August 22, 2025 • 9 mins
Bo and Beth talk to the former Mayor of Concord as he shares his fond memories of NASCAR legend and Belmont native, Humpy Wheeler.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is good morning, bet Son.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
That was some real racing out there. How'd you like
to become the new face of Donaco?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I can't stop playing this clip. But I didn't win lightning.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
There's a whole lot more to racing than just winning.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
He was so rusky when he drove down the street
after the buzzers, just the surf.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Thank you, mister Textbook. But these rusties guys over there
gave me my big break. I'm gonna stuck with them.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, I sure can't respect that still.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
You know, if there's ever anything I can do for you,
just let me know.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I sure appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Say twenty on WBT. That's the clip.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
From the movie Cars all those years ago Disney and Pixar.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
And they found the spot for.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Texts aka Humpy Wheeler because no doubt, and they said,
who needs to be in this movie? They said, Humpy
Wheeler does because Humpy Wheeler is that big a deal.
And he is, and it says one of the many
ways people are paying tribute to him. He passed away
at the age of eighty six yesterday, and we talked
(01:21):
to Doug Rice on the show yesterday as we were
getting the news and as Beth and I were talking about,
I'll go, okay, how can we further pay tribute to
Humpy Wheeler? And who can we talk to that could
give us more perspective on the man that he was.
How about the former mayor of Concord, good friend of
the show, Scott Paget is back with us today and
kind enough to come on and share some remembrances.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Good morning, sir, How are you today?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I am great? How about y'all?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We're great.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
We appreciate you being on and thinking about Humpy Wheeler today.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I've had a lot of thoughts of Humpy. I We
kept calling each other, maybe ever a few months, and
I had spen probably six months since he called him in.
He told me when he had moved from Mountain Allen
Island Lake to his new home, and Pat felt more
(02:14):
comfortable there. He is you know, Yeah, I don't use
this phrase about many people, but when you say Elvis,
you don't have to say Preston. Well, that's the same
thing about money just he was known, not just around here,
but in the whole NASCAR world as probably I think
(02:38):
undisputedly the best promoter in the business. He thought of
it is that one he pulled right when I got elected,
and I didn't know it was a prank. He had
a car out at Concord Mills Mall hanging on a
(03:01):
wire from a wrecord and it was a race car. Well,
people were slowing down, caused a terrible traffic jam and uh,
we were getting complaints and it was really out of
compliance with Arizona ordinance, which he already knew that. He
didn't care that. He just thought that would be a
(03:22):
good idea too, and he got a lot of publicity.
Why is that race car hanging on the back of
the wrecker out there? And I called him. He said, well,
we're going to get it down. You know, we're going
to get it down. So what you need to get
it down quicker? I'm getting complaints about the traffic. Yeah,
we're going to get it down. So he waited at
the last possible minute. But the talk that that generated
(03:45):
was just amazing. In the pre race shows, my wife
and I with Jay Howard invented that thing, along with
Humpy's idea that we're going to make h the speedway
the show here better than the rest of the races.
So he came up with the pre raiow and one
(04:06):
was a circus, and he always said, well the whole
thing's at circus. Will I have a real circus. So
there were people walking on high wires over the crowd,
and meanwhile in the midway there people were doing stunts.
But the drama of the you have to forgive me,
(04:28):
I can't even think of words. You walking on the
wire tightrope. That's it.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Thank you, bet, thanks to thanks to you and your wife.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
My wife, it was my wife, but it was great. Uh.
I've got a picture of uh when he decided to retire,
of my wife and Humphy and uh me. After the
six hundred race, Darryl Walter won that and they have
(05:07):
a special event in there in the Speedway Club. We
were in suites and he said, well, come on in,
and I got to see the inside of what they
do after a race, all that celebration. He was also
a very well read person. He shared a book because
most of us in the South in this area or
scotch Irish, and he had a great book written by
(05:31):
a former senator, can't remember his name, about the whole
scotch Irish deal and how we came down from Pennsylvania
to the Carolinas, and in two thousand and four we
decided that we wanted to be in All America City.
And that's a stiff competition. You're compared to cities all
(05:53):
over the United States, not just in the South. And
it was a lot of work that you would know
some of the people that helped us on that. But
we needed money because the whole the thing was in Atlanta,
and so we went around asking banks and others for money.
And I went to Sea Hunky Dane and Honeycutting, and
(06:16):
I went to Sea Huppey in told him what it
was about, and he pledged a good amount of money
that helped us. And that shows that he realized that
although it's named Charlotte Mori Speedway, it's in Concord, and
(06:36):
he needed to pay homage to us. And he was
a part of the community. I mean he was over
here speaking the Rotary Club and other groups regularly. You
could always know we're going to have the best attendance
of the year. We got Huney. We were there because
he had so many fans. Not quite like Elis, but
(07:00):
he was our Elvis.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
He was NASCAR's Elvis in a way I described him.
Scott earlier, every time that I interviewed him or was
around him at the speedway, and even you know we
we were there with him together at moments. I described
him as jolly. He was jolly in the times that
I that I had conversations with him, always laughing and
smiling and just easy, easy to talk to.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
That's well said best. You got to get on radio
you could.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, she laughed when she saw him in spite of herself.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
He was jolly.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Well, listen, we got about I hate to cut this short.
We've got about thirty seconds, but I want to end
it by if you if you you knew him very well,
and a lot of people said a lot of things
about him.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
How do you think Humpy Wheeler would want to be remembered?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I mean, I think I think he would love for
us to be telling all these stories because that's what
he was about.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, he would, he would. Uh. There was a business
side to the whole thing that was very important, but
he kept that in perspective and he knew at the
end of the day it was all about entertainment and uh,
whatever he could do. You know, he started pre ratios.
He had bands, great bands there. Uh, and well part
(08:21):
of it, and of course the military things were just outstanding. Uh.
He was the whole package. Uh we will there'll never
be another Hunty. And he was a local guy, grew
up in Belmont, so he understand understood racing from beginning
to the end.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Well you said it, I mean, the ability to think
beyond most anybody, these big ideas.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
But never forgot where he came from.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
No, he didn't know, he didn't.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Well, look, we appreciate you calling in and hope you're
doing well, and uh hope.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
To talk to you again soon.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Well, I bet everybody that anybody will be at his
funeral that.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Life well lived.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Well, thank you, Scott. We appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Sir. Y'all have a nice weekend.
This is good morning, bet Son.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
That was some real racing out there. How'd you like
to become the new face of Donaco?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I can't stop playing this clip. But I didn't win lightning.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
There's a whole lot more to racing than just winning.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
He was so rusky when he drove down the street
after the buzzers, just the surf.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Thank you, mister Textbook. But these rusties guys over there
gave me my big break. I'm gonna stuck with them.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, I sure can't respect that still.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
You know, if there's ever anything I can do for you,
just let me know.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I sure appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Say twenty on WBT. That's the clip.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
From the movie Cars all those years ago Disney and Pixar.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
And they found the spot for.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Texts aka Humpy Wheeler because no doubt, and they said,
who needs to be in this movie? They said, Humpy
Wheeler does because Humpy Wheeler is that big a deal.
And he is, and it says one of the many
ways people are paying tribute to him. He passed away
at the age of eighty six yesterday, and we talked
(01:21):
to Doug Rice on the show yesterday as we were
getting the news and as Beth and I were talking about,
I'll go, okay, how can we further pay tribute to
Humpy Wheeler? And who can we talk to that could
give us more perspective on the man that he was.
How about the former mayor of Concord, good friend of
the show, Scott Paget is back with us today and
kind enough to come on and share some remembrances.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Good morning, sir, How are you today?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I am great? How about y'all?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We're great.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
We appreciate you being on and thinking about Humpy Wheeler today.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I've had a lot of thoughts of Humpy. I We
kept calling each other, maybe ever a few months, and
I had spen probably six months since he called him in.
He told me when he had moved from Mountain Allen
Island Lake to his new home, and Pat felt more
(02:14):
comfortable there. He is you know, Yeah, I don't use
this phrase about many people, but when you say Elvis,
you don't have to say Preston. Well, that's the same
thing about money just he was known, not just around here,
but in the whole NASCAR world as probably I think
(02:38):
undisputedly the best promoter in the business. He thought of
it is that one he pulled right when I got elected,
and I didn't know it was a prank. He had
a car out at Concord Mills Mall hanging on a
(03:01):
wire from a wrecord and it was a race car. Well,
people were slowing down, caused a terrible traffic jam and uh,
we were getting complaints and it was really out of
compliance with Arizona ordinance, which he already knew that. He
didn't care that. He just thought that would be a
(03:22):
good idea too, and he got a lot of publicity.
Why is that race car hanging on the back of
the wrecker out there? And I called him. He said, well,
we're going to get it down. You know, we're going
to get it down. So what you need to get
it down quicker? I'm getting complaints about the traffic. Yeah,
we're going to get it down. So he waited at
the last possible minute. But the talk that that generated
(03:45):
was just amazing. In the pre race shows, my wife
and I with Jay Howard invented that thing, along with
Humpy's idea that we're going to make h the speedway
the show here better than the rest of the races.
So he came up with the pre raiow and one
(04:06):
was a circus, and he always said, well the whole
thing's at circus. Will I have a real circus. So
there were people walking on high wires over the crowd,
and meanwhile in the midway there people were doing stunts.
But the drama of the you have to forgive me,
(04:28):
I can't even think of words. You walking on the
wire tightrope. That's it.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Thank you, bet, thanks to thanks to you and your wife.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
My wife, it was my wife, but it was great. Uh.
I've got a picture of uh when he decided to retire,
of my wife and Humphy and uh me. After the
six hundred race, Darryl Walter won that and they have
(05:07):
a special event in there in the Speedway Club. We
were in suites and he said, well, come on in,
and I got to see the inside of what they
do after a race, all that celebration. He was also
a very well read person. He shared a book because
most of us in the South in this area or
scotch Irish, and he had a great book written by
(05:31):
a former senator, can't remember his name, about the whole
scotch Irish deal and how we came down from Pennsylvania
to the Carolinas, and in two thousand and four we
decided that we wanted to be in All America City.
And that's a stiff competition. You're compared to cities all
(05:53):
over the United States, not just in the South. And
it was a lot of work that you would know
some of the people that helped us on that. But
we needed money because the whole the thing was in Atlanta,
and so we went around asking banks and others for money.
And I went to Sea Hunky Dane and Honeycutting, and
(06:16):
I went to Sea Huppey in told him what it
was about, and he pledged a good amount of money
that helped us. And that shows that he realized that
although it's named Charlotte Mori Speedway, it's in Concord, and
(06:36):
he needed to pay homage to us. And he was
a part of the community. I mean he was over
here speaking the Rotary Club and other groups regularly. You
could always know we're going to have the best attendance
of the year. We got Huney. We were there because
he had so many fans. Not quite like Elis, but
(07:00):
he was our Elvis.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
He was NASCAR's Elvis in a way I described him.
Scott earlier, every time that I interviewed him or was
around him at the speedway, and even you know we
we were there with him together at moments. I described
him as jolly. He was jolly in the times that
I that I had conversations with him, always laughing and
smiling and just easy, easy to talk to.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
That's well said best. You got to get on radio
you could.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, she laughed when she saw him in spite of herself.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
He was jolly.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Well, listen, we got about I hate to cut this short.
We've got about thirty seconds, but I want to end
it by if you if you you knew him very well,
and a lot of people said a lot of things
about him.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
How do you think Humpy Wheeler would want to be remembered?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I mean, I think I think he would love for
us to be telling all these stories because that's what
he was about.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, he would, he would. Uh. There was a business
side to the whole thing that was very important, but
he kept that in perspective and he knew at the
end of the day it was all about entertainment and uh,
whatever he could do. You know, he started pre ratios.
He had bands, great bands there. Uh, and well part
(08:21):
of it, and of course the military things were just outstanding. Uh.
He was the whole package. Uh we will there'll never
be another Hunty. And he was a local guy, grew
up in Belmont, so he understand understood racing from beginning
to the end.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Well you said it, I mean, the ability to think
beyond most anybody, these big ideas.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
But never forgot where he came from.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
No, he didn't know, he didn't.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Well, look, we appreciate you calling in and hope you're
doing well, and uh hope.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
To talk to you again soon.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Well, I bet everybody that anybody will be at his
funeral that.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Life well lived.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Well, thank you, Scott. We appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Sir. Y'all have a nice weekend.
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