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CONCORD – John Weinstow and his 1969 Ford Turin Talladega won the best of Walter Holyfield when the Charlotte Auto Expo ended September 10 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Performance Award.
Stowe is no stranger to Charlotte Motor Speedway, having raced Superspeedway since the mid-1960s. For a while, he even lived on the grounds with legendary NASCAR mechanic Harry Hyde. But over the years, Stowe said he never thought he’d see himself in Victory Lane.
While the Turin Talladega was a rare find—only 742 were built at the time, according to Stowe, compared to about 90 today—it always held a special place in his heart.
“I’ve been racing most of my life,” Stowe said. “I’ve seen Richard Petty and David Pearson drive the same car. My dad has one, so I want one, but I don’t think I’ll ever get one. A guy in Atlanta called me , told me he had one. I went there to get it the next day and couldn’t see it.
“It was in a bucket. I paid $7,500 for it. I did the whole restoration myself – motor, gearbox and the whole thing.”
Despite years of meticulous work restoring the car to its former glory, Stowe was shocked to win the Charlotte Auto Expo’s most prestigious award.
“I took it to car shows all over the place, but it never won anything because people didn’t know what it was. Cars never win. When you win Best in Show, it really gets you Stomach and your nerves tense up. It feels like a NASCAR victory.”
In addition to the Walter Holyfield Award for Best in Show, the judges on Sunday presented professional awards to the following:
• Best in Show Runner-up: Kelly and Keith Cross, 1961 Chevrolet Corvette
• Best in Show Runner-up: Matt Timberlake, 2018 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5
• Best Foreign Car: Patrick On, 2020 Toyota GR Supra
• Best Millennial Car: Angela Naff, 2022 Tesla Model S
• Best Restoration: Keith Robertson, 1959 Ford Fairlane 500
• Sam Bass Award (Best Paint): Phil Heitman, 1966 AMC Marlin
• Best Truck: Cindy Lisk, 2018 Ford F150
• Most Creative: Heath King, 2017 Chevrolet Camaro
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