FOLKS THIS PAST WEEK ANOTHER TRADITION, ANOTHER ICON OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF NASCAR, WAS THROWN BY THE WAY, AS HUMPY WHEELER WALKED AWAY FROM WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY.
I DOUBT THAT WE WILL EVER KNOW THE ENTIRE STORY OR THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS DEPARTURE, BUT WE CAN ALL GUESS THE MR. BRUTON SMITH HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT. WHETHER IT WAS THE PURCHASE OF THE KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY, OR THE STEAMROLLING OF CONCORD OVER BUILDING A DRAGSTRIP OR SOMETHING ELSE, IT APPEARS TO ME THAT SOMETHING WAS DONE THAT MR. HUMPY WHEELER COULD NOT OR WOULD NOT STOMACH.
REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A KID AND THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE BIGGER THEN LIFE AND YOU FIGURED THEY WOULD JUST ALWAYS BE THERE, FOLKS LIKE MICKY MANTLE, WALT DISNEY, CAPT. KANGAROO, YOUR GRANDPARENTS, WELL FOR MANY NASCAR FANS HUMPY WAS IN THAT SAME CROWD, AND NOW THINGS WILL JUST NOT BE THE SAME. THE LOWE'S RACES WILL BE JUST ANOTHER RACE, BUT ALL THE GRAND SURPRISES WILL BE GONE.
I READ AN ARTICLE THIS PAST WEEKEND, THAT SAID SMITH WOULD NOT SPEAK TO OR BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS HUMPY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FAREWELL DEAL BEFORE THE RACE SUNDAY. WELL FOR ME, MR. SMITH DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH CLASS TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS HUMPY WHEELER ANYWAY.
AS I HAVE SAID , NONE OF US WILL EVER KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, BUT FROM WHAT LITTLE HAS BEEN WRITTEN AND SPOKEN OF THIS INCIDENT, IT PUTS BRUTON SMITH IN THE SAME CLASS AS JERRY JONES AND THE WAY HE FIRED TOM LANDRY OF THE COWBOYS, AND THAT IS A CLASS THAT I WOULD NOT SPIT ON IF THEY WERE ON FIRE.
STUNTS LIKE BUYING TRACKS JUST TO CLOSE THEM AND MOVE RACE DATES TO ANOTHER TRACK, OR THREATENING TO CLOSE LOWE'S TO SCARE THE CITY COUNCIL IN CONCORD INTO GIVING HIM WHAT HE WANTED, AND NOW THE SUDDEN DEPARTURE OF HUMPY WHEELER AFTER 32 YEARS, JUST CONTINUES TO ENFORCE THE IDEA THAT I WOULD RATHER ASSOCIATE WITH SOMEONE "WHO DOESN'T HAVE A POT TO "P" IN OR A WINDOW TO THROW IT OUT OF", THEN THE LIKES OF BRUTON SMITH.
GUNNY- Definitely more to this story that I bet will come out in time. I also bet Humpy ends up working for NASCAR and it would not surprise me in the least if they decided to move the All-Star race around to different tracks each year and had Humpy in charge of it!
TO TELL THE TRUTH THE WORD WOULD BE MAD NOT SAD, BUT I WILL GET OVER IT , CAUSE BELIEVE ME HUMPY IS CONE WHO CAN FALL IN A PILE OF #### AND COME UP SMELLING LIKE A ROSE.
Gun, I saw Mr. Wheeler speaking about this. He was a true professional and would say nothing unkind or ugly toward Mr. Smith. I, too, believe that there is a lot that we don't and won't ever know because Mr. Wheeler is the kind of person he is. However, Mr. Wheeler did express his disappointment at the fact that he didn't receive a severance package after all of his years. While it was unexpected, I feel it has to do with Mr. Smith wanting his son in the business, and Mr. Smith wants what he wants yesterday. As always, a good blog by you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
BY THE WAY, WAHT A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET. THANKS FOR THE INFO, UP HERE WE GET VERY LITTLE NASCAR NEWS SO WHAT I GET IS WHAT I STUMBLE ACROSS ON THE INTERNET.
Gun - Its up to the fans to make NASCAR listen, Owners getting other tracks just to move a race to another place that won't sale out. Its like taking the local stock car race track and taking to a bigger track, It won't sale out like they think.
Yes it has more seats then the other track, but if you can't fill what you already have moving it to another won't fix it. I say about 5 to 6 years ago every track was near a sale out in not sold out. Now they go to tracks and they are not sold out and the sad thing is the races are boaring to watch.
Wheeler is a class act and now another great person who understood NASCAR/Fans go togather is gone. Cheers
Humpy can run my track, "If I owned one" any day of the week. The man helped put nascar on the map. Made fans out of anybody. Always took time to say hi to the smallest fans. Good luck Humpy on what ever you take on in the future. We will always be a fan of yours...
Gunny it was shocker when Humphy announced his retirement. Even those of us close to the heart of NASCAR was stunned by this news.
Humphy surely will be missed at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Humphy and Charlotte went together like Milk and chocolate chip cookies. You just can't enjoy one without the other. lol
But you can be sure that in time Humphy will let it be known what happened. If in nothing else he will tell it in his book. Humphy tell all sooner or later.
This story has not ended yet. It has just taken a backseat for the near future.
I AM FROM OKLAHOMA AND HAVE WORKED IN THE FIELD OF YOUTH SPORTS AND RECREATION FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
I AM A FAN OF NASCAR, AND OU COLLEGE FOOTBALL. THINGS THAT ARE PUT ON THIS BLOG WILL USUALLY BE BASED ON THESE SUBJECTS , BUT NOT ALL THE TIME.
