Bud Moore (NASCAR owner)
Bud Moore | |
---|---|
Birth name | Walter Maynard Moore Jr. |
Born | Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S. | May 25, 1925
Died | November 27, 2017 Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S. | (aged 92)
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | Army |
Years of service | 1943–1945 |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit | 359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division |
Battles/wars |
|
Awards | Military:
NASCAR: |
Spouse(s) | Betty Moore |
Children | 3 |
Other work | NASCAR crew chief (1950–1989) NASCAR team owner (1961–2000) |
Website | www |
Walter Maynard "Bud" Moore Jr. (May 25, 1925[1] – November 27, 2017) was a NASCAR car owner who operated the Bud Moore Engineering team. A decorated veteran of World War II, he described himself as "an old country mechanic who loved to make 'em run fast".[2]
Moore served in World War II as a member of the United States Army. A machine gunner, he participated in the Normandy landings as part of the 4th Infantry Division, landing on Utah Beach. After Normandy, he went on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge and ended his military service as a sergeant.
When he returned from the war, he began a career in
Early and personal life
Moore was born on May 25, 1925, on a farm in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Walter M. "Dick" Moore Sr.; he was one of ten children, including six brothers and three sisters.[1] After attending Jenkins and Cleveland Junior High, he started going to Spartanburg High School. After receiving his driver's license at the age of 14, he and friends Joe Eubanks and Cotton Owens raced their cars in the streets.[3]
He met his wife, Betty Clark, while in high school. The two dated until Moore departed for the military
There is also a South Carolina-born NASCAR driver named Bud Moore who raced in the 1960s and 1970s.[10] Nicknamed "Little Bud", the driver has no relation to the owner.[11]
Moore died on November 27, 2017, in Spartanburg at the age of 92.[12]
Military career
On June 2, 1943, a day after graduating high school and a week after his 18th birthday, Moore was drafted into the United States military. Although he expressed interest in joining the Navy as Eubanks, Owens, and Moore's brother Charles were also in the branch, he did not have a college education (which was required for those entering the Navy) and a naval officer attempted to place him in the Marine Corps. Unhappy with this, Moore instead joined the Army. After training at Camp Van Dorn in Mississippi, he went to New Jersey's Fort Dix,[13] where he was assigned to the 90th Infantry Division, D Company, 359th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 1st Platoon as a machine gunner.[14] As a member of the 1st Platoon, Moore's machine gun was .30 caliber water-cooled, described as a heavy weapon.[15]
Moore and his group were not expecting to participate in the Normandy landings in 1944. In March, they were told they would be involved in an amphibious assault off the English coast, with plans of a dry run upon completing training in Knighton, Powys. The group landed in Liverpool before going to an army camp in Wales, South Yorkshire. On June 4, two days before the landings, Moore observed a map produced by officers and realized the land depicted was not England, but France, and that he would be involved in the invasion of Normandy. The regiment was reattached to the 4th Infantry Division for the operation.[16]
On June 6, Moore's division landed on Utah Beach, where they faced German resistance and other obstacles; at one point, as he waded through the water, Moore stepped in a shell hole and fell in, causing him to go underwater before recovering. Upon reaching land, he hid behind a sand dune before continuing. By nightfall, the division had reached half a mile inland and started settling into foxholes when the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions arrived to divert German attention. There was also discussion among Moore's division about General Dwight D. Eisenhower recalling them due to the lack of progress made at nearby Omaha Beach, though they stayed at Utah. After clearing the beach, Moore joined General George S. Patton at Périers, Manche.[17] At the city, Moore witnessed American airplanes dropping bombs along a ten-mile strip near the city, an event nicknamed "The Big Push".[14] While he was near Paris, Moore's group was assigned to capture the Cotentin Peninsula before returning to Patton. Instead of Moore's group, General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque's men liberated Paris.[18]
After leaving France, Moore's group crossed the Siegfried Line and reached the Rhine before being withdrawn to Verdun, where they stayed for three weeks without supplies. As it turned out, the Germans had built their infantry along the Siegfried Line and had launched the Battle of the Bulge, which forced Moore's division to fight their way back to the line and losing approximately 12,000 men in the process.[19] On one mission during the battle, Moore and a German-speaking Jeep driver entered a German-occupied town that also served as a Wehrmacht area regimental headquarters. The two began to inspect houses and spotted a German soldier running into a wooden hut. Moore attacked the hut, causing it to catch fire and prompting the soldier to surrender; he was tied onto the hood of the Jeep. As they continued through the town, they noticed more Germans hiding in a rock house, which Moore also fired upon. Although the Germans displayed a white flag of surrender, they did not exit the building. Moore's driver ordered the captured soldier to convince his comrades to surrender before Moore summoned artillery. When they left the house, Moore discovered 15 soldiers and four officers among the surrendering German troops. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his work in the operation.[14]
As he continued through Germany into Czechoslovakia, Moore was promoted to sergeant, during which he earned a second Bronze Star after his involvement in a battle located in an abandoned hospital.[14] He also received five Purple Hearts, four for shrapnel damage and one for taking machine gun fire to the hip. In spite of his injuries, he was often sent back into battle after brief stays in the hospital; by February 1945, he and a lieutenant were the only men in the group to have fought in Normandy. At one point, Moore and the lieutenant were to receive a 90-day furlough and return to the United States in March, but Moore was injured and his reprieve papers were lost, forcing him to remain in Europe.[20]
In December 1944, Moore participated in the
Despite his honors, Moore distanced himself from his allies. He received the information of his company members but did not contact them out of worry that doing so would lead to him finding out they were killed in action.[25] He also turned down offers to return to the beaches of Europe, saying he "left too many friends over there."[24] In 1994, the 50th anniversary of the Normandy landings, Moore was invited by Unocal Corporation to follow his route during the war from Utah Beach to Czechoslovakia.[25] He declined the offer, stating he "would have gone, but when racing is your livelihood and there's a race on the schedule for a certain weekend, you about have to be there."[14]
NASCAR
Upon returning to the States, Moore reunited with Eubanks and opened a used car business,
During the 1960s, Moore opened his own NASCAR team,
Moore also worked with fellow Ford team Wood Brothers Racing, teaching team owners Leonard and Eddie Wood the use of the slide rule to determine a car's horsepower on a dynamometer.[24] In a 2015 online chat with fans, Moore considered the Woods to be his closest colleagues among NASCAR owners.[36]
In 1965, Moore and
Other notable racers have driven for Moore, including Darel Dieringer, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Isaac, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, Geoff Bodine, Ricky Rudd, Brett Bodine, and Morgan Shepherd.[32] During his 37 years as a car owner, Moore recorded 63 wins, 43 poles and two NASCAR Grand National championships.[32] By the time of his team's shutdown in 1999, the 63 wins made Moore the fourth owner with the most wins in NASCAR history.[8]
In the late 1990s, a lack of funding hindered the team's progress. After losing its primary sponsor during the 1996 season, the team attempted only five of 84 races, qualifying for two. BME received sponsorship requests from various groups, including a three-year contract with
Although he no longer owned a team, Moore remained in the sport, working on NASCAR's appeals committee.[9] In 2002, he was inducted into the Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame;[28] seven years later, he was enshrined in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.[46] On May 23, 2011, he was named to the second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. During his induction speech, Moore stated he would like to be remembered as "one who made many contributions to the sport. One who's [sic] firm handshake was as good as any contract. One who always gave a straight answer. Most of all, to be remembered as a man who loved his family, his country and the sport of racing."[47]
He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2013.[48]
References
- ^ a b Moore & Wood 2015, p. 11.
- ^ Modestino, Lou (December 22, 2015). "NASCAR great Bud Moore will be at the Performance Race Car and Trade Show in Phillie on Jan. 22–24". GateHouse Media. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 18.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 19.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 21.
- ^ "House Resolution HR 4156" (doc). South Carolina House of Representatives. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Shanesy, Todd (February 8, 2008). "Founding father Bud Moore farmed out but not forgotten". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Winston, Chris (July 31, 1999). "Bud Moore sells off his race team". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c "BUD MOORE KEEPS BUSY AT 90, WORKING THE FARM WITH A HAND IN RACING". Ford Performance. July 1, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Bud Moore". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Hembree, Mike (May 18, 2011). "NASCAR Legend Owens Prepares for the Homestretch". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Cotton Owens Garage. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- FOX News. November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 21–22.
- ^ a b c d e f Higgins, Tom (May 31, 2016). "CP MOTORSPORTS: TOM HIGGINS: BUD MOORE AND THE LONGEST DAY EVER". Competition Plus. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 22.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 22–23.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 24.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 24–25.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 26.
- ^ a b Moore & Wood 2015, p. 27.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 26–27.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 27–28.
- ^ Moore & Wood 2015, p. 27–29.
- ^ a b c d e Wood, Jordan (May 24, 2015). "World War II Hero and NASCAR Legend Bud Moore Set to Celebrate 90th Birthday on Memorial Day". Wood Brothers Racing. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c Moore & Wood 2015, p. 29.
- ^ "Dale Earnhardt: 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ "Dale Earnhardt: 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Farr, Donald (June 1, 2005). "Bud Moore Engineering – Reflecting With Bud". Mustang Monthly. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ "1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ "Bud Moore (crew chief): Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results (wins)". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "Bud Moore (owner): Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results (races)". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Bud Moore Owner's Statistics". Racing Reference.info. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Billy Wade 1964 Driver's statistics". Racing Reference.info. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Buddy Baker: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results (Talladega Superspeedway)". Racing-Reference. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- Foxsports.com. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ "Chat Transcript: Bud Moore". Bud Moore Engineering. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ISBN 978-1627887953.
- ^ "Trans-Am". 20 October 2022.
- ^ Shanesy, Todd (February 6, 2000). "Dream team Two brothers from California made a deal with a Spartanburg legend. Now, Fenley/Moore Motorsports is ready to take on…". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ "NEW HARRAH'S LAS VEGAS CASINO AND HOTEL SPONSORSHIP GIVES FENLEY-MOORE MOTORSPORTS ..." Motorsport.com. November 19, 1999. Retrieved June 7, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Derrike Cope Signs for 2000". Motorsport.com. September 16, 1999. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Shanesy, Todd. "Fenleys to sell shop, move near I-85". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Rockne, Dick (April 20, 2000). "Auto racing". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Shanesy, Todd. "Fenleys to sell shop, move near I-85". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Langhorne, Tom (April 2, 2002). "Fenley race shop sold for $50,000 Race shop sold for $50,000". Spartanburg Herald-Journal.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2009". Talladega Superspeedway. December 4, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (May 23, 2011). "NASCAR inducts 2nd Hall of Fame class". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Bud Moore at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Further reading
- Moore, Bud; Wood, Perry Allen (August 24, 2015). Bud Moore: Memoir of a Country Mechanic from D-Day to NASCAR Glory. ISBN 978-0786499540.