Dale Singleton holds baby pig Elmer when accepting the 1981 AMA Formula One number one plate from AMA Competition Director Bill Boyce at that year’s awards banquet. Note the overalls Dale's wearing under his tux jacket.

Dale Singleton was probably the best liked American road racer of the late 1970s. A natural showman, when Singleton won the 1979 Daytona 200 he pulled into the winner’s circle and held up a baby pig he named Elmer. The photo of Singleton and Elmer ran around the world and the myth of the Flyin’ Pig Farmer was born.

Singleton wasn’t actually a pig farmer. He dated a girl whose family had a pig farm and that’s where the original Elmer came from. As Singleton’s popularity grew he was offered big appearance money to race in European events and promoters sweetened the pot if he brought along Elmer.

Dale laughed in one magazine interview when talking about trudging through the mud at some random pig farmer’s field in European countries to find a baby pig he could buy to take to the race.