1960: Chevrolet driver Rex White was the 1960 NASCAR Cup Series champion, after posting six wins and 35 top tens in 41 starts. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Rex White, a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2014 -Photo – RanierEhrhardt/Getty Images
Inductee Rex White looks on during the announcement of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 21, 2014 Photo – Ranier Ehrhardt/Getty Images
1959: Rex White of Spartanburg, SC, ran in 233 NASCAR Cup races during his career, winning 28 times and taking 163 top 10 finishes. White was the 1960 NASCAR Cup champion. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Rex White entered 233 NASCAR Cup races from 1956 through 1964, scoring 28 wins and the 1960 Cup championship. Photo – Getty Images Archive
1961: Rex White is shown at speed in his 1961 Chevrolet NASCAR Cup car during a race. White, the 1960 Cup champion, started 47 Cup events during the year, winning seven times, taking 38 top-10 finishes and second in Cup points. Photo – Getty Images Archive
April 16, 1961: Driver Rex White (L) and his crew chief Lewis Clements (R) hold their trophies in victory lane at North Wilkesboro Speedway after White won the first Gwyn Staley Memorial NASCAR Cup race. Photo – Getty Images Archive
1960 NASCAR Premier Series Champion Earns Sport’s Top Honor
Note: This release is part of a series in advance of the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 30, broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White are the five 2015 inductees.
Over the years, NASCAR premier series champions have come in all shapes and sizes – tall, short, muscular and lean. The single constant? It’s impossible to judge a book by its cover.
Based upon first impressions, Rex White – at 5 feet 4 inches, weighing just 135 pounds and with his right leg withered by childhood polio – might have seemed the unlikeliest championship contender of all.
White, however, was tough as nails fearing neither competitor nor track conditions. He won the 1960 premier series title and posted 28 victories over five seasons, finishing among the top five in nearly half of his 233 starts. Continue reading →
NASCAR Hall of Fame Historian Buz McKim at 9 pm ET
NASCAR Hot Topic Sound Off 10 to 10:30 pm ET Every Monday
Part of the Fan Vs. Fan Radio Network
Guests include Buz McKim, Historian at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, talking about this week’s events leading up to Class of 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Join host Sharon Burton and co-host Sal Sigala every Monday night 8:30 to 10 pm ET as we bring fans the smartest racing talk around on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk!
NASCAR Hot Topic Sound Off is 10 to 10:30 pm ET with Sharon Burton hosting an interactive discussion with co-host Chris Knight. Chris is in Charlotte for NASCAR’s Media Tour this week and is reporting on location. Topics tonight include all the latest from NASCAR Media Day in Charlotte, NC, Jeff Gordon’s announcement, Rico Abreu coming to NASCAR K&N East Series and more!.
Topics include the latest from the NASCAR Media Tour in Charlotte, NC, Jeff Gordon’s announcement, Rico Abreu coming to NASCAR K&N East Series and more!
Listen to our panel discussion with drivers, crew, and other racing personalities and call 714-202-9918 OR Tweet @Fan4RacingSite@Sal_Sigala or @Knighter01 during the LIVE Broadcast to join the conversation about the hottest topics leading up to the next race.
Check back for more updates as the days wind down to events at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February/March 2015. During Race Weekend, look for schedule, practice, and qualifying reports posted here.
The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 weekend at Atlanta kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 26 for four days of nonstop NASCAR action, capped off with the March 1 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
Joe Weatherly, winner of the 1960 and 1963 Rebel 300s. Photo – Getty Images Archive
February 1956: Joe Weatherly of Norfolk, VA, ran this 1956 Ford factory entry in the NASCAR Convertible Division race on the Daytona Beach-Road Course. He started from the pole and led several laps before a broken water pump ended his day. Photo – Getty Images Archive
February 1963: Four superstars of NASCAR find a great place to relax, leaning against the Mercury of driver Parnelli Jones in the garage area of Daytona International Speedway before the running of the Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup race. (L-R) Fred Lorenzen, Glen “Fireball” Roberts, Joe Weatherly and Darel Dieringer. Photo – Getty Images Archive
1956: NASCAR superstars Joe Weatherly (L) and Curtis Turner (R) at Orange Speedway. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Driver Joe Weatherly smiles before the race at the Southern 500 race on September 2, 1963 at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Photo – Dozier Mobley/Getty Imagaes
963: Joe Weatherly began the 1963 season campaigning Pontiacs, until GM cut back their participation in racing. Car owner Bud Moore switched to Mercury products by mid-season. Photo – Getty Images Archive
Brief Yet Prolific Career Lands ‘Clown Prince of Racing’ In Hall
Note: This release is part of a series in advance of the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 30, broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White are the five 2015 inductees.
Joe Weatherly’s time in NASCAR’s premier series was short, just two full-time seasons.
But what an impact the Norfolk, Virginia, native had on NASCAR racing in those brief, 24 months.
Weatherly, previously a winner of American Motorcyclist Association and NASCAR modified titles, claimed back-to-back premier series championships in 1962-63. He posted 25 victories in 229 starts before his untimely death in January 1964 at Riverside (California) International Raceway. Continue reading →
