A Long and Storied Racing Career

This ring belonged to a famous race car driver who will turn 96 years old in December. The last time he drove in a race was in the 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at the age of 90, making him the oldest driver ever to start a NASCAR sanctioned race! He won the series' 1986 championship and is also a four-time winner in Grand National competition. But there's so much more...

His racing career started in 1950 at the age of 22, and it's a very interesting story. After the 2,178 mile north-south Mexican section of the Pan-American Highway was completed in 1950, a nine-stage, five-day race across the country was organized to celebrate the achievement and attract international business. The 1950 race ran almost entirely along the new roadway.

The Carrera Panamericana was entered by racers from all over the world representing virtually every motor sport: Formula One, sports cars, rallying, stock cars, endurance racing, hill climbing, and drag racing. Because it started at the border with Texas, it was especially attractive to all types of American race drivers from Indy cars to NASCAR. Piero Taruffi and Felice Bonetto, both Italian F1 drivers, entered a pair of Alfa Romeo coupes specially constructed for the event. However, many of the 132 competitors were ordinary unsponsored citizens from the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere. The entrants included nine women drivers.

The first four places were won by American cars and American drivers. The winner drove an Oldsmobile 88, and even though I've relied on Internet sources for much of this information, I've been personally told he had driven the Olds 88 from his home in Oregon down to Mexico to run it in this race, and then he drove the same car back home.

However, Wikipedia says that "The final miles to the finish were run without oil due to bottoming out the oil pans leaving the engine smoking and rattling to the checkered flag," so even though I thought he drove the car back to Oregon, I'm not sure if the car was up to it!

Note: I just found an article on nascar.com which says he drove, "...a 1950 Oldsmobile in the first Southern 500 (a car he drove from his Oregon home to Darlington, raced, then drove back)..." so it sounds like it happened, but either my father was confused, or I misunderstood which race it was.

You see, the famous race car driver I've been referring to is Hershel McGriff, and the ring pictured — which is made out of Black Hills gold — came from him. I have it because we are related.

A little more history...

Running for five consecutive years from 1950 to 1954, the Carrera Panamericana was widely held to be the most dangerous race of any type in the world. In 1950, four people (3 competitors and 1 spectator) were killed during the event.

After winning the Carrera Panamericana by besting a field of 132 competitors, Hershel McGriff and NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. became friends and France convinced him to come south and race in NASCAR races such as the Daytona 500, the first Southern 500 race at Darlington Raceway, Detroit, and Raleigh. It's not possible for me to summarize all of Hershel McGriff's long and storied racing career here, so let me just add some more highlights.

Hershel became the oldest driver to win a NASCAR feature race when he won an AutoZone West Series race in 1989 at the age of 61.

During NASCAR’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1998, Hershel was elected one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers.

Hershel was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in its first class in 2002.

Hershel was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2006.

In 2023, Hershel was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Source, including the "campeón_de_La_Carrera_Panamericana_en_1950" image above: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershel_McGriff

"To give you an idea of how diverse McGriff’s career was, he twice competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in France, first in 1976 in a Dodge Charger co-driven by his son, and again in 1982 in a Chevrolet Camaro. The first attempt ended early with a piston failure, but in ’82, McGriff finished in the top 20."

"From 1954 until 2018, McGriff competed in 271 races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (now ARCA Menards West Series), winning 34 races and posting 100 top-five finishes. He won the series championship in 1986 and finished second in points in both 1985 and ’87. He finished in the top five in points eight times."

"In 2001, at age 73, McGriff ran the entire 14-race NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule, finishing 13th in points. In 2018, at the age of 90, McGriff ran his last NASCAR race prior to retirement."

Source: https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/five-fun-facts-about-hershel-mcgriff