FANTASY NASCAR Racin

HAL BRETTNEEDHAM - 03-06-1931 - 10-25-2013 -
was an American stuntman and film director. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such as Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, The Cannonball Run, and Stroker Ace. Hal Needham broke 56 bones, his back twice, punctured a lung and knocked out a few teeth. His career has included work on 4500 television episodes and 310 feature films as a stuntman, stunt coordinator, 2nd unit director and ultimately, director. He was also a NASCAR car owner breaking into the NASCAR scene with TV Star Burt Reynolds as a co-owner with the team name of Mach 1 Racing (also called Skoal Bandit Racing). The team

made its debut in 1981, fielding the #22 Skoal Pontiac driven by Stan Barrett. Barrett ran ten races for the team that season, his best finish coming at Talladega Super Speedway, where he finished 9th. Mid-season, Mach 1 created a second car, the #33, driven by Harry Gant. Gant did not win that season, but he won three poles and had thirteen top-tens, finishing third in points. Gant drove 22 races that year and had 10 top five finishes with a best of second – SEVEN TIMES; including Atlanta, Darlington, Daytona, Charlotte, Michigan, Richmond and Martinsville. These along with three more second place finishes in

1980; needless to say landed him with the nickname of the ‘bridesmaid’. Also close but never the win. In 1982, Gant drove the #33 Buick full-time with sponsorship from 7-Eleven/Skoal. He won at Martinsville and Charlotte and finished fourth in points. After just one win the following season, the team switched to Chevrolet, and Gant won three races, finishing a career best second in points. He followed that season up with another three wins in 1985. 1983 saw him post another win (Darlington) followed by three more wins in 1984 including the Southern 500; and another three in 1985. For the next three years, Gant and Mach 1 failed to visit victory lane. Midway into the 1988

season, Gant suffered injuries at the Coca-Cola 600. Morgan Shepherd filled in for him, and had one top-five and two top-tens. After Gant finished 27th in the final standings, he left the team for Jackson Bros. Motorsports, taking Skoal and #33 with him. In 1989, Mach 1 switched to the #66 and signed rookie driver Rick Mast. In their first race together, the Daytona 500, Mast drove the un-sponsored car to a sixth-place finish, an accomplishment he later said was the one he was the most proud of. Mast and Mach 1 ran twelve more races together that season,