(NOTE: This article appeared in the Hickory (N.C.) Daily Record in 2013.)
Settlemyre:
A driver of talent and commitment
By
Tom Gillispie
Most
people remember the late John Settlemyre as the driver who won five
straight Late Model Sportsman championships at Hickory Motor Speedway
from 1977 to ’81.
But
they don’t remember the story behind the story.
In
January of 1972, Allen Hester and his father-in-law bought a racecar
from Ted Wells for Hester to drive in the Hobby division at what was
then called Hickory Speedway. Hester had been a big fan of Tennessee
native Raymond “Friday” Hassler, and they decided that Hassler
would be a better choice to drive the car.
They’d
even stenciled Hassler’s car number, 39, onto the car.
Then
Hassler was killed in a wreck during a 125-mile qualifying race for
the 1972 Daytona 500. The two car owners had a decision to make, and
they put Settlemyre in the car in 1972. Good choice.
“I
knew I couldn’t do the car justice, and John could,” said Hester,
who would become Settlemyre’s crew chief.
“John
and I were probably best of friends and raced together for 20 years,”
said Hester, who is now district manager for Canteen for Western
North Carolina. “We had a lot of success together. John and I had a
close relationship. His skill set and mine just complemented each
other.”
Hester
says that Settlemyre had a big '72 season at the Hickory and
Asheville tracks and won the state championship. Naturally, he got
promoted to Late Model Sportsman at Hickory in '73. He drove a car
owned by Clarence “C.G.” Ogle and continued to race
competitively. In 1975, Settlemyre teamed with Reginald “Pie”
Lineberger and Hester, and they built a Chevelle to compete in the
Late Model Sportsman divisions at Hickory and Asheville.
Settlemyre
drove cars for Lineber for five seasons, winning three track titles
during that time.
He
became the second five-time champion at Hickory. Ralph Earnhardt was
track champion in 1953, ’54, ’56, ’57 and ’59.
During
Settlemyre’s third championship season at Hickory, 1979, he also
qualified for the fall 300-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“He
was running eighth when he wrecked,” Hester said. “I was his crew
chief and team manager.”
Hester
says that Settlemyre was a skilled mechanic and a perfectionist. One
year, the team bought disc brakes that didn’t fit the car, so
Settlemyre worked on the brakes until they fit.
“It
worked well,” Hester said, “and we picked up a lot of speed. If
we didn't have money to buy (something), he'd make it. He had a rare
talent and the work ethic to go with it.”
Settlemyre
had most of his success at Hickory, particularly with the five
straight titles, but Hester says that Settlemyre raced at
Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, Caraway, Lonesome Pine, Atlanta,
Charlotte and other track. He was running in Late Model Sportsman,
which later became the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. Now, it’s
the Nationwide Series.
He
raced against illustrious competition at Hickory. Among the other
track champions in the’70s were Jack Ingram (’71), Bob Pressley
(’72 and ’74), Harry Gant (’73) and Tommy Houston (’75 and
’76), and Settlemyre faced other top drivers like Sam Ard, Butch
Lineley, Bosco Lowe, Tommy Ellis and others.
“Some
of them raced professionally, but we never did,” said Hester, a
1968 graduate of Newton-Conover High.
In
1982, the 37-year-old Settlemyre ran six races in what is now called
the Nationwide Series. His one win in that series — it was then
called the NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series — came
Saturday, June 19, 1982 at Hickory Speedway. He started fifth in a
car owned by Carlos Johnson and finished ahead of Tommy Ellis. Sam
Ard, Ingram, Ronnie Silver, Dale Jarrett, Houston, Pete Silva, Phil
Parsons and Ronnie Davidson filled out the top 10.
Settlemyre
raced until the 1989 season.
“We
had built a Late Model car to run at Hickory, and we ran five races
(in ’89) before it got torn up,” Hester said. “John just
stopped racing. I repaired the car, and Bob Pressley drove it.”
But
Pressley didn’t drive it as 39; instead, they changed it to 33.
That
same year, Hester began working on a Winston Cup team with Harry Gant
and Andy Petree.
“I
did that till ’96,” he said.
But
the highlight for Hester was working and winning with Settlemyre, who
would continue to build and repair cars for other drivers after his
“retirement,” and he occasionally raced if the right opportunity
came along.
“It
was just a different style of racing back then,” Hester said. “When
those guys came to Hickory, they knew the guy to beat was John.”
Contact: I can be reached at tgilli52@gmail.com or nc3022@yahoo.com. Also, my Twitter handle is EDITORatWORK.
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