Oral Literacy

Taylor Dunaway
10/8/14
Connie Douglas
UWRT1101
Dean Dunaway lives in his hometown of Gastonia, North Carolina and was
born December 6, 1957 at the old Garrison Hospital. He has worked for State Farm
insurance for 27 years and is married with two children. One son is 32, while the
other is 18. Taylor Dunaway interviewed Dean, my father, on October 4, 2014. The
purpose of this interview was to connect with my own family history and learn
more about my father. My major is accounting however I have always been
interested in dirt track racing so that is why I chose my father to interview. Racing
has mostly always been a southern sport and when it comes to dirt track racing, its
something that Dean Dunaway knows all about. Especially since his grandfather
won the very first Nascar race.
Interview
1. When and where were you born?
I was born in Gastonia N.C. at the old garrison hospital. Dec. 6 1957
2. Tell me about your family.
We were just the average working class family. My dads owned several businesses
and we have always been a racing family pretty much.
3. When and how did racing become such a big part of your family?
My grandfather used to build old liquor cars for people. You know for bootleggers.
And he just always liked fast cars he never did drive bootlegger cars. Ever since the
early days of racing hes drove a racecar.
4. What was bootlegging?
Bootlegging was when they used to manufacture illegal liquor generally hidden out
in the woods somewhere and they would sell them to places that would sell it. It was
illegal and still is.
5. How was your family introduced to racing not just building cars?
My grandfather he built himself a racecar and started racing in the mid 40s and it
just went from there. My dad worked he had his own garage and he his own
racecars and my dad started racing after that also.

6. Tell me about the first Nascar Race.

Oral Literacy
Taylor Dunaway
10/8/14
Connie Douglas
UWRT1101

The first Nascar race was in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1949. It was on a half-mile
dirt track. My grandfather showed up and he didnt have a ride but he had his
helmet. Someone was there and he had a car but he didnt have a driver and so he
drove his car for this guy and he won the race by three laps. After the race they
found the car had been altered it was actually a moonshining car and the springs
had been altered. The head of Nascar felt that it was illegal and he disqualified him.
However the drivers didnt agree with that so they took up money and paid him for
first place. They said that the modifications to that car would have made it drive
worse. So they paid him for first place and then after the race my grandfather went
to the motel where Bill France, the head of Nascar, was staying and he told Bill
France that he knew he won that race and that he was going to pay him for first
place so he paid him again. So he actually got paid twice.
7 .How much more popular was racing back then compared to now?
Back then it was more popular because the common people could relate to it. It was
people just like you and I, it wasnt a big money sport, it wasnt big business, it was
just common people that worked in mills who built a car in their backyards and
everyone could relate to it. It was people they knew and they could relate to it more.
8. Was your family very successful when it came to racing?
They were always winners. My grandfather won pretty much everywhere he went
and my dad won many races all over. He won all over the southeast.
9. Do you remember much from when you were young watching people race?
I remember a lot of it. It was exciting back then and it was competitive. When you
went to the race back then there werent just one or two guys that could win there
were quite a few. I really enjoyed it.
10. Did anyone else follow his footsteps?
My dad did. He raced for years and I raced for a couple years. I also raced
motorcycles
11. Tell me about racing motorcycles, how you did, how you got started.
My dad opened the Kawasaki motorcycle business of Gastonia in 1972 so I always
had access to motorcycles. I rode them so much that I started to get good at it so that

Oral Literacy
Taylor Dunaway
10/8/14
Connie Douglas
UWRT1101
just led to racing and it was something very physical, you had to be in very good
shape. But it was a lot of fun to do.
12. Would you say your far father carries this legacy and has influenced you?
Yes especially in this area. He was a legend as far as the dirt track drivers go. He was
one of the top drivers in the North/South Carolina area and I look up to him he was
definitely one of my heroes. I watched him as a kid and admired him. It made me to
where I definitely enjoy racing motorcycles and cars.
13. Were you involved in any racing directly?
The early part was me racing motorcycles. That came just from having a motorcycle
business. Then we started building some sprint cars and we raced those for a couple
years too. The bad part about the sprint car racing was we had to travel a lot and it
made it very difficult. We raced for a couple years.
14. Do you wish you were still racing?
I do, but racing today is not like it was back in the 40s and 50s and 60s back then
like I said the common person could do it. You didnt have to have an unlimited
budget. Pretty much anyone could get into it if you had the desire. Nowadays it takes
a lot of money, sponsors, youve got to know someone, even a dirt late model can
cost 75-100,000 dollars so the common person just doesnt have that kind of money
to put into a car that you might tear up the first night.
15. Describe how racing has been so important in your life and how it has influenced
your family
I just enjoyed racing I enjoyed the competitive part of it. Just trying to win trying to
be the best you could. Racing is also a family thing you go as a family. We always
enjoyed that. Thats how its affected us was just by doing it all together.
16. Are you and the Dunaway family still recognized for these accomplishments?
We are I mean, especially locally pretty much everyone knows the Dunaways as
being racers from back in the 60s and 70s. Even back to some who knew my
grandfather before he passed away. Every now and then Ill meet someone who
knew him and wants to talk about it but locally were definitely still recognized.
17. What type of notoriety has the family received?

Oral Literacy
Taylor Dunaway
10/8/14
Connie Douglas
UWRT1101
Well mostly on a local level, because we didnt really run the big series like Nascar,
my grandfather didnt care too much for Bill France and he ran what was called the
Outlaw series back then. It was very competitive and he won almost every time he
went. Hed travel all over to go to these races but the notoriety was definitely
through Nascar like I said we werent really involved with Nascar however my dad
did drive the Nascar Touring series in 1969. So he did drive Nascar for a year.
18. In your opinion how has it influenced you?
Just that fact that I enjoy the competitive part of it I enjoy the competition I like just
to hear the cars just being around it. I like pretty much everything about it I still like
it on the local level the dirt tracks and things like that. Now Nascar is a big business
its not the same as it used to be. Now the common person like me cant relate to it.
So I dont really enjoy it like I used to. But I still do enjoy the local racing.
19. Do you feel that you are better for it or just the opposite, that too much time and
attention were placed on it?
No I think Im better for it because we did it as a family so it didnt hurt our family. I
didnt put as much attention to it as my grandpa or dad did. Racing did take my
grandfather away to a lot of tracks he had to go to but he did take his wife with him.
Like I said, we did it as a family so I definitely think it was a family atmosphere.
20. Do you participate in any activities that continue to promote your family legacy?
About the only thing I go to now is every now and then there will be some old
Legends who get together and I will go to those to represent my dad and
grandfather. Theres a car show coming up this weekend that has a bunch of old
drivers there so Ill probably go to that. Matter in fact a man that raced with my dad
a bunch of years ago asked me if I wanted to go with him so I probably will.
21. Describe how it has become such a big part of who you are and why.
Well I guess its a big part of who I am because thats what Ive always been around.
Ive been around racing my whole life ever since I was little. They would take me to
the track every since I was a baby so I grew up with it.
22. If you could do anything again what would it be?
I would like to go back I would like to race again but like I say it takes a lot to do it. I
wouldve liked to have had an opportunity to race on a bigger scale to see if I could
compete in the big leagues. I personally think I could but I never had the
opportunity to do that.

Oral Literacy
Taylor Dunaway
10/8/14
Connie Douglas
UWRT1101
23. Tell me more about motorcycle racing compared to dirt track racing?
It takes talent to do either one. In the motorcycle racing you have to be in much
better physical condition. That definitely plays a bigger part in it. You dont
necessarily have to be in great condition to climb in a racecar and race. But as far as
comparison you definitely have to have that competitive drive to win or order to
compete in either one of them.
24. Do you have any favorite memories of going to dirt track races?
I didnt really get to see my grandfather race any that was kind of before my time. Of
course I got to see my dad race a lot. I guess I enjoyed going to one particular track
called Starlight speedway in Monroe it was a very good competitive track and he
was very successful there. I had fun going there with my mom and watching all
those guys compete.
25. How would you support any family members that wanted to race?
I wouldnt discourage them from racing but now a days like I said it takes a lot of
money to be able to do that. There is a lot of people that go broke trying to race
these days. It just depends on what the situation was and theres a danger aspect
there. I wouldnt discourage it but Id want to see what its all about now before I
gave any advice. I do know that the competitive part of it is fun and its something
that youll always remember, just competing in racing youll always remember that.
During this interview I found that I was very interested in what Dean
Dunaway had to say. I listened much more because I think that since I was a part of
the family, I knew what he was talking about and could connect with it more. I
enjoyed doing this oral literacy and I think that it was a good project. Im glad that I
interviewed my dad because I was able to connect with him more and it made it
very easy to get a good interview time. I did a good job focusing on this assignment. I
guess I just found it very interesting to learn more about my own family history. If I
could do it over again, I would have left myself more time to complete the interview.