H*4156 Resolution, By W.D. Smith
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO COMMEND WALTER "BUD" MOORE, A NATIVE OF SPARTANBURG,
 SOUTH CAROLINA, AND A TRUE NASCAR LEGEND, ON HIS LIFE AND HISTORIC RISE IN THE
 SPORT OF AUTO RACING AND HIS EFFORTS AND TALENTS THAT HAVE PLACED NASCAR ATOP
 THE SPORTS FIELD TODAY.

   05/22/01  House  Introduced and adopted HJ-3

TO COMMEND WALTER "BUD" MOORE, A NATIVE OF SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND A TRUE NASCAR LEGEND, ON HIS LIFE AND HISTORIC RISE IN THE SPORT OF AUTO RACING AND HIS EFFORTS AND TALENTS THAT HAVE PLACED NASCAR ATOP THE SPORTS FIELD TODAY.

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to honor and commend legendary Bud Moore on all his personal and public accomplishments in his life and all the great things he has done for NASCAR and auto racing in general; and

Whereas, Bud Moore is married to his high school sweetheart, Betty, and has three sons, Greg, Daryl, and Brent; and he and his wife have five grandchildren, Missy, Candy, Ben, Tommy, and Brittany; and

Whereas, after turning eighteen on May 25, 1943, and finishing high school on June 2nd, Mr. Moore entered the Army and had his enrollment papers by June 6th and was in the service by August 1st. On June 6, 1944, at the age of nineteen, Bud Moore waded ashore at Utah Beach. Over a year later he returned to Spartanburg with Sergeant's stripes, two Bronze Stars for Valor and five Purple Hearts; and

Whereas, upon his return to Spartanburg, he met up with longtime friend and Navy veteran, Joe Eubanks, to start a used car shop. They traded a used car for a 1939 Ford to use on the small-track dirt racing. So late in the 1940's Mr. Moore decided to take the car for a spin on the track at the fairgrounds in Ralston, North Carolina. After a few laps he ran it through the fence and decided to start turning the wrench instead of the wheel; and

Whereas, Bud Moore prepared the Chevy that Buck Baker drove to the 1957 Grand National Championship. Four years later he formed his own team with Joe Weatherly at the wheel. He won the Grand National Championship in 1962 and 1963. By 1958 Moore's name had become well know around the sport and he was awarded the 1958 Buddy Schuman Memorial Award for contributions to the sport of auto racing for his work on Baker's car. Moore also was recognized as the NASCAR Mechanic of the Year in 1961 and 1962; and

Whereas, midway through the 1962 stock car season, Bud Moore started a team to race the Mercury Cougar on the Trans-Am circuit with Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Peter Revson, and Ed Leslie. He lost the 1967 manufacturer's championship to Mustang by only two points; and

Whereas, Moore returned to NASCAR in 1972 after having developed the small-block engine, a powerful, lightweight motor that would change the sport forever. Bud Moore also developed some safety devices such as the window net, the inner fuel cell and the jockey strap, a device made to hold the shoulder harness in place during a wreck by attaching it under the driver's seat. When he was the crew chief of Jack Smith's car, he was the first to put a two-way radio into a race car; and

Whereas, Moore's drivers can start their own hall of fame. Some of those drivers would be Cotton Owens, Fireball Roberts, Joe Weatherly, Bob Welborn, David Pearson, Darel Dieringer, Rex White, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Lee Roy Yarborough, Tiny Lund, Donnie Allison, Bobby Isaac, Darrell Waltrip, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Brett Bodine, Morgan Shepherd, and Geoff Bodine; and

Whereas, Bud Moore is a member of living legends of auto racing and received the Pioneer award at the 2000 banquet; and

Whereas, Walter "Bud" Moore is a legend of auto racing and NASCAR whose life in racing spans over fifty years, has helped shape the sport into one of the paramount sports of the our time. It is most befitting that the South Carolina House of Representatives pause in their deliberations to honor and commend this living legend and all that he has done to help the sport that he so dearly loves. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, commend Walter "Bud" Moore, a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and a true NASCAR legend, on his life and historic rise in the sport of auto racing and his efforts and talents that have placed NASCAR atop the sports field today.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Bud Moore.