Holman & Moody; Burnouts and Moonshine
Most of us will take in a major car show or two a year. This usually means driving a distance out of town or even out of state. It is a weekend of fun and grand cars but then it is a rush back to work and the normal routine. I also know from experience that the West Coast tends to think that there are no good cars east of Nevada or Arizona. Well, let me tell you the facts. Ever hear of Holman & Moody, David Pearson, Cotton Owens, Moonshine or Benny Parsons? I could go on and on but won’t.
Good friends of ours, Rick and Sherrie Stanton, from California recently pulled their beautiful Benny Parsons tribute car out to the Ford Talladega Family Reunion. That is over 2,000 miles ONE WAY. I knew Rick and Sherrie were excited about this trip when we had dinner at the Reunion but I had no idea what a once in a lifetime experience they had planned. If you don’t think the car world is a happening place in the SE you are missing out.
As you know from prior articles the Ford Talladega Family Reunion and Forge Muscle Car Shows were a fabulous success but for Rick and Sherrie that was only the appetizer. From there they hit the road in their motor home with the NASCAR Tribute Talladega in tow and headed for the Holman & Moody shop to look things over. The next thing they know the car is out of the trailer doing burnouts in the Holman & Moody parking lot. In addition Lee Holman and Slick Owens were there!
Rick also had an invitation in hand for a very special event that was a tribute to Benny Parson. Rick’s Benny Parsons Tribute Car would be displayed as a center piece for the day. From there one thing led to another and the Stantons were off to visit a moonshine still, a trip to the home of Cotton Owens, another to meet NASCAR Legends and Champions David Pearson and then to meet Cale Yarborough and tour his 4,000 acre property!
On their way back to California while passing through Tennessee Rick and Sherrie called Katrina and me to reminisce about their escapades in the South East and you could hear the joy and disbelief in their voices over all they did and the great hospitality shown to them from some of the greatest racers and car people in the World. The next time you go to a car show out of your home area make sure you leave a little extra time in the schedule to meet some new car folks.
Here is a video I put together from some of the footage Rick sent me. Let us know about your special “car” vacation.
