It was at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, in Hallett, Oklahoma. I think it was 1982, but I may be a year or three either side. We had finished rebuilding our '69 Camaro after blowing an engine at my first driver's school in 1977, and then changing jobs and cities, and buying a house. We were going to do the Regional/National weekend, after my having passed a driver's school earlier in the year at Texas World Speedway. Newman was there in a new Datsun 240(260?)Z, and was going to use the Regional race on Saturday for testing, and then try to get the National win on Sunday to help him qualify for the SCCA Runoffs.

On Saturday, during qualifying (one session set the grid for both days), Newman set a track record for his class, and had the pole for the big bore race (A, B, and C Production - the Datsun was in C, A and B Sedan - my Camaro back then ran in A, and A and B Sports Racing). We qualified poorly, due to teething problems, and actually lost the clutch during the qualifying session. Between sessions, we decided to screw around with it, and determined we could lock it in second gear (Hallett is a short, tight road course, so that was a good compromise with a 4.11 rear gear) and secure it with a seat belt we salvaged from our tow vehicle. The clutch would not disengage/engage, so we slipped it into neutral, towed it to the false grid, and set it way to the back, and up a hill, so that I could be push-started, in gear, in order to race.

Newman's crew had set his car back there, too, as he planned to start last, and use the Regional race for more testing, and then pull off before he started passing any cars, and jeopardizing his car to one of us backmarkers. Since he could start under his own power, the stewards made him go first before I got my push. It took me a while to get up to speed, and I didn't catch the pack until after the green flag waved, and Newman, still laying back, was in my sights. When he saw me in his rear view mirrors, he actually pulled over and waved me by. Paul Newman pulled over, under green flag racing conditions, and waved me past him!

We ran about three more laps, and I was catching some of the slower cars, and then hit a bump, and the gearbox jumped out of gear. I coasted over to the next corner station, and parked it.

After the race, while we were loading up the car, a kid came over with one of the race programs, and told me he wanted my autograph. I tried to pursuade him that he really didn't want mine, but he said he was trying to have as many drivers sign his program as possible, so I accomodated him.

So somewhere out there, is the only autograph I ever gave out during my checkered (no pun intended) racing career.

But Paul Newman waved me past him under green flag conditions, and I will remember that forever.