You won't have to wait long, I plan on uploading this tomorrow. So, see you there...I'll bring the SPF40 and some sandwiches.
Thanks! That last screenshot was bit of an accident. I had stopped my car in the middle of the North turn, trying to get a nice shot of the cars coming into the turn from the back camera view. One of the AI cars clobbered me and spun me around. So the shot of the cars exiting the turn is from the right side camera.
I'm glad to do them Ramblinman! In case anybody missed it, Pt.5 of the 1956 Season is in the download section now.
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I tried a little experiment today, but it still needs some work. I took an in-game screenshot of the player info screen, then used GIMP to edit it and carviewer to make the reflection. It took a while and it's still not as good as a real render, but I think it looks pretty decent.
Danny O was a great friendly guy. I talked with him several times at Indy.
There's a small project I've been working on that'll be unveiled real soon! If you've been paying close attention, you can probably guess the theme.
+1
All the updoots!
I hope you've realised what you've done. You have convinced me that NASCAR needs to abandon Gen 6 and adopt GNS55.
All of these are cooler that everything on the road today, period.
All the updoots!
I hope you've realised what you've done. You have convinced me that NASCAR needs to abandon Gen 6 and adopt GNS55.
All of these are cooler that everything on the road today, period.
Jeb's Garage is proud to present: The McGriff Project!
Hershel McGriff became the oldest person ever to compete in a NASCAR Series race (breaking his own record) on May 6, 2018, when he drove in a K&N Pro Series West event at Tucson Speedway at the age of 90. Wait...we're skipping a few things...lets go back a little.
His racing career actually pre-dates NASCAR. The Oregon native began racing stock cars in 1945 at the age of 17. His first race was at the Portland Speedway where he drove a 1940 Hudson he borrowed from his father. As McGriff would tell the L.A. Times in 1985 "It was 250 laps on dirt and there were holes two feet deep before we finished. I drove the family car. My dad was there. He was a preacher. He watched the cars thunder toward the first turn and went under the grandstands and covered his eyes. He's never been to a race since."
One of the biggest accomplishments in his career came in May of 1950 when he won the very first "La Carrera Panamericana" a 2,178 mile road race from Ciudad Juárez to El Ocotal, Mexico in his 1950 Oldsmobile 88. He won the race with co-driver Ray Elliott while racing against 131 other cars, including one driven by Bill France Senior and Curtis Turner. Afterwards, France invited McGriff to compete in the very first NASCAR Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Hershel went to the track in the same #52 Olds (now painted slightly different) that he piloted in the Panamerican race. He drove it to the track from El Paso, TX, finished ninth in the race, and then drove it back home to Portland the following week. McGriff's career in what is now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was most extensive in 1954. Despite missing the first ten races that season, he collected four wins and finished sixth in the final point standings. In doing so, he wound up with a better average finish than Lee Petty, who won the Championship. Also that year, he won a race in the inaugural Winston West Series season. In 1955 however, Hershel left NASCAR behind in favor of focusing on his family and lumber mill. "I chose family over full-time racing, basically," McGriff said.
McGriff was basically away from racing from the begining of 1955 until April of 1965 when he returned to Portland Speedway and competed in a #77 1964 Dodge. He won the trophy dash and the third heat race that day, before finishing third in the main event. It made for a great comeback story after an eleven year "coffee break". Perhaps the most surprising win in his career came in 1969, as he would also tell the L.A. Times "I'd driven a few short-track races around Portland when I decided to run the late-model sportsman race at Riverside (International Raceway). It was sort of a lark." He started 41st in his #141 1957 Chevy and moved up to second place by lap six, then raced Ron Grable the rest of the way to take the checkered flag.
McGriff continued to race every now and then, until the early 1970's when he began driving Plymouths for Beryl Jackson. The lumberman competed in 53 races in the Winston West Series (currently the K&N Pro Series West) from 1971-1973. In 1972, the then 44 year old swept both Portland races in his 1970 Roadrunner. He won 20 races and finished in the top ten 36 times in that span. In 1974, again driving in NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman Series at Riverside, he won both races at the, nine-turn road course in his 1969 Olympia Beer-sponsored Chevelle. In the season opener there, on January 19th, he won from the pole while lapping the entire field except for the "Alabama Gang's" Bobby Allison. Also in 1974, Hershel found himself behind the wheel of a Petty Enterprises-prepared Dodge in four Winston Cup races. Things started off well in the Almost Heaven, West Viginia-sponsored machine, but took a turn for the worse in the Daytona 500. He had a crash (rare for McGriff) on lap four, but emerged relatively unscathed after hitting the wall, flying through the air backwards and landing off the track in a pile of dirt. From the mid-to-late 1970s he would continue to race from time to time in NASCAR's Winston Cup as well as the Winston West Series and in 1976 he also competed in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
Starting in 1980, he began racing in the Winston West Series full-time. He would make 102 starts in the series over the decade. Driving a Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2, he won the championship in 1986. It was a remarkable season, which included wins in three straight races in the Gary Smith-owned car. He also had a run of ten straight seasons with finishes in the top ten in points during this era. His 14 wins at Riverside in late-model sportsman, Grand American and Winston West Series races ranks first all-time at NASCAR-sanctioned events and he was chosen as the grand marshal for the final race at the track in 1988. "No one will ever break it," he once said proudly of the record. "They plowed it up and turned it into a shopping center." Driving another Pontiac Grand Prix, he became the oldest driver ever to win a NASCAR feature race when he won at Mesa Marin Raceway in 1989 at 61 years and four months old.
The 1990's saw Herschel scale things back a bit, though in 1991 he did run the full Winston West scedule. 1992 marked 12 consecutive years that he was named as the Most Popular Driver in the Winston West Series. In 1993 he competed in the Western Auto Texas World Shootout II at Texas World Speedway. In this event, ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Winston West Series drivers competed in a 312 mile race. The field included Cup stars like Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, and Ken Schrader. Waltrip took the win, but McGriff had an excellent showing that day, bringing his Chevy Lumina home in 4th place and just ahead of Earnhardt. 1993 would also bring Hershel's final Winston Cup start which was at Sears Point International Raceway in Sonoma. In 1996, McGriff went to Japan with several Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck Series drivers for an exhibition race called the NASCAR Suzuka Thunder Special. As part of their 50th anniversary in 1998, he had the honor of being named among NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.
2001 saw Hershel once again racing a full schedule in the Winston West Series, now driving a Chevy Monte Carlo for Michael Gaughan and Bill McAnally. At the age of 74, he announced his retirement following the 2002 season, but he wasn't quite done yet. Having been inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2006, he returned to the series for two road course races (Miller Motorsports Park and Portland International Raceway) in 2009 driving Park Corporation-sponsored Chevrolet Impalas. He would also run a handful of other races over the next three seasons, including three more road courses in 2011 in his familiar #04 Chevy.
That brings us back to 2018 and the K&N West race at Tucson Speedway. Once again driving for Bill McAnally, Hershel competed in the 100-lap race, driving a Toyota Camry sponsored by South Point Hotel and Casino. It was a real family affair that day as McGriff's son Hershel Jr., and his granddaughter Mariah were there, both driving in races of their own. Before climbing into his car for one last race (?), Hershel performed the national anthem on his trombone, which, as he would later state, was the only thing he was nervous about that day.
"I've had a great life. I wouldn't backtrack for anything," McGriff told the Tucson Star. "I have family that's with me and behind me, so it's great."
information compiled from:
hershelmcgriff.com
nascarhall.com
motorsport.com
racing-reference.info
racersreunion.com
USA Today - May 6, 2018
L.A. Times - June 1, 1985
and some hero cards.
Hershel McGriff became the oldest person ever to compete in a NASCAR Series race (breaking his own record) on May 6, 2018, when he drove in a K&N Pro Series West event at Tucson Speedway at the age of 90. Wait...we're skipping a few things...lets go back a little.
His racing career actually pre-dates NASCAR. The Oregon native began racing stock cars in 1945 at the age of 17. His first race was at the Portland Speedway where he drove a 1940 Hudson he borrowed from his father. As McGriff would tell the L.A. Times in 1985 "It was 250 laps on dirt and there were holes two feet deep before we finished. I drove the family car. My dad was there. He was a preacher. He watched the cars thunder toward the first turn and went under the grandstands and covered his eyes. He's never been to a race since."
One of the biggest accomplishments in his career came in May of 1950 when he won the very first "La Carrera Panamericana" a 2,178 mile road race from Ciudad Juárez to El Ocotal, Mexico in his 1950 Oldsmobile 88. He won the race with co-driver Ray Elliott while racing against 131 other cars, including one driven by Bill France Senior and Curtis Turner. Afterwards, France invited McGriff to compete in the very first NASCAR Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Hershel went to the track in the same #52 Olds (now painted slightly different) that he piloted in the Panamerican race. He drove it to the track from El Paso, TX, finished ninth in the race, and then drove it back home to Portland the following week. McGriff's career in what is now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was most extensive in 1954. Despite missing the first ten races that season, he collected four wins and finished sixth in the final point standings. In doing so, he wound up with a better average finish than Lee Petty, who won the Championship. Also that year, he won a race in the inaugural Winston West Series season. In 1955 however, Hershel left NASCAR behind in favor of focusing on his family and lumber mill. "I chose family over full-time racing, basically," McGriff said.
McGriff was basically away from racing from the begining of 1955 until April of 1965 when he returned to Portland Speedway and competed in a #77 1964 Dodge. He won the trophy dash and the third heat race that day, before finishing third in the main event. It made for a great comeback story after an eleven year "coffee break". Perhaps the most surprising win in his career came in 1969, as he would also tell the L.A. Times "I'd driven a few short-track races around Portland when I decided to run the late-model sportsman race at Riverside (International Raceway). It was sort of a lark." He started 41st in his #141 1957 Chevy and moved up to second place by lap six, then raced Ron Grable the rest of the way to take the checkered flag.
McGriff continued to race every now and then, until the early 1970's when he began driving Plymouths for Beryl Jackson. The lumberman competed in 53 races in the Winston West Series (currently the K&N Pro Series West) from 1971-1973. In 1972, the then 44 year old swept both Portland races in his 1970 Roadrunner. He won 20 races and finished in the top ten 36 times in that span. In 1974, again driving in NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman Series at Riverside, he won both races at the, nine-turn road course in his 1969 Olympia Beer-sponsored Chevelle. In the season opener there, on January 19th, he won from the pole while lapping the entire field except for the "Alabama Gang's" Bobby Allison. Also in 1974, Hershel found himself behind the wheel of a Petty Enterprises-prepared Dodge in four Winston Cup races. Things started off well in the Almost Heaven, West Viginia-sponsored machine, but took a turn for the worse in the Daytona 500. He had a crash (rare for McGriff) on lap four, but emerged relatively unscathed after hitting the wall, flying through the air backwards and landing off the track in a pile of dirt. From the mid-to-late 1970s he would continue to race from time to time in NASCAR's Winston Cup as well as the Winston West Series and in 1976 he also competed in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
Starting in 1980, he began racing in the Winston West Series full-time. He would make 102 starts in the series over the decade. Driving a Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2, he won the championship in 1986. It was a remarkable season, which included wins in three straight races in the Gary Smith-owned car. He also had a run of ten straight seasons with finishes in the top ten in points during this era. His 14 wins at Riverside in late-model sportsman, Grand American and Winston West Series races ranks first all-time at NASCAR-sanctioned events and he was chosen as the grand marshal for the final race at the track in 1988. "No one will ever break it," he once said proudly of the record. "They plowed it up and turned it into a shopping center." Driving another Pontiac Grand Prix, he became the oldest driver ever to win a NASCAR feature race when he won at Mesa Marin Raceway in 1989 at 61 years and four months old.
The 1990's saw Herschel scale things back a bit, though in 1991 he did run the full Winston West scedule. 1992 marked 12 consecutive years that he was named as the Most Popular Driver in the Winston West Series. In 1993 he competed in the Western Auto Texas World Shootout II at Texas World Speedway. In this event, ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Winston West Series drivers competed in a 312 mile race. The field included Cup stars like Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, and Ken Schrader. Waltrip took the win, but McGriff had an excellent showing that day, bringing his Chevy Lumina home in 4th place and just ahead of Earnhardt. 1993 would also bring Hershel's final Winston Cup start which was at Sears Point International Raceway in Sonoma. In 1996, McGriff went to Japan with several Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck Series drivers for an exhibition race called the NASCAR Suzuka Thunder Special. As part of their 50th anniversary in 1998, he had the honor of being named among NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.
2001 saw Hershel once again racing a full schedule in the Winston West Series, now driving a Chevy Monte Carlo for Michael Gaughan and Bill McAnally. At the age of 74, he announced his retirement following the 2002 season, but he wasn't quite done yet. Having been inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2006, he returned to the series for two road course races (Miller Motorsports Park and Portland International Raceway) in 2009 driving Park Corporation-sponsored Chevrolet Impalas. He would also run a handful of other races over the next three seasons, including three more road courses in 2011 in his familiar #04 Chevy.
That brings us back to 2018 and the K&N West race at Tucson Speedway. Once again driving for Bill McAnally, Hershel competed in the 100-lap race, driving a Toyota Camry sponsored by South Point Hotel and Casino. It was a real family affair that day as McGriff's son Hershel Jr., and his granddaughter Mariah were there, both driving in races of their own. Before climbing into his car for one last race (?), Hershel performed the national anthem on his trombone, which, as he would later state, was the only thing he was nervous about that day.
"I've had a great life. I wouldn't backtrack for anything," McGriff told the Tucson Star. "I have family that's with me and behind me, so it's great."
information compiled from:
hershelmcgriff.com
nascarhall.com
motorsport.com
racing-reference.info
racersreunion.com
USA Today - May 6, 2018
L.A. Times - June 1, 1985
and some hero cards.
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