Concord’s Old School NASCAR Locations: Tony Furr Takes Us Down Memory Lane

You see that orange sign there, that was Cale Yarborough's. We were the first race shop in here. Stock car world wanted to win it. They all wanted to win it under green. That's my first Winston Cup victory. Junior and Cale Yarborough is the car owner. He says, "How about y'all laying down the mops and let's go buy some race cars." This brick building was an old service station of my grandmothers and we converted it into a shop. Back that time, there was a lot of drug money in the dirt racing. Oh. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. When you worked there, did you come in the front way? Yes. Well, this wasn't a back way. It was all rock. This cotton fields. That's where the military they build the defense United States military stuff now. This was on the drawing board for Hendrick to buy. Oh. He had not bought it yet. It was on the drawing board for him to buy. I remember seeing the big pictures and all the stuff that was fixing to happen. My dad built all this out here for Hendricks. Really? >> They actually built it for Harry Hyde to start with J.D. Stacy. Remember him? Mhm. He built it with J.D. Stacy and Harry Hyde. That's who he built it for. None of this was here. This road here wasn't here. None of it. This, let me get around here and look at it, but this was the 24. They just built this 24 shop here right when I was leaving. What year was that? Uh '02 between '02 and '03. That pond right there, my dad and I built that Harry Hyde. The big one? This this pond right here. Built that. Yeah. Harry ran Harry My dad told Harry how to run a front end loader. He ran it off in the lake out there and buried it. So, dig it out. But, uh this used to be Harry Hyde's house. It set up there. A couple other trailers and stuff. The guys that lived there that worked here. None of that stuff was here when I was here. Over there. So, your dad built this big pond or these little ones? >> My dad built both of them. There's another pond on the other side over there. My dad was sort of like a beaver. He built dam up. He liked making ponds. There's the There's the a 24 shop when I left that just moved into that shop. Up there is the original the original JD Stacy Harry Hyde shop that it was originally Henry shop. They had built this road. This is a right-of-way is all it was all the way until they built that road and they give you the the Stows give him a right-of-way to come through there to get up to to the shop. Oh, so Harry Hyde had this land and the Stows had the land in the front. >> Yes. Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah, Harry bought all this is all Harry Hyde right here. JD Stacy. Every bit of it. Everything you see here. So, the K&K car came out of here? The K&K car never come over here. What was here? It was a JD Stacy. Harry built this here and I apparently he had JD Stacy in the pocket. I don't remember exactly how that worked. But apparently he had him in the pocket and they built this here uh with JD's money. Is it just this one here? Yeah. And then it Rick Hendrick come in here and bought it in '80s '84. Somewhere along that Somewhere along the '80s. But this is all their shop. Their Each Each little door was a different section of what they did to the cars. Did you ever go in there back then? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. A lot of times. Was that one there, too? That one was not there. Harry Hyde then moved his house from over here his trailer to right here where the right where those transformers was that's where his house set. Her trailer house. He lived there. Huh. Yeah. Is that like whenever he had the little roof built over it and stuff? >> Yes. >> pictures of that. >> Yes. That's it. That was it. That was it. I come out here to see Harry cuz I run a Dodge kit car on dirt and I come out here and see Harry and go in his little house where he had a bunch of trailers up here with all kinds of Dodge stuff in it. That's administration and engine room right there. Where Where was the 25 car? >> you right now. All right there. This is where I used to come in to work right here. That parking lot wasn't there. The museum was to me and right this door right here was where I went in. Well, there ain't no door there now. Huh? Right there. Well, there is a door. And that was my office right there in them windows. So, your your office is now like in that corner of the museum. Looks like it, yeah. Interesting. So, this was just the 25 car or >> That was just the 25 car. Okay, and this was all R&D where they built the race cars right here. For all the teams? >> For all the teams, right in there. Every one of them was right there. And we used to go up there and hit golf balls as far as we could and there over to here. And see, here's the other pond I was telling you about. There's another one of your dad's ponds. Yes. Yep. Harry wanted ponds. And this was This was nothing but a warehouse here. But I was here. I want it as now. And that was the old 24 shop originally. Right there. >> That's like their event center or something, isn't it now though? >> Yeah, I think it is the event center now. So, so that was the 25, the 24. Where was >> 24 and the five was on top of the hill. I'll show you I'll take you up there. Okay. And all this was all warehouse. We stored extra stuff over here. Rick had a bunch of cars in here. It looks like they got pit crew back there. We got to get out of the way, I reckon. Jerry Nadeau used to sleep in a truck and a camper right behind R&D here before he got the team there. Got in the team. Right where that white truck's at, he pulled his camper and truck over there sleeping in the back of it. Huh, that's cool. But that was the final car shop right up there. Okay. That was the original final car shop, the original Ricky Rudd Tide team, right there. And Rick Rick after he bought it, he moved down from that one was up there on it. He moved right there with him. Were you here when they started doing the 48 car? Uh, yeah. Where was that at? They They put it They moved it into the 24 shop at the same time. Oh, so there were these sort of original older cluster buildings down here never had the 48 in it? No. No, no. 48 was never down here. Okay. So, this was sort of like the original first big Hendrick shop? >> original deal here. And that was the engine shop right there, or still is. And engine the five car from here down, that was all five car stuff. And now they turned it into engine here. I think I was in there to see a CNC machines. I'm not sure. But, uh I When I worked at five car, I was in that door and that door right there 90% of the time here. The old The truck team When the truck team run here, it was down on the back side here. That was the truck team. Uh That's where the 24 originated right there. They weren't there long, probably 6 months. Then they moved down to that building. So, like in '90 into '92 when they started the team, they did it in there? They first first few races, they run out of there, not many. Yeah, we used to This was the area where they had come out here and stand right there and hit They wouldn't let them build it there. We hit golf balls as far as we could and Yeah, that was old R&D building originally. And then they moved it down here. They built the race cars there and then they moved everything down here and got got bigger. I don't know what they're doing out there cuz that says Adrian Health Athletic Center. Like I said, they changed a lot since I've been here. A lot. All motor room stuff out there. The museum used to And I'm sure it still is. I don't know. I I think it is. It was a The there that separated the 25 car and the museum and people could stand up there and look down at 25 car. So we had to always be on our best. I didn't know that cuz I I didn't know that the if there was a glass wall back there it's not there anymore cuz I I've never seen it now. >> well it was there. Interesting. And that's where our setup plate was all that. Like I said this is the road my dad Hey how do you used to get old burn oil and dump up through here is I used probably a million barrels of oil dumped up through this road under this asphalt. To get the gravel to stick together? Yeah well that plus he didn't have the money to pave it back then. Uh. And Rick come in here and bought all this and paved it everything. Yeah we're going on the straight see that he just had a right away all he had through here cuz all this stuff I don't know who owns this now and that street had to cut right here at the corner and go right back out here. This road. Uh. This this is right away. I always wondered that cuz this this like why would you just throw a 90 degree turn right in there it didn't make much sense but >> Yep that's right away. Usually. >> since then and right after I lay all rock during my time Rick has bought all this. I don't know he bought everything and Used to be some houses right there so some of the guys that actually worked here lived in them houses they're all gone. It was I think it was about four houses right there here. They're all down now though Rick got rid of Rick was a tiger and buy everything if you sold it he would buy it. And then asphalt process. That's right. Seems like that's worked out well for him. They're still doing it over there. >> yeah. This is all the littles all the way up the road here. And all that like I say at one time it was all cotton. They made a trailer park out of it to make more money. It said Apollo RV Park. Are they the same people that had the Apollo restaurant? Or why is that both Apollo? Uh they The Littles owned the Apollo restaurant. Oh, okay. >> Yeah, so that might be why that was there. I don't know. And it wasn't nothing to go in there at lunchtime and see Buddy Baker, Curtis Turner, maybe even Richard Petty because he's down here for something. You'd see all kind of drivers and crew chiefs running in there. Right there. Actually, that's I bet that's a They just bricked over that thing. It looks trailer-shaped still. It looks like >> That's what I said. I bet they just bricked over it. Double-wide. Yep. I'll tell you this is a small place. You had to wait out line outside. And they were fast, though. They were really fast. And uh you had to wait outside to get in to get a table. If you get a table, you was lucky. I don't know. You had to get there early, probably 11:00 to get a table. I went in there a bunch of times and they had the best hot dogs, period. That's what probably 80% of the people ate was hot dogs. Really? Is that why team guys went there cuz it was fast? They could just get in, get out, and go back to work. >> Yeah. Well, I would say there was four or five teams in that Goodyear building uh right there, so that kept it busy right there at any of the It used to be an old uh There's nothing there now. It's cleared off. It was a shop or two that had a couple cars on this on the other side. Right there. That's the stoplight we stopped at. Um this is all This cleared land now. Dick May was one of them. Uh man, I can't Elmo Langley might have been there at one time. I'm not sure. He hung out there a lot. Let's put it that way. That was back in the '60s. Yeah, like I say, all you see along here was valley. It's still there. I mean, you could run on this side here and you had to look way down in there to see land. Well, you can see out down here at the end and then look at the slope to tell about how much it was filled in. Bobby Allison. That's Bobby Allison's old shop right there. Yeah. I don't know. Is that the one right there? Yeah, let's go through there. Okay. But he still I had like uh what he was telling me a while ago, these shops get built, each one of them was stepping up and be the best thing to ever happen in NASCAR or best place to work, you know? Cuz they all got built different years. I don't know what's in here now either cuz it was Rev Racing and they just closed at the end of the last year, yeah. Yeah. This is it. That used to be a chassis dyno right there. Where the chassis dyno was and Oh, looks like they're building it out in there or something now. Yeah. What they're looks like they're moving out. I reckon, you said? Yeah, look I guess they did. There's like they're building Somebody's building a wall in there. They got everything. Wow. We just filmed in there last June with the Fetting brothers and there was still a race team in there. Oh, wow. So, I guess we caught the tail end of that one, too. And at the same time they were just the Kwik E Mart's building got sold and now it's being divvied up into something for that 10 tenths motor club deal. >> Yeah. See, all that land there was grandpa's. Really? Mhm. Even where the race track was? Yep. Wow. Not the big track. Oh. But that that TNT is Man, where are all these cars going now, though? I don't know. This was a little race shop that uh Jeff Bodine had too. That was Kwik E Mart's building back there. That's right. And Jeff Bodine, I think they built this here, but he he got the quickie building. I think that's what it was. Is that where they put his truck team? Um no, I think he was in the in the building here where the quickie is at. I think Hendrick stands up on there now. Wow. Yeah. Yeah, that's way different than last time I saw it. Yeah. Now down here is where Cale Yarborough's shop was. Uh it was called Cox Racing. And that building right there. Oh yeah, with the Cox Tree Lumber 36 car. >> Tree Lumber. And they was a couple of little independent things that didn't last long up in around in here around the racetrack here. I don't remember who it was, so they they just in and out. You know what I'm saying? I think that was uh Diamond Ridge and Sabco and Diamond Ridge were in there for a little bit. Well, you know I told you wrong as that you said that because the quickie building was over there where Stavola's engine shop It was Bobby Hillin then Diamond Ridge then quickie. Oh. Yeah. And Mario Andretti's driving school or whatever you call it here. Or it used I think that's what it used to be. Yeah, that's Stars and Stripes Racing. It's still racing experience. They just change whoever's name they put on it that time. Yeah. Mario's name used to be on the building. I don't know. Huh. Andretti something was there. You know what it was. Anyhow, some of these buildings here uh was small teams. The World Karting System uh go-kart system was right there in their offices. I don't know what some kind of deals down there now. Which one was the first race shop in that park? Was it I believe it was quickie. I'm almost positive it was. That makes sense. Yeah. I'm pretty sure it was quickie. So we're on the back side of the Yep. track now. >> Yep. We'll by the old Darwall building. Yes. I'm interested to see what's in there now cuz it was like condemned or something a couple years. >> a lot of it down. Really? >> And they built this track here. Who? Oh, there's somebody out there playing that. Yeah, they're doing that uh heritage invitational deal later this week. Was that the Sam Bass Gallery? >> It was. It was right there. Sam Bass, that's where his deal was. And behind there is Thermal Technologies, which builds a lot of uh all the thermal stuff that you know, wrap around your headers, seats, floor boards. Yeah, I went I got a knee knocker there once. Yeah, yeah, they build that. Window nets. They're good, too. They didn't have one in stock, so they just made one while I sat there. I watched them do it. >> where that's where they make them at right there. They put on the SFI tag and all that right there. Now, this little part right here was my grandfather's on over on the other side. See them big old trees over there? Yeah. >> His started over there. Okay. I don't know. Yeah, I'm saying we went all back. It went a mile back deep down in there. This was some of his kin people's stuff, but it wasn't his. Then his land butt up to the Stowe family land where Hendrick is now. >> Yep, yep, yeah, that was all yeah, that was all kin people, too. You're related to the Stowes? Some way or another. Yeah. This was some race shops here. The carburetor guy out of Georgia was in there. I can't think of his name right off hand. Then there was some kind of little expeditor team in there where Campbell was at. They moved out. I can't remember who it was. There's a lot of ins and outs in down here through here. The public relations guy, Tom Carter, this was his deal up here on the corner here. Oh. He done all got all the sponsors and stuff for a lot of people back then. I don't know what the name of this now is. That's where he was at. This uh on race day it used to be completely full everything. The cars, campers, all kind of stuff. Everybody here would sell off their yards to be parked in and stuff. >> my uncles and all aunts, they made lots of money. And all of this is the uh the Burger King Haas Darrell Walt building. They tore it all down. Used to go in here and up here. Oh, is it actually gone now? It's gone, looks like it's gone. No way. Darrell Walt World Headquarters formerly. Tracks right there. There's literally only thing between here and the track is a camping lot. I don't know what they do in here anymore, but I think this shop used to have BK Racing in it. I think. Don't quote me. I know it's had other lives since then. Yeah, this was all my grandpa's land and then like I said, runs back through there and all Well, up there it is. Some of them old Haas buildings up there. Is that Is that the building Kevin Harvick is in now where Darrell's museum was? Uh Cuz they were like >> about it on our side. >> Yeah, I don't know what's going on here. Man, that stinks. That was I guess that's one I never never got to. I think when I came through here 3 years ago it was everything was there, but it was like condemned or or there was one little tour bus up in the back of it. >> Right This is where we used to go into the to the Haas building right there. That was the driveway. Oh, yeah, he's going straight out of here. There's still some of the Haas building there. That was the back part of it. They tore the front part of it down. >> Oh, okay. We would park the trucks right there and on the back side was the fab shop. So they just repurposed some of it. Probably knocked out the condemned part. Yeah, that was my uncle who lived there. Yeah, that's Darrell Walt uh that building we were looking at right there where Kevin Harvick kids got it now. Okay, now all this land here starts This is some of my other uncles and stuff. But it starts right here at this driveway and goes straight back a mile and then over there. One of my old home grandma's old home place is right up there on there. And this is all my uncles and aunts. Wow. Stuff. Like I said, it goes all the way It goes about a mile that way. Is that it in the woods there? Like all overgrown? Yeah, there's part of the house. I ain't been out here a while. There's part of the old house right there. Wow. And like I said, that that was a It used to be a little white house up there. That was another uncle. And then they sold it to Daryl Wall. And that was an an aunt that lived in a little white house. Daryl bought it from her and he lived in it. That was an uncle there. This was Robert G's shop. That was my aunt's. Your aunt lived in that house first? >> built the house in the '60s, like probably '64. Around in there. She built all of that there and it's almost identical to what it was then. And and then Robert built the shop in the back. Um And And Trailers got this now. At least he did last time. >> now. But we built some lot of fast cars come out of that building right there. A lot of fast A lot of wins come out of that building out of that little shop right there. Gosh, there's a lot of trailers back there that weren't…