Bob Latford
Robert Graham 'Bob' Latford (July 29, 1935 – July 23, 2003) was a
Career
Latford began his 55-year career in motorsports media and public relations by selling programs for the Daytona Beach races in 1946 for NASCAR founder
Later on, Latford served as a public relations official and press box director at several tracks, including Charlotte Motor Speedway. He devised NASCAR's most popular points system, which was adopted in 1975, which NASCAR used two different versions for their series from 1975 until 2010. In the system, the winner received 175 points, second 170 points, and other positions exactly the same as the current points system.[2]
From 1979–2000, Latford was the statistician for all NASCAR broadcasts on CBS.[3]
Latford was also a color commentator for the 1988 Miller High Life 500 at Pocono Raceway.
Latford also published a weekly newsletter for motorsports journalists, The Inside Line, along with four books (see below).
Latford worked his final race in the press box at
On July 23, 2003 Latford died at the age of 67.
Legacy
At the annual North Carolina Auto Racing Hall Of Fame ceremony in October 2003, NASCAR Scene editor and hall of fame board member Deb Williams paid tribute to Latford.[4]
In 2004, Latford was posthumously awarded the National Motorsports Press Association/Pocono Spirit Award which "recognizes character and achievement in the face of adversity as well as sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports."[5]
Books
- Built For Speed (1999 HC, 2002 PB) Courage Books. PB ISBN 978-0-7624-1205-1
- 50 Years Of NASCAR (2002) Carlton Books.
- NASCAR: A Celebration (2002) Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-85868-796-4
- ARCA 50th Anniversary Book (2002) Written for ARCA
References
- ^ Motorsport.com: News channel
- ^ Special Projects – 100 Years of Racing | NIE WORLD
- ^ Untitled Document Archived October 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site – Past News Page". Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site – Past News Page". Archived from the original on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
External links