Richard Petty, Cotton Owens & Me

Loyal to the brand and company that helped make him one of the all-time greats in modified and stock car racing, Owens accepts only Chrysler products at his business. His business now has between 1, and 1, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth cars. So I said I'd open up a wrecking yard and specialize in Chrysler, because I only had three or four acres at that time. Since then, I've gained and have 12 acres of Chrysler cars now. Owens says there aren't any race cars in the yard but he does have two Dodges in museums.

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They have Marty Robbins' race car at Talladega. Of course it belonged to Marty, but I sold it to him and maintained it, and I fixed it at the museum down there. Marty was extra good to work with - a real nice guy. Owens also built cars driven by Buddy Baker. They won several races together, but one of their most memorable events won't be commemorated in any museum.

1964 Capital City 300

It was at Texas International Speedway in We had already pulled him in, changed the tires, washed the windshield and wiped the car down. That's how much better we were than anybody there that day. When he run into the other car, that put us out. It was so bad, I was so disgusted, I came back and cut that car up.

Cut it up into pieces - sure did. The therapy must have helped because Owens and Baker stayed together and enjoyed some great racing moments. He did a lot of test work and he was very likable. The first one was relatively small but it cured a handling problem. In fact, he drove the two-door car there when Mario Andretti drove the Dodge Charger in It put some weight on the rear end.

We got 15 wins that year, four of them consecutive. And we won the championship. His primary sponsor that year? The Southeastern Dodge Dealers. I was responsible for a lot of the stuff that helped improve the engine, that I'd found through the dyno I had here. I helped them just about as much as they helped me. It was that durability that really made it a better engine than other engines. The durability was there, and we set a lot of records at different places with it. Pearson was the pole sitter but Bob Welborn got the jump on him at the start with his Holman-Moody Ford.

Dodge Then & Now - Cotton Owens

Pearson patiently waited for the right opportunity to take the lead, which came on lap Welborn's engine expired a little more than 40 laps later. Richard Petty finished second, 11 seconds behind. Allison started the race and gets credit for the win in the record book but he was one of three drivers to seek relief from the heat that day. I decided I was foolish to try it by myself. It was hot and I was getting tired.

I saw Marcis in my pit and I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have in my car. Forumla Ford at Silverstone Historic Festival. Registration Sign in Facebook connect.

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Motorsport Network Buy tickets Store. Owens closed out his racing career in the s where it started -- on dirt. His three grandsons had an interest in driving, and he built cars for them to race at several South Carolina tracks. Even in his 70s, he was able to drive those dirt cars at speed while trying to perfect the setups. Owens was diagnosed with lung cancer at He chose not to treat the cancer aggressively, saying he had led a full life. I watched my father suffer through all those treatments before he died also with cancer , and there was no way I was going to go through that.

Owens remained strong and reasonably active until recent weeks, when his health declined considerably. His wife, Dot, died in April, also of cancer. Funeral services will be held at 2 p. Sunday at Milestones Church, conducted by the Rev. The family will receive friends immediately after the service in the church auditorium. A private burial will be held in Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Memorials may be made Mobile Meals, P.

Box , Spartanburg, S. His family, in a statement released by NASCAR, expressed "gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of precious friends and fans. The family respectfully requests privacy at this difficult time. For six straight years , Owens captured at least one series win -- Owens claimed three wins in , all of which were in his home state of South Carolina.

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His most successful season was in when he won two races, notched 22 top finishes through 37 starts and ranked second in the series season-long points chase to Lee Petty. See more info on this driving great at www. He finished 13th in the point standings. Over the course of the next few seasons, he competed in several events, but remained winless. In , Owens finished second to Lee Petty in the championship standings. His most productive season as a driver came in , with 11 top five finishes and four wins in only 17 starts.

He did beat Pearson at Richmond; it was his final career win.

Two races later he finished second to Ned Jarrett in his final career race. Car owner Owens and driver Pearson boycotted the series that year, and ran a Hemi in the back of a Dodge Dart drag racer. The pair parted ways early in During their six seasons together Owens and Pearson combined for 27 wins in races.

Stripe Zone admission is limited in number and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Darlington Stripe Zone admission includes food and beverages including four beer tickets ; live entertainment; a pre-race pit pass; a commemorative event souvenir; and question-and-answer sessions featuring current and former NASCAR superstars.

Cotton Owens - Wikipedia

In addition to Owens, Jeff Burton is scheduled to make an appearance. Denny Hamlin is the defending champion. The Dodge Avenger will be run under the lights in its entirety. Driving Summary for Everett Cotton Owens. Rank Driver Points 1. James Hylton 3. Richard Petty 4. Henley Gray 5. Paul Goldsmith 6. Wendell Scott 7. John Sears 8. Neil Castles Since then, the manufacturer has earned a total of Winston Cup victories. His car crashed through the guardrail, hurdled a fence and struck several spectators including an eight-year boy who was gravely injured.

All of those hurt in the wreck were standing in an area clearly marked that it was off limits to spectators, but the wire services picked up on the tragic story and soon there were calls to outlaw automobile racing.