N.C. racer reaches milestone after 41 years

CARNESVILLE, Ga. -- Relaxing on the back of a golf cart a few feet from his late model race car, Buck Simmons hardly had a moment to himself.

One by one, well-wishers stopped by to spend a little time with the veteran dirt-track driver before practice at Highway 106 Speedway in northeast Georgia. The 55-year-old North Carolina racer signed autographs, shook hands and greeted everyone.

"They call me a living legend up here. I've guess I've got a lot of fans," he said with a smile. "It makes a man feel good to be appreciated."

Why shouldn't he be? Nearing the end of his 41-year career, Simmons recently won his 1,000th late model feature race, joining few drivers believed to have to reach 1,000. "It's certainly impressive," racing historian Greg Fielden said. "I think Dick Trickle may have close to 1,000 wins, but there's not many others that have it."

Stuck on 999 since last season, Simmons finally got the sought-after victory at Lavonia Speedway on May 11.

"I'm glad it's over with," Simmons said. "I never thought it was that big a deal, then everybody started talking about it, and I started to think maybe it was a big deal, after all."

His mother kept a record of Simmons' results for years, traveling all over the South to watch her son race. In failing health for about a year, she hasn't been able to see his past few victories.

"If I ever sat down and looked through her book, I could tell you how many times I finished second, how many times I finished in the top five, how many times I fell out," Simmons said. "I think I'll do that one of these days when I quit."

-- Keith Parsons