Hershel McGriff started his NASCAR career in 1950. Competing in the first Southern 500 at Darlington, McGriff drove the car he would race in 3,000 miles from Oregon to South Carolina, finish ninth and drove that same car back to Oregon.
68 years later, the 90-year-old McGriff got back in the race car one final time, competing in the regional K&N West Series in Tucson, Arizona. But before he stepped into the car, McGriff was doing it all and performed the national anthem before Saturday night’s race.
Hershel McGriff playing the national anthem on his trombone before his race. McGriff told me that playing his trombone was the only thing he was nervous about. https://t.co/adZ2kKiIPy pic.twitter.com/SMNWclCDtK
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) May 6, 2018
McGriff last raced in the top NASCAR series in 1993 when he was 65. McGriff didn’t race that often and competed when NASCAR traveled west. In just 87 career races, McGriff won four career races, all in 1954 which was his only full season.
McGriff finished 18th out of 18 cars but the result wasn’t what was most important. What was important was that you’re never too old to try your hand at stock car racing as has been the case for the last seven decades.
