Fireball, Fearless Freddie, The Randleman Rocket, The Ronda Roadrunner,
The Timmonsville Flash, The Silver Fox, The Iceman, Chargin Charlie,
and of course, The Turtle. Did I say The Turtle? Yes, NASCAR
racing has always had a cast of colorful characters.
Men whose daring has made them icons in the world of one upsmanship.
But how in this volatile environment of death defying performers could
anyone obtain a nickname of, "The Turtle"? Actually it happened about
forty years ago.
The driver in question was a University of North Carolina graduate named
Herman Beam. Herman was a heavy set man who wore large horned rim glasses.
He looked like a college professor. And true to his nickname
Herman drove his Ford Galaxie slow. Very slow.
When Herman arrived on the NASCAR scene the sport had just passed through
its developmental stages, and stars like Curtis Turner,
Fireball Roberts, Tim Flock, and Joe Weatherly, would be joined by a
new group of stalwarts which included Fred Lorenzen, Richard Petty,
David Pearson, and a host of others.
The 1960's was an exciting time for NASCAR with participation from General Motors,
Ford, and Chrysler. And competition was fierce, at least among the big
money teams. Unfortunately not everyone on the circuit enjoyed the
amenities of a factory ride. There were still independents like
Wendell Scott who on every pit stop unbuckled his belt, jumped out
the drivers window, and helped his three man pit crew service the car.
And when someone didn't make it to the track that day, the three man crew
became two. Sadly for Wendell and other underfinanced teams, spare
parts and quality equipment were a rarity. The life of an engine
consisted of the time it was installed until the time it blew.
Sometimes that meant an explosion during practice, sometimes during
the first lap of a race.
Taking note of this pattern was a bright young college student named Herman.
You guessed it, last name Beam. Realizing that the attrition rate was
40%, and the purses of the day paid $100 or more for a top twenty finish,
Herman decided if he could build a quality machine capable of simply
finishing races, he could make a pretty good living working on
Sunday afternoons. As events unfolded and Herman entered the world of
NASCAR, his hypothesis proved to be correct. The game plan was simple.
Build a good car. Not a fast car, just a good one. And drive around the
apron of the track avoiding accidents for three or four hours and collect
your winnings. With that blueprint in mind Mr. Beam went to work.
He built a high quality Ford Galaxie. Number 19. Red.
The car was one of the better looking machines on the circuit.
And true to his plan, Herman would race week after week on the track
apron, completing laps, finishing races, and collecting a paycheck.
In fact he was so successful that during one five
race stretch during 1961, Herman actually earned more money than Fireball
Roberts. The Turtle had arrived.
But what did the world of NASCAR think of his style and driving tactics?
Actually Herman was well respected by his fellow drivers.
He seldom got in anyone's way, and never caused an accident.
In fact when he once found himself leading a race after the leaders
pitted on a caution flag, Herman promptly pulled to the apron and dropped
to the rear of the field. Why risk wrecking a good Ford with so
many hungry drivers bearing down on you when the green flag drops?
But could a more aggressive driver win more money in the number 19 Ford?
Probably. Cale Yarborough once proclaimed, "Herman always had pretty good
equipment." And like today there were always quality drivers available to
pilot anyone's vehicle. The problem with assigning the drivers seat
to someone else though, was that uncomfortable task of dividing the
winnings, and Herman wasn't quite ready to be so accommodating.
For the remainder of 1961 he would continue racing around the apron, and
continue picking up his purse. As time passed though, Herman tired of
driving, and ultimately turned over the reigns of his Ford to other drivers.
When he sold his team and quit racing, there was little fanfare.
No Hall of Fame for The Turtle, no all time greats lists,
and no dispute about his contributions to the sport.
The name of Beam will never be confused with Lorenzen, Petty, Roberts,
Gordon, or Johnson. All Herman Beam did was take a good idea,
think it out, plan a course of action, and pursue it aggressively.
Kind of like Henry Ford, J.C. Penny, Thomas Edison, and Eli Whitney.
Come to think of it, Herman didn't end up in such bad company after all!
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