Herring Burl 'H. B.'
Bailey
Born:
November 15, 1936
Died: April 17, 2003
Home: Houston, Texas
H.B. Bailey
(1936-2003) was a NASCAR driver. He
was famous for racing his #36 Pontiac
part-time as an independent driver in the Grand National/Winston Cup
series from 1962 to 1993.
Although never running a full
schedule, he was still with fans. He became the first driver to take a
qualifying lap for the inaugural Brickyard
400 in 1994, despite the fact
he didn't make the race. He died of heart failure on
April 17,
2003.
Bailey's son J.D. (Joe Dan) Bailey
is a spotter and crew chief in the Busch Series.
NASCAR veteran H.B. Bailey passes away
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive April 17, 2003
Herring Burl "H.B." Bailey, a popular
NASCAR Winston Cup independent owner/driver in four decades, passed away
early
Thursday morning at
Methodist Hospital from heart failure.
Bailey,
66, made 85 starts in the NASCAR Grand National Division and Winston Cup
Series, from 1962-93. He accrued two top-five and three top-10 finishes
in his career.
"Our
sport was built by people like H.B. Bailey," said Richard Petty, who
raced alongside Bailey for virtually his entire career. "We all did
things the same way in those days -- we drove ourselves to the race
track, we worked hard when we got there, we raced hard and then we drove
home. "H.B. was a racer through and through, and the sport is
better off because he was a part of it. We will miss him."
The
operator of a Houston salvage yard, Almeda Auto Parts, which appeared as
a sponsor on many of his race cars, came out of semi-retirement in 1994
and was the first driver to make a Bud Pole Qualifying lap for the
inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Bailey
usually competed in a limited number of Winston Cup races in any season,
making his most starts, seven, in 1988; but was always a popular member
of the fiercely competitive independent drivers that raced more for the
love of the sport and without sufficient financial backing.
Darlington Raceway was one of the goateed driver's favorite venues and
he was a three-time member of the UNOCAL/Darlington Record Club at the
famed South Carolina oval. Bailey made his final start in the 1993
Southern 500 at Darlington.
In the
1972 NASCAR Grand American division, Bailey won the pole for the opener
at Daytona International Speedway and finished second in the national
championship standings to Wayne Andrews.
On a
biographical questionnaire he filled out in 1965, Bailey said he began
racing at Playland Park, near Houston, in 1954. He won the track
championship there in 1959. Coincidentally A.J. Foyt started his career
in 1953 at Playland Park.
Bailey's youngest son, Joe Dan Bailey, formerly worked on his
father's race team before moving on to work at Hendrick Motorsports. He
has served as a NASCAR crew chief and currently is at the NASCAR
Technical Institute. He is the only one of his siblings currently
involved in motorsports.
He is
survived by his wife of 21 years, Michelle; four sons, Dennis Burl,
Kirk, John Travis and Joe Dan; and two daughters, Kittie and Sarah Lynn.
H.B. Bailey - 1936-2003
Written by: Ben Blake,
RACER Magazine Houston, Texas – 4/18/2003
H.B. Bailey, part-time NASCAR
independent and operator of a group of Houston-area auto parts
businesses, died Thursday morning of heart failure at the age of 66.
Likeable Bailey, whose bearded visage was easily recognizable, never
attempted more than six or eight Winston Cup (Grand National) races in a
season, and his best finishes were two fifth-places.
Bailey also competed in NASCAR's lower-dollar Grand American division in
the 1960s and 1970s, winning the GA pole at Daytona in 1972 and
finishing second in the class standings.
Bailey was one of a group of persistent small operators who lasted in
NASCAR well into the 1980s, although Bailey seemed more to race for fun
than for a career. He ran his last Winston Cup race in 1990.
Herring Burl Bailey was born Nov. 15, 1936 and lived most of his life in
Houston. Surviving are his wife Michelle and six children. Son Joe Dan,
who worked with several Cup teams as a tire specialist in the 1990s, now
works at NASCAR's R&D center.
As reported in
jayski.com
Sad
News:
April 17, 2003: Herring Burl Bailey, known in racing circles
for nearly 30 years as H.B. Bailey, passed away early this
morning at Methodist Hospital [TX] from heart failure. A
popular competitor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series,
1964-90, Bailey was one of the top independent drivers of
the time, and a leader among the group. On the track, he was
a three-time member of the Darlington Record Club at the
famed Darlington Raceway. In the Grand American division in
1972, Bailey won the Daytona pole and finished second in the
national championship standings. "Our sport was built by
people like H.B. Bailey," said Richard Petty, who raced
alongside him for years. "We all did things the same way in
those days - we drove ourselves to the race track, we worked
hard when we got there, we raced hard and then we drove
home. H.B. was a racer through and through, and the sport is
better off because he was a part of it. We will miss him."
Bailey, 66, is survived by his wife of 21 years, Michelle;
four sons, Dennis Burl, Kirk, John Travis and Joe Dan; and
two daughters, Kittie and Sarah Lynn. Joe Dan Bailey, who is
with the NASCAR Technical Institute, is the only child
currently involved in motorsports. Funeral arrangements were
pending Thursday afternoon.(Williams Company PR)(4-17-2003)
AND Information regarding arrangements for H.B.
Bailey is as follows:
Visitation 6-8 p.m., Monday, April 21, 2003 at Sugar Creek
Baptist Church, Sugarland, TX
Memorial Service 4 p.m., Tuesday, April 22, 2003 at Sugar
Creek Baptist Church
A private burial service for family members will be held
Tuesday morning, April 22.
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H. B. Bailey Grand National / Winston Cup Statistics
