, which featured a MASSIVE feature on Humpy by the legendary Tom Higgins, as well as stories on a very young Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin, former driver Earl Brooks and a “bleep” year for Buddy Baker.

In the second installment of our interview, Humpy Wheeler talks jumping school buses, helping drivers up to and including Dale Earnhardt get their starts in the sport, why Earnhardt might not have gotten a ride in today's NASCAR, a Waylon Jennings concert gone wrong and the creation of The Winston all-star race. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid thumb through the May 30, 1985 issue of Grand National Scene, which featured coverage of Darrell Waltrip's sweep of Charlotte's The Winston AND the World 600, Bill Elliott's first attempt at winning The Winston Million, volunteer crew member Junior McGee, "Sterlin" Marlin and an associate sponsorship that would eventually become one of the most iconic backers in the history of the sport.

Former Charlotte Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler joins the podcast this week for a look back at his extraordinary career. Humpy remembers Joe Weatherly and Curtis Turner, his early years at what was then a rough-and-tumble Charlotte race track and the rebirth of his own relationship with Bruton Smith. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dig into the June 9, 1977 issue of Grand National Scene, which featured coverage of Richard Petty's dominant win on an intensely hot World 600 weekend and a feature on David Pearson's hijinks.

In the second and final installment of our interview, Butch Mock remembers Lake Speed's second-place finish in the Daytona 500, his friend Neil Bonnett's miraculous comeback from injuries he sustained at Charlotte in late 1987, racing in Australia, struggles making ends meet as the sport evolved, Alan Kulwicki's influence on his career, the end of his NASCAR career and the influence of his family. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dig into the February 25, 1988 issue of Grand National Scene, which featured coverage of Bonnett's Richmond win, a heated protest by Ricky Rudd and Richard Petty, and Petty's reaction to his infamous wreck the week before in the 1988 Daytona 500.

In the first of a two-part interview, former Rahmoc Enterprises co-owner Butch Mock remembers his beginnings in the sport in South Florida, the decision to make the move to Winston Cup and the struggles he and Bob Rahilly faced once they got there. After going through several drivers in a few short years, an opportunity with Neil Bonnett and Warner Hodgdon finally brought the team to prominence, only to see a deal with Richard Petty and Mike Curb fall apart at the last minute. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid pick through the September 21, 1978 issue of Grand National Scene, which featured coverage of Bobby Allison's dominant win at Dover, the first and only pole position of longtime independent driver J.D. McDuffie's career and suspicions that Darrell Waltrip had lightened his car by dumping buckshot on the track at Bristol.

Ward Burton remembers his move to Bill Davis Racing, that first Winston Cup win at Rockingham, the 2002 Daytona 500, his not-so-pleasant split from the Davis operation and his adherence to The Code. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid tackle the October 26, 1995 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of the terrible confusion at the end of Ward's first Winston Cup victory, Rick Mast's dominant run foiled by engine trouble, an incredible Busch Series finish and a feature on Bahari Racing show-car driver and cancer survivor Mark Hayes.

Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid discuss and share clips from the upcoming 10-episode documentary podcast series, Firestorm: 2000, 2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR.

Not only did astronaut Doug Hurley command the first crewed Demo-2 SpaceX mission to the International Space Station last summer, he is also a HUGE NASCAR fan. Doug joins us this week as a guest co-host. Our interview is the first of what will be a two-part conversation with Ward Burton. This week, Ward discusses his love for the outdoors, his stint in military school, a potential college major, living out in the woods, his relationship with younger brother Jeff and his entrance into the Busch Series, which culminated in his first career victory at Rockingham. In our second segment, we go back to the March 5, 1992 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of Bill Elliott's first win with car owner Junior Johnson and that first win for Ward at The Rock.

In this installment of our interview, Jeff Hammond remembers escapades with Dale Earnhardt and his attempts to bring Earnhardt into the Junior Johnson & Associates fold. Instead of hiring Earnhardt, however, Johnson brought former foe Darrell Waltrip on board. And while Waltrip's reception with his new teammates was quite frosty, he went on to capture Winston Cup championships in his first two years with the Johnson organization. Finally, Hammond discusses Waltrip's very serious accident in the 1983 Daytona 500. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid break down the March 25, 1982 issue of Grand National Scene, which featured coverage of Waltrip's early season victories at Bristol and Atlanta. Finally ... stay tuned to the very end for a special announcement of an upcoming documentary podcast series.