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The RacersReunion Story
by: Jeff Gilder
RacersReunion.com
As creator of RacersReunion.com, I’m living a dream. I only wish my father were alive to see and hear first-hand the conversations we’re having with the guys who were his heroes…and consequently became mine. Many Sunday afternoons at our home in Northeast TN, Dad and I sat together in the backyard under a shade tree listening to the race on the “AM” radio station of our 1956 Buick…or the 1961 Corvair. Occasionally, Uncle Sammy would join us and bring his 1959 Ford. Then Uncle Sammy bought a brand new 1962 Ford Galaxy 500…with the good speakers. Man, that car was nice. Red with a white convertible top; had a 406-cubic inch beast of an engine with three, two-barrel carbs.
I remember hearing the names of Fireball Roberts, Fred Lorenzen, Lee and Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Ned Jarrett. I can still hear Dad commenting, during a Daytona race, after the radio announcer mentioned the name Paul Lewis, “That’s Paul Lewis, from (nearby) Johnson City
As time went by throughout the ’70s and ’80s, my love for the sport grew. Dad and I watched as a new crop of drivers emerged with guys like Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Bill Elliot, and Darrell Waltrip making names for themselves. The sport was growing and changing every year.
Moving forward to 1999 at the Kingsport Speedway, I made my Late Model Stock debut after finally making the move from dirt track racing. Kingsport Speedway had recently been concreted, and we were struggling. We had qualified dead last when I noticed a gentleman standing nearby, watching us attentively. My mechanic, the late Dickey Lee Whitehead, said “Man, who is that guy? He’s watching us like a hawk.” Eventually, the fellow came over and offered to help. He asked, “What do you need?” To which I replied, “Knowledge.” He said he had some, and if I wished, he could help. And did he ever. After asking many questions, he made recommendations for change, which we did. Then he walked me around the track, telling me how to enter and exit each corner. That night, I finished a very respectable 11th place after making my way up to 7th, then pitting due to a throttle-linkage problem. After the race, the gentleman handed me his business card and told me to contact him the next time we practiced. As I was walking back to the trailer reading his name, Paul Shull came up and asked, “What was Paul Lewis doing in your pit?” Then it all came back. I couldn’t wait to tell Dad that one of his heroes had helped me at the track. Dad passed away about a month later, after a year-long battle with cancer.
Paul Lewis stayed with me for the balance of that season, which was only a couple more races. He agreed to become my crew chief if I promised to try what ever he suggested. Well, I promised, and with his guidance and mentoring, the very next season we sat on 15 poles, won 13 of 22 races, set a track record for qualifying, and won a Championship. Do you think he helped? Paul can still be found around the short tracks of the southeast mentoring up-and-coming drivers and giving his time to help any of his fellow retired drivers in need.
Paul’s passion is to bring recognition to the veterans of stock car racing and the contributions they made to the sport. He holds an annual event in Northeast TN called, of all things, Racers Reunion. In January 2008, at Paul’s suggestion, I went to the Legends-Helping-Legends Benefit for Sam Ard at the Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville , NC
Driving home, I couldn’t get off my mind the fact that drivers like Sam Ard need help, fans still actively seek out these veteran drivers, and that there is a “brotherhood” among all these drivers. I knew there was something I could do to make a contribution. And as Paul Harvey said, “Now you know the rest of the story.” I sat at my computer for the next several days assembling RacersReunion.com. I wanted a user-friendly site allowing interaction among its members. I chose a social network platform and launched the site. I sent the link in an email to about 15 of my friends including my son, Dustin. Since that day, we’ve only gotten positive feedback and continue growing daily as we introduce younger fans to stock car racing’s history and stroll down memory lane with veteran fans of NASCAR.
So here I am in the middle of something I love dearly, working hand-in-hand with my son Dustin. We travel to events where the veterans congregate, capturing a piece of history. Sadly, each year we lose some of these guys, so it’s important to capture as much as we can, now.
From time to time I’m asked what is my vision is for RacersReunion.com. It’s this: To be a central location for gathering and sharing information about the history of stock car racing; to keep the veterans of the sport in front of their fans; to help the young fans learn how the sport was born and know the contributions made by the early drivers. The drivers of today did not create their destiny. There would be no NASCAR without the sacrifices of the sport’s veterans. My ultimate vision for RacersReunion.com: Recognize the sport’s veterans and use the recognition we gain to help the guys who need it.
We hope you enjoy your visit with us and come back often. If you have racing photos, videos, or stories of racing’s past, we hope you will share them with us. Please tell your friends and family about us.
Thanks for stopping by,
Jeff Gilder
MEET THE LEGENDS OF NASCAR
Join RacersReunion.com
It's FREE
I remember hearing the names of Fireball Roberts, Fred Lorenzen, Lee and Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Ned Jarrett. I can still hear Dad commenting, during a Daytona race, after the radio announcer mentioned the name Paul Lewis, “That’s Paul Lewis, from (nearby) Johnson City
As time went by throughout the ’70s and ’80s, my love for the sport grew. Dad and I watched as a new crop of drivers emerged with guys like Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Bill Elliot, and Darrell Waltrip making names for themselves. The sport was growing and changing every year.
Moving forward to 1999 at the Kingsport Speedway, I made my Late Model Stock debut after finally making the move from dirt track racing. Kingsport Speedway had recently been concreted, and we were struggling. We had qualified dead last when I noticed a gentleman standing nearby, watching us attentively. My mechanic, the late Dickey Lee Whitehead, said “Man, who is that guy? He’s watching us like a hawk.” Eventually, the fellow came over and offered to help. He asked, “What do you need?” To which I replied, “Knowledge.” He said he had some, and if I wished, he could help. And did he ever. After asking many questions, he made recommendations for change, which we did. Then he walked me around the track, telling me how to enter and exit each corner. That night, I finished a very respectable 11th place after making my way up to 7th, then pitting due to a throttle-linkage problem. After the race, the gentleman handed me his business card and told me to contact him the next time we practiced. As I was walking back to the trailer reading his name, Paul Shull came up and asked, “What was Paul Lewis doing in your pit?” Then it all came back. I couldn’t wait to tell Dad that one of his heroes had helped me at the track. Dad passed away about a month later, after a year-long battle with cancer.
Paul Lewis stayed with me for the balance of that season, which was only a couple more races. He agreed to become my crew chief if I promised to try what ever he suggested. Well, I promised, and with his guidance and mentoring, the very next season we sat on 15 poles, won 13 of 22 races, set a track record for qualifying, and won a Championship. Do you think he helped? Paul can still be found around the short tracks of the southeast mentoring up-and-coming drivers and giving his time to help any of his fellow retired drivers in need.
Paul’s passion is to bring recognition to the veterans of stock car racing and the contributions they made to the sport. He holds an annual event in Northeast TN called, of all things, Racers Reunion. In January 2008, at Paul’s suggestion, I went to the Legends-Helping-Legends Benefit for Sam Ard at the Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville , NC
Driving home, I couldn’t get off my mind the fact that drivers like Sam Ard need help, fans still actively seek out these veteran drivers, and that there is a “brotherhood” among all these drivers. I knew there was something I could do to make a contribution. And as Paul Harvey said, “Now you know the rest of the story.” I sat at my computer for the next several days assembling RacersReunion.com. I wanted a user-friendly site allowing interaction among its members. I chose a social network platform and launched the site. I sent the link in an email to about 15 of my friends including my son, Dustin. Since that day, we’ve only gotten positive feedback and continue growing daily as we introduce younger fans to stock car racing’s history and stroll down memory lane with veteran fans of NASCAR.
So here I am in the middle of something I love dearly, working hand-in-hand with my son Dustin. We travel to events where the veterans congregate, capturing a piece of history. Sadly, each year we lose some of these guys, so it’s important to capture as much as we can, now.
Recently we added RacersReunion Radio, giving us a platform for broadcasting to the world, 24/7, segments of our interviews with various drivers while promoting our network and its sponsors. We are preparing to launch a weekly radio talk show along with many more new and exciting developments.
From time to time I’m asked what is my vision is for RacersReunion.com. It’s this: To be a central location for gathering and sharing information about the history of stock car racing; to keep the veterans of the sport in front of their fans; to help the young fans learn how the sport was born and know the contributions made by the early drivers. The drivers of today did not create their destiny. There would be no NASCAR without the sacrifices of the sport’s veterans. My ultimate vision for RacersReunion.com: Recognize the sport’s veterans and use the recognition we gain to help the guys who need it.
We hope you enjoy your visit with us and come back often. If you have racing photos, videos, or stories of racing’s past, we hope you will share them with us. Please tell your friends and family about us.
Thanks for stopping by,
Jeff Gilder
MEET THE LEGENDS OF NASCAR
Join RacersReunion.com
It's FREE
