Nothing Has Been Touched in 30 Years: Inside a Forgotten NASCAR Race Shop

We've never seen anything like this before. It's literally like walking through a time portal to get here. And he never threw anything away and neither did Dave. Hold the brakes. Hold the brakes. Well, there are no brakes because the front is detached. Oh, it's this car. This car whenever he gets mad at Bobby Ellen. Oh yes. Is there something you created that wasn't supposed to be discovered that you're really proud of? We are in Richmond, Virginia, and this is Don Levy Racing. This is the best time capsule of 80s and 90s trophy shops we've ever visited. As you can see, the original markings are still there. This is former shop foreman Ken Bell. They call him Ding. And he's been here since the first moon landing. This is Richard Don Levy, Junior's son, and Kenneth Bell in Don Levy's garage in Richmond, Virginia. We used to bring the race cars and check them out. Get off at that corner and turn around and come back. Really check the brakes and all that stuff. When do they make new bikes there? In 5. The bridge here was built in 53. So, they have been here for many years. It has been closed. However, this used to be the main road heading west from Richmond. So you have a nice little test run here because it dead ends there. In the past, the road was not a dead end. Is it true? Yes. In the past, when we came from that direction, coming from the west, we could just turn right there on the low-lying highway. Just go straight to the repair shop. Right here. We used to take the carrier, get off, turn a corner here, come back, put it on the driver's side into the hole there. When were all these entrances made like this? Uh, 94. Oh, it wasn't that late. 94 because it is now cemented. Yes. 94. That's amazing. So, that's when Hiler Meyer? Yes. We built the front and put up the fence. Place the gate nearby. Nothing used to be locked. There is no fence and there is nothing. We have a garbage truck parked there. That's the laundry place over there. When the car comes in, we will unload it. Drain it there. We all floated to the center of it. That's how we used to do it. Who knows? That is me. What happened was the drain. This is illegal. If the drain goes in here and flows this way . Well, I want to put some bathrooms in another building. So, I extended the drain from there to the back of the building all the way to the back. I have a bathroom and all the living quarters. Oh, that's so cool. I'll have to try to find old footage or pictures of this place because this is only Before 1994, the brick part was not there. That is the front of the building. Yes. Yes. That one door is in the middle side door. If they wanted to make a grand entrance, they would have made their point here. So if it was 1995, you came in here, tell us what you would see. Well, you'll see the bookkeeper. Turn on the time machine. Yes. The bookkeeper there is on your left and the Junior office is on your right. Junior Office on the right. So, who will come here? Spare parts or fan delivery person or Yes. everything. Do many fans come here? Oh yes. This is the crew chief's office. Is this where the original front door was? Yes. Here. Mhm. The crew chief was there. Then you come in and you're in We also have pictures there with the workshop. What year did you start here? Oh, you don't want to know that. 69. Oh, so you know everything. I've been here a whole box there. Mhm. Time capsule. Mhm. Simmons. The man with the drops. Do they have names or do they not have names yet? We have a lot of uniforms that don't have names on them because people come and go. Could just order them all to say Bub. Bub. Yes. But, you know, they'll come to the races and they'll be worn out and they'll be back to work next week. If they come three times, they are more likely to be honest. Is this Duke's mayonnaise yellow ? I'm sure so. Yes. I wonder why it's like the most obscure shade of yellow. Doesn't match anything here. That's the problem. And Duke's mayonnaise is a Richmond- based Sawyers company . What is this special room? This is the preparation room. We have a prep rack here. It's about a foot high and you can get under it, you can tuck it under it and make adjustments. And the surface plate here is where we set up. And the surface plate is the same as the one that's been here all along. We have two. We sell one. We'll keep this one. And they lined up the cars at the back of the shop and they moved forward. And this is where the final setup is done. The scales are on the shelf over there. And as Dean said, we have a setup rack. We have scales. You can make bumps and all that and everything here on the floor. Was this once the exterior? Is that an addition too or is this just a window? That was long before me. But I want to. And this is what it was like when Ding came here with the hole. But you can see where the turquoise is. Here. On the other hand. Was the line blue-green when they first did it? The line. Red line. Is it turquoise? No. I always thought it was red. I mean, I don't. Did they paint it turquoise? Not what it looks like, then immediately painted it red because there is a turquoise color underneath everywhere. We don't have a turquoise line. I don't think so. Yes. Yes. It's like there's a blue-green color there. Yes. Yes. There was a blue-green color where something had been on the wall. They let it go. You can see it below. Yes. See the door? Maybe they don't like it. That's the sign they put up there in that place. Yes. That's the real sign. Impossible. Mhm. Both sides. So when did it come down? Like 9394 when we got Hollic Myers. When was this there when you got here? Uh huh. So it was like the 80s. Yes. Geez. Oh, the fender roller. Roller fender. That is cool. We have some from time to time . We used to have a little thing that we put on the spoiler back in the day. We didn't put the braces on the spoiler and lowered it above the spoiler, half way, and uh knocked it down a little bit. You can see where the fender would rub because the paint is gone. Cool. This box here, we have the scales for this rolloff for the scales. Mhm. Yes. That's what we have to do after we start initially made from the vision. Originally in this corner stood a pile of scales. Remember John? We have a grain scale. They are stacked here, that's how you organize the car. What is this thing? Here he is. That's a bite. There are some that are very, very long. I need a pair of those. Where's Ding? That's it. Ding. What? What are you building these monsters for? That's what we have to go through. That's it. How can you not do something like this just for fun? I guarantee it's a ding tool. Yes. Yes, it's built on something. Has been working. Must have a long reach. Yes. Is this another Swansboro Motorco sign ? It seems so. Mhm. Where's that? Like in a building? Isn't this on the side of the building? That thing. I don't remember, man. What's the use of that? Is it like some kind of shaft gauge or It looks like there is a shaft groove on the end. Stick the thing in there and put the flange on the end and tighten it down. So, you know, the length of the shaft. Shaft length. Did you make this too? Possible. Is there something you created that shouldn't have been discovered that you're really proud of? Oh yeah, gas lamps. They took it, they took my gas lamp. Tell me about it. How does it work? Where's that? It was in the trunk and they let us run it for years and then all of a sudden it would float a little bit in the duct and it would take on a little bit of air and it would fall down and then when that happened and then when you went in and filled it with gas, you know, all the air would come out of it and it would turn the lights back off. However, as the car was moving, it would take a little air from the fuel cell , the float would go down and a little light would come on on the dashboard, then as the car was turning, the light would stay on for a few seconds another time and he knew pit road was running low on fuel. How long have you used it? We used it for several years. I have a lot of them there , which I work on in several places . And do they know or don't know? Oh yes. However, you have to run the electrical wiring on the back because we usually put it next to the small float next to the fuel cell and they have to run the wiring. There is only a ground wire, it only powers the lights since they are all powered from the dashboard here. And they don't want any cables in the trunk. That's why they told me to get him out of there . Are you the only team that has it? Uh, I 'I' I'll let some other teams use it before, but 14. Yeah. What else do you do? It's about No, it's not. Talk about something else. There is no statutory limit on that. There's a lot going on. But, you know, Junior doesn't like to cheat, you know, because No, because they, you know, you can afford to pay your fine. You know, they think you're pretty bad. So what is not cheating, but something you discovered that other people don't know about that maybe once they find out, they start using? What is the innovation? We have some cow induction cows behind the radiator behind the carburetor that will move at some point. But, uh, are they going to move uh to move the carburetor? Oh, you have to have a one inch gap between the air purifier and you and you used to have to take all the air like this like this. There used to be a gap here, but now it's a little different. The hood is longer and there should be a one inch air gap. Previously, there was a tight seal, so there was a ram air effect. Yes. Get out of the windshield. Yes. Air pressure from the windshield. Yes. So, the Mercury 69 we had was very fast at Daytona. In the past, you did it through this hole. You tap the little pin. Mhm. Then, you insert a cable into it and open this little door here which also opens and lets more air into the carburetor. There used to be a lot of things like that. Did that happen in the 60s too? Yes. So, you do this to channel more air from the grille into the engine compartment so that the air is fresher and cooler. Are all these bolts and bolts left over from the racing team era? In my opinion, yes. Yes. You don't see this for the people watching now, see the buloy fasteners? It's always been an emergency sticker on the car. What do all racing teams have? They got the bolts for free, right? Is that how it works? Yes. Yes. Yes. So, the sticker, you're going to give you the bolt. They'll come and hook you up with a Bowman lock nut. Older style, not a nylon locking nut, but a Bowman nut. That's also kind of their claim to fame. So, uh I see there's still some turquoise paint here. Oh yes. The workshop was kind of renovated when, and Holly Meyers came in, and, uh, you know, wanted to do, you know, bring people here. So, they are Richmond businesses; this is the Richmond racing team, and across town they would have, you know, their company executives coming; they will take them to the racing shop. So, they helped tidy up the shop, paint it, add air conditioning, because before I came, this shop didn't have air conditioning. So, if you go back to 1969, where this store was located, was this still set up for the store or were you working on it somewhere else in the building? No, we actually work on garbage trucks here. Is it true? Garbage truck here. I mean, that was Junior's main business at the time. We had truck sponsors in the 60s. So, up until the 70s, we mostly had trucks. And when D and I were talking before you all came here, [] a lot of the work that was done after hours because the work, the paid work, was finishing the dump truck, putting the body on, painting it, getting all that work done for racing. Then at night, even when we didn't start in the 60s and 70s, we didn't start working on the race cars until about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. Yes. You know, we work until 11 or 12. We all have full-time jobs. I had a full-time job until the age of 85 . Then I came to the repair shop to So, can they afford to pay me ? Is there a garbage truck area and a race car area or is it all mixed together? No, basically it's just the front garage that houses the race cars. We probably didn't have two cars back then . And everything in the back shop where we build race cars, it's all for garbage trucks. Let's see that. There's a lot more stuff here that I'd like to see for sure, but I'd like to see what this place has to offer. Hmm, you know, kind of trying to tell you, you know, it's kind of a time capsule. Hmm, you know, this is Deing's office, you know, in the parts room, miscellaneous parts, you know. And when I got this, the car we have here on the surface plate, I said, “Ding,” I said, “We know there are JFC rotors and calipers on it,” and we went straight to the nuts and bolts bin. We take out the O-rings to install the discs and the O-rings to repair the car. Brake equipment. That's so awesome. Rotor. I got my brake pads here off the shelf. Small balls. Yes. And I'll tell you what he's up to . Things can be very simple , but he is a union plumber , but he can build anything. And we'll tell the story about building the transporter later, but um I need egg yolks for my Jericho transmission. Walked back here on the shelf and there was a new one lying here. Oh, these are all master cylinder caps. So, there's a guy who runs the Arca series in Freddixburg, north of where I live, Willie Mullins, Big Willie Wagner Lock. I took his Ilmore motorbike back to Ilmore. I told him that I would replace the extra hose. I mean, there are all kinds of rotors and spare parts and they're all still here from the old days. Line up, darling. You see that? Oh yes . You know it's old because it's still blue and red. It looks very familiar. Yes. Yes. You know how small this blower fan is. Mhm. There are some made of carbon fiber and plastic, but back then and you'll see it on the Speedway car here, it had an aluminum squirrel cage housing for the fan and everything. We use pup pumps to move fluids and instead of rear end pumps on gears, steering boxes, axles and stock car products are here in Richmond in manual survas first. Oh really? Mhm. And it fits perfectly, it says JR14 on it. Did he buy used parts from Rous? We used to buy a Rous motorbike. Is it true? Yes. Funny. Mhm. Actually, a funny little story . Junior gets a bit of a PO that Jack when he bills him for the motor he's building, blows it up on the dyno and charges Junior $6,000 for the parts he blew up on the dyno. But uh yeah, we when Ralph started racing, uh we actually provided Junior gave him a car and went and uh we took the kid to the Arcer races in Atlanta and when he got the car and we put him in the pits. He's a beginner and I'll bring the tires. Ding will change the tire and uh Junior will stand there and hold the sign. It was then. Dan Ding said, "Ho, don't jump in front of this rookie. You don't know if he stops." Sure enough, he slid straight through the pits. Junior hit the windshield of the car with the sign . He backed out and we put the car into the pits. But, I mean, brake kits, brake parts, O-rings for JFC calibers. That's crazy. We'll have to go back here and do a little digging because if I see a JR14 there, uh, Mark Martin is restoring a JR10 right now. So, part of me is wondering, does anything fit here that says JR10? Well, you know that uh Steve Meal and all those guys, you know, worked with Ding and they, they built their Thunderbird uh from the very beginning when they were at Liberty. This is amazing. So, how does Juny's ownership of you guys maintain all these things? Because this is the biggest time constraint we have ever experienced. I have been with Juny for many years. He left me when he left the lifetime rights for the first four days of the place . Then he sold it. Well, the people he sold to went bankrupt. So I negotiated with the family and I asked a friend to help me and we bought it from the family. We bought this place after he died. So that's how everything is here. It originally belonged to Don Le Racing because I was always here. So this is still Don Levy Racing. You never left, did you? Never gone. Correct. There's still a sign on the door, right? This is the last one. And Junior never threw anything away and neither did D. We are so grateful for that today. You want to see some. I also have an old Junior deck rolled up in there. There really are some items. Okay. That's what we want to see there. Okay. Yeah, we'll have to come back here and do a little digging. We've never seen anything like this. This is where the hub still has hub seals , bearings? You are serious? all this ding because it can make anything. If there are bearings or bushings or seals that need to be installed, he will make a fixture to press them in so we don't mess up the seals and things like that. Various parts for brake caps, rotors, nut seals for axles. I need some of these too, D. So, what was the last race the car was prepared for, not built from start to finish, but prepared and assembled in this shop? When is it? 2003 2. What is it? The last car, the Arcer car that came out of here. I mean, are you seeing this, Mitchell? No, I haven't even seen it. 98 2000. Yes. I'm looking for the latest date here. 2000. That's the guy who takes care of the hub and everything. That's what he noted. So, who was driving in 2000? Was it Ed Barrier or Strickland or someone else? I have this bag. Thank You. I will give it. I have one in my bag. I will give it to you to carry. So, this is the coolest thing ever . You know, it's a nice little station too. You got the window gas rod with This is a quick guess. So you can replace, you know, the carburetor very quickly. Carburetor very fast. Different lengths, different sizes. Yes. Jack bolt. Shock absorber nut. I need some of these. D install Bowman locking nut. And he put it on the lathe and would turn it down. You know how on shock absorbers you need those little collars? Yes. So as not to hit minor balls. He 'll shrink it down and stick it in there. Lock nut. Not a nylon lock. Boom. And lock it then shrink the thing on the wheel stud. This is the craziest thing I've ever seen. And in all the repair shops we've been to, we've never seen anything like this before. It's literally like walking through a time portal to get here. You don't have to imagine where everything is. Everything is still here. I mean, yeah. I mean, and and and back in '93 94, the workshop was literally, you know, emptied, moved, you know, moved to the side. The walls are painted, the floors are epoxy coated, and you know, Holly Myers wants a show deal so they can bring their corporate clients in here and show off the race shop and and you know put in all the new windows, and you have a trailer park next door. But maybe there's something cool in there. Oh yeah, we'll check it out. Is this a transfer ball? Yes. Yes. Don't know what you found. But Ding originally came from Ya. This could be Who knows what the transfer ball does. It could have come from a race car or someone was here when I arrived here in '85. 84 85. This transfer ball is here. Yes. Mhm. Yes. Does he know? However, originally Ding's garden room, the spare parts room that was here, was in what is now the rest room. Door next to B. The machine shop is here. So, this wall was put up and the machine shop was moved one place back and this is the paint booth. There are several paint booth dump trucks here. We painted it and you can't sit there, but the fan comes out of here and goes up to the roof. Oh, I bet you didn't know someone could burglarize your house and you wouldn't even know it happened. You can just sit in it. Your house could be stolen and you wouldn't know. See, it seems now criminals have found a way to forge title documents and change the deed to your house to their name or take out a loan against it or all sorts of other nasty things and you'll never know it. Today's video sponsor, Home Title Lock, was created to…