The Scene Vault Podcast

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Episode 224 -- Robert Pressley on Winston Cup See-Saw, Daytona Truck Win Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

In the third and final installment of our interview, Robert Pressley takes us through the see-saw world of the Winston Cup division. A conversation with Bobby Hamilton led him to the truck series, a decision that eventually landed him in victory lane at Daytona following the 2002 season opener.
Still more career uncertainty brought about his decision to step away from the seat and enjoy retirement. Now … his life is all about hot dogs, politics and his family.
Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then take a deep dive into the February 21, 2002 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Ward Burton gets a win in the Daytona 500 … Dale Earnhardt Jr. drives a Richard Childress Racing number 3 Chevrolet to victory in Daytona’s Busch Series race … and Robert Pressley makes a splashy truck series debut.
Dave Marcis celebrates his final Winston Cup start, while both Joe Gibbs and Winston Cup Scene photographer Larry McTighe very narrowly escape disaster.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
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Episode 223 -- Robert Pressley on Michael Waltrip's Bristol Crash, Beating and Then Replacing Harry Gant Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

In the second of our three installments with Robert Pressley, he and Michael Waltrip get together to trigger one of the most infamous crashes in NASCAR history and an IMPRESSIVE stare-down minutes later.
Robert then pulls off a last-lap pass of Harry Gant to win at Darlington, after an impromptu rain-delay tutorial from the one and only David Pearson the day before. Finally, Robert takes us through the palace intrigue that EVENTUALLY led to him REPLACING Harry Gant in Leo Jackson’s Skoal-sponsored Chevrolet.
In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dissect the April 2, 1992 issue of Winston Cup Scene.
Bill Elliott wins his fourth-straight race of the very young 1992 Winston Cup season at Darlington, after Harry Gant and his team try a strategy move that doesn’t quite pan out. And speaking of Harry, Robert Pressley makes a thrilling last-lap pass on the Bandit to capture in The Lady in Black’s Busch Series race.
Kenny Wallace has to dodge a HUGE inflatable beer can during Busch Series qualifying. Steve Waid gets his picture in the paper … AGAIN … during the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame’s grand re-opening. EVERYBODY’S going after Richard Petty fan appreciation cars … including thieves.
Corey LaJoie makes his first national appearance in a racing publication, and finally, Alan Kulwicki talks on the telephone.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
Please consider supporting this show via:
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Episode 222 -- Robert Pressley on Battles with Dad, Going Busch Racing with Brad Daugherty Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

Just one quick note before we begin ... pace car? Did somebody say PACE CAR?!?
In the first of what will be three blockbuster installments, Robert Pressley talks about the role moonshine played on racing in and around his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. The son of local stock-car legend Bob Pressley, Robert also remembers his father’s many on- and off-track confrontations and the impact they had on his own driving career.
Robert then takes us through a chance meeting with future NBA superstar and current NASCAR on NBC analyst Brad Daugherty, as well as the relationship they forged on the way up the racing ladder.
Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then dig into the August 17, 1989 newly renamed WINSTON CUP Scene.
For the second week in a row, we’ll take a look at a Rusty Wallace victory at Watkins Glen … but this one is MUCH different than the one we discussed in last week’s episode. Rusty scored the win despite several issues that day, including a lawsuit he’d filed recently against team owner Raymond Beadle.
Darrell Waltrip’s tire carrier was struck on pit road by Dale Earnhardt and fellow future NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham works either his first or ONE OF HIS FIRST races as a Winston Cup crew chief. Tom Cruise is at the track, supposedly thinking about a movie based on NASCAR.
Robert Pressley beats Tommy Houston and Tommy Ellis at Orange County to collect the first win of his Busch Series career. Winston Cup Director Dick Beaty shows his humorous side with a practical joke or two and Joe Whitlock shows us once again why he was the greatest writer ever to step foot in a NASCAR media center.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
Please consider supporting this show via:
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Episode 221 -- Larry Pollard on Surviving a Basal Skull Fracture, Learning to Live Again Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

In the third and final installment of our interview with Larry Pollard, he talks about the up-and-down world of being a NASCAR Busch Series race-car driver. He WINS … but finds himself in and out of a couple of rides.
And THAT was before he became one of a very few people in the sport to survive a devastating basal skull fracture, an injury he sustained while filling in for his injured then-father-in-law, Harry Gant.
He takes us through the painful and frustrating journey to becoming Larry Pollard again, as well as the enjoyment he finds now in building gears for Late Model racers across the country.
Co-hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then take a long look at the August 13, 1987 issue of Grand National Scene. Rusty Wallace is forced to the pits for a VERY late splash of gas, but still scores the win at Watkins Glen. Larry Pollard wins the Busch Series race at Langley Speedway, but you could barely tell it from the coverage the event received in this issue.
The hauler carrying Davey Allison’s cars and three crew members was involved in a serious accident as it neared Watkins Glen. Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott show up on NBC’s The Today Show, but Dale isn’t very happy with how it turned out.
AND … "Pappy" Tom Higgins celebrates his 50th birthday!
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
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Episode 220 -- Larry Pollard on Bending the Rules, 1983 Charlotte Debacle with Richard Petty Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

In the second installment of our interview with Larry Pollard, he talks about the pushback he received from some of his Petty Enterprises teammates after being named co-crew chief, the trick gas can used to win at Talladega and the part he played in Richard Petty’s infamous win at Charlotte in the fall of 1983.
Larry, a veteran driver back home in Canada, then makes a deal to go from turning wrenches to turning wheels in the Busch Series.
Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then study the June 2, 1983 issue of Grand National Scene.
Bobby Allison and Bill Elliott are battling it out for the lead late in the World 600 when they get caught up in somebody else’s mess and crash. That turns the lead up to Richard Petty, who then gets passed just after the restart by Neil Bonnett. The Allison-Elliott crash is Neil’s SECOND stroke of good fortune on his way to victory lane that day.
Bosco Lowe isn’t happy with Winston Cup drivers in the Saturday event, and there’s a feature on LONG-time NASCAR official Ernie Moore.
Finally ... Rick and Steve give their take on Ross Chastain's miraculous Haul on the Wall move at Martinsville, and what it might mean to NASCAR history if, in fact, the driver goes on to capture this year's championship.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
Please consider supporting this show via:
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Episode 219 -- Larry Pollard on Canada-NC Culture Shock, Richard Childress and Winning with Richard Petty Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

Larry Pollard might not have the most recognizable name we’ve ever had on the show, but he is a master storyteller after nearly forty years in the NASCAR trenches.
Larry moved from his home in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to go to work for Richard Childress Racing in its first year with halfway decent sponsorship from Piedmont Airlines and with driver Ricky Rudd behind the wheel.
After just a year or so at RCR, Larry went to work at Petty Enterprises in 1983 … and before the season even started, was named co-crew chief of the legendary operation.
Richard then proceeds to break a nearly two-year winless streak in just the third race with Larry in that role. But if Larry expected to just coast into work at Level Cross the next morning, he had another thing coming!
In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid take a peek at the March 17, 1983 issue of Grand National Scene.
Richard Petty holds off a hard-charging … but clean … effort by young Bill Elliott to win a rain-split race at Rockingham. Richard and Cale Yarborough … among others … call for races at Rockingham to be shortened from 500 miles to 500 KILOMETERS.
Elmo Langley finds himself unloading his hauler after it catches fire on the way home from The Rock, and while Dale Earnhardt wins the Saturday Budweiser Late Model Sportsman event, both Morgan Shepherd AND Bubba Nissen find HUGE trouble in the race.
There are rumors that Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson are fussing and feuding, and that DW might even be leaving his championship-winning team to form his own Winston Cup operation. Plus … eighteen-year-old Bobby Labonte is featured.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
Please consider supporting this show via:
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Episode 218 -- Brendan Gaughan on the Infamous Jim Smith Can Kiss My Ass Incident Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s final installment with Brendan Gaughan, he gives his side of the story in the infamous Jim-Smith-can-kiss-my-ass incident, which cost him a $10,000 fine AND the 2003 Craftsman Truck Series championship.
After that, Brendan breaks down his lone full-time Cup season with Doug Bobble and Roger Penske, his up-and-down return to the truck series, finding success again with team owner Richard Childress and … finally … how Ryan Newman’s wreck and COVID helped convince him that it was time to hang up his helmet … at least when it came to NASCAR.
In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid page through the November 20, 2003 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers and Travis Kvapil are honored as champions of their respective NASCAR divisions at Homestead … with the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series crowns coming down to the wire in HISTORIC season-finale battles.
NOBODY’S happy after the truck race, except for Kvapil, due to one of the most chaotic conclusions to a NASCAR title bout EVER. Brendan Gaughan tells rival team owner Jim Smith to kiss his behind on live television and Smith and his driver Ted Musgrave are furious with NASCAR after the final restart.
Homestead also marks the final race for RJ Reynolds’ title sponsorship of the Winston Cup Series, and Bobby Labonte wins it after Bill Elliott blows a tire on the final lap.
Kyle Busch was all set to make his Cup debut, but his entire car winds up getting confiscated by NASCAR. And … last but not least … Sterling Marlin is cleared of all charges after being sued in connection to an alleged assault during a Caribbean cruise.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
Please consider supporting this show via:
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Episode 217 -- Brendan Gaughan on Growing Up in Las Vegas, Playing Basketball at Georgetown, Getting into NASCAR Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

In the first of what will be two installments with Brendan Gaughan, he talks about life in Las Vegas as a child and a high-school football injury that literally changed the course of his life.
He wound up going to school at Georgetown University, where he played football AND walked on with the Hoya basketball team, which was coached at the time by the legendary John Thompson.
All the while, he raced and looked forward to going IndyCar racing before NASCAR decided to start the Craftsman Truck Series.
In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dig into the June 13, 2002 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Dale Jarrett gets the win at Pocono after Robert Yates Racing teammate Ricky Rudd has a tire start leaking air in the last few laps. Jack Sprague wins the Busch Series event at Nashville, while Brendan Gaughan tastes victory in Texas. It’s the first win in those divisions for both drivers.
NASCAR’s keeping an eye out for traction control devices, while Dale Earnhardt Jr reports that he’s all set … possibly for life … at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
Please consider supporting this show via:
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www.paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast
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Episode 216 -- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin on Las Vegas, Career Struggles Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

In our conversation with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Mark talks about his memories of the construction of his beloved JR51 chassis, preparations for the first Winston Cup race at Las Vegas and his laser-focused intensity that … in all honesty … took away from his enjoyment of winning races. He also remembers Ford’s dominance that day and the reaction of both General Motors AND NASCAR, as well as some of the rocky moments from early in his racing career.
Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then take a deep dive into the March 5, 1998 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Mark Martin wins the inaugural Winston Cup race at Las Vegas and appears on the cover of this issue with Wayne Newton and … much to his chagrin, apparently ... a couple of Las Vegas showgirls. Fords DOMINATE the race … much to Dale Earnhardt and General Motors’ CHAGRIN.
News items detail an autograph session that nearly got out of hand, Kyle Petty’s motorcycle accident on the way to the race, NASCAR’s banning of burnouts and Kevin Harvick’s first Winston WEST win. There’s also a feature on the THEN-unheralded Matt Kenseth.
NOTE: This podcast is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out www.thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!
Please consider supporting the show via:
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www.paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast
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Episode 215 -- D.K. Ulrich on Revolving Drivers, Riverside Screwdriver and Swervin' Ernie Irvan Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

In the third and final installment of our interview with D.K. Ulrich, he remembers the revolving door of drivers who once piloted his race cars, the young Davey Allison’s impact on his decision to step away from the cockpit himself, the infamous screwdriver incident at Riverside and the burned backside he AND Ernie Irvan sustained on a sweltering day at Martinsville.
Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then page through the May 29, 1986 issue of Grand National Scene. Dale Earnhardt very patiently stalks Bill Elliott … THERE’S a sentence you don’t hear very often … before Bill has to pit for fuel in the late going during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. That allowed Dale to cruise to a two-second victory, his third of the season.
Richard Petty starts a car in that race owned by D.K. Ulrich, after a crash during practice that left him AND his car pretty used up. J.D. McDuffie’s photo bio describes his tow truck as ULTRA-high mileage and Harry Gant makes an appearance in yet another Hal Needham flick, this one having to do with professional wrestling.
NOTE: This podcast is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
Please consider supporting this show via:
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