The Scene Vault Podcast

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The audio quality of the David Smith interview in this episode is not up to our usual standards. We feel the importance of preserving David’s story outweighs those imperfections. 

Faith was a part of who legendary Richard Childress Racing jackman David Smith was, and that fact comes through in this 1996 interview. Give it a listen ... and be taken straight to church!

We then tackle the May 5, 1988 issue of Grand National Scene.

Phil Parsons wins the first and only race of his Winston Cup career at Talladega. His crew chief Andy Petree told us once upon a time that the car Phil was driving that day was … special.

Michael Waltrip endures a wreck that day that leaves him very groggily walking across the track, with the rest of the field not too awfully far away and headed in his direction.

AJ Foyt gets hammered with a suspension and fine after showing out on pit road after being penalized a lap. During qualifying, Bill Elliott’s string of six straight Talladega pole positions is broken by Davey Allison.

Tim Richmond files a $20 million lawsuit against NASCAR.

 Scene tries to answer a question for the ages … is it SterLIN or SterLING Marlin? Gene Granger digs into the life and times of LeeRoy Yarbrough. There’s an in-depth article on Richard Childress Racing jackman David Smith.

 Finally … we’ve got Dale Earnhardt stories involving stolen souvenirs, whipped-cream pies, chickens, bulls and business trips.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com!

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

Please consider supporting this show via:

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This week in the final part of our interview, Dan Elliott talks about winning the 1988 Winston Cup championship despite tensions in the shop, the impact Mike Rich’s tragic passing had on his over-the-wall career and what amounted to the Taylor family packing up and moving out of Mayberry.

We then tackle the February 28, 1991 issue of Winston Cup Scene.

Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd race for the win on the last lap at Richmond and they do NOT take each other out. That’s news in and of itself.

 Mark Martin comes back from multiple laps twice to finish sixth, but in the fog that was early 1991 for Roush Racing, Jack Roush is not happy with Mark’s effort.

King Racing fabricator Jim Callard throws a little bit of shade at racing mechanics. Dan Elliott announces that he’s no longer going to going over the wall on pit stops, due in no small part to a tragic accident at Atlanta just a few months earlier.

It LITERALLY pay Morgan Shepherd to be nice. And … last … but FAR from least … you could say that this issue had some REACTION to the pit road rules that were in effect for the Daytona 500.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com!

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

Please consider supporting this show via:

patreon.com/thescenevaultpodcast

paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast

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In this episode, Rick stops by the Ashe County Museum to chat with historians Andrew Cole and Jerry Brown to find out the origins of the moonshiners going all the way back to their immigrant roots, plus a look at some of the other fabulous exhibits on offer at the museum.

This is a collaboration between The Scene Vault Podcast and North Carolina’s Department of Cultural and Natural Resources made to spotlight the history of moonshine, motorsports, and the state of North Carolina.

You can also listen to every episode of the Moonshine and Motorsports Racing Podcast on all your favorite podcast apps.

Find more here: https://dailydownforce.com/moonshine-motorsports/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second installment of our interview, Dan Elliott talks about the polar opposite reactions he had to Melling Racing’s skyrocketing fame and success in the mid-1980s. Let’s just say it was the best of times and it was the worst of times.

He also discusses Darrell Waltrip’s mind games and a disastrous pit stop at Riverside.

 We then dive into the November 12, 1987 issue of Grand National Scene.

Three members of Bill Elliott’s pit crew receive serious injuries … and Dan Elliott winds up bruised and sore … as the result of an accident on pit road at Riverside.

 Rusty Wallace outlasts Geoff Bodine and Dale Earnhardt to win the event, despite one of the most iconic moves of Dale’s career. Old Guard Benny Parsons and Richard Petty have good days, while team owner Rick Hendrick gets a turn behind the wheel.

Finally, Mark Martin reacts to a dream ride with Roush Racing.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com!

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

Please consider supporting this show via:

patreon.com/thescenevaultpodcast

paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast

venmo.com/thescenevaultpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week in the first of what are three lengthy installments, Dan Elliott talks about the monumental impact of his father George on the family racing business, the desperate early struggles of that operation, Harry Melling coming on board to help stabilize the team, that first win at Riverside and laying the foundation for what took place in 1985.

We then tackle the April 28, 1983 issue of the Grand National Scene.

Darrell Waltrip wins at Martinsville … shocker of all shockers … despite Bobby Allison’s claim that he’d incorrectly passed the pace car. Ricky Rudd goes OFF on Joe Ruttman on the cool-down lap AND on pit road, while Tim Richmond goes OFF on NASCAR in the press box after the race.

 Dale Earnhardt takes aim at Ford for not helping his Bud Moore-owned team as much as he thought it should. Mark Martin gets fired by J.D. Stacy team manager Robert “Boobie” Harrington. There’s a feature on Dan Elliott, and Dick May calls himself a professional stroker on the race track.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com!

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

Please consider supporting this show via:

patreon.com/thescenevaultpodcast

paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast

venmo.com/thescenevaultpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Rick sits down with Katie Sanford, a park ranger at North Carolina's beautiful Dismal Swamp State Park. One of the most recent additions to the Moonshine & Motorsports Trail, Dismal Swamp is not only smack dab in a neighborhood full of racing, it also hides a secret history of moonshiners who utilized the swamp as a haven for running shine decades ago. 

This is a collaboration between The Scene Vault Podcast and North Carolina’s Department of Cultural and Natural Resources made to spotlight the history of moonshine, motorsports, and the state of North Carolina.

You can also listen to every episode of the Moonshine and Motorsports Racing Podcast on all your favorite podcast apps.

Find more here: https://dailydownforce.com/moonshine-motorsports/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ricky Rudd doesn’t talk about an infamous run-in with Jeff Gordon at Charlotte in this week’s installment of our interview, but WE do. Ricky wins the Brickyard 400, which brings up host Rick Houston's favorite story about him.

Ricky also puts on one of the most memorable exhibitions of bravery … if not outright stubbornness … in winning at Martinsville. We conclude by talking about the difficult decision to shut down the team he and wife Linda built from the ground up … and the avenues he took in continuing to feed his competitive drive.

We then dig into the October 1, 1998 issue of Winston Cup Scene.

Ricky Rudd SURVIVES to win on a brutally hot day in Martinsville. Several other competitors were impacted by the heat, so just imagine how THEY felt after the race. Despite the miserable conditions, Rich Bickle has a career day at the Winston Cup level.

Tom Higgins writes about Dale Sr catching Dale Jr smoking … although Dale Jr himself doesn’t exactly remember the incident. We have stories on Jim Mattei … and clips … from Ryan Pemberton, Matt Kenseth and Danny Culler.

Then … it’s on to the disappearance of Scooby-Doo from the Melling Racing transporter … a case that has not been solved to this day.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com.

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

Please consider supporting this show via:

patreon.com/thescenevaultpodcast

paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast

venmo.com/thescenevaultpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s what our listeners need to know about this week’s installment of our interview with Ricky Rudd.

We talk about his Busch CRASH and that astounding win two weeks later at Richmond, as well as his on-again, off-again relationship with Dale Earnhardt that was DEFINITELY off again in the late 80s at North Wilkesboro.

Ricky also discusses one of the most controversial finishes in NASCAR history, when his apparent 1991 Sears Point win was awarded to Davey Allison, as well as his years with Hendrick Motorsports.

 We then page through the October 20, 1988 issue of Grand National Scene.

 Rusty Wallace comes back from a scrape with Jimmy Means to beat Geoff Bodine to the stripe after a CRAZY last few laps at North Wilkesboro. Geoff bumps Rusty, Rusty bumps Geoff, Ricky Rudd bumps Dale Earnhardt, Dale SPINS Ricky, Ricky PUNTS Dale.

 There are features on the debate over a traveling safety team in NASCAR, Lynda Petty and Barbara Nelson, who’d recently found the son she’d given up for adoption.

Rusty Wallace’s recent win at Charlotte is celebrated in quite extravagant style, Harold Kinder gets handcuffed to the fence at Charlotte AND Jack Ingram has a wee bit of a problem with his trailer going TO Charlotte. Finally … we get a chance to not discuss politics on The Scene Vault Podcast!

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com!

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available.

Please consider supporting this show via:

patreon.com/thescenevaultpodcast

paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast

venmo.com/thescenevaultpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Newly elected NASCAR Hall of Famer Ricky Rudd joins us for an in-depth look at the earliest days of his career, when he went STRAIGHT from motocross to the Winston Cup circuit, with NO in between to get him prepped and ready.

He talks about the struggles he faced with his family owned team; leaving Nelson Malloch for SAFETY reasons; his take-it-or-leave-it salary at DiGard AND going to drive for Richard Childress Racing.

We do something a little different with our issue of the week segment and take a look at a FIVE-PART series Scene ran on Ricky in the summer of 1977 … VERY early in its existence.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com!

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

Please consider supporting this show via:

patreon.com/thescenevaultpodcast

paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast

venmo.com/thescenevaultpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Rick chats with Todd Johnson of the Johnston County Museum about the secret history of moonshining in Johnston County and what you can discover for yourself at the County Museum.

This is a collaboration between The Scene Vault Podcast and North Carolina’s Department of Cultural and Natural Resources made to spotlight the history of moonshine, motorsports, and the state of North Carolina.

You can also listen to every episode of the Moonshine and Motorsports Racing Podcast on all your favorite podcast apps.

Find more here: https://dailydownforce.com/moonshine-motorsports/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices