NASCAR: Three Virginians Honored By NAPA for Martinsville Speedway Race Weekend
24 September 1998
Martinsville, VA---NAPA Auto Parts has selected three Virginia residents and one from California to honor on Martinsville Speedway's upcoming race weekend.Those to be honored include Robert C. Atkins of Staunton, Wayne Powers of Midlothian, C.B. Andrews, Jr. of Pearisburg and Phil Fournier of Hemet, CA.
The weekend includes the NAPA 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday, September 26 and the 43rd annual NAPA AutoCare 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race on Sunday, September 27.
Atkins, who has been a NAPA store owner for 40 years, will be the Grand Marshal for the NAPA AutoCare 500. When he opened Atkins Automotive Corporation in 1958 in Staunton, it was one of the first NAPA Auto Parts stores in the Shenandoah Valley. Along with two sons who have joined him in the business, he now has five NAPA Auto Parts stores thoughout the area.
He and his wife, Barbara, have been married 43 years and have five grandchildren. It will be his duty to give the command "Gentlemen Start Your Engines" to get the Winston Cup event under way.
Powers, who will wave the green flag to start the race as Honorary Starter, has been involved with NAPA since his shop, Wayne's Automotive and Machine Shop in Midlothian, became a NAPA AutoCare Center in 1991. He has stayed active in the NAPA system, serving as the president of the local AutoCare Council from 1992 through 1995 and holding a national AutoCare Council position with the Piedmont Division for two years.
Powers, who has been a Shriner for over 25 years, and his wife, Pat, have three children and four grandchildren.
Grand Marshal for Saturday's truck race will be California resident Fournier, owner of Phil's Auto Clinic which has been an official NAPA AutoCare Center for four years. Last year the Master Automotive Technician was selected as the NAPA/ASE Technician of the Year.
He sponsors several local sports teams and helps future automotive technicians develop their skills. Fournier and his wife, Karen, have three children.
Andrews will be the Honorary Starter for the truck race and owns D&A Auto Parts in Pearisburg, a NAPA store for the past 15 years. He is a former mayor of the neighboring town of Pembroke and says he is one of the few people to see Richard Petty win in a Ford race car.
He saw his first NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway in 1969. Andrews and his wife, Mary, have two children.
Friday, September 25, will be Bud Pole Day for both the NAPA 250 Truck Series race and the NAPA AutoCare 500 Winston Cup event.
Following second round Bud qualifying on Saturday, the NAPA 250 starts at 1 p.m. Last year's truck race was won by Rich Bickle.
The 43-car NAPA AutoCare 500, with Jeff Burton as the defending champion, gets the green flag at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 27.
Tickets may be ordered by calling (540) 956-3151.
