Holman Moody's Junior Johnson Ford Galaxie NASCAR Race Car & Lee Holman's History Lesson!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Lee Holman has this real deal Ford Galaxie built by Holman Moody and raced by Junior Johnson and others! The Fireball Roberts scheme and 1963 sheet metal was done to put into the Darlington museum. This car was originally the car Junior Johnson was driving in Fireball’s fatal accident later restored as a replica for the museum. This car has been run hard at Goodwood in England and served time in numerous museums over the years. Lee brought us into his conference room where they have many insane artifacts from the company's rich racing history...along with one specifically eerie artifact from another Fireball Roberts race car.
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This is gold 💯
24K pure Gold!!!
Correctamundo..!
Those of you who watched this, I hope you all realize how fortunate we are to see and hear the story of some of the most significant events in motorsports history directly from one of the very few remaining survivors, providing actual first hand accounts. There is no way I would have ever had the opportunity to hear Lee Holman himself tell his story. Thank you both so much for taking the time to document all this history.
you are welcome sir! we appreciate you being here with us for it
You took the words out of my mouth. I've been a fan of Holman and Moody for a while as they build the original GT40 to this day unlike SPF and others. Seeing this video series was incredible...never thought I'd ever get so much insight into behind the scenes. Seeing the letter from Ford about the 1966 race and them having to hold back was heartbreaking as a petrolhead, but glad he shared that. Thank you team stapleton42 for putting this together and sharing with the rest of us. It was a very well done video series and it's very much appreciated!
I Love their 427 Mustang .gold color .that thing rips 🔥
I wish Lee Holman would write a book. These stories are fantastic.
Another awesome one! Not enough people know the impact that Holman Moody had on the vehicle industry as a whole. Thanks again! Looking forward to the next one already
Thanks Gary 💪🏻
Holman Moody was THE team back then if not one of the best truly much respect for you bringing this up to the forefront
It is absolutely amazing how many small business self employed people built NASCAR.
I bought a Halman and Moody 65 390 spc galaxy ford.
H&M had the Falcon & then the Cougar dominating it's class in Europe until Ford pulled the plug saying it was Mustang's turn.
Mr. Holman is a walking encyclopedia. 20 plus years ago I bought a 65 Mustang coupe that had a dry sump 289 with a HM tag on it.
I called to ask if this tag was legit or if someone had just got a tag and stuck it on the engine for the cool factor. Well a few minutes into the call I discovered I was speaking to Mr. Holman himself and he gave me the scoop on the engine and that yes indeed it appeared to be one they had built and if I could hold the line for a few minutes he would look it up for me. He dug up the paper work which included their dyno sheet and all the other info including engine block number, cam numbers, parts list, machining work done and specs etc. then he asked me if I’d like him to make a copy and send it to me. Which he did with a nice little note attached to it.
Oh and his comment on the small blocks making power at 8500 rpm was accurate. The car had been sold many years before but I kept the copy with the letter from Mr. Holman.
Unfortunately I lost those records when my house burnt down 6 years ago.
Man that’s insane
SO SAD that your house went up in smoke, as a lot of family history would be gone forever !! Somewhere in my house is a reply to a letter I sent to Dearborn, from little ole New Zealand here. It was signed by John Coletti, head man of FORD SVO at the time !!
OH MY...FIRE IS LIKE A THIEF...IT DESTROYS WITH NO CONSCIENCE...
@@arkhsm LITTLE OLD NEW ZEALAND...I MET TWO BROTHERS THAT CAME FROM THERE...FANTASTIC PEOPLE...THEY HAD A TRANSMISSION REBUILDING SHOP CLOSE TO CORONA, CALIF...ONE BROTHER HAD A 69 Z28 CAMERO...OH ME...I DID THE GLASS ON IT.. FULL RESTO ON SUCH A GORGOUS MACHINE...AND THAT MAN THAT SET 7 LAND SPEED RECORDS...I HAVE A COPY IF THAT MOVIE...I HAVE LOVED SPEED AND GOING FAST SINCE I RODE MY FIRST BICYCLE IN 1953...BURT MONRO...THE ACTOR SAID IT WAS THE MOST FUN HE HAD MAKING THAT MOVIE.. YUP...NEW ZEALAND IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE ...FANTASTIC...GOD BLESS...
@@bigsparky8888 How, weird, I've just finished a comment to another American who loved that movie so much, that it made him take up motorcycling. Best of all, it was based on the real Deal... Burt Munro !!
I could listen to Lee stories all day
same man
The sad part is these men and their stories are being lost because there aren’t enough guys like you that want to document them. Keep recording as much as you can before they are gone! You are doing a good thing👍👍
Thank you! thats our goal.
That is so cool to interview a legend like Holman. That is true automotive race history right there folks. When a man like that speaks, you listen.
"What did you find most fascinating?" Mr Holman's memory. That man is a sharp as a tack! I could listen to him for hours. Thanks for great videos
Same man!!
"I could listen to him for hours."
Yup. Me too. This interview was WAY too short.
A man like him makes me want to know more. Just keep talking, I'm listening to every word. Tell me everything.
That man needs to do a video biography. His memories need to be saved for the future. What a treasure trove of racing knowledge.
I could listen to Lee all day. He reminds me of listening to Smokey . Those guys aren't awestruck and sugar coat the big names.they tell it as it was. Very eye opening because as a fan you forget they are just people like you and me.
Guys like Lee, when they pass, real history goes with them. He’s at the stage in his life we’re there’s no BS, what an awesome post Paul🇬🇧
Concerning the Fireball Roberts crash: as soon as you put on the Fire-proof outfit, your a Fireman. He failed to do the job he was disguising himself to do. He could have saved that mans life. If your not willing to risk getting burned, don’t take the job! The stories are Golden, keep em coming. Loved the Grand Tour.
I stopped caring about current NASCAR a few years ago but I could watch and listen to stories about its history all day long. Awesome video
You Are not the only one. The restictor plates kill racing.
Hearing Lee tell some of these stories is absolutely fascinating. The Fireball Roberts seatbelt....man, I'd have been speechless too. That's some piece of history to see for sure. I love that you're capturing this history in video form.
Smokey Yunick tried the get the Nascar to adopt fire-safe fuel cell bladders, like aircraft, well before Fireball died. Thanks again France family values........
Being a "Cut Above The Rest" is right where I want to be. Thanks for the compliment. Great video today.
You guys are lucky to be able to interview and tour such a historic shop. This is fantastic content.
Thanks man!! We are glad you’re here
Growing up in northwest Indiana there was a shop in Highland called Nickels Engineering and they were a Mopar shop that did similar work on a smaller scale. My cousin used to have the shop on his paper route and I would sleep over on weekends.
I remember going into the shop on a Saturday morning in 1970 and seeing a couple NASCAR Daytona Chargers, one on a lift and one near the door.
Seeing the H M factory brought back some long buried childhood memories and as a Ford guy myself it's great to hear all that history straight from the horses mouth...
Thanks y'all, I hit the subscribe button on this one 👍
Thanks man!
Young man you have a very unique talent. Half the battle of a quality interview is knowing when to just listen; the other half is knowing your subject. I am truly amazed and envious of the people and places you have documented. Keep up the great work!
Also, I had the same reaction as you for the Fireball Roberts seat belt. Knowing what happened to him just hit home for some reason - perhaps it was the way it was just sitting there without fanfare or as a trophy. This was perhaps your best video (or maybe my favorite) yet.
Thanks Timmy that means a lot
What he said....
Me too.😞
Great interview, you know the secret:
"You can't hear with your mouth open!"
That feller there.. I could sit and listen to his story's fer hours! You should do a full documentary on his stories
Mannn...ole Lee laid it down and speaks his mind and i love it. I would love to see how the cams are ground on the same machines they were in the 50s and 60s when others are all CNC stuff, i hope that man grinding trains somebody to continue that legacy too
Same man
What a legend that dude is, so fortunate to be able to hear these stories.
I could listen to Lee talk all day.
If you keep getting these people to give these interviews, your going to become a Legend!!!
Thanks dude we’re gonna keep going that’s for sure
My father was a big Ford racing fan so as kid I also was a Ford fan. My favorite driver was Fireball Roberts, when he died from burn injuries, I was just a kid and totally deviated by it. The sight of that belt buckle was a shock and worthy of that moment of silence.
I wish we could go back to this era of racing.
Drivers were there to win, didn't blame their race car when they didn't, and didn't run to twitter to complain when something didn't go their way.
Wow I love how the real story comes out about ken and shelby. I watched that movie just a few days ago and really loved it but to hear the truth from the man who was there is priceless. Mitchell, Logan you both are amazing with these trips to iconic places and bringing back the history for us to relive. Thank you both for this.
Thanks dude we appreciate you!
It was really cool to hear things from Lee’s perspective, I had always been a big fan of Carrol Shelby and had heard some things about him being a crook but not like concrete proof lol
Knocking them out of the park with these race shop tours! Stories and basically racing history that may have never been known or told had y’all not taking on these endeavors. Awesome Stuff!
What a masterclass. I accidentally come across this just to see some bad azz old cars. I was floored and couldn’t get enough. Thank y’all very much.
Thanks man! If you like this you’d love our other racing history videos too!
The channel has always been good, but it has gotten absolutely amazing over the last few months.
The people, the stories, the HISTORY, the cars equipment and places you guys are sharing with the world.
Truly amazing my friends. Thank you for all you have done recently.
God Bless
Thank you so much!
As the son of a huge Holman Moody fan and being a huge Holman Moody fan myself,thank you for sharing,got goose bumps seeing the actual seat belt latch that held fireball in the car and just hearing Lee tell all the stories, just a great history lesson for a Ford fan like me! Thanks 👍👍
Thanks Chris 💪🏻
Just think about what all he and his group did! Drag racing, NASCAR, LeMans, race car factory for Ford, one of 3 factories in the world that would make you a race car and then fix it when you did something stupid. Probably never happen again
HANDS DOWN, THE BEST VIDEO I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. RIP Fireball...
Thank you Brian!
I was at the race when Fireball wrecked and died later. We were in the infield about 50 yards from the wreck and I still remember the smell of the smoke and the sound of the wreck. The seat belt and the story of the fire fighter was something I haven't heard before. Great video. Thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Wow man that’s insane
Great video as always. His opinions about Shelby is the way he remembers it and of course like most things other people remember it differently. Times a funny thing I guess. Racers and builders are proud folks.
Me and two of my buddies would go by his house after school on our bikes to play catch with him or look at what he was working on. He was a nice guy I thought he would throw us out but he never did. Fireball wasn`t how he drove it was how he threw a ball. If he wasn`t home we`d ride over the Seabreeze bridge to Smokey`s shop to see him...Smokey would throw us out after a while. When he got burned I was 12 and I felt terrible, it took days before he died from complications. Cup cars didn`t interest me again till 72. I have fond memories of those times
Man’s that’s insane. We are glad you’re here Ed!
This history is incredible! Im a car guy and also love history and to hear Lee talk about Leo Beebe converting the ford factory at willow run is just amazing. This is the history that will be lost over time and I'm glad you're keeping the story going. Love the content.
The best historical video on TH-cam I was so interested in the talk and history that Mr Lee was explaining, such an honor to hear about that time in racing
What a tour, thanks Logan & Mitchell
Thanks for bringing us this awesome history
Thank you Pete! Everything helps that means a lot to us.
As an old Ford guy and a retired Aerospace Engineer, this is the best youtube video I have ever watched. the stuff Lee knows should be in a Movie.
Thank you sir! Have you seen our other two videos at Holman moody yet?
@@Stapleton42 I just watched one of them.
Loved Lee's commentary about modern drivers and agree wholeheartedly. Reminds me of the C&D article Brock Yates wrote when Dale passed away. "The last of the neanderthal wheelman"
The interview with Lee was extremely interesting to me...
I could definitely hear him speak on how they engineered and built and/or build different parts and pieces...
I could listen to you taking to Lee all day, all the history is just so interesting. I want that Galaxie, and the red Mustang and Dodge Caliber in the background lol. Happy birthday Ruger, nice to see you're still doing well.
Interesting that they kept the buckle from Fireball's crash. Listening to Lee was really interesting, especially the Shelby/Duntov Story. Interesting that Holmans were involved with Duntov, since he was the Corvette guy.
Arkus Duntov had Ford experience. Hence the Ardun heads used on some hot rod Ford flatheads.
you got to remember that Duntov's first big project was the Ardun head for the Flat-head Ford . That was way back in the 40's long before he hooked up with GM.
Young man you have just done it with this video I followed you before thought you were cool thought you were neat funny you’ve done it now I’m the nephew of the Lafayette Ford employee who maintained the 28 car all over the country at racetrack set an 1112 year old I found out things through Leehom on today in your interview but I had never looked at but after I sit down and looked at your interview for the second time I think he’s 100% truthful thank you very much keep it up
thanks man
That truely was the golden era of racing. I'm a Ford nut in Australia at home with Rona and this was such a great video because of the interview .
I loved listening to Lee Holman-Legend in the industry
I read the book on Ford vs Ferrari, but I learned more in this video than anything else. Period. This was one of the best uses of my time in a long time. Thank You so Much for bringing this to me.
Thank you Larry!
I agree! The book and the movie don’t compare to hearing it from Lee
I am speechless with all this. I did not even know Hollman was even involved with the GT40 race program. To talk with Lee himself and tour his shop where they are making GTs with original chassis, amazing! More than history, pretty emotional seeing the buckle from Roberts tragic crash.
The content here and other that your bringing is like no other.
Thank you for sharing your videos
Thanks Ronald. It’s just as crazy for us too 😂
Listening to Lee Holman's stories are the most amazing thing I've every seen on TH-cam. Incredible. Thank you and well done!!!
You’re welcome Bob!
Very Nice Job as usual. These guys were all my heroes my whole life as a ford nut. Really nice that you guys take the time and do this all the more knowing you are GM folks at heart. Thanks so much for all the great interviews with Ed Pink, and the Holman and Moody guys that I always thought were Ford Racing geniuses. Glad to see I was right even as a teenager. Those crossbolt main, deep skirted side oiler 427s were amazing in 1962 -1968 they could run Le Mans 24 hrs at full speed hitting 220 mph and at 7500+ Rpm All Day and All Night! Back in 1962 ,63,64, when No other big block could do that. Look at that 1962 technology, GM has finally done this 427 type bottom end with crossbolt mains and deep skirted block, and many other old school Ford engine things on the LS engines today. This is why the tiny Ford 3.5 liter v-6 twin turbo bottom end holds up just fine. Even with 660hp today. It still has crossbolt mains and deep skirt blocks that Ford invented on the 427's in 1962! They had some incredible inventors and engineering guys, way ahead of their time back then. Much like Smokey was to GM. Thanks again for documenting all this history for everyone.
Great video hearing Lee tell the stories about Shelby was awesome and the Fireball Roberts seatbelt gave me chills
Same man
Thank you for sharing a national treasure.
You could listen to lee tell stories for weeks
He would have forgotten more than most know
What an incredible man and organisation 👍👍👍
The Nascar tuned Holman Moody 427 one of the best sounding engines of any kind, anywhere. The Fireball car is fantastic.
Great interview with Lee Holman! I to could listen to him forever...
Same man
@@Stapleton42 What a great interview! You hit solid gold there!!
Dude this is wild! These are stories and lore that would never been widely heard with out interviews like this! Ya killin it!
I would love to just sit down and talk to him and pick his brain for hours he and what they did back in the days is so interesting and I would love to hear nore from him thanks for the awesome video Mitchell and Logan I love these kind of videos and learn alot
thats awesome David we love to hear that!
I remember these guys made a Cam Am racer called the "Honker". Best name ever.
Logan has that driver's wife vibe going on with the hair.....Totally matches Mitch's early 90's cup series driver appearance. You guy's are the cool kids!
Thank you for this episode! Holman Moody is an iconic team. It was great to hear Lee share some of the history that many of us would probably not hear had it not been for you. You do a great job and and I look forward to each episode. I love the history of NASCAR and enjoy these. I’ve been following the sport since the mid 70’s as a kid. Right up through the 80’s are my favorite time in NASCAR
Like you, when you showed the buckle from Fireball’s car, I was speechless.
Mitch, you are the 60 Minutes of racing history. Keep it up bro!
Wow. I don't know how I found your channel, but I am happy. I met Lee Holman at Amelia Island in 2013 for the 50th Anniversary of the GT40. Got his autograph and Dan Gurney's that day on the official poster. What a great day that was. Got to spend a few hours with my racing heros. I loved the movie Ford vs Ferrari, but TH-cam has lots of videos about what really happened back then. This is another. Thank you.
welcome to the team man!
Very cool museum piece.
you need to make a plan invite this man to dinner a few times! We definitely need sequels to this oh my! The character of the people you are meeting is incredible...you should organize a round table of them just to visit and talk. I absolutely love answers to who actually did what! With you crawling under the car saying ford 9 inch...got me to thinking who did come up with that...especially with the DW chat about 5.50 gears and who made those for him!
so good to hear the truth about Gt40's at Le man's. As a New Zealander always proud of Kiwis Bruce Mclaren, Danny Hulme and Chis Amon who like Holman Moody have been cast aside in history (especially by Hollywood and the media) in favour of Shelby and Mills. Your dives back in history have been awesome and bring back many memories.
Thanks andrew
Holman and Moody were NASCAR for Ford in the 60's and 70's they were the go to people for all the Ford team's . I could spend day's listening to to Lee Holman thank you for the time i got to spend with you on this interview. This man and Company are LEGENDARY if you saw a car back in the day with a CP sticker on it you were witnessing the best NASCAR had to offer. I'm officially a new subscriber........Thx.
Thanks man we are glad you’re here!
Great, great video! Nice to see Mr Holman get some much deserved appreciation and to hear those stories from someone who was there. Keep up the good work!
Man, that was so awesome hearing those stories from Lee. I'd love to be able for him to talk to myself and my son. So glad to know he is still around, I had just begun speaking with Ronnie Sox, not knowing his cancer battle, and he passed before I could meet him in person. His old family gas station building is still on church street although not a working station, but it is still there.
Awesome content!!!! Happy birthday, Ruger!
I absolutely love this video. I remember talking to my grandpa Fred about stuff related to sports or stuff he did and he did a lot, he was in the navy, he raced car's I don't know if it was dirt track or street, I wish I did. I wish I spent more time with him before he passed several years ago. My mom tells me all the time "My dad did that" or " you're just like your grandpa" as a kid I loved hearing his stories. So whenever an older person tells me stories like this of stuff that actually happened and even things that I cant tell if they are true or not I just enjoy them it's like going into the past, it's really fun.
Thank you again Mitchell and Logan for doing this, but a BIG Thank You to Lee Holman for this history lesson. I could sit and listen for hours to these stories. Keep them coming! Rick
I always watch to the end.
You two are nice people.
Dude this is the best I mean the best video you have done in this historic shop series. If not one of the best interviews I've ever seen. You guys are the luckiest to be able to do this stuff. Keep it going.
Thanks Morgan!!
I just found the Holman Moody videos today and they are awesome. I want to commend you for asking the right kind of questions most of us who have been around racing all our lives would want to know the answers to. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to casually walk through the H/M shop at the airport and witness John's personal white GT40 being finished up by some of the original mechanics on the original surface plates and talk to them myself. A couple of the engine shops I had worked for had used some of Larry Wallace's cams and I managed to meet him and talk a while sort of like you do with the videos you tape. I have also worked with some of the original employees from H/M's heyday as well as some of their customers for chassis and parts who were in the thick of what was going on back then. I am glad you are documenting little pieces of racing history that is rapidly going away with the passing of the people who made it all happen.
Man that’s awesome. What a time to be alive
All of these shop tours are really interesting. They really shed some light on the history of Nascar. Thanks for doing something different and being unique.
Well you knocked it out of the park again. He reminded me so much of Mark Martin and the fact that he could remember the details from 40 50 years ago. I could have listened to him for hours and hours. Thank you for documenting another part of History.
Thanks man. We were just with mark today 😂
Video coming soon?
This man leaks race history. His memory is gold. Every word should be documented. What a great interview. Can't thank you enough for this.
It's awesome how much you both care about the history and how your finding it and letting other people hear it ...awesome!!
Seriously bro one of the best videos I have watched on TH-cam in long long long time. Keep them coming we will keep loving them!!
Thanks Michael!
This video is "a cut above the rest". Thank you for producing it.
Thank you for watching it! Hopefully you check out the rest of the channel too!
I could sit and listen to someone like Lee Holman all day. These old guy's are living archives filled with awesome stories and engineering knowledge.
I didn't know any part of that car was left... I would've been dumbfounded and speechless as well... Very cool...! Thanks, keep up y'alls awesomeness and go enjoy some nature today...!
Awesome video. Lee is so genuine. More true information than anything else out there. The seat belt really got me .
That's some PURE GOLD! from Lee Holman! Thanks for giving us the straight talk from a Piece of American EXCELLENCE!
I could spend all day listening to Mr Holman.
I grew up in the 60s with a Dad who listened to the races on the radio because they weren't televised. When Wide World of Sports did air one I tried to watch it. Even so I would say I was just a casual back then until I became an Earnhardt fan later on. That wasn't casual and I really wanted to be as big a fan of JRs but it wasn't the same. Having said all that....this video is excellent. You've given me more interesting content here than I've seen in years concerning the racing I watched as a kid. This is my 1st from you but won't be my last.
thank you Chet!
I LOVE THIS YEAR NASCAR FORDS...73 NOW...I WAS A MARK MARTIN FAN FOREVER...UM JACK ROUSCH RACING...TOO BAD I CANNOT AFFORD HIS ENGINES IN A MUSTANG...BUDDY BOY...FLYING TIME...HOLMAN MOODY OH HECK YEAH...AND FIREBALL ROBERTS USED TO DRIVE PONTIACS...I FORGET NOW...OLD COOT ME...LOL...I'LL BE BACK
Thanks For Posting This Great Video I love hearing old racing Stories Hopefully you can find some more of these gentleman and ladies And Sit down and tell you more stories of the Good Old Days
Love hearing the all the history, especially about Shelby. The fact that they are still in business after all these years is simply amazing!! Keep the great content coming 👍👍
Legendary builder! Just epic! Those Galaxies were gorgeous. Those 427's were amazing. Great stories! WOW!!!! I don't know how you get these interviews with these legends, but my hat is off to you!
thanks man!
The Holman-Moody vids have been some of my favorites! Their place in motor sports history in huge! Thanks for digging into these things and a shout out to them for allowing y’all the access. 👍🏻 “How they 🐬 are ya..”
That info was off the scale ! Shows not everyone idolized ole Uncle Shelby. He certainly didn't get his wins all by himself !!
Sometime in 1964, NASCAR outlawed the exhaust-through-the-frame deal. Bill Stroppe also built Mercurys through 1964 along these lines, as did Bud Moore. Beautiful cars, with real bumpers 👍
Interesting
Love you 2 keep up the good work thanks for all the great videos from Quebec Canada
Thanks for watching!
Love hearing the old stories
The Fireball was my hero and even with his loss 58 years ago it still is an emotional trauma for me. Hearing the story and seeing his harness buckles created excessive humidity at eye level that has not stopped yet. I appreciate the history lesson. Thank you for the video of car, shop and personal stories with Mr. Holman.
Holy Crap! The actual belt buckle from the Fireball Roberts crash? DUDE!!! This has to be the most significant history video you have done yet and that's saying a lot. just seeing the buckle gave me goosebumps knowing that's what killed Fireball. i too am in shock and awe. listening to Lee was the icing on the cake! keep up the good work buddy, Happy Birthday to Ruger and Congrats on hitting 1000 subs on your side channel!
Thanks man
That is awesome if your a Ford guy Holman Moody is the place to be those guys did some awesome stuff back in the day. I'm not a Ford guy but I'm a automobile racing and Holman Moody is one of the greats
Thank you for this video. A strong part of my memories as a teenager of watching USAC stock cars race from 1964 to 1966 was seeing Holman Moody's HM "Competition Proven" on the side of the hood of some of my favorite drivers.
I used to play in those wrecked cars out at the airport. I distinctly remember Roberts and Jerrett's cars. Hard to forget a purple racecar. Joe Weatherly was my favorite driver. I attended only one NASCAR race, it being at a dirt track in Lincolnton, NC. Joe won it in a rain-shortened event.