The last living participant in the meeting that founded NASCAR, Raymond Parks, has died at the age of 96. Parks was an early car owner and quickly established himself as the head of the finest racing organization in the sport. His team won the first Modified national championship and then followed it up in 1948 with the first “strictly stock” title. Those “strictly stock” cars ironically evolved into the Cup cars of today which share virtually nothing with their production cousins.
Parks was one heck of an interesting guy back in the day. He amassed a fortune operating a highly successful moonshine operation in Georgia as well as an illegal lottery that also brought in mounds of cash. One of his trademarks was his choice in threads. Parks were virtually never seen outside of his trademark fedora hat and wool suit. Like Junior Johnson after him, Parks spent some time in the federal cooler for his chosen profession.
After kicking German ass in the Battle of the Bulge, he came home and “went straight” building a vending machine and real estate empire that pushed him from very rich to insanely wealthy. All the while running stock cars on regional southern racing circuits. The true magic started to happen when he hired Red Byron to drive and Red Vogt to wrench. The trophies and titles started coming in.
Parks didn’t exactly get along with “Big Bill” France and by the end of the 1950s he decided his cash would be spent elsewhere. He decided to leave the sport but still remains an important figure in the history of NASCAR.
Source — Nascar.com — Raymond Parks dead at 96
