Randy King

Racing Years

• In 1984, Danny Bumpass was running his local late model stock car at Orange County and South Boston Speedway.  This is the time I started my round track racing experience.  (Before this, I had dabbled with drag racing some at the local Roxboro Drag Strip.)  This continued until 1987 when Bonnie and I decided to build a new lake house.
  
  
  

• This took most of 1987 and the efforts of my and Bonnie's family to build our dream home on Hyco lake.  We still live here now.  Thanks go to my Dad, Bonnie's Dad and Brother and many others that made this happen for us.  We will forever be indebted.
  

• From 1987 until 1990, Bonnie and I were spectators of NASCAR Racing.  We made some good friends in racing - I will always remember Dick Glascock who was a CP&L employee and big racing fan.  Peace be with Dick who died at a tender age of a heart attack.  He and Jenya were special friends.
  

• It was in 1991 that I became infected with the NASCAR bug and was fortunate enough to land a job with Bill Davis Racing.  With my background in electronics, computers, racing and management, I found a natural fit at BDR.  Keith Simmons was the head engine builder and came to call on me for several ideas he had and engineering support he needed.  It was during this time the Ford V-6 was being developed in racing and it was a fight tooth and nail to get a reliable, competive engine.  Jeff Gordon was our driver and nobody knew who he was - imagine that!  
  
  
  

• We won one pole in 1991 but started turning heads as we became a contender each week.
  
• In 1992, we won 11 poles and three races - we could of have won 5 more if not for some untimely luck.  It was this year that Rick Hendrick came calling to Jeff and lured him away from us.  This is a story in itself which just a few of us know about.  If you're interested, let me know and I will recount it for you!

• 1993 we were able to continue our progress to make the Winston Cup Series.  With Bobby Labonte as our driver and Tim Brewer as crew chief, we were ready to go - so we thought.  We did win one pole that year at Richmond.  We ran decent and came close to winning at Phoenix that year.  The next year we changed to Pontiacs and had a transition year.

• 1995 brought a new driver in Randy Lajoie.  This lasted about 1/2 the year and then we had Jimmy Hensley and Wally Dallenback as drivers.   We were leading at Watkins Glen with Wally before a late caution for debris (derbris as Bobby Labonte would call it), spoiled our chance for winning - if not for the caution, the race was ours.
  
  
  
• Then in August at Indy, John Burton asked me what I thought about Ward coming to drive for Bill Davis.  I said I thought it would be good.  He asked me what BDR needed to be a contender and I said the biggest thing we needed was a good chassis man - that Chris Hussey had too many duties and that he needed help.  Well, Ward did make the move and I remember telling Bill Davis at Bristol during Ward's first race with us "Now we've got us a race car driver". 

• Later in 1995, we won at Rockingham by beating Rusty Wallace and a host of others.  This was our first Winston Cup win and I will always remember the jubilation.

• 1996 while still working full time with CP&L, the team manager at BDR, Clyde Booth, resigned leaving the door open for someone to step in.  I let Bill know that I had an opportunity to leave CP&L with a retirement package and that I would like the job of Manager at BDR.  We worked the terms out and I started full time at the Sonoma race in June 1996.  This turned out to be our first top-ten for the year.

• Bonnie and I bought a house in Trinity near High Point since I was working at BDR full time.  We kept our lake home knowing that some day we would return.

• During the time I was manager, we were growing and had some growing pains.  I was the team engineer, team manager, record keeper, sponsor liaison, data acquisition engineer and several other assigned task fell into my lap.  I did several evaluations of our operation, developed job descriptions and analyzed our performance.  Every facet of our operation was evaluated.  Each race, an assessment of our performance was made.  Determinations were made of why we didn't win the race, i.e. - engine, pit stops, race strategy, driver, uncontrollable, etc.  The indications I had were chassis setup was the primary concern.  There was a matter of debate about this indication among the team management.

• Burn-out was the element that finally caused us to resign from full time racing.  The end of 1996 was the beginning of our phasing out.  I asked to go to part time helping BDR - Mike Brown assumed the manager role at BDR.  Richmond was our last race as we (Bonnie and I) resigned to go home.  The schedule and working 7 days a week was more than we bargained for.   There were times when I would work 13 weeks in a row without a day off!  I had made a recommendation to have two separate crews to insure burnout didn't happen to others at BDR and I guess I was a victim of my own assessment.

• I miss some of the places we went, the people and friends we made but it isn't any fun when you don't have time to enjoy life and friends.  I also miss some of the technology end of racing.  I developed one of the first fuel mileage models for predicting laps/tank using a PC.  I also developed a program to select rear gear ratios based on horsepower curves to optimize power to the laps.  I got to see some of the latest instrumentation used in nuclear bomb detonations, being used to analyze race engine combustion processes.  I got to see inside Ford R&D, the wind tunnel and was able to install and operate the data acquisition systems used during testing of the cars.  These are the things I miss the most.  

• I also miss some of the people I met and made friends with; Bill and Gail Davis, Lee Robertson, Zack Jennings, Bobby and Donna Labonte, Randy Lajoie, Ward/Tabitha/John/Kay Burton, Jeff Gordon, Ray Evernham, Keith Simmons, Tim Brewer, Jimmy and Becky Hensley, Elton Sawyer and many others too numerous to name.  I don't miss the effect big money has had on the sport.  There are too many decisions made based on money and not on people effect.  If there is a threat on the horizon for NASCAR, it is the emphasis on money rather than fans.  Hopefully this will change.

• The future may hold another tour of racing - but next time I will limit the hours one way or another to prevent another burnout.  (To be continued!)

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