The Post-Journal

Racing Film To Be Shown Downtown

Comedy Center Will Premiere ‘TEAM: The Dick Barton Story’

 

“The wins and championships all say ‘Dick Barton’ next to them, but I was very fortunate to be part of a great race team.

”Those words by Dick Barton, the all-time winningest super late model driver at Stateline Speedway in Busti, depict the appreciation that the humble Barton felt for the dedicated men and women who served as his car owners and pit crew during his illustrious stock car racing career.

Whenever Barton and his team pulled onto the pits of a dirt track oval towing one of their famous No. 14B or 28B cars, they were considered to be among the favorites for another trip to victory lane.

“TEAM: The Dick Barton Story,” a documentary film chronicling the legendary racing career of Dick Barton, will premiere on the twin outdoor screens of the National Comedy Center, 203 W. Second St. in Jamestown on Sunday, May 23, at 6 p.m.

Attendees should bring lawn chairs and dress appropriately for outside viewing. In case of inclement weather, guests will be able to park their vehicles drive-in movie style to watch the film.

The movie, written and produced by Randy Anderson, Greg Peterson and Randy Sweeney, highlights the prolific stock car racing achievements of one of the most accomplished race car drivers in the tri-state area.

Using video-taped interviews with Barton, his former pit crew, car owners, officials and competitors, plus photo collections and racing videos, the film makers have brought to the screen the fantastic racing years of the man known far and wide for his talent behind the steering wheel of a dirt-pounding race car.

In a career that spanned over four decades, Barton amassed 267 feature wins plus 49 track and series point championships.

Although he competed at many dozens of race tracks throughout the eastern United States, Barton’s main focus was at Stateline Speedway where he racked up 80 feature race victories and 10 track championships, and is the career leader in both categories at the 65-year-old race track.

Barton has been honored for his racing career by being inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame (2003), Friends of Auto Racing Hall of Fame (2015) and the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame (2020), the first New York state driver so honored.

Shawbucks Restaurant, owned by Kurt and Tammy Johnson, longtime sponsors of Dick Barton, will be open before and after the film for food and beverages. Shawbucks is located on the corner of Second and Lafayette streets, right across the street from the National Comedy Center screens.

“TEAM: The Dick Barton Story” is the sixth auto racing film from Anderson, Peterson and Sweeney. Their previous documentaries were “Stateline Speedway — The First Ten Years, 1956-1964” released in 2010, “Squirt” (2013), “Busti Bobby” (2015), “Sammy” (2016), and “Jim Scott” (2019).

The film “TEAM: The Dick Barton Story” is a production of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame and the Stateline Legacy Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation There will be no admission charged. DVD copies of the film will be available for purchase. DVDs can also be purchased at the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame or ordered from www.statelinelegacy.org.


The additional financial assistance of the community is critical to the success of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame.
We gratefully acknowledge these individuals and organizations for their generous support.