In the early days of auto racing, it was not uncommon for a driver to drive his car to the track, finish the race, then turn around and drive back home. Now that is a lot of excessive driving for an expensive racing car wouldn’t you say? Just ask Hershel McGriff.
In 1950 McGriff drove his race car all the way from Portland, OR to Darlington, S.C. to compete in the first ever Southern 500. Round trip, the trek totaled over 6,200 miles if you include the 500 miles of racing. Let me remind you this is a professional racing car we are talking about here – McGriff finished ninth by the way.
Thank goodness those days are over. No longer are drivers forced to put unnecessary wear and tear on their vehicles driving from race to race. The sport has come a long way from those times. Nowadays NASCARs most prized possessions ride in style when they hit the open road.
In the earlier years of NASCAR teams commonly hauled their vehicles by way of tow trucks or flatbed trailers. But as the sport grew and the vehicles got nicer, the need for a better hauling option was evident. It wasn’t until 1992 that a man by the name of Conrad Clement came to NASCAR with a vision that would change the sport.
As the owner of Featherlite Trailer, Clement had the idea of creating an all-purpose custom-made race car trailer that could be tailored to each team’s specific needs. Within three years Featherlite had sold 100 of these NASCAR-specific trailers, thus revolutionizing the behind-the-scenes operations of a growing sport.
It is safe to say that these trailers have truly become the backbone of every team in the NASCAR field. Every weekend throughout the entire season, from racetrack to racetrack, these massive haulers transport everything needed to keep their team running smoothly. Federal mandates limit the truck load to a maximum of 80,000 lbs. for safety purposes; however that doesn’t hinder these trailers. From the race cars themselves (and backup cars), to tools and parts, equipment and uniforms, these long haulers ensure their team is ready to go when the green flag drops.
As the sport has grown over the past couple decades, the spotlight on the racers has continued to shine bright. However it is easy to overlook the fact that NASCAR is a team sport.
For every race car driver out there, there is a team of mechanics, specialists, managers, sponsors and owners whose job it is to ensure their driver is ready to go on race day. And when it comes to being ready for that green flag to drop, no job is more an important than getting the car to the track. Now don’t get me wrong, 500 miles of top speed racing is impressive. However next time you’re watching a race, don’t forget about the 1500 mile race it took just to get the car to the track.
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