Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 8, 1992 TAG: 9203080088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Dozens of Winston Cup team members, including several drivers, stoically stood in line through a hard rain for the opportunity to spend $12 for a toy car.
"I used to think my momma didn't raise no fool - until I stood out in a driving rainstorm to buy two toy cars I don't even want," said Randy Laney, publicist for Ernie Irvan's team.
Laney must have been one of the few people who didn't want one for himself, because the small, die-cast Racing Champions model of Petty's famous red and blue No. 43 Plymouth - customized for each of the final 29 races of his Fan Appreciation Tour - is probably the hottest racing collectible on the market today.
One could understand the long lines of drenched fans who gathered at 8 a.m. Saturday to buy the Petty car made for today's Pontiac Excitement 400. But the line in the garage area was another thing altogether.
"I ain't never seen anything like this before in my entire life," said RIR Vice President Billy H. Sawyer, taking a break from selling the toys. "The only time I stood in rain like this was in the Army. They made me stand in line to eat."
It looked like a Las Vegas casino as team members whipped out $50 and $100 bills and exchanged them for the souvenirs.
Drivers Sterling Marlin and James Hylton stood in line to buy the cars. Larry McReynolds, Davey Allison's crew chief, shrugged off the rain to get his cars, as did Andy Petree, Harry Gant's crew chief, and Dale Earnhardt team member Danny "Chocolate" Myers.
The line of 50 or 60 people also included one of Petty's own team members, David Walker.
"I don't have no more connections than anybody else," he said.
Even when the rain began pouring, no one left the line.
Each person was limited to two cars apiece, so many went through the line several times. Many team members also were buying a separate, customized "track" car emblazoned with Richmond International Raceway decals.
Chevrolet publicist Ray Cooper resisted the urge to buy as he watched in amazement.
"Why would anybody in their right mind stand in the rain for 30 minutes and pay $12 for a $2 car?" Cooper wondered.
Much of the appeal stems from the fact that this is a Petty collectible from his final year as a driver. And Winston Cup team members who go to every race will have the opportunity to complete a full 29-car set. A car is being made for each race with the decal of that race on the hood.
But it also can be a money-making venture. Production of the cars is limited. And although they are initially sold only at the tracks during the race weekends, the cars are being resold for $25 or more at flea markets and collectibles stores.
"Even before I went to Daytona [last month], a guy called me and offered $100,000 for 10,000 track cars," Sawyer said. He said he rejected the offer.
The fan demand for the Daytona and Rockingham Petty cars was so great at those tracks that crew members had trouble finding any for sale at the souvenir stands.
So Sawyer said he received permission from NASCAR to take 1,000 Petty cars and 1,000 track cars from the track's inventory of 30,000 cars and sell them in the garage Saturday morning.
It took him slightly more than an hour to sell all 2,000 cars.
"You'll never see hard-boiled mechanics want anything like that, but when Richard Petty stuff comes out like this, they'll get it," said Steve Hmiel, Mark Martin's crew chief.
"Everyone is a fan of Richard's," said Sawyer.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB