This is one of my favorite Fairgrounds stories and it involves
my favorite driver when I was a kid.
My memories of the Fairgrounds go back to 1963. I think I went to some races in ’62, but I really don’t have any memories of them. I can remember details from ’63.
Herb Lewis was already my favorite driver. The reasons for that were we lived close, I went to school with his daughter, and he was friends with my Dad. When I had my first go-kart at the age of 5, I wore white gloves just like Herb did when driving his Modified Special.
This story was the caption of a photo in the 1964 program and I asked Herb about it and he confirmed that it’s true.
The morning of the 100-lap quarter-mile championship race at the end of the ’63 season Herb was getting ready to go to the track. He seemed to be spending a little extra time shaving. His wife Joanne asked him why the extra time. Herb said he was going to win the race that night and wanted to be clean shaven so he wouldn't tickle Miss Speedway’s face when he kissed her in victory lane. Joanne said, "Yeah, right, you got big ideas." She also told him if he did win there would be no kissing the queen until Joanne got to victory lane.
P.B. Crowell qualified on the pole in his number 48 and led the first 21 laps. Jimmy Griggs qualified 10th in the blue 709 and stormed through the field to take the lead on lap 22. He stayed at the front until lap 57 when he was called to the pits with a flat left front tire. The call to pit was somewhat controversial - Griggs had already run roughly 20 laps in the lead with the flat left front, and some railbirds thought he could have continued to lead the remainder of the race. The way those cars were set up, there wasn't much weight on the left front and the tire really didn't do much anyway.
Herb started 3rd in the #42 Bill Dyer car, a team car to Griggs. While Griggs led Lewis had worked his way past Crowell and when Griggs went to the pits Lewis took the lead and was never headed for the remainder of the 100 laps. At the checkered he was half a lap ahead of Crowell, who was followed by Bobby Allison, Bobby Celsor, and Coo Coo Marlin.
Just as he had predicted that morning, Herb got to kiss the trophy girl. But not before Joanne joined them in victory lane.
My memories of the Fairgrounds go back to 1963. I think I went to some races in ’62, but I really don’t have any memories of them. I can remember details from ’63.
Herb Lewis was already my favorite driver. The reasons for that were we lived close, I went to school with his daughter, and he was friends with my Dad. When I had my first go-kart at the age of 5, I wore white gloves just like Herb did when driving his Modified Special.
This story was the caption of a photo in the 1964 program and I asked Herb about it and he confirmed that it’s true.
The morning of the 100-lap quarter-mile championship race at the end of the ’63 season Herb was getting ready to go to the track. He seemed to be spending a little extra time shaving. His wife Joanne asked him why the extra time. Herb said he was going to win the race that night and wanted to be clean shaven so he wouldn't tickle Miss Speedway’s face when he kissed her in victory lane. Joanne said, "Yeah, right, you got big ideas." She also told him if he did win there would be no kissing the queen until Joanne got to victory lane.
P.B. Crowell qualified on the pole in his number 48 and led the first 21 laps. Jimmy Griggs qualified 10th in the blue 709 and stormed through the field to take the lead on lap 22. He stayed at the front until lap 57 when he was called to the pits with a flat left front tire. The call to pit was somewhat controversial - Griggs had already run roughly 20 laps in the lead with the flat left front, and some railbirds thought he could have continued to lead the remainder of the race. The way those cars were set up, there wasn't much weight on the left front and the tire really didn't do much anyway.
Herb started 3rd in the #42 Bill Dyer car, a team car to Griggs. While Griggs led Lewis had worked his way past Crowell and when Griggs went to the pits Lewis took the lead and was never headed for the remainder of the 100 laps. At the checkered he was half a lap ahead of Crowell, who was followed by Bobby Allison, Bobby Celsor, and Coo Coo Marlin.
Just as he had predicted that morning, Herb got to kiss the trophy girl. But not before Joanne joined them in victory lane.
Wife Joanne, Herb, and Miss Speedway Jenny Smith in victory lane
Herb on his way to the win
Herb passed away in 2013 - 50 years and two days after his win
in the 100-lapper. He was elected into the Nashville Fairgrounds Hall of Fame later that
year. After his passing, his family was gracious enough to entrust me with the trophy he
won that night. I'm keeping it safe until there is a brick and morter Hall of Fame
building, at which time the trophy will be proudly displayed for all to see.
A footnote to this race: it was the last time the coupes
raced on the quarter mile track. Two days later, on Labor Day, they ran a 100-lap
race on the half-mile, and after the State Fair they closed the season on the
half-mile with the Southern 300.