Stroker Ace

A friend has left us.
Bill Neely died yesterday in Wilmington, North Carolina.

He was an icon.

And everyone will miss him dearly.

I will link to a Bill Neely obituary as soon as one becomes available online. Meanwhile, I’ll remember Burt Reynolds in Stroker Ace and how much my Dad adored Lonnie Anderson. He had a poster of her in his stained glass studio in 1984. No wait, that’s really dumb… but I suspect Bill would have appreciated my Dad’s choice of pin-up girls.

But I will put my autographed copy of Stand on It next to my monitor for a few days, to remind me of a really nice guy I met about ten years ago.

Then, I’ll remember lunch on the waterfront in Wilmington with Bill and Jeannette. Expansive and entertaining, Bill was the perfect host. A gentleman with amazing stories and a lust for life.

And then I’ll think of his beloved Miss Garbo… and a lovely cruise down the Cape Fear River.

Good-bye, William Neely. Say “hey” to Dale Earnhardt and Alan Kulwicki, ok? And Bobby Hamilton…

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Stroker Ace is a 1983 action/comedy movie, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver played by Burt Reynolds. The co-stars were Jim Nabors, Loni Anderson, Ned Beatty, and Bubba Smith, with appearances by many NASCAR drivers. Cameos include: Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Terry Labonte, Kyle Petty, Benny Parsons, Tim Richmond, Ricky Rudd, Cale Yarborough, and announcer Ken Squier, David Hobbs, and Chris Economaki. The movie was filmed on location at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Talladega Speedway and the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The theme song for the movie was performed by Charlie Daniels. ^[1]

Burt Reynolds turned down the role of astronaut Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment to do this film. The role went to Jack Nicholson, who went on to win an Academy Award for his performance. ^[2]