It's not too difficult to describe the level of excitement that permeated the air - Lakeside Speedway, August 4th. It was like sitting in turn 1 at Talladega for the Green Flag. Or getting up close and personal with Tony Stewart... only better! Terry Bivins was Back on the Track, and boy, were we all ready! Greeting us at the gate was the infamous #53 Hugger-Orange Chevelle. Built and restored by Duane Issacs - brought tears to the eyes... Gives me chills just looking at it! 3 Sisters made Terry Bivins t-shirts - they were everywhere! Looked like the whole town of Wellsville showed up to watch the Hometown Driver wheel the Grand National on the 1/2 mile dirt track for the first time in 20 or so years... It was a huge reunion for family, friends, fans - past, present and future all rolled up into one hot night at Lakeside!
The
following paragraph is an excerpt from Judy Kay's This
Week Take - she says it all so well - Friday night was a great
night, everything a racin' girl could ask for, truly. The 3sisters, friends,
and Terry Bivins out on the track. After 32 years, he was Shack Packing back
on a dirt track. He said the car felt good on the hot laps, better in the
heat race, and was really hooked up in the Feature. Loose is fast, and he
was loose! Turn two proved to be the final blow for the 53 car in the Feature,
Terry scraped it a little and had to dive into the pits. But it's really hard
to put into words how important that night was to all of us, and I hope Terry
enjoyed himself. Because after all, that's what it's all about. It was fun
to see all the Coons' and Bivins' and friends from Wellsville, home of 3sisters.
Terry talked to us about his NASCAR career, I was completely in awe of his
storytelling. He said his favorite tracks are Darlington, and Pocono, which
surprised me a little. He said that they were drivers' tracks, where you have
to think and drive at the same time. Talk about multitasking! He said you
could eat a sandwich while racing down the backstretch at Talladega, but the
speeds are incredible. That was before the restrictor plate racing, where
they ran 210mph+ at the superspeedway. Terry said the hardest hit he ever
took was at Darlington. He kept asking Claudia after the race how they did
in Springfield, MO that weekend! She told him that they hadn't raced in Missouri,
sounds like he got his bell rung pretty good. Everyone there at Lakeside Friday
night was so excited to see and talk to Terry, I wonder if he knows what a
legend he is.
I guess he does now.
Now
Terry's Take... The car drove very erratic ever since I've been in it. At
first I thought it was the new style rear suspension and that I just needed
to get a feel for it. Then after just brushing the wall in the heat race and
then slamming the wall in the feature, I was really loosing what confidence
I had in myself. Was having SERIOUS doubts about my driving. I was thinking
I guess I'm to old to do this anymore. I just felt terrible about wrecking
the new car and I mean terrible...
Thanks
for the Old & New Memories
Bivins #53!!