By Rick Houston
Cliff Champion’s dad wasn’t sold on the idea of his son’s racing career.
After all, racers never fared too well on or off the track. They were a rough-and-tumble bunch, always in trouble, rowdy and more often than not, broke. So when Cliff started down that career path, the elder Champion figured it was a road straight to nowhere.
For a few years, at least, it appeared that Mr. Champion was right. Cliff bounced from one low-budget team to the next, making at best a meager salary.
But then … then Cliff moved to Ranier Racing prior to the 1980 Winston Cup season. Right out of the box, Buddy Baker took the team’s legendary Grey Ghost to victory lane in the Daytona 500. It was Cliff’s first-ever win in Winston Cup competition.
Best of all, his father noticed.
This is Cliff Champion’s story.
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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