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Each week we will post a new page so that you can read and understand the real history of this great company. This is page 5. If you would like to see more of this type history give us a call at 704 583 2888.




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Holman & Moody History Timeline
1956 NASCAR John Holman moved from California to Charlotte, NC, to take over the Ford racing effort in NASCAR. He had been working for Bill Stroppe and the Western arm of Ford’s racing effort. Holman develops special stock racing wheels, which become the standard.Peter DePaolo Engineering raced cars driven by Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, Bill Amick, Ralph Moody, Fireball Roberts and others. The main competition was from the Kiekhaefer Chryslers, an the battles on and off the track were impressive. One particular point of contention was the rumor that the Fords were cheating with locked rear ends.
1957 NASCAR The season started with Ford winning race after race, and the other teams began to complain. NASCAR allowed a new Chevrolet engine to even things up, so Ford countered with the introduction of the supercharged 312. The AMA ban on auto racing went into effect, so Ford and the other manufacturers withdrew sponsorship of racing. Each of the Ford drivers were given a race car, transporter, and some spare parts. John Holman and Ralph Moody put what money they had into buying additional cars and equipment, and Holman Moody was formed. Lee Holman was given the job taking inventory of all of the spare parts. The Holman Moody Fords won their first two races in 1957.
1958 NASCAR Holman Moody entered two 1958 Fords at the last two races on the beach at Daytona. The same two cars, one driven by Curtis Turner and the other driven by Joe Weatherly, raced to firs and third in one race and second and fourth in another.Holman Moody began to change from a racing team to a racing factory. In addition to building and racing their own cars, the shop was now building cars and selling them to other teams. By late 1958 Ford support was slowly returning to racing. This support helped the Holman Moody team in the construction of ten 1959 Thunderbirds. This was the first time Holman Moody was able to get bare bodies off of the assembly lines. The production line was stopped while Holman Moody got the bare chassis and parts they needed to build the race cars. All unnecessary items in the production automobile were left off. Curtis Turner wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Champion Speedway (3/15), Lakewood Speedway (4/13), and the Southern States Fairgrounds (4/18).
1959 NASCAR Holman Moody Power Products Thunderbirds are the talk of Daytona. Johnny Beauchamp in the Holman Moody car and Lee Petty in an Oldsmobile finish in a virtual dead heat. After three days NASCAR officials decide Petty is the winner by inches. The two cars averaged 135.521 mph, which made it the fastest stock car race in history. It is slightly under the Indianapolis 500 record average speed of 135.601 mph.
1961

NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.Holman Moody makes a number of important developments including the three piece sway bar.Fred Lorenzen wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Martinsville (4/19), Darlington (5/6), and Atlanta International Raceway (7/9).

1962 Road Racing Holman Moody enters the "Challenger" in the 12 Hours of Sebring. The "Worlds fastest Falcon" was driven by Marvin Panch and Jocko Maggiacomo.A Holman Moody prepared small-block AC Cobra, driven by Augie Pabst , is one of three Cobras entered in the Nassau Speed Weeks. The Cobra is still in the development phase, and none of the three cars finish.NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.Nelson Stacy wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Darlington (5/12), Charlotte (5/27) and Martinsville (9/23).
1963 Road Racing Holman Moody enters a small-block AC Cobra in the 12 Hours of Sebring (four more were entered by Shelby). While the Cobras posted the fastest lap times, they lacked durability, and the Ferraris prevailed.NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.Holman Moody makes a number of important developments including gas cans and window nets.Dan Gurney wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Riverside International Raceway (1/20).Fred Lorenzen wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Atlanta International Raceway (3/17), Charlotte Motor Speedway (6/2), Bristol International Speedway (7/28), Asheville-Weaverville Speedway (8/11), West Virginia International Speedway (8/18), and Martinsville Speedway (9/22).Fireball Roberts wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Bristol (3/31), Daytona (7/4), and Old Bridge Stadium (7/19).
1964 NASCAR Holman Moody develops the box steel chassis for NASCAR racing that became the standard for all cars. They also make other important developments including screw jacks and wheel studs.Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.Fred Lorenzen wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Bristol (3/22 and 7/26), Atlanta (4/5), North Wilkesboro (4/19), Martinsville (4/26 and 9/27), Darlington (5/9), and Charlotte (10/18).Fireball Roberts wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Augusta International Speedway (11/17).
1965 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.Fred Lorenzen wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Daytona (2/14), Martinsville (4/25), and Charlotte (5/2 and 10/17).Dick Hutcherson wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Greenville-Pickens Speedway (4/17 and 6/19), Fairgrounds Speedway (6/3), Rambi Raceway (6/24), Smoky Mountain Raceway (8/13), Augusta International Speedway (8/15), Dog Track Speedway (8/24), Lincoln Speedway (9/14), and Orange Speedway (10/24).Road CarsHolman Moody takes over production of the Intermeccanica Omega, a Ford Powered Italian sports car. Thirty three Omegas were built. Drag RacingHolman Moody builds 10 altered wheelbase A/FX Mustangs for the Factory Experimental class of drag racing. Eight of the cars were powered by 427 SOHC (single overhead cam) engines, and the other two had 427 Hi-Risers. All of these cars ran dual 4 barrel carbs except Les Ritcheys, which had Webers. Les Ritchey managed a 10.51 sec/134.24 mph quarter mile. Bill Lawton won the NHRA Winter Nationals A/FX class with a 10.88 sec/129.84 quarter mile. The Wickersham Mustang with its 427 Hi-Riser, was driven by Clester Andrews to 40 wins in 42 match races.
1966 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.Holman Moody makes a number of important developments including fuel cells and a fuel check valve.Fred Lorenzen wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Martinsville (9/25) and North Carolina Motor Speedway (10/30). Dick Hutcherson wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Bristol (3/20), Orange Speedway (9/18), and North Wilkesboro (10/2).
1967

NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.Holman Moody makes a number of important developments including the chassis frame.Fred Lorenzen wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Daytona (2/24).Mario Andretti wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Daytona (2/26).Can AmThe "Honker II" makes its debut. The car was named after John Holman, who liked to use the air horns on the eighteen wheeler transporters he drove. The Honker II was designed by Len Bailey (from the GT program) and built by Alan Mann Racing. Holman Moody prepared the car and Mario Andretti drove it. The metallic purple car was powered by a 351 Cubic inch engine (and later a 377 CID). The handling and brakes were never sorted out, and it did not place in the two races it entered. Lee Holman brought the restored car to the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) convention in Charlotte, NC in June, 1991.

1968 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.David Pearson wins his second Championship with sixteen wins in Holman Moody prepared Torinos: Bristol (3/17 and 7/21), Virginia State Fairgrounds (3/24), North Wilkesboro (4/21), Asheville-Weaverville Speedway (5/5 and 8/18), Darlington (5/11), Beltsville Speedway (5/17), Langley Field Speedway (5/18 and 8/24), Middle Georgia Speedway (6/2), Fairgrounds Speedway (7/27), Columbia Speedway (8/8), Bowman Gray Stadium (8/10), Hickory Speedway (9/6) and Augusta Speedway (10/5).
1969 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.David Pearson wins his third Championship with eleven wins in Holman Moody prepared Torino Talladegas: Daytona (2/20), North Carolina Motor Speedway (3/9), Augusta Speedway (3/16), Richmond Fairgrounds Speedway (4/13), Langley Field Speedway (5/17), State Fairgrounds Speedway (6/26), New Thompson Speedway (7/10), Trenton Speedway (7/13), Bristol (7/20), Michigan (8/17), and North Wilkesboro (10/5).
1970 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.David Pearson wins in a Holman Moody prepared Torino Talladega at Darlington (5/9).
1971 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams. David Pearson wins in a Holman Moody Ford at Daytona (2/11) and Bristol (3/28).
1972 Ralph Moody’s stock in Holman Moody is bought back by the company, and he goes on to other racing teams. The company name remains the same. In an effort to clear away old race cars, the company has the first of a number of auctions. Holman Moody sells all nine GTs, some Can Am cars, and some retired stock cars to make room for new projects. NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1973 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1974 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1975 John Holman has a heart attack and dies while testing a new truck intercooler that he hoped to patent. NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1976 Holman Moody is being run by a bank trust department. NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1977 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1978 Lee Holman takes over as President of Holman Moody, Inc., and injects new life into the struggling company. His first goal was to get back into racing, so Holman Moody began building race cars again. They built a Mazda which raced at LeMans, and also continued with their engine building program, which included Can Am and NASCAR engines. NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1979 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1980

NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.

1981 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1982 The Charlotte airport gave Holman Moody notice of their intent to condemn the Holman Moody building in preparation for a new airport runway. The Board of Directors chose not to fight the airport, and thought that it would be a good time to let any of the stockholders who wanted to cash out do so. The company held an auction to sell off the equipment, and Lee Holman bought much of it. Holman Moody was then going to divide the cash from the building and equipment among the stock holders, and the new company, Holman Automotive, Inc., would continue the work of building race cars and engines in a new facility. As of 1997, the Charlotte airport has not condemned the six acre property and the two companies, Holman Moody and Holman Automotive, continue to operate out of the same 75,000 square foot facility. NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1983 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1984 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1985 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1986 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1987 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1988 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1989 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1990 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1991 Road Racing The first of the continued production GT MKIIs, chassis P201, is shown in incomplete form at the Shelby American Automobile Club convention (SAAC 16) in Charlotte, NC. An article featuring the continued production cars and chassis P201 appears in the November 1991 issue of "Mustang & Fords". NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1992 Road Racing GT MKII chassis P201 is completed in September. This is the first of sixteen continued production GT MKII’s using original tooling, suppliers and components. See the "GT Mark II" section for more production information. NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1993 Road Racing GT MKII chassis P201 runs at the Jefferson 500 (Summit Point, WV) and Targa ’66 (also at Summit Point, WV). It also runs in the Walter Mitty Challenge (Road Atlanta, GA) and the Lime Rock Vintage Festival (Lime Rock, CT) and SAAC-18 (Watkins Glen, NY).NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1994 Road Racing GT MKII chassis P201 runs at the Jefferson 500 (Summit Point, WV) and Targa ’66 (also at Summit Point, WV). It also runs in the Walter Mitty Challenge (Road Atlanta, GA) and the GT 30th Anniversary Reunion in July of 1994 (Elkhart Lake, WI).NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1995 Road Racing GT MKII chassis P201 runs at the Jefferson 500 (Summit Point, WV), Targa ’66 (also at Summit Point, WV), and the Walter Mitty Challenge (Road Atlanta, GA).NASCARHolman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1996 NASCAR Holman Moody is building engines for the Woods Brothers #21 cars, and grinding cams for many other NASCAR teams.
1997 Holman Moody and Holman Automotive, continue to operate out of the same 75,000 square foot facility next to Charlotte-Douglas Airport. We are currently building the GT MKII, performing mechanical restorations on other GTs and other Ford powered race cars, building engines for the Woods Brothers NASCAR team as well as other customers, and grinding cams for many NASCAR teams and customers. See the list of "Services" for a complete description of what we can do for you! Future plans include the prospect of a Holman Moody racing museum. Road RacingGT MKII chassis P201 will be running at SAAC-22 (Elkhart Lake, WI).

2016

I was very sorry to hear that Jack Sears, the great Galaxie driver, had died in Aug. of 2016. I last saw Gentleman Jack at Goodwood in 2015 when he was cheering on our 1964 Fairlane in the St. Mary's race that year. He could not have been happier that the Holman & Moody Fairlane had pulled a come from behind win that Saturday. Jack had driven the Holman & Moody Galaxies in Europe in 1963-- on to 2016. His races were famous and hard but he took pride in the fact that a Jag had never passed his old Galaxie on the track.
In 1996, I was at Goodwood with the GT 40 Mark IIs. When I walked around the back of a trailer I bumped into this old gentleman. He turned white with shock and said, "Honker, is that you?" I said no Honker was my dad, John Holman! He laughed and said he thought he had just bumped into the ghost of John Holman. That was the first time I recall meeting Mr. Sears. We went on to have lunch and I got to talk with him each time I went to Goodwood. I was invited to drive my NASCAR Galaxie at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June of 2016 and was very sorry to hear that Mr. Sears was not well and would not attend the event. Jack was a very nice person to know and a very good driver.

It does not seem to be enough to just say we mourn the loss these great drivers and friends.
Lee Holman

2017

We note that Sir John Whitmore had passed away April 28th, 2017. He was one of the drivers I worked with in England in 1965.
Sir John drive for Alan Mann Racing and seemed like a real English gentlemen. I found out that he was not the average sort when he went missing after the race at the German "ring" ended.
Alan Mann called everywhere to find him but could not. Sir John had just vanished, the car was sitting just off the track in good shape, but NO Sir John.

He was found the next day when he was allowed to make a phone call from jail for help.

It seems Sir John Whitmore had been arrested.

The car he was driving stopped out on the track and he jumped the fence to take the short way back to the pits. A GERMAN track worker saw him jump from the track into the spectator area and told him he had only a drivers pass not a spectator pass so he would have to return to the track and walk the 13 miles around the track. After some heated words, Sir John hit the track fool with his crash helmet which was seen by "GERMAN OFFICER #2" who quickly arrested Sir John.

Sir John Whitmore, Baronet spent the night in a German jail.
December, 2021
We are very sad to announce the passing of Mr. Jimmy Tucker.



For almost 60 years, Jimmy Tucker was a key member
of the winning team at Holman & Moody.
Jimmy was always willing to get the job done
and to help whenever or however he could.
At Le Mans, Daytona, Riverside, and many other tracks,
Jimmy built winning engines and a number of the
legendary Holman & Moody race cars.
We will miss him greatly.
Few people built such a winning legacy in such a humble way.


   

For the NASCAR fans, we have one of the original Holman & Moody team cars on display in the shop, a 1963 Fireball Roberts Galaxie, and a number of Mark II GT race cars.

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Shop Address: Holman Automotive Inc.,
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