Herb Nab

Herb Nab Short Stories, Quotes and Bench Racin'

The first neck restraint device, years ahead of it's time: It was somewhat of a surprise that Charlie Glotzbach even showed up at Bristol. Two months earlier, he injured his neck in a grinding crash while leading the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and had only driven in one other race up to that point. But with some help from his crew chief, Glotzbach wound up wearing what might be considered today's equivalent of a head-and-neck restraint.

"I remember Charlotte, a few weeks before that, I wrecked," Glotzbach said. "Speedy Thompson came up in front of me while I was lapping him and I got up in the loose stuff in the tri-oval and I wrecked. I hurt my neck and crew chief Herb Nab took a dog leash and made me a strap to hook on my helmet and around my arm, just to hold my head."

Who was the best Holman-Moody driver? Renowned NASCAR crew chief Herb Nab was once engaged in conversation in the Holman-Moody garage about the “best driver” on the circuit. Pointing to a photo of Fred Lorenzen on the wall, Nab said, “People say Fireball Roberts is the best driver. That there is the best driver.”

Modern day came from yesterday: It’s clear that as a crew chief Rick Hendrick’s Chad Knaus is one of the best. To me what are most important are his leadership, of course, and his relationship with Jimmie Johnson. I think that the chemistry they have established over the years, and a distinct lack of discord, have fueled their success.

Yarborough’s crew chief for much of his time with Junior Johnson was the irascible Herb Nab. Nab wasn’t nearly as sophisticated as Knaus, but he didn’t need to be. He knew cars and engines inside out, and to him, that’s all that mattered.

If he thought something would make the car better on the track, he just did it – and with the team owner’s knowledge and approval. Nab didn’t always consult with Yarborough, which suited Yarborough just fine.

So the relationship worked.

Junior Johnson asks for an autograph:

In a press conference at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Junior Johnson revealed why he had ordered crew chief Herb Nab to assist Janet Guthrie in qualifying for her first NASCAR race, the 1976 [then] World 600.

Following the conference, Guthrie made a pair of ceremonial laps to celebrate her NASCAR debut, some 30 years ago this month, then signed copies of her new book.

After signing books, Guthrie, in response to a question from this writer, indicated that she never expected to move from sports cars (she started racing in a Jaguar XK-140 in 1963 with the Sports Car Club of America) but instead wanted to compete at the Nurburgring and in the Targa Florio in Sicily.

Instead, her career moved into Indy cars and NASCAR stock cars. In practice for her first stock car race, the 1976 Coca Cola [World] 600, she had constant problems in arriving at a setup. Junior Johnson told his crew chief, Herb Nab, to “give them the setup.” that allowed her to be fastest qualifier in the second day of time trials. “I helped her because she needed help,” explained Johnson. “I helped a lot of other drivers, people like Richard Childress, I used to help him all the time because I thought he was going to kill somebody on the racetrack. It wasn’t because she was a woman or man; it was because she needed help. Herb, he kind of snugged up a little bit when I said, you go over there and help them. He went on and done his job. He was glad he did after she ran as good as she did.”

A memorable sight after the conference was NASCAR superstar and legend Junior Johnson getting an autograph from Guthrie in a copy of her book. Written by John Davison · May 9, 2006

Speaking of Junior Johnson, what was this "feud" between he and Bobby Allison and how did Herb play a part? This rivalry reportedly began when the two were working together. It was Johnson the owner vs. Allison the driver. The difference of opinion centered on who knew what was best for the car mechanically. They constantly argued until it got to the point where they wouldn't even speak to one another. Crew Chief Herb Nab acted as ''translator'' between the two men. The battle came to a head when Allison wanted a chassis innovation that he'd developed (the front-steer chassis) installed and Johnson refused. Reportedly the climactic moment came when the three men were standing in Junior's shop arguing about the front-steer chassis and Allison said, ''Herb, tell Junior to kiss my ass.''

Herb Nab had a good sense of humor as displayed here in this photo where he and Tiny Lund were lifting "Tiger" Tom Pistone

Photo courtesy of TigerTomPistone.com

My, how times have changed...

There is a story that Cale Yarbrough's crew chief Herb Nab was so angry during a race at Dover where Cale was penalized 1 lap, that he went down to the end of pit row a punched a Nascar steward in the jaw. Nascar determined that no disciplinary action was warranted.

Do that today and there would be a suspension and ten's of thousands of dollars in fines. Things had a way of taking care of themselves in the old day.

Herb Nab in the center watching as Miss Hurst Linda Vaughn busses winner Fred Lorenzen
at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1964 Yankee 300. Ralph Moody to the right with sunglasses.

Winner Fred Lorenzen with Linda Vaughn
and Herb Nab with Trophy at the 5th Annual Atlanta 500 in 1965

Leeroy Yarborough Victory. Herb Nab to the right

Herb Nab (hands on hips) with Bobby Allison 12 talking with Bobby Isaac (red pants)

WEST COAST STOCK CAR HALL OF FAME INDUCTS 2010 CLASS

AZUSA, Calif. – Eleven racing stars from historic and modern eras were enshrined in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame before an audience of more than 300 in ceremonies held July 2 at the Azusa Greens Country Club in Southern California.

The induction brings the eight-year-old hall of fame’s membership to 94.

In addition, Mel Larson became the first honored by the hall for achievements on behalf of the motorsports community. The award, to be presented as appropriate in future years, will carry Larson’s name.

Two of the four living inductees – Allen Beebe of Modesto, Calif. and James “Jimmy” Smith of Newport Beach, Calif. – were present. Others inducted from the post-1970 era are Mike Chase of Redding, Calif. and Rod Osterlund of Plumas County, Calif.

Beebe is a longtime car owner who won the 2006 NASCAR K&N Pro Series championship. Smith is one of the pioneers of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and its 2005 championship owner. Chase won both K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Southwest Tour titles. Osterlund, with driver Dale Earnhardt, won the 1980 NASCAR Sprint Cup title. He is the only west coast owner to win a Sprint Cup crown.

Deceased inductees are Bob Caswell, Walnut Creek, Calif.; Bill “Tiny” Clinton, Los Angeles, Calif.; Duane Edwards, Southgate, Calif.; Mel Fernandes, San Leandro, Calif.; Joe Mangini Jr., Walnut Creek, Calif.; Gordon Martin, San Francisco, Calif.; and Herb Nab, Portland, Ore.

Caswell is a former driver. Clinton and Mangini were car owners. Nab was a championship crew chief and Daytona 500 winner. Fernandes is the first starter to be enshrined. Martin was a three-decade motorsports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.

One of the event’s highlights was Nab’s induction, via videotape by NASCAR Hall of Fame member Junior Johnson. Nab was owner Johnson and Cale Yarborough’s crew chief in 1976-77 and won 91 NASCAR Sprint Cup races with Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Fred Lorenzen and Bobby Allison.

Johnson related a never-before-told story of how Nab solved the Goodyear’s tire problems at Talladega Superspeedway by testing – without the tire maker’s knowledge – a tire without grooves. He then convinced NASCAR President Bill France Sr. to change to rules to allow “slick” tires.

“Anybody who he worked on their cars, they’d win,” said Johnson of Nab. “Ninety-nine percent of the time his was the fastest car.”

Hall of Fame members John Kieper and Hershel McGriff accepted Nab’s award.

“He was a really sharp mechanic and one of the first in the northwest to monkey with the chassis,” said Kieper. “He made a car go around a corner.”

Added McGriff, “He was outspoken. He’d tell anyone what he thought.”

LeeRoy Yarbrough savors the thrill of victory with Miss Falstaff and crew chief Herb Nab (R) following his triumph in the 1970 National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Falstaff Brewing Co. was the primary sponsor of the NASCAR champion point fund in 1970, tossing in $25,000 to the champion. The following year, R.J. Reynolds came into NASCAR and has provided the point fund.

NASCAR crew chiefs have often been the unsung heroes behind the drivers whose names go on race and championship trophies. by Rea White SceneDaily.com

But beyond their calls on race day, their innovations in the shop over decades have led to rule shifts and changes in the sport to an increased level of competition and an army of NASCAR officials needed to monitor the inspection process.

A number of crew chiefs have risen to the very pinnacle of the sport. Across various eras and with differing versions of NASCAR's Cup car, these men raised the level of competition in their respective eras — just by the work they each did on their own cars.

Here's a look at 10 of the top NASCAR Cup crew chiefs over the decades.

Dale Inman: Inman, the first cousin of Richard Petty, actually won more titles than his driving relative. Inman worked with Petty for all seven of his Cup titles, and then with Terry Labonte when he won the 1984 championship. Inman and Petty earned their first victory together, and he helmed the team for the impressive 1967 season in which Petty won 27 races, including 10 in a row. He has five Daytona 500 wins to his credit.

Leonard Wood: In 1949, when Leonard Wood and his brother, Glen, formed Wood Brothers Racing, he was credited as the team's sole mechanic and crew chief. He was known as an innovator on pit road and for his engine work. Wood is widely credited with helping create the modern-day pit stop in the 1960s, orchestrating an organized move that shaved seconds off the stops for the team. He was David Pearson's crew chief with the team from 1972 to 1979 and continued as a co-owner with the Wood Brothers Racing team beyond his years as the crew chief. He won the Daytona 500 four times with four drivers — Tiny Lund, Cale Yarborough, A.J. Foyt and Pearson.

Ray Evernham: Voted by the media earlier this decade as the greatest NASCAR crew chief in history, Evernham gained his championships working with Jeff Gordon. In six seasons, the pair won 47 races and three NASCAR Cup titles. Evernham was also known for innovations on the cars, most notably the T-Rex car that was so stout that despite meeting the inspection requirements, the team was told not to bring it back to the track. Evernham later decided to move into another role, starting Evernham Motorsports, the team that helped bring Dodge back into the sport as a manufacturer.

Harry Hyde: Hyde may have been one of the sport's top crew chiefs for more than 20 years, but many fans know him as the man credited as the inspiration for the lead crew chief in the movie, "Days of Thunder." Hyde is credited with 56 wins as a crew chief and won the 1970 title with Bobby Isaac. Hyde had learned how to be a mechanic during his work in the Army and used that experience to transition into a NASCAR career. He worked with a wide range of drivers, including Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Neil Bonnett, Dave Marcis and Tim Richmond.

Kirk Shelmerdine: Shelmerdine worked with Dale Earnhardt for four of the driver’s seven Cup championships.
Shelmerdine began his career working as a crew chief and tire changer and became the youngest crew chief to win a race and a Cup title. Between 1986 and 1992, he won four titles with Earnhardt. Overall, he earned 46 wins with 246 top-10 and 142 top-five finishes. He is currently the owner of Kirk Shelmerdine Racing.

Chad Knaus: The most modern entry on the list, and the only active crew chief on it, Knaus has set NASCAR records of his own by winning ~~four~~ five consecutive Cup titles. Knaus began his career as a crew chief with Melling Racing and driver Stacy Compton in 2000. He joined Hendrick as a crew chief with Johnson in 2002, and since then, the two have won 45 races together and four championships. They have finished in the top five in the standings every season.

Bud Moore: Moore worked on Modifieds before NASCAR even became a sanctioned series and then became a success in it. A veteran of World War II, Moore was a mechanic on race cars before there was even a NASCAR. He won the 1957 championship with Buck Baker as his driver, then moved into a role as a team owner and, working in a hands-on role, won championships there as well. He won the Bill France Award for Excellence in 1997.

Herb Nab: Nab won a pair of championships with Cale Yarborough in 1976 and 1977 during his tenure as a Cup crew chief. According to race-database.com, the pair made 89 starts together, earning 22 wins and two titles. They won 18 races in their pair of championship seasons. Nab also worked with LeeRoy Yarbrough and Fred Lorenzen during his Cup career. He won the 1969 Daytona 500 with Yarbrough and the 1977 running of the event with Cale Yarbrough.

Smokey Yunick: Yunick was viewed as one of the early innovators in NASCAR racing. He won 57 stock car races in his career, which involved working with storied drivers such as Herb Thomas, who won the 1951 and 1953 titles, and Fireball Roberts and Marvin Panch. He won the 1961 Daytona 500 with Panch and in 1962 with Roberts. He is widely credited with 57 Cup wins and was twice named the mechanic of the year. He is the inventor of at least nine patented items.

Jake Elder: Elder was nicknamed "Suitcase" for his willingness to move to another team and work with it in the Cup garage. But he is perhaps best known as a chassis man who had the ability to find more speed in a car when needed and for being a championship crew chief who won two titles, in 1968 and 1969, with David Pearson when he drove for Holman-Moody. He also worked with Dale Earnhardt during his rookie 1979 season and for a portion of his 1980 championship season. Elder also worked with a variety of other teams in the NASCAR Cup garage throughout his career.

Herb Nab just to the left of Junior Johnson

CHEATING? Oh no, Herb Nab would never do that... (at least if he could get caught easily...)

CHEATING: Authored by Tom Jensen: This overdue look at the “black art” of cheating in NASCAR, and along the way manages a decent job of separating fact from fiction. He delves into the acts of cheating in the sport from its beginnings (when apparent Grand National winner Glenn Dunaway was disqualified and the race win went to Jim Roper) through the 1990s into the 21st century.

Three cheating scandals stand out here, and all three involve teams owned by Junior Johnson. If there is a theme to this book, it is that Junior Johnson was the sport’s most dishonest team owner. The first was the 1973 National 500 at Charlotte. Cale Yarborough won the race, but his car and second-place Richard Petty were protested by Bobby Allison. An extremely long tear-down took place, and NASCAR ultimately said the race results would stand – which led Allison to file a lawsuit against NASCAR, because there was evidence that Cale’s Chevrolet, wrenched by Johnson, ran some 70 cubic inches more than allowed by the rules. If there is an eye-opener in this book, it is the admission by Junior’s engine builder at the time, Robert Yates, that that particular engine and others built for Junior were indeed illegal; Yates states it measured 500 CID, versus the 431 limit of the time. Actually, though, Yates’ admission isn’t a surprise, as former crew chief J. C. “Jake” Elder stated in several 1990s interviews that Junior’s crew chief Herb Nab acknowledged to him that Junior usually ran illegal displacement in his engines.

The second involves the infamous “Pettygate” Charlotte race of 1983. Jensen doesn’t delve into any new ground here, which is a shortfall, because there was more to that scandal than is usually acknowledged. Petty’s team had won twice in 1983 but had struggled against Johnson and also the DiGard Racing team headed by Gary Nelson (and powered by Yates) in horsepower (Jensen deals at insufficient length with cheating by Gary Nelson with DiGard and other teams elsewhere in the book), and Maurice Petty built (and readily acknowledged after the race) a 381 CID engine. What is underappreciated is that Petty beat Junior’s driver Darrell Waltrip – because Waltrip backed off in turn two and let Petty take a big lead. There was speculation then and later that Waltrip was also running more CID than allowed, and given Yates’ and Herb Nab’s admissions there is no reason not to believe that Waltrip usually ran illegal displacement. It is a shame because it tarnishes the accomplishments of Waltrip (a great driver despite also being overrated as such) and also Cale Yarborough (a superior driver incapable of being overrated), who won the majority of his races (55 of 83 career wins) and all three of his titles in Johnson racecars.

It also puts a period to NASCAR’s long-running practice of being more nitpicky to certain teams over others (notably Johnson’s), notably Petty Enterprises, Wood Brothers Racing, Ranier Racing, Bill Elliott’s racing team, Hoss Ellington Racing (whose owner cheated mostly for fun and readily admitted such), and (somewhat ironic given how much success they enjoyed) DiGard Racing (one of the most revealing such episodes involved Bumpergate at Daytona in 1982; NASCAR made Gary Nelson lower the rear bumper on the DiGard car to increase drag; Nelson angrilly had it slapped on with insecure fasteners to fall off on the track; he denies that he had it deliberately slapped on to fall off during a race, but there is no reason to believe him); this nitpickery practice does continue today, though at a far less blatant level.

Another who got a lot more than his fair share of NASCAR nitpickery was Harry Hyde, whose cars won the 1970 title with Bobby Isaac and whose cars were regularly torn down more thoroughly than most, such as in the scandal-plagued ’73 National 500; Hyde’s car was torn down four times during the weekend and when NASCAR demanded another teardown, he refused and was disqualified. Hyde also got swept into the Nitrousgate scandal of 1976; after Daytona 500 qualifying his Dodge was found with a moveable flap on the radiator, which allowed air to flow more efficiently and increase aero slickness; the flap met the letter of NASCAR’s rulebook but amid the discovery of speed-enhancing nitrous oxide bottles on several cars, NASCAR ruled it didn’t meet the spirit.

Nitpickery shows in a recent area dealt with by Jensen – the “Tiregate” New Hampshire 300 of late August 1998. On final stops with some 73 laps to go Jeff Gordon took two tires to the four taken by Mark Martin, John Andretti, and others (this was when tires were much softer and wore more easily than in 2001-2, when Goodyear went with compounds of such hardness that wear became almost impossible); under such circumstances Gordon should have been swamped by cars with four fresh tires, but instead he out pulled the cars on four fresh tires and easily won a race he had not run all that competitively in throughout that day. Jensen details the inaccuracy of claims by Jack Roush of chemical treatment of tires by Ray Evernham, but ignores that this was a red herring to begin with – the real issue being Goodyear playing favorites on tires, a practice angrily noted a year later by team owner Andy Petree in a spat over lack of access to Goodyear tires for much-needed test sessions, and also briefly discussed by Geoff Bodine in Shaun Assael’s superb NASCAR book “Wide Open: Days & Nights On The NASCAR Trail. “

The third big scandal discussed in the book was Jimmy Spencer’s two restrictor plate victories of 1994; once again, we have a cheating scandal involving Junior Johnson racecars. In fairness to Spencer, comments about his ability by Jeff Gordon’s stepdad John Bickford (made in naturally fawning comparison to Gordon’s ability) are a little out of line, as Spencer had shown superb drafting ability years earlier in Travis Carter’s Chevrolet and showed it again in Dick Moroso’s Grand National Ford, Travis Carter’s Winston-sponsored Fords, and James Finch’s Grand National Pontiacs. Regardless, it should be clear that Spencer’s two Winston Cup wins were achieved with an illegal restrictor plate manifold; that it could have escaped NASCAR pre-race inspection is not as difficult as Jensen implies at points, given the ingenuity of race teams.

One area where Jensen could have set the record straight but does not even discuss is suspicion about the 1984 Firecracker 400. (Editor: Greg Sacks lone Nascar Cup victory in a Stavola Brothers R & D car for the Bobby Allison team which was rumored to have a large CID engine).

During “The Call” mini-controversy of 1995 there was some question about the legality of Richard Petty’s 200th win, about how the engine supposedly was over the limit on displacement. There ought to be no question about the legality of that win or all but one or two other Petty wins, given how NASCAR scrutinized his cars more than most, how Petty did not show more horsepower than race favorite Cale Yarborough (Petty won on superior handling and the car’s better drafting ability. Cale’s Ranier Chevrolets of the time were noticeably inferior in handling than Petty’s Pontiacs or Bobby Allison’s Buicks), and also how the Petty's had feuded with NASCAR’s France family almost from the beginning, making claims of a “Call” going to him implausible.

Jensen likewise should have noted that in the ’73 controversy Petty readily admitted running a mixture of engine cylinders of varying displacements – a few over the legal limit, several well under it, for an average within the rules. As Bobby Allison himself noted during the Pettygate scandal, “Richard shoots straighter than most. “

In all, though, the book is worth having for providing information on a “black art” in NASCAR racing. Jensen provides a look at the psychology of cheating when he notes Darrell Waltrip’s infamous 1976 quip, “If you don’t cheat, you look like an idiot; if you cheat and don’t get caught, you look like a hero; if you cheat and get caught, you look like a dope. ”

Editor: Information on Herb Nab is surprisingly sparse on the internet. Please send any stories, facts, pictures to be added to this page HERE.

Herb Nab's Trophies

VERY RARE VINTAGE NASCAR TROPHY FROM THE 1972 CAROLINA 500 AT NC MOTOR SPEEDWAY. IT IS THE POLE POSITION TROPHY from the 1972 NORTH CAROLINA MOTOR SPEEDWAY SEVENTH ANNUAL CAROLINA FIVE HUNDRED.
DRIVER WAS BOBBY ALLISON, CHIEF MECHANIC WAS HERB NAB.

VERY RARE VINTAGE NASCAR POLE TROPHY FROM THE 1978 OLD DOMINION 500.
FASTEST QUALIFIER VIRGINIA 500.OLD DOMINION 500, 1978 SEASON, MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY,
LENNIE POND DRIVER, HERB NAB, CHIEF MECHANIC

A VERY RARE VINTAGE NASCAR TROPHY FROM THE 1962 VIRGINIA 500. IT IS THE POLE TROPHY FROM THE RACE.
THE FRONT FACE SAYS: MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY, VIRGINIA 500, FASTEST QUALIFIER, APRIL 6TH 1962
DRIVER WAS FRED LORENZEN WITH CHIEF MECHANIC HERB NAB.

RARE PRESTOLITE PIT CREW RACE CHARLOTTE 600 1963 TROPHY. THIS IS A TROPHY THAT WAS PRESENTED TO RACE WINNING CHIEF MECHANIC (CREW CHIEF) OF THE CHARLOTTE 600 HERB NAB. DRIVER WAS FRED LORENZEN. TROPHY WAS OBTAINED DIRECT FROM MR NABS ESTATE. ALSO CALLED THE GOLDEN WRENCH. A TRUE ONE OF A KIND PIECE

A S-K TOOLS GOLDEN RATCHET AWARD PRESENTED TO WINNER OF THE DAYTONA 500 WINNING CREW CHIEF HERB NAB.
DRIVER WAS FRED LORENZEN. A TRUE ONE OF A KIND PIECE.

Herb Nab Winston Cup CREW CHIEF Results

WEST COAST STOCK CAR HALL OF FAME INDUCTS 2010 CLASS

Nascar Results by Track