NASCAR driver on the "write" track

   Guys like Earnhardt, Labonte and Petty do deserve their fame, but in my book, Rex White tops the list of all time great NASCAR drivers.

   White grew up in poverty on a farm where he plowed fields behind a mule. It was there that he learned perseverance.

   "I learned that before I ever raced and it was on the farm I fell in love with speed. The first vehicle I ever raced was an old wagon."

   When White's parents got a car, he took over as the family mechanic. "We used what tools were available, and I served as a tool myself. My hand was so small I could reach right in the transmission."

   At age ten, White was diagnosed with polio, which left him with a limp. Relieved he wasn't dead, he refused to see it as a handicap.

   When he was fifteen, he stole some of his mama's chickens to sell and ran away to Washington D.C. where a few years later he saw his first race. "When I saw the first car coming out of turn, I turned to my wife and said, 'I'm going to be a race car driver.'"

   He started volunteering at the track, moved up to mechanic and then driver. Only 5'4" and having to adjust the pedals to accommodate his deformed leg, he was an unlikely racing candidate, but he persevered until he was taken seriously.
White started racing without a sponsor. He often slept in his car and bathed in streams. Finally, Chevrolet came to his rescue, and in a way, he came to theirs.
With his mechanical skills, he tweaked the engine and shocked everyone by achieving the only super speedway win with a 409 engine.

   Named by NASCAR as one of the "Top Fifty Driving Legends," White's honors include 1960 NASCAR Champion and Driver of the Year, 1962 Winner of the Atlanta Motor Speedway Race and one of the top ten NASCAR Grand National Drivers for six consecutive years. 

   At age 74, White is the oldest living NASCAR champion. He has finally slowed down enough to write his memoir, "Gold Thunder: Autobiography of a NASCAR Champion" which is fresh off the press from McFarland Publishers. Written by Anne B. Jones, a former Brookwood High School teacher, it chronicles his pluck, pranks and perseverance. 

   The title comes from the paint job on his #4 Chevrolet.

   "We wanted a nice shiny gold, so my mechanic, Louie Clements, made a mixture of clear enamel and gold dust."

   White and Jones will be signing their book this Saturday from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Nicki's Pit Stop in Winder. (info: 770-307-1007)

   You can also stock up on Christmas gifts for NASCAR fans. Nicki's will offer 10% off all merchandise, including vintage posters, collectors' items and nesting matrushka dolls with the faces of famous racecar drivers. White's face isn't among them, but then nesting has never exactly been his speed. 

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