A Race Down Memory Lane at the Dash Series Reunion.

By: Grace Smith – Wise News Network

CHARLOTTE, NC (WNN) – Although the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series has been retired since 2003, many former racers find solace in connecting with their competitors. Those who used to race each other now speak about how the Dash Series was like a family.

Many important players in the series gathered at Hendrick Motorsports on Saturday, November 11, 2023. Racers who had not seen each other in years came together for the second annual Dash Series Reunion.

The roots of the Dash Series stem from North Wilkesboro in 1973. Before the series was sanctioned by NASCAR, it was operated by the Baby Grand National Racing Association (BGNRA). The BGNRA was founded by the drivers of the original Dash Series. 

Bill Ellis, a former NASCAR Cup owner, started this series. However, Ellis decided not to continue it after a few races. This is when the BGRNA was formed so the racers could continue their sport. 

Bill Blair, a racing enthusiast and automobile engineer, knew Ellis while he was creating the series. 

“He called me up one day to tell me about this series he was starting, cause he wanted me to build a car and wanted me to build some motors for him,” said Blair. 

Blair built two engines for the original series. At the time, no one involved knew how popular the Dash Series would become.

In 1975, NASCAR sanctioned the series. The Dash Series was propelled forward because of the relatively inexpensive vehicles that were utilized by the racers. Before NASCAR was involved with the series, its slogan was: “The poor man’s way to race.”

The series was lucrative for NASCAR. It ran until NASCAR decided to drop the series in 2003. Afterward, it continued for about one more year as the IPOWER Series. Subsequently, it transformed into the ISCARS Dash Touring Series and continued until 2011 when the series retired for good.

The cars in the series initially featured four-cylinder engines and 13-inch steel wheels. However, in 1998, they transitioned to V6 engine cars with larger 15-inch wheels. Despite this change, teams were still allowed to compete with either four-cylinder or six-cylinder cars.

For many of the veteran racers, it had been years since they spoke to their fellow competitors. However, the reunion was anything but competitive. 

Racers shook hands with old friends and relived their glory days under the bright lights of Hendrick Motorsports. Many of them had interesting stories to recount from their days of racing. 

Jerry Haislip, who worked in special events for Goody’s Powder, participated as the master of ceremonies for the reunion. He was hired by Goody’s in 1990 and not long after he was tasked with sponsoring the Goody’s Dash Series. 

“They called me on the telephone and they said, “We’ve just taken over what will be known as the Goody’s Dash Series and that’s going to be your project,” Haislip said, “I said okay, and at that time we were running maybe 18 races a year. We got it up to about 25 before it was over with.”

In his hands, he clutched a trophy that read: “A True Champion of the Sport.” Haislip is admired among the veteran Goody’s Dash participants. 

“It was a lot of fun to do; it was family. I loved everybody in the Dash Series and most of them are in here,” said Haislip.

As Haislip spoke on stage at the event, he had all the drivers stand up for recognition. Afterward, he specifically honored all the women who drove in the series. Several women stood up for acknowledgement. 

Kelly Sutton was a racer with a specifically unique story. She is the first racer in NASCAR history to participate in the sport with a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. 

At 16, doctors diagnosed Sutton and she thought her racing dreams were crushed. However, her father told her to follow her heart and continue to train despite her chronic illness. He was another instrumental figure in the racing world and built Sutton’s first race car.

“The doctors said I only had eight to ten years to walk and then I wouldn’t be able to race,” Sutton said, “My dad found [a] car and was like, “Do you still want to race?” I was like, “How can I, I have MS.” He said, “I don’t care what you have. If you want to do it, your mom and I want to give you your dream.”

Sutton went on to have a successful career in racing while bringing awareness to her illness. Her racing sponsor was COPAXONE, the injections that she took to treat her MS. 

“With that sponsorship, I got to travel with leading neurologists all over the United States, sharing my story with other MS patients. It encouraged them that MS is not a diagnosis that you have to stop everything,” said Sutton. 

Sutton never let any obstacles prevent her from doing what she loved. She said the drivers in the Dash Series respected her and valued her as a competitor equally to the male racers.

“Every time I got in the car and put my helmet on I was just a driver,” said Sutton.

Many of the drivers in attendance had thrilling stories to tell. Danny Bagwell shared his experience surviving a serious car wreck in Daytona, in 1999. 

His vehicle flipped and sustained some sufficient damage. By the time Bagwell was able to free himself from the car it was mostly a skeleton of the former automobile. 

“I don’t know what happened to start with, but it just started rolling and flipping, and then it was light and it was dark, there was a big thump and that was the end of it. I thought, “Am I okay?” said Bagwell. 

He had to remove his helmet to get out of the wreckage. When he emerged from the vehicle, other racers zoomed by, continuing with the race back to the line. Bagwell and his team had to stay on the track and wait for an opportune time to receive assistance. 

“It turned out okay. I wasn’t really hurt real bad,” said Bagwell. 

Bagwell had a successful career, boasting 49 wins across several years. He was one of the most decorated drivers in the series.

Many of the Dash Series racers have gone on to have families and work slower-paced jobs. However, racing remains a hobby and interest for the veteran racers. BJ Mackey, a Dash Series racer, is raising a little girl and working to support his family. 

“I still race a little bit. Maybe once or twice a year I get a chance,” said Mackey. 

Primarily, Mackey participated in the series from 1998 to 2001. His best year was 2000 when he drove for Jeff Dailey Racing. 

“In 2000 we led the most laps and won the most races,” said Mackey. 

He fondly remembers his first win. He took home the gold at the Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, NC, in 1996. He raced against some big names, including Lyndon Amick and Mike Swaim, Junior. 

“It was kind of like the underdogs against the big dogs. That would probably be the highlight,” said Mackey. 

One reunion attendee made his mark on the series by building impeccable engines. Jan Smith built engines for several cars that were handled by champions. He got his start when his brother-in-law contracted an engine from Smith. 

His brother-in-law ended up winning with the engine Smith built which gave him recognition and kick-started his Dash Series career. Though he has several fond memories of the series, his favorite is when his nephew won a race using an engine Smith constructed. 

“We led about the whole race, and it came down to the end, and we were out of gas,” Smith said, “We were supposed to be out of gas two laps before. That last lap he ran, I can’t even remember it because I was a nervous wreck.”

Another well known builder who attended the event was Barry Owen. His cars have won so many races over the years that Owen stopped counting his wins. 

The reunion bustled with racers, engineers and organizers reminiscing on their favorite racing memories. Mike Congdon, the event organizer, decided to organize the Dash Series Reunion to give the drivers a chance to reconnect. 

Congdon worked on the corporate side of the business as a marketing director and business manager for Cam Strader, a notorious racer. He said he fell in love with the people who were involved in the series. 

“People had been asking me for years about some kind of reunion and nobody would pull the trigger about putting everything together. So, I got us a location and started putting things together,” said Congdon.

Rusty Wise, a former Dash Series racer and owner of the Wise News Network, also attended the event to interview the attendees. Wise started his racing journey in 1988 competing in the Winston Racing Late Model Series in the Southeastern US. 

In 1989, he entered the competition for “Rookie of the Year” at Hickory Motor Speedway after acquiring a 1981 Chevrolet Malibu, previously owned by Dale Jarrett.

He raced in the NASCAR Dash Series from 1996 to 2000. Afterwards, he was involved in several other series including ARCA, NASCAR Winston Cup and the NASCAR Busch Series. Many of the reunion’s racers participated in other series following the end of NASCAR’s sponsorship of the Dash Series. 

Also in attendance were racers such as Mike Powell, Jimmy Britts, Mickey York, Bill Hennecy and countless other instrumental players in this series. 

The racers had not seen each other in years, but at the reunion, they picked up right where they left off. As Hendrick Motorsports echoed with remembrance, it is evident that this series was not just a chapter of the driver’s lives, but a defining storyline. 

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