McGriff, 81, eyes qualifying for three West Series races

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Hershel McGriff turned 81 in December but he scoffs at the idea of retirement. And he plans to prove it by entering three races in the Camping World West Series this summer.

McGriff

McGriff, a four-time winner in the Cup Series who made his NASCAR debut as a 22-year-old in the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950, plans to attempt to qualify at three road courses: June 20 at Infineon Raceway, July 19 at Portland International Raceway and Aug. 1 at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.

"This is the first time they've run Portland since 1986, and I won that race, so I wanted to defend my title," said McGriff, who resided in nearby Bridal Veil for many years before moving to Arizona.

McGriff met Bill France during the running of the 1950 La Carrera Panamericana, or Pan American Road Race. After McGriff won the event in a stock 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, France invited him to make the cross-country trip to Darlington, where he finished ninth. He drove the car from Oregon to South Carolina in time for qualifying, competed in the race, then drove the car back west.

He started his racing career at Portland Speedway in 1945 and participated in the track's final race in 2000.

McGriff's four Cup victories came during the 1954 season, as he traveled back and forth, running both the Grand National and Pacific Coast Late Model Series. McGriff won the 1986 Winston West championship and is third behind Jack McCoy and Ray Elder in Winston West victories with 35. A 12-time winner of the series' most popular driver award, he holds the record for most stock-car victories at Riverside International Raceway, where he won 14 times.

He made his last Cup start at 65, finishing 43rd at Sonoma in 1993 after engine problems sidelined his No. 04 Chevrolet. He attempted to qualify for the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994, but missed making the field.