Goober Buford

Goober Buford
Sex	M

Goober Buford pushed Mel Austin hard in their first heat at the races on Okinawa for V-J Day. He had been a Carolina moonshine hauler before he got drafted, and he knew how to handle a car on dirt. He later raced NASCAR and twice came second at Daytona when the race was run on the beach.^BR1-2

Mel Austin met Goober again at Daytona Beach in 1951. Goober introduced Mel as “That Yankee that done beat me in th’ first stock car race I iver ran.” Goober allowed Mel to run his Nash round the Daytona beach circuit for a few laps, he even had Mel drive a few laps of the race when he needed to get rid of the beers he'd been drinking.^BR1-15

Mel Austin ran into Goober again at Daytona in 1954. Goober finished second that year.^BR1-36