David Pearson and Cotton Owens, once teammates at the highest levels of NASCAR Winston Cup racing, are scheduled to recreate a slice of motorsports history Saturday night at Riverside Speedway [in Travelers Rest, SC]. This time, however, they will be on opposite sides of the competition fence. Pearson and Owens, who teamed to win the Winston Cup championship in Dodges in 1966, will race in a 10-lap shootout in vintage race cars as part of Riverside’s Saturday [9-20-2003] night program. Other vintage-car racing also is scheduled on the 7:30 p.m. program, and other former drivers, including Jeff Hawkins, Rex White and Roger Mandeville, are expected to attend. The vintage-car racing will be in addition to Riverside’s usual weekly schedule. A portion of the night’s proceeds will be donated to the planned motorsports museum in Spartanburg, SC. Owens, 79, drove Modified and Winston Cup cars before becoming a successful NASCAR team owner in the 1960s. Pearson, 69, won three Winston Cup titles and 105 races before retiring in 1986. Owens will drive a restored 1937 Ford owned by Freddy Brookshire. Pearson will race a vintage car he restored. Owens, who calls Pearson the greatest stock car driver ever, said he was able to teach him a thing or two when they campaigned Dodges in NASCAR racing. In 1964, Owens’ last year as a driver, he entered a second car (Pearson drove the team’s No. 1 car) in a race at Richmond, Va. and outran Pearson.( Greenville News )(9-19-2003)
