Blast from the past: Robbie Mooneyham pays tribute to Sumter racing history with paint job from original artist

For the past few weeks, stepping foot in Robbie Mooneyham's garage has been like walking into a time machine. Mooneyham has been gearing up for the Crate American Bash at Sumter Speedway, which kicked off with an open practice on Thursday, Sept. 18. His car will have a familiar look to old-school racing fans in Sumter.

Mooneyham wanted a fun way to pay tribute to some of Sumter's racing roots. He found his answer in an old edition of Stock Car Racing from 1967. The cover features a car built by Tom Gerrity and driven by Freddie Truesdale. The classic Ford Thunderbird had a split paint job, black on the bottom and red on top. The gorgeous black-and-silver double zero was surrounded by local sponsors from the time.

But Mooneyham's connection to the car didn't start with a magazine. He was there for the creation, as his father worked with Gerrity and Truesdale's crew at the time.

"I was like nine when this car was done," Mooneyham said. "My daddy used to work on this car, so I was around it. This is what I remember."

The artist charged with the lettering on that old Thunderbird was Alan "AJ" Rodonis. The pair have stayed connected, and AJ's son, Austin, works with Mooneyham. Austin also wraps and letters cars, so Mooneyham asked the younger Rodonis if he'd help out with the car. His response?

"He said, 'You know what would be even cooler? If I get dad to paint it, that would be awesome,'" Mooneyham recalled.

Rodonis, who's been around the sport of racing for more than six decades, was happy to oblige.

"It's going to be a great tribute," Rodonis said. "I'm very proud of what Robbie is doing in this endeavor. I wish that more people would step forward and do things like this."

There are some differences this time around. Mooneyham isn't driving a Thunderbird, Mooneyham built it up with the front nose of a Camaro and a Chevy engine, but Rodonis hopes it still has some of the magic of that old ride.

"It's not a Ford, but maybe this black-and-red double zero can get that 10 grand," the artist joked.

Rodonis got into racing at the age of 10, but he didn't necessarily set his sights on painting the cars. He was hired to drive a car, and the owner saw him doodling, so he bought Rodonis his first set of supplies for lettering. He took an unconventional approach to training his skills.

"I actually practiced on my refrigerator," he said. "It was porcelain, so I could wipe it off. It didn't have that lumpy finish; it was smooth. Then I was graced enough over the years that I got kinda-sorta good, and I got involved with a few people that made me better."

One of those people was Bob Gerdes, who gained national recognition in the racing community while working for Circus Custom Paint. Gerdes helped Rodonis learn an important lesson, which he carries into his work on Mooneyham's car nearly 40 years after painting that Thunderbird.

"He taught me to take my time," Rodonis said. "Whatever you're doing is going to be there. You've got a deadline; make it. You stay up a little bit later or whatever, but do it, and do it right. When you're done and you're walking out the door, everyone should be happy, and that's it."

The artist works methodically, a requirement for painting by hand. Still, there's a looseness to his work. He's quick to crack a joke - like rushing Mooneyham's children out of the shop if they haven't knocked to his approval - and a cigarette hangs from his mouth as he lays detailed brush strokes onto the ride.

Working on the same paint job nearly 40 years later is bittersweet for Rodonis. While he's enjoying a chance to repeat his own design, it also reminds him of all the people he wished could see this new rendition of the stock car. The sponsors, which include Truesdale Brothers Inc., Gerrity's G&G Fabrication, Ingram & Associates, Robert's CW, Mr. T's Drapery Shop and The Parts Connection, are nearly all defunct. Gerrity and Fredrick Truesdale, along with several other people involved with the original Thunderbird, have passed away. Memories from the first project come rushing back.

"It's been a little bit difficult sitting here in this beautiful build. I can see myself at Tom's place when we had the car all covered up with welding curtains where nobody can see it. It was kind of a joke," Rodonis said. "Nobody could see what the hell I was doing. It was like I was in jail. It was funny, it really was. I didn't care, but that was one of Tom's goofy things, no one is going to see it until it's done.

"Those days are gone; they're history. I miss that, but looking at this, it hurts a little bit because there were some really wonderful people involved in it, and I miss them. It was a whole lot of fun doing it."

Mooneyham has seen other people redo classic designs, but most of them use their current sponsors. He thought it was important to pay tribute to everyone involved in the initial ride.

"I wanted it to look exactly like the magazine because it's been almost 40 years," he said.

The red-and-black double zero was scheduled to ride in the Crate American Bash on Saturday, Sept. 20. Before it was painted, the car won four races, three with Mooneyham behind the wheel and one driven by Banjo Duke. Mooneyham will try to bring home a fifth, along with the $10,000 grand prize. After that? Mooneyham isn't quite sure. He does know that part of the new iteration will remain in the Truesdale family, with Freddie's brother Tony.

"I haven't decided if I'm going to race it the rest of the year," Mooneyham said. "I'm going to take that door and put it up on the wall, the other side, I'm going to give to Tony."

As for Rodonis, the circle is complete. The Thunderbird was the first car he painted in South Carolina. Mooneyham's remake will be the last.

"On this one, it's going to say, 'Thank you, the end,'" Rodonis said of the note he'll paint on the car. "This is the last one. There will probably not be another one."