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GORDON FRANCIS HARVEY, SR.
Born: June 24th 1924     Died: 2006
 Orig: Sayerville, NJ     Home: St. Petersburg, FL
 

Also: VIVIAN A. "LUCKY" (HARVEY) McGRAW
 

Harv in 1979Gordon Harvey is a former NASCAR driver originally from from Sayerville, NJ. He competed in only one Nascar Strictly Stock event in his career. That came in 1951, when Harvey raced at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Starting 43rd in the field, Harvey would finish 43rd in his unusual # 46 Henry J, besting some of the best drivers of the day such as "Fireball" Roberts and "Little Joe" Jernigan.

 

As a sheet metal worker, Harvey had some interesting inventions as you will see by his custom RV below. It is rumored that he once built an airplane.


Below you will find his Nascar race statistics.

 

Gordon Harvey has been recognized by the Living Legends of Auto Racing in Daytona Beach, Fl. Mr. Harvey has been recognized with a brick on the "Walk of Fame" in Daytona Beach Shores.

 

Vivian A. (Harvey) "Lucky" McGraw writes Legends of Nascar:

 

 My ex-husband was Gordon Francis Harvey, Sr.  of St. Petersburg, Fl. who passed away in 2006. He was a lifetime race car driver at many tracks, including the beach course at Daytona Beach.


My reason for writing you primarily is that I know Gordon Harvey is in a Hall of Fame somewhere at Daytona Bch.,  but not at the Main "Hall of Fame". There must be a secondary list somewhere there that I have not been able to locate. I wonder if you know what I am referring to and can maybe help me locate it. (Answer Here)

 

I, too, was a race car driver (when gals were called Powder Puff's) of this Stock Car # 92 (a '42 Ford) and won at the NASCAR Ruppert Stadium, the Woman's State Championship of NJ in the year 1950. Here's a pic of me then with the Checkered Flag in my really beat up car.

 

Ed Otto and Bob Sol of NASCAR at the time were the Promotors of these races. I once met Bill France Sr. and knew new Bill Schlindler and Jimmy Parsons.

 
 The Trophy presentation to me was by Frank Sinatra at the Latin Quarters Night Club in Manhattan, NYC when I was Vivian "Lucky" Harvey...now Vivian A. McGraw age 83 living in Brick, NJ.. Big Nite for me !!! Looong time ago.. Smile...Only a few Pictures exist ...we were too poor...but I have Memories Galore...


See the pictures I have made an Album of on Webshots Website where I have many Photo Albums of my Life...This one is about our Racing Days...


Bless you for trying to rekindle the past...and the beginning of NASCAR ...I know I was in on the ground floor...but not many others alive to day do...

 

Today I live alone in Bricktown, NJ after having lost my husband of 39 years to cancer 10 years ago...I wish to leave something to posterity and my family...

Many many thanks for anything......

Hugs Always, Vivian...

 

AND THEN THERE IS ANOTHER PERSONAL STORY:

The Viv & Harv Story...

There isn't a whole lot to tell...

We were boyfriend and girlfriend from age 16 and married at 17 and he was 18 years old. We were very much in love but we were just too young...

Harv was a Sheet Metal Worker (perfect for a race car driver) and we lived in  E. Millstone, NJ after having moved several times until we separated, and eventually divorced...

Gordon, Jr. before his death in 1973I always knew where he was but I didn't see Harv'... (Gordon Sr.) for over 33 yrs...until our only child Gordon Jr. was killed in 1973 when the dune buggy he built from a VW turned over on a bog in the Alabama swamps and the roll bar crushed him.

Harv had resettled in the St. Petersburg area and he came to the Funeral. Then we kept contact afterwards, made friends again, but we had both remarried. It became a pleasant platonic friendship.

I saw him shortly after both his First and Last Heart Surgeries since I was in Florida at the time. And... I was very shaken to learn later that his wife was convinced he had waited for me to get there, because he died just under two hours after I left. I took the picture of him just out of the Hosp. in bed at home that last day.

I know he would be sooo pleased to be remembered as you're seeing to it he will be now and of course so am I...I'm more pleased than I can tell you...

Thank you sooo much...and please send me the URL so I can see and save what ever you do...Warmest of  Cyber Hugs...Blessing's... Always Viv.

 


Unusual Camper: Found this on the internet:

Gordon Harvey in the Tampa area had one like this a few years ago but sold it. Gordon was a lover of
old vehicles and is one of the originators of NASCAR, back in the early 50's, and has some real stories
to tell. The car this mini-motor home body is attached to is an Oldsmobile Toronado. Probably a 1968.
 

Ambulance

1948 Chevrolet, bought new by the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. It was used for 25 years as the only town ambulance and funeral car. The ambulance was purchased by Gordon Harvey (who continued to own it) and restored to its current status.
Has anyone seen this car? Need picture


Another of Harvey's unusual vehicles. A 1952 King Midget with only 4 in existence


Vivian says this is Harv's 1941 Chevrolet

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

GORDON HARVEY STRICTLY STOCK DRIVER Statistics

Year Age Races Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led Earnings Rank AvSt AvFn
1951   1 of 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   43.0 43.0
1 year 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   43.0 43.0
Race Site Cars St Fin # Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led
1 Daytona Beach 54 43 43 46   Henry J  /39 0   0


Interesting race in the fact that Mr. Harvey finished 43rd and could always brag that he beat Fireball Roberts. . . .

DAYTONA Beach Course Race 1951

Fin St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led
1 6 6 Marshall Teague FABULOUS HUDSON   (Marshall Teague) '51 Hudson 39 1,500 running 12
2 1 91 Tim Flock Esquire Motors   (Sam Knox) '50 Lincoln   1,000 running 27
3 3 14 Fonty Flock Red Devil   (Frank Christian) '50 Oldsmobile   600 running 0
4 14 41.5 Bill Blair Bill Blair '49 Oldsmobile   550 running 0
5 7 87 Buck Baker Griffin Motors   (Bob Griffin) '50 Oldsmobile   450 running 0
6 9 55 Les Snow Les Snow '49 Lincoln   350   0
7 22 41 Curtis Turner Nash Motor Co.   (Nash Motor Co.) '51 Nash   250   0
8 30 16 Bill Snowden Police Special   (Bill Snowden ) '50 Ford   200   0
9 16 98 Johnny Mantz Don Willis Motors   (Johnny Mantz) '51 Nash   175   0
10 8 59 Lloyd Moore Julian Buesink '51 Lincoln   150   0
11 12 1 Red Byron Wally Marks '50 Oldsmobile   50   0
12 21 83 Tommy Thompson San Juan Motors   (Tommy Thompson) '47 Chrysler   50   0
13 13 61 Bill Rexford Julian Buesink '50 Oldsmobile   50   0
14   68 Barney Smith Barney Smith '50 Plymouth   50   0
15 15 60 Don Eggett Julian Buesink '49 Ford   50   0
16 27 92 Herb Thomas Herb Thomas '50 Plymouth   50   0
17 19 25 Speedy Thompson Leland Colvin '50 Oldsmobile   50   0
18   77 Dick Linder John Marcum Studebaker   50   0
19 28 144X Len Fanelli   '50 Plymouth   50   0
20 32 86 Eddie Sheeler   '51 Hudson   50   0
21   138 Clyde Minter B.F. Goodrich   (Clyde Minter ) '47 Buick   25   0
22 34 72 Weldon Adams Harold Mays '50 Plymouth   25   0
23 20 3 Rocky DiNatale   '50 Oldsmobile   25   0
24   8 Billy Carden Wheatley Motors   (Al Wheatley) '49 Lincoln   25   0
25 33 101 Buckie Sager Buckie Sager '49 Plymouth   25   0
26 39 13 Elmer Wilson Elmer Wilson '50 Mercury   25   0
27 26 33 Fred Thompson   '51 Mercury   25   0
28   188 Don Oldenberg Don Oldenberg '50 Packard   25   0
29 38 2-B Jack Smith Hubert Westmoreland '50 Plymouth   25   0
30 41 94 Buck Clardy Louise Smith '50 Nash   25   0
31 40 42 Lee Petty Petty Special   (Petty Enterprises) '49 Plymouth   25   0
32 44 81-A Pappy Hough Pappy Hough '50 Ford   25   0
33   110 Jim Fiebelkorn Jim Fiebelkorn '49 Mercury   25   0
34 11 31 Carson Dyer Carson Dyer '50 Oldsmobile   25   0
35   139 Ray Thompson   '51 Kaiser   25   0
36 31 94-A Joe Rogers   '50 Oldsmobile   25   0
37 41 73 Ed Rooney Ed Rooney '47 Ford   25   0
38 17 32 Alton Haddock   '51 Lincoln   25   0
39 5 81 Ben Lalomia   '50 Oldsmobile   25   0
40 35 34 Tip R. Key   '51 Kaiser   25   0
41 29 25-A Jimmy Thompson Leland Colvin '50 Lincoln   0   0
42   23 Mike Klapak Perry Smith '51 Studebaker   0   0
43 43 46 Gordon Harvey   '51 Henry J   0   0
44 4 9 Ed Samples Sam Knox '49 Lincoln   0   0
45   85 Fireball Roberts   '50 Plymouth   0   0
46 25 56 Joe Jernigan Lambert's Auto   (Joe Jernigan) '49 Ford   0   0
47   28 Bill Holland Nash Motor Co. '51 Nash   0   0
48 36 67 Earl Coleman   '50 Pontiac   0   0
49 37 111 Herschel Buchanan Herschel Buchanan '48 Nash   0   0
50 18 70 Dawson Lechlider Dawson Lechlider '50 Oldsmobile   0   0
51 23 57 Felix Wilkes Felix Wilkes '49 Hudson   0   0
52 2 50 Gober Sosebee Cherokee Garage   (Gober Sosebee) '50 Oldsmobile   0   0
53 10 88 Frank Luptow Rocket   (Joe Winter) '50 Oldsmobile   0   0
54 24 18 Eddie Anderson Nash of Blue Island   (Eddie Anderson) '51 Nash   0   0









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