If you love classic nascar history like we do make sure you’re subscribed and check out our other videos! Including the upcoming series with refreshing Lake’s old Ford race engine! Merch link: stapletonautoworks.com
Thanks so much for this. Lake was 1 of my favorite drivers. Loved his win @ Darlington in TranSouth 500 in 88. His interview giving all the Glory to God is still awesome to hear. My top 3 Lake paint schemes: the Wynns/ Kmart olds. The purex and bulls eye. Thanks again for posting.
Thank you for recognizing Lake!! I may be wrong, and correct me if I'm wrong. I believe some of his missed opportunities were because of his faith and morals.
I can't remember everything But I remember getting a program for the 1997 interstate batteries 500 at Texas(the inaugural race) and seeing the #8 circuit city Ford thunderbird and thinking it looked amazing and that lake had the coolest name in nascar, I remember pulling for Mark Martin(my favorite driver), but I always had a backup guy when I watched in case Mark didn't finish, who I picked before the race That race I chose Lake Speed
This brought me to tears ! What a great man Lake Speed is ! I watched him back in the day but had no idea what kind of man he was ! What a story 👍👍🇨🇦🇺🇸
When Lake was a boy, I used to deliver the newspaper to his father's house. His brother and I went to school together and later I watched Joe race out at the track. All that to say that I have always followed his career. Glad to see him alive and kicking. Thanks, Lake for your Christian testimony.
I remember when I was a kid watching NACAR on the tube. When Lake Speed would make a move or take the lead the PA would change his tone and go up 2 or 3 times in excitement. Cool interview.👍😉
It's hard not to root for a guy like Lake Speed. I had no idea about his success in go karts. How cool to see him tell his story and see the pride his son has about his dad and his career. Awesome Content as always, look forward to seeing what comes next!!!
Okay this is my new favorite. Lake Speed was always a favorite of mine because of all the things you see in this video: He was always completely confident in his proclamation of his faith and giving God all the credit for his success. He was a completely independent team. One of the ONLY products I have ever went to the store and bought because I saw it advertised on the side of a (Lake's) race car was Bull's Eye BBQ sauce. Still my favorite! Hearing all these stories direct from Lake himself is for sure a privilege! Thanks!
Richard Petty said it best: "NASCAR used to be about Racing. Today it's about the Big Event". I'll go him one better: NASCAR today is beyond a circus. It's a crash & burn derby.
If NASCAR still had people like Lake it would still be a great sport not having to travel all over the country just to get fans. When all the independent guys left all the fun went out of NASCAR for the fans
@@tucker442 After winning his seventh title, even Dale Earnhardt in TV interviews openly said, "I am not the new King. Richard Petty will always be the King." TNN, which in those days did a lot of NASCAR coverage, openly billed Earnhardt as the "Crown Prince".
Really enjoyed watching Lake Speed. He is one the forgotten drivers. He has a great testimony for his faith; his number #83 is the year he was saved. So much respect for Lake.
Outstanding Video !!!! I met Lake Speed back when I worked for Budweiser. And met all of the Nascar drivers too. Also, I was one of the first employees of Road Atlanta and on to Nascar as a security officer. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE of it.. I was so Blessed to have that opportunity.. I am So Thankful. GOD is Great !!
Lake Speed has to be one of the most interesting and coolest guys in NASCAR history. Going to Europe and being a World Karting Champion is incredible. He ran his own Kart parts company since he was 16 years old. To back that up with running his own NASCAR team and winning is something else. And as we can see in this video, he is a down to earth guy. I glad that you were able to get to spend so much time with him and his son. Did you notice that the fuel tank on the championship kart is just a plastic jug with the handle going through the steering shaft and the jug taped to the kart. Many people have wondered how Lake would have done if he went to Indy cars, Formula cars or some other road race series.
I stumbled on to this video. I’m 47. I grew up around the Elliot racing scene in Georgia. I remember Lake Speed!! The name and legend. These guys, back in the day, built NASCAR.
You are killing it capturing NASCAR history, researching and finding the interesting backstories...people, tracks, cars. Lake Speed has a great history, thanks for bringing his story back to the future. Looking forward to how the story evolves with the engine refresh. Great job by you and Logan.
This man beat Ayrton Senna in go karts then found success building his own team literally from the ground up! If that doesn’t inspire you nothing will. Could you imagine what Lake could have done with a top tier car back in the day? Thank you for this video. The history was amazing and getting to hear his sons perspective was great too. 🤘
I remember sitting at Dover and Pocono as a kid during qualifying and hearing the announcer say Lake Speed and saying to my grandfather....is that his real name??? He was like a superhero to us as kids in the cartoon network car. And just seeing SPAM on hood going around the track. They had the best sponsors back in the day. You could see literally anything on a hood
When I saw your video about Lake Speed I was ecstatic! I was a Lake Speed fan and I met him in an awkward way. After the Pocono race where he was injured, I stopped by to see him in the hospital. We chatted about that disappointing flat tire at Darlington and I expressed my best wishes to him. He was soft spoken and kind considering a stranger just walked in to see him. Looking back, it was sketchy on my part but I was so concerned and felt like I needed to wish him the best in person. If I recall, it was a bad day with accidents, Harry Gant was hospitalized in Allentown, and Lake along with Buddy Arrington were in the Wilkes Barre area hospital. I also visited Buddy who was in the middle of his dinner, I dropped off a get well card and he asked me to come back in an hour to chat. I did return and we had a nice conversation. More tragedy stuck team Arrington the following week when he put Rick Baldwin in the cart to run Michigan and was killed. I will never forget that. It is incredible how a man of your age is so into the NASCAR history, I applaud you!
Driver's used to build and tune/set up their own cars, now days the crew chief doesn't even get his hands dirty. I'm not interested in that! I like drivers that work on their stuff!
@@WhiteOak09 Sadly that is the truth. It needs to fold up and hopefully some of the guys out there like Lake Speed could maybe organize something better. Who knows? Probably isn't easy though.
I could spend days with Lake and Junior listening to their stories. Just normal country folks that are humble as can be. What wonderful and genuine godly people. Great video!!!!
Jumped up and down in the Darlington Grandstands when Lake won the race. I will never forget that. Bet it was cool to meet him. Outstanding Video Guys.
You two guys are nailing it with these interviews!!! The McClure series was awesome. I was so excited when I saw you were interviewing Lake Speed. I remember him from the early eighties to the nineties. He was a very good driver and a very good man who did not get many breaks in NASCAR. What he got, he earned it! I always admired him. With a name like Lake Speed, it seemed like he was born to go fast! Thanks guys for this video, and thank you Lake Speed. He still looks much the same, just got older like the rest of us.
I remember watching when Michael Waltrip sucker punched him while Lake was still in his car. Pennzoil dropped Waltrip's sponsorship the next day. I also remember that race at Darlington in 1996 where that metal went through his tire under caution. Being a former shifter cart racer myself, Lake Speed is a legend in my world.Thanks for the memories!
While watching this video I was thinking what kind of dickhead punches Lake Speed?!!!! Never liked that clown anyway!!!! The Speeds are awesome folks!!!!
The expression on his son's face with the engine rebuild was priceless. Going from his dads shop to Gibbs, had to have been night and day on how money was spent.
Lake speed was always a great humble guy. Have a autographed Nationwise racing picture somewhere around from the eighties. Did not know about his karting career, he beat Senna that's pretty huge. Not only being able to hear from the man himself but have his son come along too and share stories, is just great! Thanks for sharing.
So happy to have found this video. We rented his little house for about a year and got to know him and his family and absolutely hated leaving. Godly man for sure! !!
Lake’s always been a class act and one of the true good guys. Heck of a wheelman too. Super cool to see his old shop and artifacts of the past. That wynns car was sweet back in the day.
Great video! I was racing Karts in 1977-79 and Lake Speed was the greatest! We were so proud when he won the World Championship. And he is a true gentleman. A real man of Faith.
Dude, another banger! I''m 50 and you are killing it by bringing back the history of these places and people. I'm familiar with many of these stories and glad you're showing the younger generation. Keep doing these.
Lake Speed is among the one-win wonders club. He won at Darlington in the spring of 1988 the Transouth 500 in an Oldsmobile. And it was his own racing team as car owner that he won with.
Thanks for doing this on Lake Speed Mitchell!! Guys like him participated in Nascar at a time when the sport exploded and he deserves all the attention you bring to him. Modern racing doesn’t interest me nearly as much as racing up until the early 2000’s. Awesome video!!
I had to watch this 3 times. Lake Speed was one of the driver's you pulled for. After losing his sponsor...why didn't he just build Race Engines or Race cars and sell them? He and his crew built everything in house and no doubt a proving winner. Wynn's had the best stickers. I love the old school NASCAR you are nailing it. Can't wait for what is next.
Awesome !! Thanks for highlighting this great man. 20 yrs ago my brother owned late models and was encouraged by Lake's Christian faith so he called him. Had a nice conversation with him. I saw the Nebraska cart in the video. What ever happened with the Nebraska cup team. I saw the first car on display at a Nebraska game but it shut down.
I only knew Lake Speed because my dad had his diecast in the early 90's and I thought his name was awesome. He was a little before my time, but its so awesome to learn his story thru this tour. What an awesome guy. This channel is a goldmine for old school Nascar nerds. You wont see this kind of content anywhere else! 🤘
I used the number 83 on my race car in 1986 and 87! I was excited when Lake showed up with that number in NASCAR! Even though I was a Mark Martin fan, I had to root for Lake too!
You hit this one out of the park! There are probably many guys like me (66 years old) who watched races on TV back in the 60's to late 70's, then life kind gets in the way. For me it was Chemical Engineering degree (BS, MS) followed by employment/career, marriage, family. You put your head down and focused on job/career/family. So now that I am retired (after 40 years), it is like coming up from a deep dive and getting a chest full of fresh air. I found your channel and now I am learning about a whole new world that went on in parallel to my 40 year career. I never knew about Lake Speed, and now I do, and appreciate what this man did and still does. Thanks for all your effort!
All though we’ve never met in person! I’m 15 years old, when I get my license I wanna drive out to his shop and meet him. But I live in Ohio, so North Carolina will be a trip!
Thank you so much for doing this video. Mr. Speed was one of my favorite drivers back when he raced, especially when I found out he is a Christian. What an amazing testimony.
What a GREAT history experience! The wealth of knowledge those men have forgotten is more than most of us will ever learn. What an awesome story, and you never hear a time in his voice to be angry or disappointed (other than parts breaking that cost him races) of his career. What a wonderful amazing man!!! Thank you!!!!
What a guy, I'm 75 years old love what you do, you never dissapoint. My nascar love started in the late 50s so most of what you do is my era. Can't tell you how much I look forward to your vidios, thanks agian.
I remember Lake, and it was awesome to hear some of his stories from racing. Very underrated racer. Having his son there to talk from his perspective was great. Another awesome video in the series my man.
Lake Speed is awesome. I grew up around racing and he was a big part of my childhood watching races with my dad on tv. I miss all those owner/drivers, they were the link between the big time and the local short track, and NASCAR is poorer for not having them today.
I used to love watching Lake race on TV. I could never understand why he essentially disappeared. TV never explained it, and there wasn't enough coverage in the Pacific Northwest to figure it out. I am happy to see him in this vid. Not sure I could've gone through all that he did and still be happy!
When it come to pure racing Lake Speed had it and looks like he still does LOL. Those karts are fast, when we were kids we use to run 100cc McCullochs on alcohol and the kart did not weigh over 100lbs, lots of fun and as far as racing not to costly. Great content, thank you.
What a very enlightening history of Lake that most people are unaware of. He's an amazing driver, manager, individual self made man, racer, owner who should be celebrated for his accomplishments. Well done
I remember seeing that 83 live in person. Beautiful stock car. Was just a little kid but those painted rides were something else in person. I really wish JD was around so you could talk to him. Maybe you can make it up to Wisconsin to see Old Man Marcis. The Owner-Driver guys were truly American Heroes and Legends. Excellent video! Keep em coming!
The good ole days for me! It's impossible anymore for wonderful people to own/drive. Nascar forgets how important these greats we're to the sport. It's a bummer for sure. What a kind gentleman Mr Speed is. And , how cool is it to have that name!
Always liked Lake. Did so much with so little. Not many knew, but I did, that he was world carting champion and beat Senna. And all the broken parts he showed I remember those races where he came so close. Would have for sure won the ‘93 Coke 600 had he not broke the rear end. Absolutely flying that day. Came back out after fixing it and was the fastest car on the track. Thanks for doing this video.
Another super cool video, it was really great to see inside a shop and some of the hardware. It's a real shame Mr. Speed didnt receive more media attention because he has a great story! I learned a lot by watching this, thank you!
I love this, you can hear just how excited Lake Speeds son is to share all this history about his dad. THIS is what makes Nascar and a few other Motorsports so awesome, yeah the wins and victories are awesome, but it's the stuff that happens off the track that really makes it amazing.
Thank you so much for documenting all of this history. Without y'all a lot of these stories would be lost forever. You can definitely tell how much Lake Jr. loves & admires his father!! I truly envy you & Logan for everything y'all are doing with your lives & this channel. I know it's a ton of work, but y'all look like you're really enjoying what you're doing. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds!
One of the coolest videos I have ever watched. Got into stock car racing watching Richie Evans at Lancaster and Spencer Speedway in the early 70s. Love to watch the old school drivers share their stories. Thank you from Rochester, NY.
Lake Speed has always been a class act,we ran against him in arca series in the early 80s at Daytona, hard man to outrun,he drove a orange and green 77 Monte Carlo, it was fast!
Lake is a legend and the most humble person I’ve ever known. He was also being generous in the MPH we ran at Newcastle with the twin karts. We hit 94.8 lol GREAT VIDEO- Video on my channel
Great to see Lake doing so well. Raced karts with him back in the 70's in Memphis as well as traveling down to his home track in Jackson. Later followed him through Nascar until his retirement.
My grandparents lived through the woods from lake speeds old shop on Hilton lake road and we use to hear them Dyno motors it seemed like all the time through the woods it was like the best music to your ears to hear them motors fire up and rev until 8800-9300rpms and then throttle down!!! Cool to hear them mention the paint and body guy Rick Brakefeild (The body doctor) my uncle which is still painting show cars today.! Holler at me I can take you to his shop over here in kannapolis NC and hear some more stories about racing and when he was painting the 42 Kyle petty Mello yellow cars and the silver bullets.
I slept on this one and didn't watch right away. I had heard the name Lake Speed, but didn't know much about him. What a great video! He's done way more than I realized and he's so humble about what he's accomplished.
I have a lot of memories of what you are telling about here. I was at the track competing against Lake's team with various other smaller teams which were about the same caliber at the time. The shop and team setup was very similar and knowing some of the guys from the garage area every weekend was a neat experience to have gone through while the sport was still expanding into what it once was. I am glad I got to live it in real time and seeing this video really brings it all back home.
Man u guys are killing it with this content. I have been remembering alot about these years. Glad old Lake Speed is still with us. Logan keeps getting pettier an you 2 make my heart warm. Good luck with all u do an thank u 4 doing this.
I didn't know anything about Lake Speed. Wow what an eye opener that interview was. Great interview and I can't wait to see what is coming down the pipe. You guys are awesome. Keep up the great work.
Hey thanks for this video! I think it was your best one yet.I always was a Lake Speed fan so this was great.Back when we were running the Arca circuit we needed a driver for a major race so I suggested Lake Speed.Of course he turned us down because he was so busy with his own team.
This was soooo awesome! And getting that engine was beyond cool! If it was me I'd rebuild it in my garage like the old days! I wish I could find one those and drop it in my 70 Mach 1
I love it Stapleton! Btw my pop's and his brothers use to race Go karts with Lake Speed back in the day and they always said he was really fast and so were they. Good vid thanks
That's my favorite bit of obscure NASCAR Trivia. That Lake Speed beat Ayrton Senna in Karting. I remember being at the Philadelphia Motorsports Expo with my dad talking to Lake Speed Jr about the Gibbs oil and I mentioned how cool it was that his dad beat senna. It was pretty neat to see his reaction and show us pictures of the kart
What he did in Cup racing is often overlooked, but it was nothing short of amazing. Incredible driver, would've loved to see him in F1 but God had other plans for him. He's a national treasure.
I just finished watching a YT video of the '85 Daytona 500 that Bill Elliot won but, watching Lake Speeds interview for 2nd place was priceless. He had just picked up a sponsor the night before and knew that all these things fell into place for a reason and he appeared to be so humble. And now watching him tell the story of how he started his team he still pauses to reflect how everything just seem to fall into place at the right time for him. I always thought Lake Speed was the coolest racing name when I was a kid. I also thought Sterling Marlin was a cool one as well. Who would think two names related to water would be land racers, lol. Back in the day when NASCAR drivers had to go out and get their money just to start racing when most of today's drivers came up in affluent families and didn't struggle as much. All they had to do was drive and let Mommy and Daddy take care of the bills.
Lake Speed is the very definition of what being a racer is. There were many of us that raced on our witts because we didn't have the money to do it any other way, but very few were able to have the success that he had. My first " race " was with a kart that had a sheet metal seat from a lawn chair, a lever-type scrub brake, and a clutch that was a v belt pulled tight with an idler on a lever. We got in with some fathers and kids that had mostly yard karts and met at the house of members that had their own tracks on Sunday afternoons. This was back in 1963 and decent safety gear didn't exist so the rule was we ran one at a time against the clock. My 1st and only race was on August 5, 1963, a week before my 9th birthday. That fall, my father got a job offer up north. I had to sell the kart. I was overjoyed to find out the town we moved to was hot rod heaven. My first fast car was a chevy vega with an m-22 " rock crusher " with a 427 tall deck big block from a school bus. Back then the N.H.R.A. pro stocks were running low 9 seconds and spending close if not more than six figures to build a car. I was about three seconds slower, but with a car I built for about $750.00.
I well remember lake Speed from his go-kart days. He was a sadly underappreciated talent. I also still have a copy of my IKF Karting News from around 1968 with a picture of "little Ricky Rudd" (I think he was around 12?) and his Nationals winning kart.
Obviously your passion and hard work has literally opened doors for you to get these great interviews with some of Nascars greatests names! Congratulations to you both,Well done!
Love nascar but being in the uk haven't known much about the history until the last few years with what Dale jr has been doing and channels like yours,I could sit for days watching this stuff,so cool 😎 👍
I remember watching Lake race when I was younger. There were many times he was right up there in the top 5, but seemed like he could never catch a break.
You are both putting out amazing content! Me being a former go-kart racer, really hit a nerve. Then beating the guys he did, like Senna, is amazing in itself. Might be tie to get back into karting. Once you drive a kart made for racing, you are hooked. Very cool work ya'll!
I got to watch Lake Speed dominate the field for two vintage races at Barber Motorsports Park in 2003. It’s no wonder that the other guys wanted to step up their game.
What an amazing man. The pride his son has for his father is clear and admirable. God bless the Speed family as they live a righteous life through their love for Jesus.
My father and I met lake back in 1993 and he was without a doubt one of the nicest people I've ever met. I still have my motorcraft hat and a quality care jacket that he autographed.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
If you love classic nascar history like we do make sure you’re subscribed and check out our other videos! Including the upcoming series with refreshing Lake’s old Ford race engine!
Merch link: stapletonautoworks.com
Thanks so much for this. Lake was 1 of my favorite drivers. Loved his win @ Darlington in TranSouth 500 in 88. His interview giving all the Glory to God is still awesome to hear. My top 3 Lake paint schemes: the Wynns/ Kmart olds. The purex and bulls eye. Thanks again for posting.
So cool seeing and hearing from Lake...just rewatched his win from Darlington.When are you going to see Dave Marcus in Arden,NC.
Lake just didn’t get the right opportunities, it’s a shame, super talented , another great video ! Keep up the good work !
Thank you for recognizing Lake!! I may be wrong, and correct me if I'm wrong. I believe some of his missed opportunities were because of his faith and morals.
Need to somehow put that car together.
Lake Speed is an amazing grandfather I am so lucky to have him
Wow. Really cool! You are lucky, don’t take it for granted.
I have got to ask do you guys still live in Charlotte or Mississippi your Grandpa is a good guy I have always pulled for him
When I was a kid, I asked him to sign my can of Spam. He said, "Boy! This is a first!" :)
AND MAKE SURE YOU TALK WITH HIM EVERY DAY JACKSON,HE'S LUCKY TO HAVE YOU
I can't remember everything
But I remember getting a program for the 1997 interstate batteries 500 at Texas(the inaugural race) and seeing the #8 circuit city Ford thunderbird and thinking it looked amazing and that lake had the coolest name in nascar, I remember pulling for Mark Martin(my favorite driver), but I always had a backup guy when I watched in case Mark didn't finish, who I picked before the race
That race I chose Lake Speed
Lake Speed is a class act and love the way his son talks about his dad and the way he looks at his dad when he speaks. God bless the Speed family.
They walk the exact same way
This brought me to tears ! What a great man Lake Speed is ! I watched him back in the day but had no idea what kind of man he was ! What a story 👍👍🇨🇦🇺🇸
Lake and a few other fellows are still running Karts in Vintage classes, and yes, he is the real deal firm on his Faith.
hance
Same here. I very much appreciate learning more about him!
Never knew much about Lake until this video. Taking down Senna for the Karting championship is a pretty huge accomplishment.
When Lake was a boy, I used to deliver the newspaper to his father's house. His brother and I went to school together and later I watched Joe race out at the track. All that to say that I have always followed his career. Glad to see him alive and kicking. Thanks, Lake for your Christian testimony.
Lake Speed - Highly underrated
Very. Dude has mad talent.
Great talent! Awesome wheel man. Just didn’t catch a break.
@Late Model 101 You're opinion - Whatever
@Late Model 101 Thats when money started to ruin the sport....
I remember when I was a kid watching NACAR on the tube. When Lake Speed would make a move or take the lead the PA would change his tone and go up 2 or 3 times in excitement.
Cool interview.👍😉
It's hard not to root for a guy like Lake Speed. I had no idea about his success in go karts. How cool to see him tell his story and see the pride his son has about his dad and his career. Awesome Content as always, look forward to seeing what comes next!!!
Okay this is my new favorite. Lake Speed was always a favorite of mine because of all the things you see in this video:
He was always completely confident in his proclamation of his faith and giving God all the credit for his success.
He was a completely independent team.
One of the ONLY products I have ever went to the store and bought because I saw it advertised on the side of a (Lake's) race car was Bull's Eye BBQ sauce. Still my favorite!
Hearing all these stories direct from Lake himself is for sure a privilege! Thanks!
Dang thats awesome. We appreciate you man
That's strange ( giving "god"all the credit?) why after all the hard work, everything can be done without that creepy diety
One of the really cool things of this video is the proud son aspect. You can tell he’s proud of his dad.
Nascar is no longer what it use to be. Owner/ operators like him made Nascar. Miss him and others from the 80s and 90s.
Richard Petty said it best: "NASCAR used to be about Racing. Today it's about the Big Event". I'll go him one better: NASCAR today is beyond a circus. It's a crash & burn derby.
That’s why I go to sprint car races . Still not corporate racing and very exciting
If NASCAR still had people like Lake it would still be a great sport not having to travel all over the country just to get fans. When all the independent guys left all the fun went out of NASCAR for the fans
@@joestephan1111 Richard Petty has it correct and he’s seen enough of it to know what he’s talking about. Nobody nobody will ever replace the king
@@tucker442
After winning his seventh title, even Dale Earnhardt in TV interviews openly said, "I am not the new King. Richard Petty will always be the King." TNN, which in those days did a lot of NASCAR coverage, openly billed Earnhardt as the "Crown Prince".
Really enjoyed watching Lake Speed. He is one the forgotten drivers. He has a great testimony for his faith; his number #83 is the year he was saved. So much respect for Lake.
Outstanding Video !!!! I met Lake Speed back when I worked for Budweiser. And met all of the Nascar drivers too. Also, I was one of the first employees of Road Atlanta and on to Nascar as a security officer. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE of it.. I was so Blessed to have that opportunity.. I am So Thankful. GOD is Great !!
Lake Speed has to be one of the most interesting and coolest guys in NASCAR history. Going to Europe and being a World Karting Champion is incredible. He ran his own Kart parts company since he was 16 years old. To back that up with running his own NASCAR team and winning is something else. And as we can see in this video, he is a down to earth guy. I glad that you were able to get to spend so much time with him and his son.
Did you notice that the fuel tank on the championship kart is just a plastic jug with the handle going through the steering shaft and the jug taped to the kart.
Many people have wondered how Lake would have done if he went to Indy cars, Formula cars or some other road race series.
I stumbled on to this video. I’m 47. I grew up around the Elliot racing scene in Georgia. I remember Lake Speed!! The name and legend. These guys, back in the day, built NASCAR.
You are killing it capturing NASCAR history, researching and finding the interesting backstories...people, tracks, cars. Lake Speed has a great history, thanks for bringing his story back to the future. Looking forward to how the story evolves with the engine refresh. Great job by you and Logan.
Agree
This man beat Ayrton Senna in go karts then found success building his own team literally from the ground up! If that doesn’t inspire you nothing will. Could you imagine what Lake could have done with a top tier car back in the day? Thank you for this video. The history was amazing and getting to hear his sons perspective was great too. 🤘
I remember sitting at Dover and Pocono as a kid during qualifying and hearing the announcer say Lake Speed and saying to my grandfather....is that his real name??? He was like a superhero to us as kids in the cartoon network car. And just seeing SPAM on hood going around the track. They had the best sponsors back in the day. You could see literally anything on a hood
When I saw your video about Lake Speed I was ecstatic! I was a Lake Speed fan and I met him in an awkward way. After the Pocono race where he was injured, I stopped by to see him in the hospital. We chatted about that disappointing flat tire at Darlington and I expressed my best wishes to him. He was soft spoken and kind considering a stranger just walked in to see him. Looking back, it was sketchy on my part but I was so concerned and felt like I needed to wish him the best in person. If I recall, it was a bad day with accidents, Harry Gant was hospitalized in Allentown, and Lake along with Buddy Arrington were in the Wilkes Barre area hospital. I also visited Buddy who was in the middle of his dinner, I dropped off a get well card and he asked me to come back in an hour to chat. I did return and we had a nice conversation. More tragedy stuck team Arrington the following week when he put Rick Baldwin in the cart to run Michigan and was killed. I will never forget that. It is incredible how a man of your age is so into the NASCAR history, I applaud you!
The lack of these type of gentlemen is why NASCAR is falling apart. The real deal here.
Driver's used to build and tune/set up their own cars, now days the crew chief doesn't even get his hands dirty. I'm not interested in that! I like drivers that work on their stuff!
Nascar just needs to close because it's suck now days
@@WhiteOak09 Sadly that is the truth. It needs to fold up and hopefully some of the guys out there like Lake Speed could maybe organize something better. Who knows? Probably isn't easy though.
Sponsors killed nascar. The owners conformed to their agenda
Yep nascar has everybody kissing the butt of the sponsors and most if not all of them hate America, nascar just sucks now.
What a humble man. Thank you for sharing this and especially for letting me tag along. When NASCAR was NASCAR! From Ohio.
Any time! We are glad you're here!
I could spend days with Lake and Junior listening to their stories. Just normal country folks that are humble as can be. What wonderful and genuine godly people. Great video!!!!
Thanks Landon!
This honestly didn't even feel like an hour, it's so crazy when you are so focused on something how fast time can just fly away. I love this stuff
agreed man
Jumped up and down in the Darlington Grandstands when Lake won the race. I will never forget that. Bet it was cool to meet him. Outstanding Video Guys.
You two guys are nailing it with these interviews!!! The McClure series was awesome. I was so excited when I saw you were interviewing Lake Speed. I remember him from the early eighties to the nineties. He was a very good driver and a very good man who did not get many breaks in NASCAR. What he got, he earned it! I always admired him. With a name like Lake Speed, it seemed like he was born to go fast! Thanks guys for this video, and thank you Lake Speed. He still looks much the same, just got older like the rest of us.
I remember watching when Michael Waltrip sucker punched him while Lake was still in his car. Pennzoil dropped Waltrip's sponsorship the next day. I also remember that race at Darlington in 1996 where that metal went through his tire under caution. Being a former shifter cart racer myself, Lake Speed is a legend in my world.Thanks for the memories!
While watching this video I was thinking what kind of dickhead punches Lake Speed?!!!! Never liked that clown anyway!!!! The Speeds are awesome folks!!!!
The expression on his son's face with the engine rebuild was priceless. Going from his dads shop to Gibbs, had to have been night and day on how money was spent.
Lake speed was always a great humble guy. Have a autographed Nationwise racing picture somewhere around from the eighties. Did not know about his karting career, he beat Senna that's pretty huge.
Not only being able to hear from the man himself but have his son come along too and share stories, is just great!
Thanks for sharing.
So happy to have found this video. We rented his little house for about a year and got to know him and his family and absolutely hated leaving. Godly man for sure! !!
Lake’s always been a class act and one of the true good guys. Heck of a wheelman too. Super cool to see his old shop and artifacts of the past. That wynns car was sweet back in the day.
Great video! I was racing Karts in 1977-79 and Lake Speed was the greatest! We were so proud when he won the World Championship. And he is a true gentleman. A real man of Faith.
So good to see Lake Speed again. Always admired his skill in these cars.
Dude, another banger! I''m 50 and you are killing it by bringing back the history of these places and people. I'm familiar with many of these stories and glad you're showing the younger generation. Keep doing these.
Lake Speed is among the one-win wonders club. He won at Darlington in the spring of 1988 the Transouth 500 in an Oldsmobile. And it was his own racing team as car owner that he won with.
I saw him do it. He was running hard.
Thanks for doing this on Lake Speed Mitchell!! Guys like him participated in Nascar at a time when the sport exploded and he deserves all the attention you bring to him. Modern racing doesn’t interest me nearly as much as racing up until the early 2000’s. Awesome video!!
Here here I'm with ya .
I had to watch this 3 times. Lake Speed was one of the driver's you pulled for. After losing his sponsor...why didn't he just build Race Engines or Race cars and sell them? He and his crew built everything in house and no doubt a proving winner. Wynn's had the best stickers. I love the old school NASCAR you are nailing it. Can't wait for what is next.
Awesome !! Thanks for highlighting this great man. 20 yrs ago my brother owned late models and was encouraged by Lake's Christian faith so he called him. Had a nice conversation with him. I saw the Nebraska cart in the video. What ever happened with the Nebraska cup team. I saw the first car on display at a Nebraska game but it shut down.
I only knew Lake Speed because my dad had his diecast in the early 90's and I thought his name was awesome. He was a little before my time, but its so awesome to learn his story thru this tour. What an awesome guy. This channel is a goldmine for old school Nascar nerds. You wont see this kind of content anywhere else! 🤘
Thanks man!! We work hard to make sure you guys have a spot to see this stuff!
I used the number 83 on my race car in 1986 and 87! I was excited when Lake showed up with that number in NASCAR! Even though I was a Mark Martin fan, I had to root for Lake too!
That is one humble man. He listened to his calling and was blessed. You can tell to this day his belief is strong.
Absolutely
You hit this one out of the park! There are probably many guys like me (66 years old) who watched races on TV back in the 60's to late 70's, then life kind gets in the way. For me it was Chemical Engineering degree (BS, MS) followed by employment/career, marriage, family. You put your head down and focused on job/career/family. So now that I am retired (after 40 years), it is like coming up from a deep dive and getting a chest full of fresh air. I found your channel and now I am learning about a whole new world that went on in parallel to my 40 year career. I never knew about Lake Speed, and now I do, and appreciate what this man did and still does. Thanks for all your effort!
That is so awesome man!! This comment makes me feel good about doing what we do
Lake Speed is a good friend of mine. My aunt went to high school with him, him and I mail each other letters alot.
All though we’ve never met in person! I’m 15 years old, when I get my license I wanna drive out to his shop and meet him. But I live in Ohio, so North Carolina will be a trip!
Another great story of NASCAR from years gone by.
God worked thru Lake Speed because of his humility. That’s where He can shine.
What a great man! wish I could go back and watch him race again! I teared up listening to him talk about the start of his shop and racing with Wynns!
Great interview and Lake and his son are real good people!
Thank you so much for doing this video. Mr. Speed was one of my favorite drivers back when he raced, especially when I found out he is a Christian. What an amazing testimony.
What a GREAT history experience! The wealth of knowledge those men have forgotten is more than most of us will ever learn. What an awesome story, and you never hear a time in his voice to be angry or disappointed (other than parts breaking that cost him races) of his career. What a wonderful amazing man!!!
Thank you!!!!
Thank you thank you thank you. Lake Speed was one hell of a go-kart racer. Big fan
Lake Speed is an amazing person with a very inspiring story and experience.
What a guy, I'm 75 years old love what you do, you never dissapoint. My nascar love started in the late 50s so most of what you do is my era. Can't tell you how much I look forward to your vidios, thanks agian.
We are glad you are here man!
I remember Lake, and it was awesome to hear some of his stories from racing. Very underrated racer. Having his son there to talk from his perspective was great. Another awesome video in the series my man.
Thanks man! Lake Jr is how this was facilitated!
Lake Speed is awesome. I grew up around racing and he was a big part of my childhood watching races with my dad on tv. I miss all those owner/drivers, they were the link between the big time and the local short track, and NASCAR is poorer for not having them today.
I used to love watching Lake race on TV. I could never understand why he essentially disappeared. TV never explained it, and there wasn't enough coverage in the Pacific Northwest to figure it out. I am happy to see him in this vid. Not sure I could've gone through all that he did and still be happy!
When it come to pure racing Lake Speed had it and looks like he still does LOL. Those karts are fast, when we were kids we use to run 100cc McCullochs on alcohol and the kart did not weigh over 100lbs, lots of fun and as far as racing not to costly. Great content, thank you.
Thanks!
Thanks man!! We appreciate that!
That was awesome. We are big Lake Speed NASCAR fans from the good times.
You guys keep knocking out of the park, great to hang out with Lake Speed! Thanks, Cheers!
What a very enlightening history of Lake that most people are unaware of. He's an amazing driver, manager, individual self made man, racer, owner who should be celebrated for his accomplishments. Well done
Thanks man. Lake is an awesome guy
I remember seeing that 83 live in person. Beautiful stock car. Was just a little kid but those painted rides were something else in person. I really wish JD was around so you could talk to him. Maybe you can make it up to Wisconsin to see Old Man Marcis. The Owner-Driver guys were truly American Heroes and Legends. Excellent video! Keep em coming!
The good ole days for me! It's impossible anymore for wonderful people to own/drive. Nascar forgets how important these greats we're to the sport. It's a bummer for sure. What a kind gentleman Mr Speed is. And , how cool is it to have that name!
What an amazing man Lake is. Thru ups and downs he gave it his all. Incredible.
Always liked Lake. Did so much with so little. Not many knew, but I did, that he was world carting champion and beat Senna. And all the broken parts he showed I remember those races where he came so close. Would have for sure won the ‘93 Coke 600 had he not broke the rear end. Absolutely flying that day. Came back out after fixing it and was the fastest car on the track. Thanks for doing this video.
Thanks Todd that’s awesome!
Lake Speed and Dick Trickle are neck and neck for best names in NASCAR history.
Thanks! Love seeing Lake's faith in God and God working through him! Great video guys!!!
Thanks man!!
Another super cool video, it was really great to see inside a shop and some of the hardware. It's a real shame Mr. Speed didnt receive more media attention because he has a great story! I learned a lot by watching this, thank you!
Thanks Anthony you’re absolutely right. So we’re gonna get his story out there now 💪🏻
I love this, you can hear just how excited Lake Speeds son is to share all this history about his dad. THIS is what makes Nascar and a few other Motorsports so awesome, yeah the wins and victories are awesome, but it's the stuff that happens off the track that really makes it amazing.
Thank you so much for documenting all of this history. Without y'all a lot of these stories would be lost forever. You can definitely tell how much Lake Jr. loves & admires his father!! I truly envy you & Logan for everything y'all are doing with your lives & this channel. I know it's a ton of work, but y'all look like you're really enjoying what you're doing. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds!
Thank you Kerry!
One of the coolest videos I have ever watched. Got into stock car racing watching Richie Evans at Lancaster and Spencer Speedway in the early 70s. Love to watch the old school drivers share their stories. Thank you from Rochester, NY.
Thanks man!!
Lake Speed has always been a class act,we ran against him in arca series in the early 80s at Daytona, hard man to outrun,he drove a orange and green 77 Monte Carlo, it was fast!
Lake is a legend and the most humble person I’ve ever known.
He was also being generous in the MPH we ran at Newcastle with the twin karts.
We hit 94.8 lol
GREAT VIDEO-
Video on my channel
Great to see Lake doing so well. Raced karts with him back in the 70's in Memphis as
well as traveling down to his home track in Jackson. Later followed him through Nascar
until his retirement.
Really enjoying the old Shop Tours! You guys are doing awesome, and Enjoying My Shirts and hats too!
Thank you so much Jarrett!
That was super cool those late 80's early 90's memories take me back. I would love to see a video of Lake back in car.
I love how he just let you drive his motor over to the engine builders. That's real trust there. Your a good couple of humans and Ruger too.
My grandparents lived through the woods from lake speeds old shop on Hilton lake road and we use to hear them Dyno motors it seemed like all the time through the woods it was like the best music to your ears to hear them motors fire up and rev until 8800-9300rpms and then throttle down!!! Cool to hear them mention the paint and body guy Rick Brakefeild (The body doctor) my uncle which is still painting show cars today.! Holler at me I can take you to his shop over here in kannapolis NC and hear some more stories about racing and when he was painting the 42 Kyle petty Mello yellow cars and the silver bullets.
I slept on this one and didn't watch right away. I had heard the name Lake Speed, but didn't know much about him.
What a great video! He's done way more than I realized and he's so humble about what he's accomplished.
I have a lot of memories of what you are telling about here. I was at the track competing against Lake's team with various other smaller teams which were about the same caliber at the time. The shop and team setup was very similar and knowing some of the guys from the garage area every weekend was a neat experience to have gone through while the sport was still expanding into what it once was. I am glad I got to live it in real time and seeing this video really brings it all back home.
Man u guys are killing it with this content. I have been remembering alot about these years. Glad old Lake Speed is still with us. Logan keeps getting pettier an you 2 make my heart warm. Good luck with all u do an thank u 4 doing this.
Thank you! We appreciate you!
I didn't know anything about Lake Speed. Wow what an eye opener that interview was. Great interview and I can't wait to see what is coming down the pipe. You guys are awesome. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Dennis we appreciate you!
This IS my spot. Learned a lot about Lake Speed today, what a talent! Can't wait to see you get his car running.
Hey thanks for this video! I think it was your best one yet.I always was a Lake Speed fan so this was great.Back when we were running the Arca circuit we needed a driver for a major race so I suggested Lake Speed.Of course he turned us down because he was so busy with his own team.
This was soooo awesome! And getting that engine was beyond cool! If it was me I'd rebuild it in my garage like the old days! I wish I could find one those and drop it in my 70 Mach 1
I can still remember the announcer’s had so much respect for Lake Speed as an owner operator. His son does an amazing job keeping the memories going.
I love it Stapleton! Btw my pop's and his brothers use to race Go karts with Lake Speed back in the day and they always said he was really fast and so were they. Good vid thanks
That's my favorite bit of obscure NASCAR Trivia. That Lake Speed beat Ayrton Senna in Karting. I remember being at the Philadelphia Motorsports Expo with my dad talking to Lake Speed Jr about the Gibbs oil and I mentioned how cool it was that his dad beat senna. It was pretty neat to see his reaction and show us pictures of the kart
What he did in Cup racing is often overlooked, but it was nothing short of amazing. Incredible driver, would've loved to see him in F1 but God had other plans for him. He's a national treasure.
Absolutely!
I just finished watching a YT video of the '85 Daytona 500 that Bill Elliot won but, watching Lake Speeds interview for 2nd place was priceless. He had just picked up a sponsor the night before and knew that all these things fell into place for a reason and he appeared to be so humble. And now watching him tell the story of how he started his team he still pauses to reflect how everything just seem to fall into place at the right time for him. I always thought Lake Speed was the coolest racing name when I was a kid. I also thought Sterling Marlin was a cool one as well. Who would think two names related to water would be land racers, lol. Back in the day when NASCAR drivers had to go out and get their money just to start racing when most of today's drivers came up in affluent families and didn't struggle as much. All they had to do was drive and let Mommy and Daddy take care of the bills.
Yeah that show it is today... There are exceptions though. Guys like Josh Berry and Chase Briscoe.
Lake Speed is the very definition of what being a racer is. There were many of us that raced on our witts because we didn't have the money to do it any other way, but very few were able to have the success that he had. My first " race " was with a kart that had a sheet metal seat from a lawn chair, a lever-type scrub brake, and a clutch that was a v belt pulled tight with an idler on a lever. We got in with some fathers and kids that had mostly yard karts and met at the house of members that had their own tracks on Sunday afternoons. This was back in 1963 and decent safety gear didn't exist so the rule was we ran one at a time against the clock. My 1st and only race was on August 5, 1963, a week before my 9th birthday. That fall, my father got a job offer up north. I had to sell the kart. I was overjoyed to find out the town we moved to was hot rod heaven. My first fast car was a chevy vega with an m-22 " rock crusher " with a 427 tall deck big block from a school bus. Back then the N.H.R.A. pro stocks were running low 9 seconds and spending close if not more than six figures to build a car. I was about three seconds slower, but with a car I built for about $750.00.
I well remember lake Speed from his go-kart days. He was a sadly underappreciated talent. I also still have a copy of my IKF Karting News from around 1968 with a picture of "little Ricky Rudd" (I think he was around 12?) and his Nationals winning kart.
Without a doubt, the BEST Nascar video you have made so far. Now I understand why you relocated here. Great work, keep them coming.
Thank you Ed!
Obviously your passion and hard work has literally opened doors for you to get these great interviews with some of Nascars greatests names! Congratulations to you both,Well done!
Love nascar but being in the uk haven't known much about the history until the last few years with what Dale jr has been doing and channels like yours,I could sit for days watching this stuff,so cool 😎 👍
I remember watching Lake race when I was younger. There were many times he was right up there in the top 5, but seemed like he could never catch a break.
As an australian, this is amazing to see. We have a similar guy called larry perkings that still has hes shop with hes son.
You are both putting out amazing content! Me being a former go-kart racer, really hit a nerve. Then beating the guys he did, like Senna, is amazing in itself. Might be tie to get back into karting. Once you drive a kart made for racing, you are hooked. Very cool work ya'll!
Thanks Eddie!
That was awesome. Love for Lake to drive a NASCAR race again
I got to watch Lake Speed dominate the field for two vintage races at Barber Motorsports Park in 2003. It’s no wonder that the other guys wanted to step up their game.
That’s awesome 😂
It's funny u say that. Cuz I was wondering if they stepped there game because of lake speed.
What an amazing man. The pride his son has for his father is clear and admirable.
God bless the Speed family as they live a righteous life through their love for Jesus.
My father and I met lake back in 1993 and he was without a doubt one of the nicest people I've ever met. I still have my motorcraft hat and a quality care jacket that he autographed.