Chris Economaki
Chris Economaki was 'the Dean of American Motorsports Journalism,' editing National Speed Sport News for decades and broadcasting races on television from the 1960s onward. His encyclopedic knowledge…
Category: Winston Cup Era (1972–2003)
Bill France Jr.
Bill France Jr. ran NASCAR from 1972 to 2000 and transformed it from a Southern regional series into a national phenomenon. He negotiated the first live flag-to-flag television…
Robert Yates
Robert Yates was NASCAR's premier engine builder before becoming a championship team owner: his engines powered Bobby Allison's 1983 title run, and as an owner he won the…
Junie Donlavey
Junie Donlavey fielded NASCAR Cup cars from 1950 to 2002 – 52 years – winning just once in 863 starts, and became one of the most beloved figures…
Harry Ranier
Harry Ranier was a Kentucky coal magnate who became a championship-caliber NASCAR team owner. His Ranier-Lundy team won 24 Cup races, including three Daytona 500s – 1980 with…
Glen Wood
Glen Wood co-founded Wood Brothers Racing with his brother Leonard in 1950, creating the oldest continuously active team in NASCAR. Glen won four races as a driver, but…
Banjo Matthews
Edwin 'Banjo' Matthews never won a Grand National race in 51 starts as a driver, but his real fame came as a car builder: cars built by his…
Dick Trickle
Dick Trickle was short-track racing's winningest legend, credited with more than 1,000 feature victories across the Midwest. He finally reached Winston Cup full-time at 48 and was named…
Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson won 50 races as a driver – famous for discovering drafting at Daytona – then became one of NASCAR's greatest owners, winning six championships with Cale…
John Andretti
John Andretti, nephew of Mario, was one of the few drivers to win in both Indy cars and NASCAR, taking two Winston Cup victories including the 1997 Pepsi…