Programs will be for sale for $3.00 at NSS & OSW
Good looking cover, but just curious to why Billie is being honored… he didn’t exactly live his life as a role model for others. He was “roommates” with Gary Balough for a “stretch” of time.
OOOPPPSSSS
To best honor Billie’s memory, track officials will inspect every hauler a minimum of three times before they are allowed into the track.
A Dennis Boyd Memorial would be more appropriate.
Good thought Dave… much more appropriate. I like the Dennis Boyd Memorial idea much better.
Another thing… why does evey track go overboard with the “Memorial” races, yet not 1 track will host a race on Memorial Day? Wouldn’t it make much more sense to honor our fallen drivers on the day that is designed to remember them in the first place?
Could someone post a photo of the program please. Would like to see it.
THANKS!!
Jokes about Billie’s jail time and improper use of race haulers aside, check out this fleet of cars. If I recall correctly his buddy Balough drove the #31 Grant King modified at Syracuse.
You are correct Jack… I believe they both showed up in a helicopter (Billie’s, of course) on race morning.
P.S. - Where did the picture go? It was on here earlier!
IT has misteriously dissappeared. Can someone explain? Voice of NSS?
As a point of note, two drivers have lost their life at New Smyrna in actual racing accidents (the others resulted from medical conditions)… they were Marion Edwards, Jr. and Richard Coffin… Since Edwards was from S. FL and called Hialeah home, it was only fitting for his Memorial race to be run there and no Memorial race has ever been run for Richard Coffin to my knowledge…
Harvey’s presence at the track was always a specatacle… He was really the first to show up with a Winston Cup-style rig, and everything was chromed, even the floor jacks!! It was an interesting time in LM racing in the state…
He gave us a lot of memories, so why not a memorial race…
I’ll make sure to bring a Silver spoon (a real little one) and a chrome straw in Billie’s honor!
No disrespect for his family and survivors, but to honor a convicted drug-smuggling felon just because he was “interesting” at the racetracks is not the most outstanding idea. There are others… like Richard Coffin… that never got the posthumous attention that he should’ve had. Dennis Boyd, Pete Orr, Ed Meridith, Bruce Everett, Tommy Patterson and dozens of others made a POSITIVE influence on the local race tracks.
Sorry… I just can’t think of anything that Billie Harvey brought to New Smyrna Speedway (other than the DEA, the FBI and the IRS).
Right on Jerry!!! I’m sure they could find other people to have a race named after. I remember when that all went down. I was a teenager then but I remember it like it was yesterday. Dave, shame on you for defending this guy. Even if he would have won the Winston Cup, still brought more negative press by what he did.
I personally think that more people who are not here anymore, did more for New Smyrna than he did. Maybe not as “flashy”, But with a lot more RESPECT!!!
Just my .02 cents.
Not defending anyone here, it’s FASCAR’s choice, not mine… All I’m saying is it was a really great time for LM racing… Even better late in the year when Hanley, Trickle, Miller, Malcuit, Eddy and more came down to race the “locals”… There were a lot of people within the “clique” along with Harvey and Balough including Pee Wee Griffin, Bob Castoro, Bill Elswick and a few more… Some got caught, some didn’t… But their time with their play-toys trying to beat the likes of Hanley and Trickle made for some good racing and a lot of good stories…
what happened to elswick and castoro?i know elswick did some boat racing other than that?.
Castoro was the one that really got the worst of everything along with Harvey and Balough… Elswick was a boat racer turned stock car driver… After Butch Mock quit driving the Rahmoc Winston Cup car, it was Elswick who took over the ride… I think Balough drove a bit for them as did Lake Speed, but they had their most success with Neil Bonnett…
I know quite a few stories about all this stuff but it’s not for this or any other message board…
It was like watching “Miami Vice”, only with more rednecks.
Two others I recall in that group were Herbie Tillman (wasn’t he the first feature winner at Hialeah?), Pete Pistone, a nephew (?) of Tiger Tom Pistone of Nascar fame, and at one point, possibly on Balough’s 2nd time around, Kenny Weld was involved (and convicted). Weld blamed his addiction to racing, and the costs to compete as the reason he was involved. As much a genius as Weld was (and make no mistake, he WAS a genius), it seems so hypocritical of him after trashing Jan Oppermans lifestyle for all those years. After all, Jan was smoking pot and praising Jesus… Weld went into smuggling drugs instead. Ironically, after all the years of battling on track, they both ended up with tragic stories in their later years, and even died within a year of each other. Jan first, Kenny second.
A few others from that neck of the woods (S. Fla.) who wound up in serious trouble were the Indy-car racing Whittington family… Bill, Don and Dale who ALL wound up in the pokey… Randy Lanier made it to Indy for a year or two and then San Quentin for life. John Paul Sr and Jr… teamed together for some IMSA wins, before Pops got indicted for several charges, including murder. He skipped the country and was on the run for several years before being caught. John Paul Jr. went on to run Nascar, Indy and the IRL Series.
i believe there was well over sixty people with direct ties to racing(owners,drivers,builders,etc.)were involved with the whole thing.so got away longer than others.it was a definity blackeye to the sport,but that was a long time ago.
I believe we are missing the point here. If you don’t support the race don’t go. Billie loved the sport was a hell of a race car driver. I know that all of the critics of him are of the saintly type have never done anything wrong in there lives. Well there was only one perfect man and they crucified him so I’m not so sure I want to be perfect. I for one was influinced big time by billie. He was one hell of a nice guy treated me really cool when I was a kid. Of course my father was one of his associates in what was known as the good tyme gang. I bet none of this sh%t talking was going on back in the day. To busy wishing you had what he had so get over it. Do I sound defensive maybe. But I"m just defending the biggest influence in my life that made me want to drive a race car not smuggle drugs. Give the guy a break he made mistakes so what. R.I.P. Billie we miss you.