If things seemed brighter and more colorful back in the day, this tribute car to Lil’ Bill Corum might provide proof it was. Back 50 years ago, many successful short-track racers were quite literally the talk of the town, and there was no better example than Lil’ Bill Corum, according to his son, Chris.
Who was Lil’ Bill Corum?
“Everywhere we went, my dad was kind of famous,” Chris said. “Whether we went to the grocery store or to church, everybody knew Dad. If Dad was Richard Petty, it wouldn’t be any bigger to me, here, where my dad was regionally famous.”
Lil’ Bill Corum rightfully earned that reputation. He raced for more than 30 years. He won over 300 features, as well as track championships at Atomic Speedway, Newport Speedway and Volunteer Speedway. Not too shabby for a racer who built his first race car with his father out of a ’34 Ford for $35 total. He earned $50 in his first race. That set him on a trajectory for a lifelong involvement with the sport.
For those who are wondering, was Lil’ Bill little? Not necessarily. He earned that nickname because his cousin, also named Bill Corum, raced, and he was a big guy. To distinguish the two Bill Corums, they called one Bill “Lil’ Bill.”
The Impact of Lil’ Bill Corum
One of Lil’ Bill Corum’s most memorable rides was a stars-and-stripes 1971 Chevrolet Camaro.
“You know how if you go to a race and you say, ‘Hey, that car looks cool, I am going to root for that car,’ if you don’t know anybody?” Chris said. “My dad gained a lot of fans like that.”
Between striking looks of his rides and his personality, Lil’ Bill Corum was a fan favorite.
“My dad was real outgoing, always smiling, great with fans” Chris said. “That Lil’ Bill moniker made him more popular with the kids. I still have people tell me, ‘Your dad was my hero.’”
Chris Corum had his own long career in the sport. He also won races and went on to manage legendary tracks such as Macon Speedway for Bob Sargent’s Track Enterprises. In recent years, he has stepped away from running races. Chris felt the timing was right to recreate his father’s most iconic ride. He last raced around 2005 before going into track operations, but the urge to drive never disappeared.
“I don’t think you ever don’t want to not do it again,” Chris said. “My dad was sick and dying and 80 years old, and he told me he’d like to make just one more lap.”
Recreating an Iconic Race Car
The actual car Lil’ Bill Corum raced is long gone. The one Chris recreated uses an old late model stock car chassis, with a Camaro front clip and a Camaro steel body. It will not have a wrap, and it was painted by SuperDave, David Lewis. He’s best known in recent times for a fire truck-based hauler. However, Lewis used to race a stars-and-stripes themed car. It was inspired by, you guessed it, one of his racing heroes, Lil’ Bill Corum.
(For more on Lewis, read “David Lewis: SuperDave’s Fire Truck Hauler.”)
Chris Corum plans to compete with the Camaro in the Carolina Vintage Racers. Its schedule consists of events at the newly reopened Newport Speedway. This Saturday, April 19, at Tazewell Speedway, the recreated Lil’ Bill Corum car will make its public debut for the fifth annual Lil’ Bill Corum Memorial, a Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals series race.
The new car will have one piece of equipment that came from one of his Lil’ Bill’s cars. When Chris drives the car, he’ll be holding the same steering wheel his father clutched when he raced.
“That’s all I really have of his cars,” Chris said of the steering wheel. “My sister, who lives in Atlanta, saw the race car in the shop with the body off of it. She started crying as soon as she saw the race car. It’s just so deep in who we are … [racing] was everything in our family. To have something tangible that looks like all the pictures that I’ve got is going to be full circle to me. To have this car and it’ll say ‘Lil’ Bill’ on top of it and to do this tribute to my dad, it’ll be emotional.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
