Pride of NASCAR: Harry Hyde

long before he was ever a Hollywood character Harry Hyde had a love for Speed his first Big Break as a NASCAR crew chief came in 1965 and within 5 years he won the championship with Bobby Isaac along the way Harry earned a reputation as a stickler for details he was also known to run a pretty tight ship would you say Harry Hyde was an intimidating person intimidating Harry Hyde read a lot of George C Patton I think it was George C Patton wasn't it yeah and he ran his theme like George C Patton and if Harry had had a tank I think he would have driven it to work that little index card in that pocket that had the world's smallest writing on it he lived by that index card didn't he he'd have everything on that card what cam was in it what sway cars tire pressure then at the end of race day uh going down the road he'd have me driving you know he'd sit over there and take that car out and turn sideways and rot driver laid down on me uh cars wasn't no good from the aerodynamics to the ceration to every piece on it there's not many people out there today that can do it all but he was one of those people by 1984 Hyde was running a successful engine shop when newcomer car salesman Rick Hendrick decided to start a race team to tell you how bad he wanted to race Harry said look it it you pay me $500 a week I will rent you the shop I'll rent you the tools and so I probably got into racing cheaper than anybody ever has cuz I had 5,000 square ft of rented space five fulltime employees my crew chief making $500 a week and uh renting all the all the gears and transp and in fact he worked for nothing for a while just as long as team people got paid and just so he could get the team going without Harry it wouldn't happened pure and simple seven races into the season with the money running out Hy convinced hendrik to run one more race Jeff Bodine chalked up his very first win Cup victory 4 and 1/2 seconds ahead of the pack that surprising win secured a sponsor for the rest of the year but by The Following Season the cantankerous crew chief had had enough of his Yankee driving with 10 races to go hendrik had to beg them both to stick it out so then I got the team together so we go in there with the team and I make my speech and I let Jeff Bine go first and so Jeff gets up he says I I know we've had some disagreements but I give Rick my word that we're going to work together we're going to have a good finish to the year so jesson stand Harry stands up so Harry says well B down you a prick and a primadana but I love Rick hendrik Mor I hate you and I thought whoa Harry who this is all the team sitting there I mean I I had spent two hours putting it together and he didn't follow the script but that was just Harry the next season Hendrick paed with a flashy and flamboyant indie car turned NASCAR driver named Tim Richmond Tim didn't know the front from the back but he had so much great ability yeah that Harry said this is what I've been looking for a driver does not want to tell me everything to do the car here comes Tim Richmond for the checkered FL there Tim Richmond your winner no one's going to touch Tim Richmond here's the celebration of the Harry hi crew hi has just LED Tim Richmond he loved him like a son after a little while I mean you know he gained that much respect for Tim cuz he can see Tim really wanted to win in 37 races together the pair won nine times but the magic wouldn't last just two months after his last win Tim Richmond quit racing two years later he died of AIDS you know it it crushed Harry I mean Harry had been for so long so confident in what he could do if he had the right dri and the right equipment I don't think he ever got over that Harry raced a couple more years earning only one win but his legacy had already been established as one of the most colorful and inventive crew chiefs to ever been the NASCAR rule book we've had a lot of good crew chiefs over the years excellent crew chiefs but a lot of them just go by that rule book and this is what you have to do and Harry would look at it and say you got to do this and this but there's an area in here that I know they don't think anybody will do it but I can do it and they really don't have me there and I just think he's very much an innovator

Channel: NASCAR

Views: 54,502

Keywords: NASCAR, Sports, PoconoRaceway

Id: JUQCHItkCHI

Length: 5min 25sec (325 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 04 2012