By Rick Houston
It all began with a pinochle game.
Businessman Mike DiProspero planned to enter a car in the upcoming Daytona 500, and asked brother-in-law Bill Gardner over a game of cards if he’d be interested in joining him in the venture.
It was from that small gesture that DiGard Racing, one of the most successful — and controversial — teams of the 1970s and 80s began.
When DiProspero was critically injured in an automobile accident, Gardner took full control of the fledgling operation. Beginning with drivers Donnie Allison and Darrell Waltrip, the team eventually found success on the race track.
Off the race track, stability in personnel was elusive. Interviews with Gardner to get his side of the story have been rare over the years, but this … this is his story.
For more than 32 years, Grand National/Winston Cup/NASCAR Scene writers and photographers were there to record NASCAR history as it was being made. Join hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid each week on The Scene Vault Podcast Presented by Q Ware as they take a look back at the extraordinary people, places and events woven into the rich tapestry that is our sport.
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