She'll knock on wood, cross her fingers, do anything within her fairly limited powers to create good vibes. Her son, Jimmy, is strapping himself inside his Ford, the 26 car, for the NAPA 500. He'll start ninth, next to Mark Martin in the fifth row. This means only one thing to Mom. It's nervous time.
Wives can tolerate it better.
Mrs. Petty, Mrs. Allison, Mrs. Jarrett, they agreed with her. Those are Mrs. Spencer's words. She knows there's no escaping danger as long as engines are roaring. But for Frances Spencer, that race was an unqualified success. She knew that the moment she heard Jimmy's voice over the phone as she relaxed on her deck in Berwick.