Mooresville NASCAR History Tour: Hidden Former Shops & Historic Locations With a 40-Year Veteran

This is John Dodson. He spent his whole life in and around NASCAR. He knows what a lot of things are, where a lot of things used to be. We're going to ride around with him today, and he's going to show it to us, like where Dale Earnhard used to live, Tim Richmond's house, and tell us some pretty crazy stories about his own behindthe-scene experiences at these places. I met Tom Cruz when they were filming. He came to our race shop. So, Tom was researching what character he wanted to be, and it was Tim Richmond. Nobody would get on that boat with Dale. I said, "I'll go." And I was like hitting him. when he stopped this thing. We was leaving the water and he >> So, I've been here 24 years after a career in racing and we're going to ride through Morsville. Give you a little bit of history tour of what what is where and what used to be and what's current and things like that to the best of my knowledge. Now, we can't be I can't add a thousand, but I'll do all I can. A lot of little things you'll see as we drive by like they do the the Pinsky the Pensel show cars here. You know, this is right behind the the school. Some of these used to be some small race teams and things like that. Um, there's one right there, Live Fast. And then a lot of the things in these parks are related to Lowe's headquarters. Lowe's is headquartered here. If you're a vendor for Lowe's, you have to have an office here within so many miles of the Lowe's campus, I believe it is. As you see, this is Dale Junior shop for his Exfinity cars, and they're good neighbors to have back door to us. And if you look up there, you see the campus, uh, Universal Tech campus right there. They've hired a lot of graduates from us over the years as well. >> Wasn't the original junior motorports shop over by uh Neimex? >> Yes. Yes. >> I've wondered that. I've never found any pictures of that place before, but I've always heard that's what it was. >> We're going to go over by there in a little while. This shop on the left at one time was Tommy Bowwin's shop. >> Oh. So Tommy Tommy when he had his own deal running Cup, this was Tommy Bowwin's shop right here. And I don't know what's in some of these places now, but they're legit businesses running now. And this wasn't Casey Kane's race team when he raced Cup. This is Casey Kane's shop when he going dirt racing. They have their print shop in there as well. I think the only thing they do print for now is just Kyle Larson stuff. So you can see his buses and all that. And sometimes you'll see them out here. >> We get our shirts from them. >> Oh, do you? Yeah, they do a good job. >> Was Martin Trux's shop right here on the right here on the left. So Martin sold this I guess about a year or so before he was getting ready to retire. So this was Martin Trux and like I said they do shirts and hats here now. So and this is pit pit uh training right here. So they built our building and it looked like it built this building and it looked like our building and early on they wanted to kind of partner with us. Jeff Hammond was a part of that and we never did partner with them. Uh but they did pit crew training here on the left. Now they do just a little bit. It's really hard to stay in business like that when all the race teams have their own uh you know they got their own pit crew training system and all that. So uh Tom Delo I think on that and then he also had the truck teams and uh they have welding there as well. I think they had the truck teams and they were here on the buildings on the right. So all these buildings on the right were his truck teams. Different truck teams were in here. Um was it like Red Horse or something? >> Yeah, that was Red Horse right there was Red Horse. Timmy uh uh let's see, Mark Petty worked in there. My brother Brad I think worked with him a little bit. And then this one on the right right here is uh Todd Gillan's Trion. Is that what they call it now? It's Todd Gillins. He runs a bunch of different Arca cars. Uh I don't know if he runs Infinity now. I can't keep up with how much it changes every week. But that was that belongs to I think Doug Yates owns the building right there. And then this was our Ill River building right here. I got a set of plans at the house when we built that building right there. That was my office right there on the corner. So, Ill River was over in uh the other park across the street. They wanted to build a big building and you know, if you build it, they'll come and I think Barry and I kept saying the Birmingham, Jack Birmingham our racing team and he said, "Let's build a building. We'll get sponsors." We didn't run good enough to get sponsors and we went out of business. So went out of business here, had an auction and when we were closing this down, they were building NASCAR Technical Institute, and that's when I made a career change and race 24 years full-time, and now I've been at UTI for 24 years. So, uh, yeah, and then so Robert Yates ended up buying the building and this was Robert Yates racing with Dale Jarrett, I think Ricky Rudd. Then it became Petty Enterprise here when they were running in Moresville. So, uh, it's been a lot. Now it's Ralph Shates Manufacturing Solutions. Yeah. The only thing we did wrong with this building here is that door right there is only 8 foot wide. The one on the right. The trucks would pull in and out and you could barely get a race car through it with people pushing it and uh everybody cussed that door. You know, that's one thing we didn't think about was making a wider door there when we uh built the building. >> So, was Eel River in the old uh Bahari building before this? >> Yep. They bought the Bahari cars and we redid a lot on the cars. I came from uh MB2 cuz I was building cars for Ernie Irvin and the uh Barry started my brother Barry. He started Ill River with Jack Birmingham and Devon Birmingham. I know Devon's still a friend today. Um and and they bought the Bahari stuff and I left um MB2 and Jay Fry was running MB2 at the time and uh Ryan Pimton was a crew chief and I went back with Barry over there and uh I already knew what we were doing with the Pontiacs at MB2 and we we redid them there and we qualified real well just couldn't race good but it was just hard to find the right driver for that fits and we'll go by there in a little bit. So, coming up the hill here out of the park, uh this was Billy Hesh right here. So, he built chassis in there and you might run a Hes chassis. You might run a uh um a Laughlin chassis or, you know, all but he built chassis in there. And then this this building on the corner was CVS, CV Products right there. He recently died. That's Clyde Vickers on that. So, uh >> Brian's dad. Yep. Ryan's dad recently passed away. That's Circle Track Warehouse and you get parts from right there when you're racing. And then right down here on the right, we're still in Talbert Point. This is Raleigh. They run IMSA cars right there. They've hired a lot of graduates from us over the years as well to go IMSA racing, run all over the world. But when you come to Ray City, you got all the technology here. You know, this one right here was Ray Everham's building right there. Pretty sure that's right. >> Yeah. Before he moved into the one he's in now. >> Yep. And we'll go by that one later. But that was Ray's building right there. And that's Debb now. So Debbote bought it from him. That's Hans Dau. And if you're watching Olympics, we're filming this during the Olympics right here. He's the one that built the bob sleds. Helped had a lot of hand in building the bob sleds for the for the winter Olympics for United States. solo. I know he had all the bob sleds in the old building over here. He was in at one time and uh he brought the women's bob sled team in, invited me over. I got to meet him and that was pretty cool. And one of them still on the same team today. Yeah. This is Irvin Road. Uh and this up here is where Dale Senior used to live. I haven't been up here in years where we're going, but one year we had a guy named Billy Bones that would hang out with our race team. He's a California guy and he's a good friend of Raymond Beetle and he owned a a a BMX bike shop. Well, back in the early 80s, that was the bike of all bikes is BMX. So Dale Senior said, "I had I still got BMX bikes from then where he gave us me and my wife Kelly, he got got us bikes." Well, Dale Jr. and Kelly Dale Senior asked him to get them bikes for Christmas. So they came into the shop at Blue Max and Barry said, "John, will you take these to Nhards?" I had a pickup truck. I said, "Yeah." And Dale said they called, no cell phones in. Dale called down there. He said, "John's going to bring them. I'll meet I'll be at your house." So I came up here and brought him to his house. And uh it was 2 or 3 days after Taylor Nhard was born. And he took me back. He said, "Come on, let's go back here. I want you to see my see Taylor." And he was saying, "Look at these little fingernails and all that." And he was not the Dale Nhard that I had been used to seeing. He was real giddy and real happy. And I took those bikes and he hit them. And that was Kelly and Dale's uh uh Christmas presents. So, right here's Irvin Road down. We're on it. And here's we're coming up on the lake. >> How much of this stuff was here back then? >> None of this. No, it was just a sleepy little road. Nothing was here. And I've had a hard time because I remember I remember the house and what it looked like and going back. I remember how the house echoed because it had hardwood floors and Dell had on these hard zip up shoes or whatever, you know, leather shoes and and all that. But I cannot place the house. But I also know that this is where Dale Jr. lived out here. Matter of fact, uh right here on the right is where Dell Jr. lived. right there. I think from like 80 early 80s to early 90s. >> You sure that's not Dale's house? 302. That sounds It was 30 something. I think that might be it. >> It might be it. And then I maybe he let Dale Jr. stay here. That might be cuz there none of these others resemble it. But I was thinking I had more driveway to drive in when I came then and we put the put them in the garage and it seemed like we'd walked a long way. the far far bedroom on the right there when is that's where the master bedroom is. So that could be it. But it's you know since in 40 some years it's changed. >> Yeah, cuz it's different color. If it was the same color as the the bricks on that little well thing there that would >> That's right. It was red brick, you know, or something. It was It was I remember it red, but I thought that the driveway was the garage door was sideways in there and you came in and it was like that. But it could have very well been. that you you know you got to think 40ome years ago up you throw the bikes out come here let me show you something you know and that's how he always was is Dell Senior was always like on 100 miles an hour you know but that I'm pretty sure I know Junior lived there so I assume that might be the same thing he just moved him in here and I do remember that that barn and loft and big big deck back there and then way over on the lake that's Perth Road and you could see Perth the bridge on Perth Road when you come down so that must must be Yeah, cuz none of these other houses resemble where I came. Come up the hill here, you can see, but this was all it was was Lake Houses and you know, all new back then. So, I believe it's 302 like you said. And then, uh um when they moved out there and built their big cabin out on three, uh they just let Bill Jr. have that house as far as I know. Oh. >> Or stay there. >> I think Theresa still owns that place, too. >> Yep. I don't know who lives in there now. I >> think she owns over there in Denver where she's got lake houses. I think she owns two or three beside her, too. >> Yep. This seems right right here. It just seemed you know how things are. It seemed bigger then. >> Yeah. I >> It just seemed bigger then. But that's it. Yep. They had deer heads all in all in the living room. Like every place he's got it's got deer heads everywhere. The deer over over on three the building. I've been in that the deer shop down there. I don't I think they call it the deer shop. So, uh it's uh full of deer heads. We found those posters. I got a picture framing shop. I frame uniforms and pictures for years for all the race teams. And we still frame the flags for Ralph Yates and and front row. Every time they win a race, they save the flags and want to frame them. So, I was framing uniforms and all kind of racing stuff for people on the side. Had me a little side business going. And uh they got these posters and they're the king of the hill posters of the Dale Nhard and they're real valuable. It's him standing on Grandfather Mountain, you know, in his uniform and it underneath it's got all the years that he won the championship. Well, it turned out that he had all those posters. They didn't really all get distributed. So, they had a book of collectibles. And those posters, they were so rare. They were like $800 a piece. But at the time, they hadn't become that rare. But I told Dale, I said, "Could I have some of them posters? You got some of those posters?" And he said, "Yeah, stop by the deer shop and I'll get you some." And that's before they built everything over there. He just had that one building in the land. So, I come out of the race shop one day and I run by there and he was coming out of the gate and I was coming in and he said, "Damn, boy. I'm trying to leave." I said, "Give me some of them posters." So, he said, "Come on." And we went back in there and he opened the door, went back in, went upstairs, and them posters were stacked up in boxes. And I'm talking a 36x 24 poster. and he reached in there, flipped a couple, rolled them up, give me a bunch of them. Probably 20, 20 of them. Here you go. Let's go. Look at this deer I killed. You know, stuff like that. And then uh I took them on. I framed some for the sandwich construction shop and all that down there. And um just kept them. I still got them today. Then the book comes out that those things are worth $800 a piece. The collectible book. There's memory lane. We'll come back by here in a second. Um, and I was at the racetrack and he was sitting in the car and he put his finger out like that. He saw me whiz whiz in the garage or something. He come here and I went over to the window and he was getting buckled in, you know. I said, "Hey, what's going on?" He said, "I want them posters back." [laughter] I said, "You ain't getting them back." He done read the book and seen they were worth $800. He said, "I want them posters back." I said, "You ain't getting them back." But he was uh he was great when he found out that our daddies raced together and all that. Uh he uh he he got we got along with him. Even though we raced as hard as we could against him and want to beat him and make you mad and wreck your car and stuff like that, you uh always remain real tight and close with him. So, we're out here on 150 and uh I'm going to show you a couple things right here on 150. And none of this, this was sleepy little 150 heading down to the lake. Behind us is Moresville and we're headed west toward Denver. Of course, if you go on over into Denver, you can go over and see where Harry Gant shop was. We're not going that far, but the um >> I showed that one in one of our other >> gold bandit. My wife worked there. >> The car on the pole. >> Yeah, she worked over there for US Tobacco as office and and I worked for Kodiak Race Team. So, uh, so [snorts] now we're going to come up here on Big Daddy's and I'm going to show you when we were uh 1990 when we ended our Bluemax deal. But in here, we split up from Bluemax. Me and Barry and Brad, all the Dodson boys all left. Rusty went to Penske and we started team three racing. Well, Barry said, "John, we got to get started on the Daytona car." And he said, "You go ahead and leave." And they finished most of the season were rusty. He said, "You go on and leave." And he said, "We got to find a shop." So, all these are little rented things. And it wasn't this bad when we were here. It's pretty uh, you know, dirty right now. Not a lot of gravel or stuff like that in here. Uh, lot of mud. They had a muffler shop right over here. I want to make sure I'm right here. This shop on the right right here, we rented this building right here. Pretty sure it was this building right here. Number seven, seven and eight. Those stalls in there. And uh this is where I built the 1991 Daytona 500 car. Air Force sponsored it and Mickey Gibbs drove it for us. And there's a picture in my office standing beside that car. But I didn't have a surface plate or anything. I built it right there on the concrete floor. thing would fly. Took it to the wind tunnel. It was a great car. So, I came in here, got things ordered, started getting welders and machine and equipment. And uh then we ended up taking once we got the Daytona car built, getting ready to start the season. When Blueax shut down, we leased the Bluemax shop right back and put Team Three right there. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So, we started I But here's where I built the Daytona 500 car and we built another one, one or two in here getting ready for the season. Uh, and then you know we when we split up, Mike Beam came to work for us. Not Mike, Scott Beam, his younger brother. Uh, my brother Brad and me and we and Barry all came in here. We were all working out of here till we moved everything down to back to the Bluemax shop. >> Interesting. And then team three, we had we, you know, kind of struggled with Mickey Gibbs a little bit. And then uh we got Kenny Wallace and he brought the Dirt Devil sponsorship. And then the we found out that the owners uh were taking money from the Days in uh hotel division and they went to jail. So we shut that team down. So that was one of the ones I was in. We shut down. So, I heard some story where that didn't that shop get locked up with your toolboxes and stuff like that? Yeah. >> Like what happened with that? >> Well, we got it, you know, they got it back. Then the government steps in when they lock it up and things like that. Uh I was Barry told me we had loaner cars and he said, "Here, drive this Pontiac, John. You can drive it a while." And uh I was working that after we shut that down. We went to Bob Wickham racing in Derek Cope. So we just took the team over there. They let most of the team go and it took our whole team. So, we went over there and I was driving that Pontiac. Well, they came and and uh confiscated it one day and had my briefcase and everything. I went out to go home and it was gone. And so, they said, "You come over here and sign these papers uh and we'll let you have it." And it was some stuff they drew up when I was uh driving a car, wasn't supposed to drive, and all this stuff. And uh I said, "Just whatever I need to do." And I got in there and got my car. And the lawyers was there and signed this. I said and and and they'd been all through my briefcase and all my stuff and I I was closing my briefcase up. Here's the paper sign. I said, I'm not signing them papers. And boy, they got hot. They got [clears throat] mad. You said you'd sign them. I said, you know, you never told me you was taking my car. So, uh uh I didn't sign them. And and uh we didn't do anything wrong. We were just racing. We had nothing to do with the owners. So, this shop here, I want to show you this shop we're at now. This is Buddy Baker's shop. This was the 88 uh car that he had. Right here is the main shop over here. This was built later, but this one over here…