| By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
January 18, 2006
10:35 AM EST (15:35 GMT)
Home of creole and Cajuns and orginally a French colony, the Pelican State was part of the Lousiana Purchase in 1803 and became a state nine years later. From New Orleans' French Quarter to the Bayou Tigers of Baton Rouge, that connection with France continues today. Louisiana's place in music history is as varied as its languages. Jazz legends Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Al Hirt share the spotlight with rocker Jerry Lee Lewis, classical pianist Van Cliburn and gospel's Mahalia Jackson. Johnny Horton memorialized the War of 1812 in his "Battle of New Orleans," while Gary "U.S." Bonds, Hank Williams and Creedence Clearwater Revival sang praises of New Orleans and its bayous. Louisiana's connection to NASCAR basically consists of one man -- and one track. Best behind the wheel • Skip Manning, Bogalusa For almost three decades, Skip Manning believes he has remained the only member of a very exclusive club: Louisiana natives hired as full-time drivers in the modern Cup era. The 1976 rookie of the year only made 79 starts over a five-year career -- with a pair of top-five finishes at Talladega in 1977 and 1978 -- but the statistics tell a portion of Manning's story. "We didn't have many tracks in Louisiana, so I started out running dirt tracks in the early '60s in Jackson, Mississippi," Manning said from his Bogalusa home. By 1966, Manning had joined up with drivers like Bobby and Donnie Allison and Red Farmer, running a Southern supermodified circuit on asphalt tracks like Pensacola's Five Flags Speedway. "Then I got drafted, went into the service and did a tour of Vietnam," Manning said. "When I got out, the supers went away, so there was basically just stock-car racing."  |
| Skip Manning |
| Career Statistics |
| Year |
Races |
W |
T5 |
T10 |
| 1975 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1976 |
27 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| 1977 |
28 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
| 1978 |
17 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
| 1979 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Totals |
79 |
0 |
2 |
16 |
|
|
Through Armond Holley, Manning found a ride in the Midwest during the summer, then returned to the Southern tracks when the weather turned cold up North. "About that time, I met a guy in Lafayette, Billy Hagan, who was interested in racing," Manning said. Manning and Hagan formed a partnership and decided to test the NASCAR waters, starting with the 1975 Atlanta 500. Manning finished 14th in that race, ahead of Cale Yarborough, Ricky Rudd, Benny Parsons and Bobby Allison. He would post three more finishes in the top 15 in his next four starts. That gave the team the confidence to run a full season in 1976. Manning strung together a series of strong finishes, including top-10s at Nashville and Talladega, but a crash in the Southern 500 nearly ended his racing career. According to Manning, it was eerily similar to the Busch Series crash that left Steve Park with severe head injuries a few years ago. "It was the worst wreck of my career," Manning recounted. "It was late in the race, some people spun out and I spun down. "Joe Frasson didn't turn, maybe because he couldn't see me through the smoke and hit me right in the driver's door, wide-open." | | |  | ACCELERATION 2006 | There's more to the new season than just driver changes. Read more about what to watch for as we rev toward Daytona.
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The impact fractured Manning's left hip and several of his ribs. It took rescue crews nearly an hour to extricate him from the car. "I had stopped long enough that I was thinking about trying to crank the car, and all of the sudden -- BAM! That was the last thing I remember," he said. Manning missed the next race, but with the help of Lowe's Motor Speedway's Humpy Wheeler, Manning was able to get a doctor's signature on a waiver to finish out the season. He was able to start the car at Dover, then ran 13th at Charlotte, ninth at Rockingham, 14th at Atlanta and eighth at Ontario to edge Terry Bivins for rookie honors. The next season, Manning nearly won Talladega when his motor went sour and left him third. By 1978, Manning and Hagan had decided to dissolve their partnership. Without a ride, Manning assessed his future and decided to hang up the helmet. "You have to understand, back then, there were very few rides available," he said. "I ran several cars two or three races, but I didn't have anything going. It was either Grand National or back to the short tracks. "I had lived in Louisiana all my life. I had a shop. I left Charlotte and came back here, went into the car business. I had a used car dealership until I retired three years ago." Manning bought the family property and put a new house on it, where he remains today. "Back when we did it, there wasn't the kind of money out there as there is now," he said. "I never went back to any of the big races, but I still keep up with it and enjoy watching it. | | ARCHIVE | |
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"I'm not bitter. I enjoyed it. I had a good time racing in NASCAR." Other noteworthy drivers from Louisiana • Herschel Buchanan, Shreveport: Piloted a Nash to nine top-fives in 23 starts from 1950-55 • Freddy Fryar, Baton Rouge: Sixth in the 1970 Alabama 500 at Talladega, his best finish in six career starts • Billy Hagan, Lafayette: Drove on three occasions, with a best of eighth at Talladega in 1969 We wish ... Basketball star Karl Malone had become a NASCAR driver. A star at Louisiana Tech, Malone is a two-time NBA most valuable player and averaged more than 26 points per game during his pro career. The "Mailman" might make the perfect hauler driver, since the Summerfield native owns an over-the-road trucking company. Gone but not forgotten • Louisiana Fairgrounds, Shreveport The dirt half-mile at the fairgrounds hosted its only NASCAR race in 1953, as Lee Petty's Dodge beat the Hudsons of Dick Rathmann and pole-sitter Herb Thomas, averaging just over 53 mph during the 200-lap event to collect the $1,000 prize money. A word from our sponsor • General Motors, Shreveport Originally built in 1981, GM's manufacturing plant in Shreveport built the S-10 series of Chevrolet and GMC trucks. The facility added two more lines in 2001 with the Colorado and Canyon truck lines, and in 2005, it began assembling Hummer H3s. | 
