Fantasy NASCAR Racing

was a NASCAR driver.  Although he never ran a full schedule, he still had he share of fans.  He became the first driver to take a qualifying lap for the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, despite the fact he did not make the race.  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 made his first Cup start at atlanta in 1962 driving his self owned 1961 Pontiac.  He would start 37th and after a crash finish 30th.  He was never able to claim a Cup win; and his best finish was fifth on two occasions.  He finished fifth in a Daytona Qualifying race in 1965; and then would finish fifth in the Southern 500 in 1972.  He would roll off in 15th position; lead six laps during the race and eventually end up 5th (but 16 laps down).  His final Cup start would come at Darlington in the Southern 500 in 1993.  He would start 40th; but after only 54 laps smoke would billow from his car and he would retire with a blown moter; finishing 37th.  He died of heart failure on April 17, 2003.  When he died, Richard Petty said "Our sport was built by people like H.B. Bailey", 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."  Some info from Wikipedia