So-Car Speedshops

Mason's Open House 11-6-2010

Mason’s Hot Rods, a restoration shop in Spartanburg, South Carolina, hosts an open house each fall that is a great event for any Ford enthusiast. This year Mason’s had a mix of every Ford you can imagine with an emphasis on Hot Rods and early 1960’s Galaxies. In addition to vintage cars, there was plenty of food and entertainment for everyone. All the great cars aside, it was rumored that some of South Carolina’s NASCAR legends were going to attend the event.

Unfortunately, we arrived a little late for the event and heard that we had missed Cotton Owens who had to leave early. We briefly saw Bud Moore checking out one of the stock car replicas. Bud Moore and David Pearson were two of the five individuals inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year. Moore, Pearson and Owens still reside in Spartanburg, South Carolina where they started and from there made significant contributions to the sport of stock car racing.

It wasn’t long before we spotted David Pearson standing by a GT 40. Quiet and unassuming, one could easily walk by him and not even realize it. Pearson is really a neat guy. He seems willing to chat with you as long as you would like although we had no plans to try to find his limit. We congratulated him on his recent induction into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame. By all accounts, David Pearson is the second greatest stock car driver of his era, but to meet him, you would never know it.

Born in Whitney, South Carolina in 1934, David Gene Pearson is a local hero to a lot of us. You could always count on Pearson being a contender for the win. Pearson got his start with a Pontiac for a brief period of time before driving Cotton Owens prepared Dodges. In 1968 Pearson landed a ride in a Holman Moody Torino which he drove to two consecutive NASCAR Grand National Championship titles. It was a fantastic time in history for any Ford lover.

NASCAR has changed a lot over the years and so has our interest in it. However, it is always reassuring when you realize that some things can remain the same. A big thanks to Mason’s for hosting this event that serves as a reminder each year. It was great to see our favorite stock car racing legends not perched behind a table signing autographs on NASCAR licensed items, but out and enjoying the fans and the cars that continue to bring us all together.

Reprinted from the Fairlaner; January-February 2011