For three years, they were contenders, in the top five, but the real magic began in 1976, coincidentally the year Holly Farms, who had sponsored Junior years earlier, came on board. That year, Cale took the Championship, and repeated in 1977 and 1978, the only driver to win three consecutive championships. All in all, Cale won 83 races in his career, which began in 1957, and ended in 1988. He sits fifth in overall wins, one behind Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, who both had productive years with Junior as well. Probably says something about Junior's management abilities!
In the mid-seventies, Junior and Cale were dominant, kind of equivalent to Gordon and Evernham today, except a bit more countrified. (Cale's original vocation was raisin' turkeys, Junior's was runnin' 'shine...)
Interestingly, both followed similar paths, from driver to owner to disenchanted former participants. Both left the sport, Junior sellin' his team off in 1995, and Cale earlier this year (1999). Both said the sport "is no fun anymore" and walked away from it. They certanly left their mark, and contributed greatly to the aura that still surrounds NASCAR racing.
The model shown here was built about 1986, using an MPC "Cannonball Run" Laguna - you couldn't GIVE 'em away back then - and early decals from Fred Cady. Fred's decals require each colour to be applied separately, takes some effort, but results are always excellent!
To see my comments on the MPC kit itself, check out my model of Janet Guthrie's 1977 Kelly Girl Laguna.
| To Home Page | To Models Index Page | To Top of Page |