The car has been restored by Petty’s Garage and also signed by the racing legend himselfMECUM AUCTIONS
Bidding on Saturday "soared" to $3.5M for a '70 Plymouth Superbird that RICHARD PETTY "raced in NASCAR and is billed by its present owner as the most famous in U.S. racing history." Collector TODD WERNER is auctioning the car at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/4).
DIVERSIFYING HIS PORTFOLIO: ESPN's CHAUNCEY BILLUPS has a "new business venture" after signing a "development agreement with Salon Plaza, a salon suite franchise for independent cosmologists." Billups already "owns 30-plus Wendy's franchises in the St. Louis area, and has partnered on Blaze Pizza locations" in St. Louis and K.C. (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/4).
THE GOOD STUFF:The Chargers surprised Magnolia High School in Anaheim with a $10,000 donation to replace athletic equipment lost in a fire last month (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/5)....The third annual Chicago Hockey Charity Classic was held at the team's practice facility yesterday, and "raised about $40,000 for Special Olympics Chicago." Several NHLers participated, with U.S. women's hockey F KENDALL COYNE SCHOFIELD "headlining the event" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/5)....Wizards G JOHN WALL and his charity foundation "hosted a back-to-school backpack giveaway for local children" at a Dave & Buster's on Saturday. Wall was at the event "passing out backpacks and posing for photographs" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/4)....The Padres offered fans a "dinner at Del Frisco's" with TV announcers DON ORSILLO and MARK GRANT as part of a "telethon held during Saturday night's game that benefited Rady Children's Hospital." The bidding started with a couple "offering $10,000," but by the end of the telethon, Orsillo and Grant "committed to seven dinners, which raised $70,000 for the hospital" (SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE, 8/5).
NAMES: SMI President & CEO MARCUS SMITH gave $2,800 to Republican DAN BISHOP’s campaign in the 9th Congressional District race in N.C., while NASCAR team co-owner FELIX SABATES gave $2,700 (THE DAILY)....SHAQUILLE O’NEAL played a set as DJ DIESEL yesterday at Lollapalooza in Chicago (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/5)....Pro Football HOFer WARREN MOON “reached a settlement with a former employee” of his Sports 1 Marketing company who “accused him of sexual harassment” (SEATTLE TIMES, 8/3).
IN MEMORY: The funeral for former 49ers radio announcer BOB FOUTS, the father of Pro Football HOFer DAN FOUTS, will be held Friday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in S.F. (L.A. TIMES, 8/5)….Author HARVEY FROMMER, who “wrote mostly about sports, sometimes collaborating with his subjects on their autobiographies,” died Thursday at 83. Frommer wrote about the 1927 Yankees, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, JACKIE ROBINSON and BRANCH RICKEY, SHOELESS JOE JACKSON and others. He also “collaborated on books” with NOLAN RYAN, RED HOLZMAN and TONY DORSETT (AP, 8/2).
