Gary Balough's road race

[NeilTPS]

Gary Balough:

 

I was disappointed to read this topic about Gary Balough serving prison time, again. Gary was a very talented race car driver who once raced in an event which I organized at TWS.

 

It was a mid 1980’s Texas Race of Champions (TROC) on the two mile road course at Texas World Speedway (TWS) in College Station, Texas. The Beaumont “Flyer”, Freddy Fryar, had suggested to Gary Balough that he should fully develop his racing skills by competing in the professional TROC road race which was held in the spring and fall in Freddy’s home state of Texas at TWS.

 

Gary called me to obtain entry information. In the discussion, I had to deny his request to be assigned his familiar car #112. TROC race rules didn’t allow three digit car numbers for scoring and computer reasons. He cheerfully agreed to be assigned car #12 in that Texas Race of Champions. (Usually Bobby Allison had the # 12, but he wasn’t entered in that particular TWS race. Slick Yoemans was always # 21 or 24 at TWS).

 

Gary Balough came to TWS with a most impressive race car, huge enclosed truck/trailer and a large crew. His Camaro was immaculately prepared and, as we expected, his car was seriously fast.

 

Cotton Sherland, the TROC Chief Inspector, was impressed with the cooperation and professional behavior exhibited by the Balough crew toward his TWS inspectors staff.

 

As done with a number of first time drivers in all the TWS races, I took TROC “Rookies” around the road race circuit in the TWS Pace Car. Being this was Gary’s first race at TWS, he was considered a “Rookie”. Freddy was in the back seat with us. We both voiced some driving tips for Gary. Balough took to his first road race experience like he’d done right turns all his life. He qualified 4th fastest. His car passed post time trial inspection without a problem. He started the race, second row outside.

 

Gary ran in the top six positions for about half of the 100km (62 mile) race, until his car had a problem under the hood. I don’t know exactly what the engine problem was. He finished well back in the 50 car starting field.

 

The Texas Race of Champions was Gary Balough’s only time to race in an event at Texas World Speedway and to my knowledge, the TROC was his first and last road racing experience.

 

Note: Due to Rodney Rodriguez’s request and a few PM’s for additional information, I added underlined items to this article on 12/16/05 -

 

 

Neil Upchurch

Former Race Director

Texas Race of Champions at TWS

[RodneyRodriguez]

what year was that Neil? I remember Slick raced in one of the later year TROC races in a car numbered 12 that I think had been one of Hotshoe's cars, in fact I think that car is the 112 car in the SA Speedway photo archive on this site.

[txtom]

Alan Yates, Slick's car owner, bought one of Balough's cars when Balough was preparing to go on his 18 month vacation at taxpayer's expense in 87 or so. That year, Slick mostly ran with the All Pro series. It was kind of a logistical nightmare, as the car was maintained in Corpus by the Keys and Robbie Loomis, (Yes, that one), Slick lived in North Carolina, and a couple others lived in various parts of the state. David Machen was helping them, and he was in Austin, as well as Jim Pallas, who was teaming with them a little. I myself lived in Fort Worth. Due to my Military job, and some of the goofy rules they had about going cross-country over a weekend, I was only able to make a partial schedule.

Funny, Balough was incarcerated at this time at the Fort Worth Federal pen, and I would occasionally see him on a work detail at Carswell AFB mowing grass.

They scaled back for 1988, and loomis went to the Pettys.

If I remember correctly, that car ended up with Mike Demnan. One of the Keys can verify this.

[supertx]

How much time did Gary get this last time he was busted.See if they had crate motors back in them days he wouldn't have to had a outlaw career to be able to afford race lol

[txtom]

Gary Balough's projected release date is December 5, 2010. Guess that would make his current sentence anout 6 years or so. Kind of a light sentence, all things considered.

 

Gary is currently incarcerated in Pensacola at the Saufley Field NOLF. It is a minimum security facility. Basically an old Navy Barracks with a fence around it.

 

Interestingly enough, Saufley Field is about 3 or so miles southwest of Five Flags Speedway. Wonder if Balough could hear the cars running.................