Today, I attended our annual Old Timers Picnic, at Blue Lake Park in Portland, like I have for the last 27 years. It is a gathering of racers, crewmen, and racing enthusiasts. Over the last several years we have lost so many of the the men, who in influenced, and fed our love of racing and cars in general. One special person that we followed and respected his racing career was Herschel McGriff. Since he lives in the area near Tucson, Arizona, I don't remember ever seeing him at this gathering. I did however share a dinner table, sitting next to him at Indy Racer Rolla Vollstedt's 85th birthday party 20 years ago, and was present when he was inducted into the Northwest Racers Hall Of Fame. It was such a treat for a few of us to sit at a picnic table with him and talk about his racing, his engine builders, and special to me (since I am a 50 Olds fan) his La Carrera Panamericna win in 1950. A very short time after that, he followed up by driving a 50 Olds to the first Southern 500, racing it, and driving it home. The best part for me today was seeing how sharp he still is at 95, and through all of his success in racing, the fame hasn't changed him, he is still the Herschel we always thought he was ! For some background on Hershel. https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/hershel-mcgriffs-marathon-career
Thank You Marty for sharing the history of one of the Greats. When it comes down to actual compe***ion, I have never stood tall, as you and yours do.
Thanks for sharing, He raced in and often won the bigger races at Yakima Speedway in Yakima in the 70's.
Marty, How cool is that?! I remember as a young kid Herschel coming to Longview to visit our local Oldsmobile dealership, Thornley Oldsmobile on Vandercook Way. I was too young to know who he was, but I recall the excitement created by his visit. Later, around 1988, I went to the NASCAR race in Phoenix and Herschel was entered in the race. He would have been around 60 at the time. We were rooting for him all day. He finished way back in the pack, a lap and a half off of the pace. That sounds like a lot but he was only about 45 seconds behind the leader. In a recent issue of the V-8 TIMES there was an article about the first La Carrera Pan America Race. It focused mainly on a used Mercury entered by a So-CA area car dealer. But, at the end of the article it tells how Herschel won the race in an Oldsmobile. Good stuff. Thanks for posting.
Uncle Ronn, It's good to see that roadster. I'm the guy that sold it to you to settle my friend's estate. Hope all is well. Regards.
The first time I seen Herschel race was on the 1/2 mile dirt track at the fairgrounds in Centralia, Washington had to have been late 50's or early 60's driving a 57 Chevy sponsored by Bor a Car.I don't remember who won the race, but I do remember his driving skills on dirt,he was a master. I do believe that he has the most wins at the old Riverside road course in California.
I saw Hershel at Portland Speedway over twenty years ago, the last asphalt race, after the race he stuck the first hackhammer in the track surface starting the demolition. They ran dirt races there for a couple years (I think), would have liked to have seen that. Good article Here: https://randylewis.org/portland-speedway/#:~:text=The track was paved in,races from 1995 to 1998.
Just watched a shop tour video of Maurice Pettys' race/ machine shop/museum. Get toward the end and theyre back in a corner and I hear one of the Petty Brothers say Hershel McGriff and points to an old fuel can with Hershels' name on it, that sure got my attention. I don't know my Nascar history but they had some kind of connection.
In roughly 1990, Portland area locals had a real treat when Hershel and AJ Foyt ran Nascar stock cars against the TransAm regulars on PIRs road course. They made a real showing in cars that were heavier than the TransAm cars. It was one of the most enjoyable days I experienced at PIR.
I saw him race at the 1988 Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen. He finished 2 laps down, but was ahead of quite a few of the better financed teams that day.
The Amazing thing about Hershel is, he stopped racing around 1956, and didn’t start again until 68, I believe. He spent that time raising a family and tending to business. When he returned to racing his oldest son Doug raced as well, winning the Northwest championship in the same cl***. It makes you wonder just how many more races Herschel would have won, had he taken the offer to drive one of Carl Kiekhaefer's Mercury Outboards Chrysler 300’s , in the prime of his life.
I have a set of his #4 Olympia Beer decals for a model car. His was a Chevelle, but I may put them on a Nova or modified body. He had a long career, one of the best on the Winston West circuit.
Did you watch his inductee speech, he talks about racing against 3 generations of Pettys, and the loss of Adam. A friend of ours raced a 426 Hemi in a Jeep, built by my brother Jerry, with the engine built by Hershel's engine man Orville Roupe, Precision Engines of Seattle. The intake manifold, came from Hershel, by way of Richard Petty.
So yup,thanks,fun to read,,.Well known racer, in My world of ovals racing, even as far away as I was, South Fla,,Miami Florida an east cost. Some racers I'd hear about, who started on low $,I really enjoyed hearing more about over the years. I raced my self for over 40 years,on a lower $ then most,but no less fun an maybe more then those who had found ways to more $$$$$$$,as I out ran more then my fair share of them too.
The Jalopy Journal
