Retired driving vets are returning in 10-race series

If you never had the opportunity to see some of NASCAR's legendary drivers go door-to-door with each other at a short track, Gene Weaver hopes to give you that chance, starting in May.

Weaver and his brother, Norm, are racing veterans who are in the process of starting the Old School Racing Champions Tour, a 10-race series that culminates in a championship race at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida.

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Harry Gant

"Going back and forth to the races, the question always comes up, 'Where is this driver and where is that driver. And the drivers that we grew up watching, what's happened to them?' said Weaver, one of the managing partners of the proposed series.

"Why aren't they racing? One [issue] is safety. Two, the schedule is grueling. It's a tough, tough schedule in any NASCAR touring series. So I kind of answered these questions and came up with the ground rules for what our series is now. So that's really how it happened."

Weaver envisions something like the International Race of Champions on a smaller scale, with veteran drivers choosing a maximum of six races in which to compete. The cars will be based on NASCAR's regional touring series specs.

"Our first vehicle is out of production already," Weaver said. "Our vehicle manufacturer is in Mooresville, N.C., and right now, there's an assembly line of vehicles being produced. We should have a full team of cars by the time we reach our first race.

"We wanted to stay at arm's length from that, so we could have them built all identical. That way, there's no one who could say, 'Well, you built this car better than that one.'"

The debut race is scheduled for May 18 at Concord Speedway in North Carolina, one day after the Sprint Cup all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Weaver outlined the expected race event schedule. The cars will arrive at the track the day before -- and tested to make sure they are identical. Then on race day, drivers will randomly draw for cars. After a practice session, there will be a two-lap qualifying, followed by an on-track autograph session where fans can purchase tickets to meet their drivers.

Weaver said all the money from that will go to the Retired Racers Foundation, a charity set up to assist former drivers who find themselves in financial straits.

"When we first started this, we wanted a charity," Weaver said. "The one thing that we found, these drivers who pioneered the way for modern-day racing, are not doing as well as we thought they were, financially or otherwise.

"What they've done is poured their life savings into this industry that didn't really repay them. And now the guys who are coming up on their coattails are getting the rewards for it."

The 100-lap feature will be broken into two 50-lap segments. The winner of the first half will win a purse for their favorite charity. And following a short break for pit work, the final 50 laps determines the payout, with all drivers earning more than their travel expenses, according to Weaver. (Continued)