Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 23, 1993                   TAG: 9310230043
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

STOCK-CAR DRIVER'S CHOICE OF CAR WAS PICTURE PERFECT

One is No. 43, Richard Petty's blue and red, mid-1970s Dodge Charger.

The other, the one in the foreground, is No. 42, a more recent yellow and red Dodge Daytona that Dublin's Ronnie Byrd drives in the Limited Sportsman division at New River Valley Speedway.

"One night at the track, Chris Blair, a reporter from Stock Car Racing, came up to us," Byrd said. "He asked if I minded if he took some pictures, and I said OK. Then he came back a little later and introduced himself.

"Right before he left, I asked him what the chances were of this making it in the magazine. He said pretty good."

The national publication was planning a special issue on "Mopars," the name used to describe any racing Chryslers, Plymouths or Dodges. Photographers were sent to race tracks all over the country to take black-and-white photos of Chrysler-made race cars.

Those pictures were reviewed, and about 10 cars were selected for color photographs. Byrd and Stacy Compton, a part-time Late Model driver at NRVS, were among those whose pictures appeared in color.

"I got real excited about that," Byrd said. "I figured if it was a color photo, it might have a chance of running [in the magazine]."

But the best was yet to come. After the color photo was taken, Byrd was contacted by David Allio about doing another photo. Except this time, it would be at Petty Enterprises in Level Cross, N.C. Petty would have his car alongside Byrd's.

The photo session was set for a Wednesday in late July. But then, as Byrd put it, Murphy's Law took over.

The Saturday night before the scheduled photo session, Byrd crashed, and his car had to be taken off with wreckers. He called to seek more time but immediately began repairs to his Dodge.

Starting the repairs right away turned out to be an excellent decision. Instead of getting a two-week extension, Byrd learned that the photo shoot had been moved up 24 hours.

After 60 hours of work, the crew had the car together and headed for North Carolina. "The paint was wet," Byrd said.

Once they arrived, Byrd and his crew toured the museum and the shop. Then came time to take the pictures.

"You see him on TV, you see him at the track," Byrd said of Petty. "But it's really different to meet him in person. It was really great."

Byrd, 28, feels the photo can do nothing but help his 6-year-old racing career. After all, it means a lot of exposure for three of his main sponsors - Swanson Foods, Wade's Supermarkets and Auto Unlimited. All are clearly visible in the cover photograph.

Byrd had, by some measures, a down year this season. He finished ninth in the points standings. But he worked his way back up from 14th, after missing the start of the season because of a late-winter appendectomy.

In 1990, Byrd had his best season. He captured the Pure Stock championship, the only track title ever claimed by a Chrysler-product driver at NRVS.

Byrd will race in the Limited race as part of the Southwestern Virginia Chevrolet Dealers 300 today at NRVS. Next year, he plans to run a full Limited season, plus several Late Model races.

Keywords:
AUTO RACING