Goldsmith: I thought about it, sure. But I think the last race was in Jackson when I lost an engine. I shut the key off and coasted around the third and fourth corners and came to the pits. I said, "Well, this is it, I quit." So when I coasted in I went to the Chrysler people who were there, and Charlie Glotzbach didn't have a ride. So I mentioned it to one of the fellas, and it sounded good, so I went and talked to him. Then Charlie came up here, and Ray and the crew fitted the car to him and from then on, he was in.
MM: After you stopped driving, you stayed on as a consultant to Nichels Engineering. What sort of things did you work on during this period?
Goldsmith: Just run my mouth a lot! I don't really remember a lot of it, but I did do little stuff, like talking to drivers about handling, gears, just a little bit of everything.
MM: As with everything else, all good things come to an end, and by the early '70s, factory involvement in racing had fallen from favor all over Detroit. Chrysler, too, withdrew from racing. How did the news come to you, and what was said?
Nichels: I think they called us over the phone.
Goldsmith: I think it was Ronney who called us. He said, "We gotta shut 'er down."
MM: Do you think it was strictly a money-oriented decision with Chrysler or was there more to it? It seemed like they were a lot bolder than GM when it came to racing.
Nichels: It was upper brass.
Goldsmith: There was a guy in upper management who left Chrysler and went to Rockwell. I think that you'll see that about that same time when he went there, racing was cut off. That's what I remember of it.
MM: Do you know how many of your Mopar racecars are still in existence? I saw the K&K Insurance/Bobby Isaac car at the Kruse Auburn auction a dozen or so years ago.
Nichels: I know that the Winged Warriors have a few of them. (Daytona Superbird Auto Club and the Winged Warriors/National B-Body Owners Association-Ed.)
MM: What were your proudest moments racing for Chrysler?
Nichels: Winning races!
Goldsmith: When we went to Daytona with the Hemi engine, I was on the pole there, and that was a pretty good accomplishment.
Editor's Note: Conversations with a Winner-The Ray Nichels Story is on the shelves. The 300-page, 300 photo/illustrated hardcover book is the culmination of four years' work by its author, Wm. LaDow.
Utilizing the Nichels Engineering Archives that have been sealed for over 30 years, this book offers a glimpse into the never before documented life of Racing Hall of Famer Ray Nichels. Containing interviews with such legendary American racing personalities as Cotton Owens, Chris Economaki, A.J. Foyt, David Pearson, Bud Moore, Len Sutton, Bobby Unser, Don White, Ernie Derr, Paul Goldsmith, Shirley Muldowney and Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, to name a few, this volume promises to be the most wide ranging narrative outlining Nichels' almost 40-year racing career.