My grandparents lived right behind Bill King and the race shop in Evansville Bill was a very nice guy. My uncle keeped his latemodel at my grandparents house and bill would come over or papaw would send us back to bills shop to pick stuff up. Bill also owned Kngs machine shop and I think now lives in flordia. He employed my grandfather after he retired to help keep the shop clean (just to give him something to do and talk racing with each other).

Two memories I really remember of that car. In the early days of WOO it was wing optional. It was up to the track. Kokomo wingless, Ferkel , no nerf bars to save weight.Him and Buckwheat get together ,and Buckwheat skies it. Goes as high as the light poles. Looks like its all over for Gates, it was coming down cage first. At the last moment it lands wheels down.Gates breaks his leg. He gets a cast on it. A couple of days later he breaks it of with a hammer, and makes one out of leather he ties on. One tough SOB.

Another time at Terre Haute,Levitt guts the motor going into 1. I mean he gutted it, pieces of crankshaft, with rods still attached laying on the track. It was one fast car, spectacular with Eddie on the cushion.

Wow!!!!!!
That is the kind of stories I am interested in hearing......Thanks for the info.

I've heard that story about the Ferkel deal many times from Gates, dont believe hes forgiven him yet! if I can figure out how to post pics I have some of the car being restored, can someone tell me how, Thanks

If my memory doesn't fail me, I think that was in a fast car dash. I thought at the time those guys were really going at it hard for probably $50

My Father, Cliff Cockrum drove the 51 car at Paragon on his last race before retirement. Rich Vogler had been driving the car at the time. I remember the photos of the baby blue and white/King Machine car. I have a newspaper clipping showing dad, hooking a rut and standing the car straight in the air, nose to the sky, I'll see if I cant locate it.

Shane Cockrum