While there are a number of challenging tracks on the NASCAR stock car racing circuit, few have earned the fearsome reputation of South Carolina's Darlington Raceway. Known as 'the track too tough to tame', its shaped like an egg with a surface that shreds tires. Some of the best drivers--including NASCAR's 'King' Richard Petty never mastered it. David Person, on the other hand, dominated at Darlington. He won 10 races and won 12 poles--both records that will likely never be broken. He actually made the 'track too tough to tame' look downright easy.
David Pearson was born on December 22, 1934 in Whitney, SC"a textile town near Spartanburg. Like most of the locals, his parents worked in the local cotton mill and did their best to provide. David quit school after the 10th grade and went to work in the mill. It wasnt long, however, before his love of cars and racing made him leave the mill life behind. He bought a car and began racing at short tracks in the upstate. He ran his first race on 9/19/52 in Woodruff South Carolina. Within a few years, he won his first championship at the Greenville"Pickens Speedway in 1959.
Pearson never really sought much more than this local fame and success, but a couple of his friends and some fans had loftier ambitions"they began raising money to buy a car to compete in the NASCAR Grand National series (which was the forerunner to todays Sprint Cup series). With the financial backing from friends and family, David began racing a limited schedule on the Grand National circuit and was named the 1960 rookie of the year. In 1961, he became the first driver to win on 3 of 4 superspeedways in the same year (Charlotte, Daytona, Atlanta). Success beget sponsors, whos dollars allowed him to afford better cars and crew. This brought about championships"he won three Grand National titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969.
During the 70's, Pearson specialized in superspeedway racing. Through the end of the 1970s, Pearson won 43 races. In addition to his mastery of Darlington, he posted remarkable numbers all over the circuit. He is one of two men to have won more than 100 races, and his 105 is second only to The King Richard Pettys 200 wins. Hes also second on career poles (113) to Petty. Head to head, however, he has a slight edge over NASCARs legendary King: in races where he and Petty finished 1-2, Pearson won 33 to Pettys 30. His 11 consecutive poles at Charlotte is a feat that will likely never be matched. Another record that may never be broken is his 18.29% winning percentage, as well as his record of starting from the pole in 20% of the races he ran.
Pearson is alive and well and still lives in Spartanburg, SC. In March 2000, SC Highway 221 through Spartanburg County was renamed David Pearson Boulevard in his honor. He still gets out on the Darlington track a few times a year--impressive for anyone, but even more so for a 75 year old man. And he's still got the sterling silver hair which gave him his nickname of 'The Silver Fox'. - 31488
David Pearson was born on December 22, 1934 in Whitney, SC"a textile town near Spartanburg. Like most of the locals, his parents worked in the local cotton mill and did their best to provide. David quit school after the 10th grade and went to work in the mill. It wasnt long, however, before his love of cars and racing made him leave the mill life behind. He bought a car and began racing at short tracks in the upstate. He ran his first race on 9/19/52 in Woodruff South Carolina. Within a few years, he won his first championship at the Greenville"Pickens Speedway in 1959.
Pearson never really sought much more than this local fame and success, but a couple of his friends and some fans had loftier ambitions"they began raising money to buy a car to compete in the NASCAR Grand National series (which was the forerunner to todays Sprint Cup series). With the financial backing from friends and family, David began racing a limited schedule on the Grand National circuit and was named the 1960 rookie of the year. In 1961, he became the first driver to win on 3 of 4 superspeedways in the same year (Charlotte, Daytona, Atlanta). Success beget sponsors, whos dollars allowed him to afford better cars and crew. This brought about championships"he won three Grand National titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969.
During the 70's, Pearson specialized in superspeedway racing. Through the end of the 1970s, Pearson won 43 races. In addition to his mastery of Darlington, he posted remarkable numbers all over the circuit. He is one of two men to have won more than 100 races, and his 105 is second only to The King Richard Pettys 200 wins. Hes also second on career poles (113) to Petty. Head to head, however, he has a slight edge over NASCARs legendary King: in races where he and Petty finished 1-2, Pearson won 33 to Pettys 30. His 11 consecutive poles at Charlotte is a feat that will likely never be matched. Another record that may never be broken is his 18.29% winning percentage, as well as his record of starting from the pole in 20% of the races he ran.
Pearson is alive and well and still lives in Spartanburg, SC. In March 2000, SC Highway 221 through Spartanburg County was renamed David Pearson Boulevard in his honor. He still gets out on the Darlington track a few times a year--impressive for anyone, but even more so for a 75 year old man. And he's still got the sterling silver hair which gave him his nickname of 'The Silver Fox'. - 31488
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a freelance writer who has written on sports gambling and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, hockey and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a lynx.
