ALLISON WON FIRST BIG RACE AT SOUTHSIDE SPEEDWAY

Easily forgotten, but nevertheless a significant building 

block to his future success, was BOBBY ALLISON’s

 first major-race victory … right here in River City … On 

Sept. 16, 1960 the future Hall of Fame driver came to 

Southside Speedway … without a pit crew, badly in need 

of a new set of tires for his modified Chevrolet … and 

won the inaugural Virginia 400 by two laps in a 26-car 

field that included such heavy hitters as Richmonders

 RAY HENDRICK, EMANUEL ZERVAKIS, EDDIE 

CROUSE, RUNT HARRIS and TED HAIRFIELD as 

well as Baltimore’s JOHNNY ROBERTS, who led 

NASCAR’s modified division, pole-sitter RAY PLATTE

 of Norfolk … and Danville’s WENDELL SCOTT … 

Listed from Miami, where he was born, the 22 year old 

Allison arrived as pretty much of an unknown … and left 

with $1,000 from a purse of $4,640 … Harris was second 

in a sportsman owned by JUNIE DONLAVEY … who 

protested Allison’s victory based on technical things but, 

after the protest was upheld, withdrew it. Don’t ask … 

One of stock car racing’s all-time good guys, Donlavey 

would build cars for several Grand National (now Cup) 

drivers … Hendrick, who dominated the now-defunct 

local quarter-mile asphalt track, was leading on lap 224 of 

the 400-lap, 100-mile race, when he blew an engine … 

and finished 16^th … Allison, who died Nov. 9 at age 86, 

called it “my biggest and best race” … at the time.

…….  So, the Georgia Tech athletic department is hurting 

financially … bad enough to sell a home football game to 

arch rival Georgia (University of)? You’ve got it … For 

the tidy sum of $10 million Tech will abandon Atlanta for 

Athens in 2025 … and BOBBY ROSS, coach of the 

Yellow Jackets’ fourth (and last) national championship 

team (1990), said, “The home team gets an advantage … 

and I would not want to lose my advantage. That would 

be No. 1. This is not what the game is all about ... That’s a 

lot of money … and maybe they need it … I know, it’s a 

football field, with the same width and length … but there

 is a difference. That’s a hard place to play … Georgia 

Tech HAS a stadium. And, it doesn’t send a good 

message to the public, especially Georgia Tech fans.”

…….  I almost feel sorry for LSU football coach BRIAN

 KELLY… the operative word being almost. Despite 

back-to-back 10-win seasons, a one-sided setback against 

Alabama has fans calling for Kelly to be replaced … by

 NICK SABAN or ED ORGERON … unlikely … but 

then … Saban you know. Orgeron was LSU coach let go 

for Kelly … who came from Notre Dame where few – if 

any – were sad to see him leave.

…….  Let us be among the first to suggest the NHL 

Rangers are playing like a team unworthy of qualifying 

for the Stanley Cup playoffs … In other words, don’t be 

surprised if they don’t … Off to a great start, thanks 

almost entirely to goaltender IGOR SHESTERKIN, 

they have broken even over the last eight games … and

 The Genius (coach PETER LAVIOLETTE) appears at 

a loss of what to do … with heretofore offensive 

juggernaut MIKA ZIBANEJAD having a terrible season 

… and his most reliable defensive pairing the No. 3 unit 

of BRENDAN SCHNEIDER, 23, and ZAC JONES, 24 

… The Genius nevertheless has been reluctant to demote 

Zibanejad and admit Schneider-Jones should move into 

the top four. In Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to red-hot Winnipeg at 

Madison Square Garden, Schneider-Jones was plus 2 

while K’ANDRE MILLER was minus 4, JACOB 

TROUBA minus 3, and ADAM FOX minus 2. Miller 

and Trouba were the top unit, with Fox and RYAN 

LINDGREN No. 2 … Trouba managed to escape a 

minus on the Jets’ first goal on the game’s first shift, 

being replaced by Fox shortly before MARK 

SCHIEFELEscored 57 seconds in … For the season … 

Schneider leads the team with plus 12. Jones, the 

Richmonder from Glen Allen, is plus 9. Mller is minus 5 

while Trouba and Fox are each plus one. Lindgren is 

neither plus nor minus … Now The Genius apparently 

plans to try Miller with Fox in Thursday night’s home 

game with San Jose … even though they had serious 

problems playing together previously … Meanwhile, 

Rangers sent popular rookie defenseman VICTOR 

MANSINI to AHL Hartford, recalling veteran CHAD 

RUHWEDEL from the Wolf Pack … perhaps with a 

trade in mind.

Speaking of Hartford … MATT REMPE, fan favorite in 

New York for his willingness to fight, has not been 

playing well … and big, slow defenseman BEN 

HARPUR was suspended four games for deliberately 

running into a rival goalie who apparently did something 

or other to Harpur a year ago … Don’t be surprised if he 

is released.

Until next time ...