Iron Boys Part 3: Meeting the Guys

Most people can recall a time when they could just kick themselves for being so dull or self-absorbed. I have four of them and they all involve famous racers.

The first was when I was 21 and living in Georgia. It began with my brother’s 1956 Harley-Davidson Panhead chopper.

My buddy Steve got us an invitation to become flagmen at Road Atlanta for IMSA, SCCA, and other car events. One of those events was the North American Can-Am series.

Paul Newman’s team was there. The Newman Freeman Racing team was very competitive in the series, fielding a Chevy-powered Spyder NF. The car was favored to win that weekend. It was as fast as a greased lightning.

We flagmen had special privileges. Besides free entry and food, we could also arrive the day before, set up camp, party undisturbed around campfires, meet and greet with the drivers and teams, and be treated with more respect than we deserved. We even got the drivers to take us on hot laps in the cars of our choice after some races.

I was working the last corner before the back straightaway. I had ridden my brother’s H-D to the track the night before in 40-degree weather with a girl named Catherine on the back.