William Neely

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
William Neely
BornAugust 18, 1930
DiedMarch 25, 2008 (aged 77)
Education West Virginia Wesleyan College (BA)

William Neely (August 18, 1930 – March 25, 2008) was an American writer, most famous for his book Stand on It by Stroker Ace.

Contents

Early life and education

He was born in Jane Lew, West Virginia, the son of Walter and Madge Neely. After high school, Neely graduated West Virginia Wesleyan College, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He spent a year (1952–1953) pursuing graduate work at West Virginia University.

Career

He served as sports editor of the Clarksburg Exponent and editor of the Hinton Daily News before returning to his alma mater as director of public relation. Neely went to work for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, serving as manager of racing public relations from 1961 to 1966. In 1966, he left Goodyear to work as public relations manager of central region for Humble Oil Company, a position he held until 1970. Neely retired in 1970 to concentrate on writing full-time. His first book, Spirit of America, was published in 1971.

Bill Neely's best-known work was published in 1973, Stand on It by Stroker Ace, co-written by Bob Ottum. The novel, based in part on Neely's own experiences as a professional auto racer and on his experiences in the racing world with Goodyear and in part on NASCAR legend Curtis Turner, became quite popular for its gritty humor and its pull-no-punches depictions of the world of professional stock car racing. The novel was adapted into a 1983 film, Stroker Ace , starring Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson. It also inspired a song, "Stoker's Theme", by Charlie Daniels.

Neely continued to write, particularly about the world of American stock car racing. Notable works include biographies of two of the sports founding pioneers — Cale: The Hazardous Life and Times of America's Greatest Stock Car Driver (Cale Yarborough) and King Richard I (Richard Petty). He has also served as a contributor to both Playboy and Sports Illustrated . Neely was the first recipient of the West Virginia Writers Association "Summit Award", for a "lifetime of excellence as a professional writer."

He also starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer , Matlock , and The Night Flier . [1]

Personal life

He died on March 25, 2008, at the age of 77, in Wilmington, North Carolina following complications from heart surgery.

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Allison</span> American racing driver (born 1937)

Robert Arthur Allison is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short tracks with high purses. Allison raced competitively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1961 to 1988, while regularly competing in short track events throughout his career. He also raced in IndyCar, Trans-Am, and Can-Am. Named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he was the 1983 Winston Cup champion and won the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982, and 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Byron</span> American racing driver (1915–1960)

Robert Nold "Red" Byron was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock champion in 1949. Along with Bob Flock, he is considered one of the best drivers of the era. He won the first NASCAR race at Daytona Beach and Road Course and won the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock driver's championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cale Yarborough</span> American racing driver (1939–2023)

William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1976, 1977, and 1978. He was one of the preeminent stock car drivers from the 1960s to the 1980s and also competed in IndyCar events. His fame was such that a special model of the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II was named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Needham</span> American stunt performer and film director (1931–2013)

Hal Brett Needham was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), The Cannonball Run (1981) and Stroker Ace (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Johnson</span> American racing driver (1931–2019)

Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, was an American professional stock car racing driver, engineer, and team owner as well as an entrepreneur. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became a NASCAR racing team owner, winning the NASCAR championship with Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip three times each; Johnson was the first owner to win multiple championships with multiple drivers. He is credited as the first to use the drafting technique in stock car racing. He was nicknamed "The Last American Hero," and his autobiography and movie based on his upbringing is of the same name. In May 2007, Johnson teamed with Piedmont Distillers of Madison, North Carolina, to introduce the company's second moonshine product, called "Midnight Moon Moonshine", a nod to the days of his early youth in the 1940s when he made a living as a moonshiner/moonrunner and bootlegger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Petty</span> American racing driver (1914–2000)

Lee Arnold Petty was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup champion. He is the father of Richard Petty, who went on to become the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history and one of the most successful stock car racing drivers of all time. He is also the grandfather of Kyle Petty and great grandfather of Adam Petty.

The 1976 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 28th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 5th modern era season of the Grand National series and sixth under R. J. Reynolds sponsorship through its Winston cigarette brand. The season began on Sunday, January 18 and ended on Sunday, November 21. Cale Yarborough, driving the #11 Junior Johnson Holly Farms Chevrolet scored his first of three consecutive NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup Championships. Skip Manning was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

<i>Stroker Ace</i> 1983 film by Hal Needham

Stroker Ace is a 1983 American action comedy sport film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds as the eponymous Stroker Ace, a NASCAR driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Economaki</span> American journalist (1920–2012)

Christopher Constantine Economaki was a pioneering American motorsports journalist, publisher, reporter, and commentator known as "The Dean of American Motorsports Journalism." Working for, and later owning, National Speed Sport News, Economaki helped encourage the growth of American motorsports from a niche endeavor to a mainstream pursuit.

Stroker Ace may refer to:

Kenley Dean Squier was an American sportscaster and motorsports editor from Waterbury, Vermont. From 1979 to 1997, he served as the lap-by-lap commentator for NASCAR on CBS, and was also a lap-by-lap commentator for TBS from 1983–1999. Squier was the first announcer to give lap-by-lap commentary for the Daytona 500 in 1979. He coined the term "The Great American Race" for the Daytona 500 and helped introduce the Australian-developed in-car camera for the 1982 running of the event. He lived in Stowe, Vermont until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Daytona 500</span> Auto race run in Florida in 1979

The 1979 Daytona 500, the 21st annual running of the event, was the second race of the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. It was held on February 18, 1979 at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. It has been called the most important race in stock car history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Daytona 500</span> Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1975

The 1975 Daytona 500, the 17th running of the event on February 16, 1975, was a race in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

<i>The Worlds Number One, Flat-Out, All-Time Great Stock Car Racing Book</i> 1975 American book

The World's Number One, Flat-Out, All-Time Great Stock Car Racing Book is a non-fiction book on early stock car racing published in 1975 by Doubleday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Mason-Dixon 500</span> Auto race held at Dover Downs International Speedway in 1981

The 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 17, 1981, at Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranier Racing with MDM</span> Former NASCAR team

Ranier Racing with MDM, formerly known as Ranier-Lundy, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the K&N Pro Series East, and the ARCA Racing Series. The team formerly competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series until 1987, fielding Cale Yarborough during the 1980s late in its operations. The team later became Robert Yates Racing after Yates, an engine builder and crew chief with the operation, bought the team in 1988. The team largely fielded General Motors vehicles for its various drivers until switching to Fords in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cale Conley</span> American racing driver

Cale Conley is an American professional stock car racing driver.

Walter Wood was an American film producer and businessman.

Robert Keith Ottum, known as Robert K. Ottum and Bob Ottum was an American sports journalist specializing in motorsport and writer of science fiction and thrillers. He was editor in chief of Sports Illustrated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ona Speedway</span> Motorsport track in the United States

Ona Speedway is an Auto racing oval short track venue located in Ona, West Virginia. Ona Speedway is known for being the only paved oval race track in West Virginia and hosting NASCAR Cup Series races in 1963, 1964, 1970, & 1971. It is located adjacent to the Ona Airpark between the cities of Huntington and Charleston.

References