First Lady of NASCAR Lynda Petty Dies

Lynda Petty, wife of seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, died March 25, 2014 of complications following a long battle with cancer. Lynda holds a special place in the Stock Car Racing Collection; her large donation of items documenting Richard's career was the first gift providing personal insights into the sport received by the Collection. Processing the donation is underway, and we expect that a finding aid to it will be available on the Stock Car Racing Collection web page by the end of the year.

Friend of Racing JB Day Dies

James Bolt, "JB" Day of Easley, South Carolina, died May 5, 2014. JB was a racer in his early days, piloting a #77 Ford. He is well remembered for hosting an annual birthday party for Raymond Parks, "the godfather of stock car racing," and for the replicated and restored race cars he exhibited at many racing events and housed in his Riverbend Racing Museum in Easley. In 2011 Suzanne Wise, Curator of the Appalachian State University Library Stock Car Racing Collection, bestowed the title of Honorary Racing Historian on JB at the annual Georgia Automobile Racing Association Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Dawsonville, Georgia. JB's presence in the racing community will be sorely missed.