Racing Drag and Dirt Track with The Marshall Tucker Band
During the early ‘70’s you could find a dirt track racer running the round track at Greenville Pickens Speedway on Saturday nights emblazoned with the sponsor name - The Marshall Tucker Band.
Like most red blooded Carolina boys, the Tuckers loved all things Southern, from baseball to bass fishing, and especially racing. All types of racing, from NASCAR to drag racing, so it was a natural thing for them to race a dirt track car. Doug Osteen from Woodruff was their driver, and quite a driver he was.
I remember sitting in the stands when all of the cars cranked up. The sound was just amazing. You could feel it in your gut. I was there to cheer the Tucker car to victory. Unfortunately, they placed fifth that night, but a good time and a lot of cold beer and rebel yells were had by all.
Then in 1976, singer Doug Gray ventured from Spartanburg down to Atlanta to watch his buddy and band mate George McCorkle race his very own dragster.
George had a Camero. He told me he got the auto body from Doug Gray, trading him a ‘62 Chevrolet for it. After that, Gray caught the bug and got his own racer, sometimes racing against George in Greer or Spartanburg, SC.
In 1978, George McCorkle owned a super-stock ‘67 Camero-which won its class in the Southern Nationals. Doug Gray became another frequent winner, campaigning a ‘66 Nova with a 500 h.p. engine that moved to 8000 rpm’s within 35 feet. He even set two world class records for IHRA.
I never saw Doug race, but I saw George burn up the track, beating out a Ford on the Greer Dragway. George blew his doors off.
George told me once about his drag racing and how much he loved those cars. He told me that his car and Doug’s were both built by Gene Fulton, of Fulton Competition in Spartanburg, a man with a great reputation as both a builder and as a racer himself. Remember, we got it honest down in Spartanburg. We had Cotton Owens and during Tuckers hey day we had the great David Pearson turning left in his NASCAR.
George and Doug were both speed freaks. Toy Caldwell used to talk about their exploits in the media ever so often.
“Doug just goes crazy out there,” said Toy in a 1978 interview with The Boston Globe. “He just gets in and floorboards it. He’s won quite a few times and has lots of trophies at his house. Hey, everybody’s got to relieve their tensions somehow. You couldn’t get me in one of those cars, but it’s funny. Him and George wouldn’t jump on a horse neither. They’re scared to death of horses.”
Scared of horses, but certainly not horse power.
Keep it Real. Keep it Southern.
Buffalo
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Comments
outlawcountry says...
I didn't know George raced. That is cool. Good article.
waynep says...
Now you are talking man. You guys should have a section on nascar and other track racing
sarasmile says...
Good article. I love drag racing. Used to follow the mongoose and the snake. How about you?
tuckerhead says...
Thanks Michael. As a self proclaimed Tuckerhead there ain't much I don't know, but I never knew the boys were racers. Great article.
coconut1955 says...
You really have had a life Buff. Seeing McCorkle on the drag strip had to be special. I read about them racing back in the seventies in a drag racing magazine. I think I still have it if you'd like it for your library.