In the mid 1950's Mercury Outboards Founder Carl Kiekhaefer became interested in Nascar racing, called the Grand National Series. This was before Winston Cup or Nextel Cup but was the same level of compitition. Keikhaefer dominated the series as a car owner for two or three years, and I believe has the highest winning percentage of all time, winning around seventy percent of the races. He had many inovations, including the first multi car teams, the first enclosed haulers, the first pit crew that was in uniforms and coordinated pit stops.
He used the Chrylser 300 which some consider this car to be the first muscle car.
Frank "Rebel" Mundy, Tim and Fonty Flock, Buck Baker and others drove for Mr Kiekhaefer.
In 1959 The Corps of Engineers was nearing completion of a 56,000 acre lake bordering Anderson South Carolina. Lake Hartwell has nearly 1,000 miles of shoreline.
Mr Mundy was apparently in the area looking to plant a Mercury dealer. My Father Ed Cooley had a used car lot in Anderson and had a white Chrysler 300 on the lot and Mr Mundy stopped to take a look. Ed already owned a Loy Craft boat with a Mercury Mark 75 outboard. The conversation sooned turned to the real reason for Mr Mundy being in Anderson and...well, the rest is history...and all because of a Chrysler 300... Corrections are welcome here as it has been five years since I last read "The Iron Fist" because I loaned it to a Johnson dealer and he never returned it.
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