NASCAR Father’s Day

Father's Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrated on the third Sunday of June. This special day celebrates both fatherhood and the importance of male parenting. Of course my favorite NASCAR Father / Son Duo would have to be my very own husband and son.

Moses Smith and his father Paul

"My earliest memories are of my dad working on his street/drag car or building his sand rail in the garage," Moses said. "He was always involved in motorsports as a hobby and I thought it would be cool if I could do it for a living," Smith said.

Paul has always been an all-encompassing family man and constant source of support for his two sons. Moses started working with his father, in a race team garage by the age of three.

However, for second place, the Earnhardts and Pettys tie as favorite NASCAR Fathers and Son.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

(photo credit = msn.foxsports.com)

Dale Sr. won a record-tying seven NASCAR championships during his career; his 76 wins place him fourth of all time. His career was highlighted by his memorable first victory at the Daytona 500 in 1998. (Sadly, the driver of the No. 3 car died after a crash on the final lap at Daytona in 2001.)

Dale Jr. has carried on his father's driving legacy, making his debut on the Winston Cup circuit in 2000. In 2003, he finished third in the championship standings, and in 2004, Dale Jr. won the Daytona 500 six years to the day after his father's victory there.

Cool fact: When Dale Sr. and sons Dale Jr. and Kerry all competed in the 2000 Pepsi 400, it marked just the second time a father had raced against two sons.

Lee & Richard Petty

Lee, Richard, Kyle, and Adam Petty
(photo credit = nascar.speedtv.com)

Lee Petty was NASCAR's first real superstar, winning three drivers' championships between 1954 and 1959. He also won the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Richard Petty shares the record for most drivers' championships, having won seven between 1967 and 1979. He retired in 1992 with 200 career wins (the most ever) and joined his dad in the Hall of Fame in 1997. (Sadly, the Pettys suffered the loss of Adam Petty, NASCAR’s first fourth-generation driver on May 12, 2000. The young driver was practicing for the Nationwide Series at the New Hampshire International Speedway when his throttle stuck wide open, causing the car to hit the outside wall.)

Cool fact: Both Pettys were named among the Top 50 NASCAR drivers of all time in 1998.

Honorable Mention

Butch Gilliland, the 1997 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion and winner of 13 victories in the division. His then-crew chief, son David Gilliland, currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. David Gilliland still runs an occasional K&N Pro Series race. Butch must have raised him right, because David is one of the most polite and approachable drivers I have had the pleasure of meeting.

NASCAR Race Mom with a very nice David Gilliland at Sonoma Raceway (6/24/2011)

Cool fact:  David Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series, had a career-best second-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2013, pushing his teammate David Ragan to a surprising win.

Child, you outgrew my lap,
but never my heart.
Happy Father’s Day!

Interview with Jerry Boone

As I was running through the lobby of the hotel this past June, grabbing a cup of coffee for my husband Paul, I ran into Jerry Boone. I was there in support of my son Moses and the Hasa Pool Products Race team.

Jerry explained that he was there promoting the ninth race in the NASCAR Camping World Series West Championship; the race in Portland.

“I would love to interview you for my blog!” I gushed. Mr. Boone graciously agreed.


NASCAR Race Mom: First off, please give me a brief bio of yourself.

Jerry Boone:

I'm a retired newspaper reporter/photographer/editor and columnist. I also covered motorsports for The Oregonian newspaper for almost seven years and was a contributing writer for Stock Car Racing magazine, Circle Track, Classic Motorsports and ESPN.com.

I began working on the Portland NASCAR race in early February, because I know the man who is backing the event and I wanted to help make it successful. Most of my time has been spent with face-to-face promotions, bringing either an MJ2 West car or a GASS car to car shows, shopping malls, cruises etc. to tell folks about the race.

NASCAR Race Mom: What are the five things a NASCAR Camping World Series Race Fan might not know about the Portland International Raceway?

Jerry Boone:

1) When people see the address is "Victory Boulevard" they assume the street name has to do with auto racing. Actually the name of the street goes back to when the site of PIR was the community of Vanport, a large city that housed workers for the shipyards in Portland and Vancouver. The yards built WWII Liberty Ships and most of the streets had names the reflected the war effort. The city was destroyed in a flood in the 1950s, when an earthen levee broke.

2) Unlike most road courses, the track is almost flat, with less than 5 feet of elevation change over the entire two-mile course.

3) The track is owned by the City of Portland and it a designated city park. It gets no taxpayer money and operates on the revenue it receives from rental and use fees.

4) Many race engineers feel the track is very demanding for both engine builders and suspension tuners. Because it has two long straights, it is much like a big oval, but the tight corners at the chicane also resemble the type of corners you might see on a course laid out on city streets. Brake wear will be a huge factor, as will be the abuse on the engine and gearbox.

5) The last time the series raced at PIR was in 1986; when Hershel McGriff won the race and went on to win the season championship.

6) The fastest part of the track will be at the end of the long back straight -- which is really a very long curve -- just before the cars have to brake for a quick series of left-right corners.

NASCAR Race Mom: How would you answer this question, “What I love about the NASCAR Camping World Series West is?”

Jerry Boone:

The variety of tracks, the history behind the cars -- because almost all of them are former Cup or Nationwide cars -- and how approachable the drivers are when it comes to answering questions. I tell new fans that they can see the nearly the exact same type of technology, tech and talent as they'll see at a major NASCAR race, except they'll be able to see it up close and ask questions.

NASCAR Race Mom: This question is for my buddy Paul Harraka Sr. (father of Rookie of the Year contender Paulie Harraka) - Where is your favorite place to eat near the track?

Jerry Boone:

My friends and I always met at Shari's across the track or the NightHawk a mile or so south for breakfast. The track food is better than average; or dinner, check out some of the spots at Jantzen Beach or go into downtown Portland for restaurants along the waterfront with great food and spectacular views.

NASCAR Race Mom: Is there anything else you want to inform my readers about?

Jerry Boone:

The Portland area is really pumped up about the series coming back to the area and racing on the road course. Since the track is city-owned, most fans have a feeling of "ownership" in the facility so look on the series as coming to our "home." As part of the group putting on the race, we expect there are some things we will screw up and have to fix on the spot. We are open to suggestions on how to do things better...as we hope to get a second shot next year.

You can go to their website for more information by clicking here.

Happy NASCAR Father's Day

The fathers of these NASCAR drivers have seen and done it all with their racing sons, everything from fishing trips to winning racing championships! It's clear that the adage "Like father, like son" applies in these cases as they share a few of their favorite memories to celebrate Father's Day.

Roger Mears
Father of Casey Mears, driver of the No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet

Tell us your earliest memories of your son racing.

One of my earliest memories is when Casey would sit for hours racing his little Hot Wheels cars when he was about 2 years old.

When he was about 3, we took him to watch different bicycle races, and they had kids racing Big Wheels. Next time we went, Casey was racing Big Wheels with them.

By 4, he had moved up to BMX bicycles. Casey was so little that he couldn't touch the ground when he was on top of his bike, so I would have to hold the bike for the start of the race and then run down the hill to catch him when he finished. After BMX, he started riding a motorized Honda three-wheeler in the backyard and then moved on to racing quads at Bakersfield Speedway in California.

Greg Newman
Father of Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

Tell us your earliest memories of your son racing.

I remember using my foot to show him where to hit the corner when he was racing in quarter midgets at the age of 4. I would put my foot on the track and tell him to hit my foot - that's where he needed to be on the track.

Martin Truex, Sr.
Father of Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet

Tell us your earliest memories of your son racing.

Probably when he was 10 years old racing go-karts at the New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey.

Clyde Vickers
Father of Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota

Tell us your earliest memory of your son racing.

Brian was 8 years old, leading a go-kart race in Tyro, N.C. He had a complete straightaway lead on the field, but he kept looking back and all around until he drove off Turn 2 right into the hay bales!

Paul Smith Jr.
Father of Moses Smith, driver of the No.16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry

Tell us your earliest memory of your son racing.

One of my earliest memory of Moses and I going to the races is when he went with me to an off-road race in Riverside. He was about eight. Both Moses and I were working on the pit crew for Mark Hansen.

My earliest memory of Moses actually racing was when he was seven or eight. We went to the desert as a family. I would race my Kawasaki 250 three wheeler. One of the guys I was racing was really skinny and had a weight advantage over me. So I told Moses to go and race him. Moses never even hesitated. He jumped on the bike, but could not reach the kick starter I started the bike for him and off he went. He won that race and boy what a smile he had on his face.

Just click here for more funny/heartwarming NASCAR stories about Drivers and their fathers.

Paul’s Day

Moses Smith and his father Paul

Father's Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrated on the third Sunday of June. This special day celebrates both fatherhood and the importance of male parenting. For my husband of almost thirty-five years, this day will be spent driving home from the Infineon race track. Paul will spilt his father’s day weekend by working on his son’s NASCAR Camping World Series West pit crew on Friday and Saturday; then spending the evening with his youngest son Zachariah on Sunday.

Moses inherited his father’s mechanical prowess and love for everything racing. Zachariah is a third generation plumber. When I started my career twenty-five years ago, my schedule demanded that I be away from home seven days at a time. Paul’s advance skill at parenting allowed me to excel and progress in my profession without worry or guilt. Moses was seven and Zack was five at the time.

"My earliest memories are of my dad working on his street/drag car or building his sand rail in the garage," Moses said. "He was always involved in motorsports as a hobby and I thought it would be cool if I could do it for a living," Smith said.

In my opinion, Paul is a great father! He has always been involved in his sons’ activities and has enjoyed each aspect of their lives. Now a days, when Paul is not working on Moses’ pit crew, he can be found helping Zack with a difficult building code issue.

So this weekend, if you happen by the pit area at Infineon Raceway, stop by the #16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry. If you spot a guy wearing a floppy hat working on the race vehicle; that will be Moses’ and Zachariah’s father. Be sure to give Paul a “Happy Father’s Day” salutation!