Larry Barham was well-known around his hometown of Portageville, Mo., for his athletic prowess and skill behind the wheel of a stock car. Portageville is in New Madrid County in the Bootheel of Missouri.

 “My brother was a pretty good in baseball and basketball,” said Jerry Barham of Kansas City. “Everybody in our small town knew him. He was a bit of a hot rod.

 “Larry wanted to be a NASCAR driver. He often raced three or four nights a week, and sometimes he would win every race.”

 Barham’s father, Loren, owned a service station.

 Larry was drafted into the Army in 1967 and was killed in Vietnam at age 22. He died less than a year after he bought a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 with a 350-horsepower engine, four-speed transmission and a positraction rear axle. It had an AM radio, no power brakes and no power steering.

 After Larry’s death, the Chevelle was driven a little by one of his surviving brothers, but then it went up on blocks and into storage. “It’s my son’s car and it will stay here,” Loren said. He would start the car every few months but never drove it.

 About 10 or 12 years ago, Jerry took a trailer when he went to visit his folks because he wanted to rescue the Chevelle from storage and bring it back to Kansas City, which he did. He stripped the paint, replaced most of the interior and brought the car back to the way it was when Larry left for Vietnam. The car is mechanically original, and it has slightly more than 54,000 miles. The Portageville city sticker is still on the right vent window. 

 Larry’s memory is still vivid to Jerry. He named his son Larry, and he has a grandson named Larry. The ’67 Chevelle is rolling tribute to Larry and an exclamation point to a life cut short.

 About five years ago, Jerry said, he drove Larry’s car home to show it to his folks, who live out in the country. “When you let off the gas in third gear, the car really bellows,”

Jerry said. “Mom was crying when we pulled into the driveway.”

 “I heard you coming down the road,” she said, “and it took me back 35 years.”