NASCAR'S PEARSON RECALLS HIS NHRA YEARS
Tue, 2009-09-22 08:42
The look of intensity on David Pearson’s face told the story.
The look of the 75-year old former racer, a 105-time winner on the NASCAR tour as he sat astride a 350-horsepower Suzuki, assuming the position of a competitive rider, was one of total concentration.
Pearson, a special guest of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, listened intently as Stoffer guided the cagey veteran through the nuances of navigating the six-second, 200-mph bike down the quarter-mile.
“It didn’t fit me too good,” said Pearson of the Geico Powersports Suzuki. “Of course the thing was built for Karen. I was just a little bit too big for it. I can see how it would be fun to run one of those.”
The look of the 75-year old former racer, a 105-time winner on the NASCAR tour as he sat astride a 350-horsepower Suzuki, assuming the position of a competitive rider, was one of total concentration.
Pearson, a special guest of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, listened intently as Stoffer guided the cagey veteran through the nuances of navigating the six-second, 200-mph bike down the quarter-mile.
“It didn’t fit me too good,” said Pearson of the Geico Powersports Suzuki. “Of course the thing was built for Karen. I was just a little bit too big for it. I can see how it would be fun to run one of those.”
The brief tutorial worked well for Pearson, as he often intermingled his own Harley-Davidson riding experience, into the conversation.
Person didn’t race a motorcycle but his days are now filled partially with riding his custom Harley-Davidson.
Pearson is best know for racing stock cars ,but like many of his oval track counterparts kept an eye on other forms of motorsports. Drag racers always caught his eye because he used to be one of them.
Pearson, along with Richard Petty and Cotton Owens, all drag raced in 1965 while under contract to Dodge, which was boycotting NASCAR because of rules banning the Chrysler Hemi and other limited edition engines.
Pearson raced a 1964 Dodge Dart station wagon nicknamed the “Cotton Picker” and did so that season at the old Spartanburg Dragway, a drag strip located on the south side of Spartanburg, S.C.
“That car had a Hemi in the rear,” said Pearson of the car classified as Factory Experimental. “The first time we ever ran it was at Spartanburg.”
And Pearson was proud of that car.
“We won, every time we ran it,” Pearson said. “Racing has been awful good to me. I can’t complain a bit. I’m satisfied with where racing took me.”
As quickly as Pearson entered the Stoffer pit, he was gone, ready to take in all the changes in the pits which have taken place over the years, but not before leaving these parting words.
“(Drag racing is) a lot different from whenever I did it back then,” said Pearson. “I like any kind of racing. But when you can come out here and see these cars go 300 miles per hour; it’s just amazing. I like talking to the guys and learning what they do to make them go that fast.”
The look of the 75-year old former racer, a 105-time winner on the NASCAR tour as he sat astride a 350-horsepower Suzuki, assuming the position of a competitive rider, was one of total concentration.
Pearson, a special guest of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, listened intently as Stoffer guided the cagey veteran through the nuances of navigating the six-second, 200-mph bike down the quarter-mile.
“It didn’t fit me too good,” said Pearson of the Geico Powersports Suzuki. “Of course the thing was built for Karen. I was just a little bit too big for it. I can see how it would be fun to run one of those.”
The look of intensity on David Pearson’s face told the story.
Roger Richards
The look of the 75-year old former racer, a 105-time winner on the NASCAR tour as he sat astride a 350-horsepower Suzuki, assuming the position of a competitive rider, was one of total concentration.
Pearson, a special guest of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, listened intently as Stoffer guided the cagey veteran through the nuances of navigating the six-second, 200-mph bike down the quarter-mile.
“It didn’t fit me too good,” said Pearson of the Geico Powersports Suzuki. “Of course the thing was built for Karen. I was just a little bit too big for it. I can see how it would be fun to run one of those.”
The brief tutorial worked well for Pearson, as he often intermingled his own Harley-Davidson riding experience, into the conversation.
Person didn’t race a motorcycle but his days are now filled partially with riding his custom Harley-Davidson.
Pearson is best know for racing stock cars ,but like many of his oval track counterparts kept an eye on other forms of motorsports. Drag racers always caught his eye because he used to be one of them.
Pearson, along with Richard Petty and Cotton Owens, all drag raced in 1965 while under contract to Dodge, which was boycotting NASCAR because of rules banning the Chrysler Hemi and other limited edition engines.
Pearson raced a 1964 Dodge Dart station wagon nicknamed the “Cotton Picker” and did so that season at the old Spartanburg Dragway, a drag strip located on the south side of Spartanburg, S.C.
“That car had a Hemi in the rear,” said Pearson of the car classified as Factory Experimental. “The first time we ever ran it was at Spartanburg.”
And Pearson was proud of that car.
“We won, every time we ran it,” Pearson said. “Racing has been awful good to me. I can’t complain a bit. I’m satisfied with where racing took me.”
As quickly as Pearson entered the Stoffer pit, he was gone, ready to take in all the changes in the pits which have taken place over the years, but not before leaving these parting words.
“(Drag racing is) a lot different from whenever I did it back then,” said Pearson. “I like any kind of racing. But when you can come out here and see these cars go 300 miles per hour; it’s just amazing. I like talking to the guys and learning what they do to make them go that fast.”
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