Wilbur Rakestraw
Wilbur Rakestraw | |||||||
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Born | Birmingham ) | June 6, 1928||||||
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Rebel 300 (Darlington ) | |||||||
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Wilbur Rakestraw (June 6, 1928 – May 7, 2014) was an American racing car driver. He was born in
Career
Wilbur Rakestraw began his career in 1956 racing at his hometown track, the Dallas Speed Bowl.[2] He drove a 1937 Ford Coupe with the number 999 in honor of Henry Ford's first race car, which had been driven by Barney Oldfield.[4] He continued racing in the SRE circuit at various local tracks including Fairburn, Gainesville, Lakewood, Cornelia, Canton, Macon, and the Peach Bowl.[4]
Rakestraw had 30 starts
Rakestraw was a member of the Midwest Association of Race Cars (MARC) (now ARCA), where he collected numerous wins and top ten finishes.[2] Due to lack of funds, Rakestraw retired from racing after the 1961 season.[4] In a 2008 interview, Rakestraw said "I was considered a very good race driver. A lot of my friends hated to see me get out of it. If not for financial problems, I'd have been there until I got too old. I enjoyed it as much as anybody could."[1] In 2008, Rakestraw was inducted into the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame (GRHOF).[4][5]
Accomplishments
- 30 starts in the NASCAR Cup and Convertible series from 1956–1961
- 1 top five and 6 top ten finishes in the NASCAR Grand National Division
- 3 top five and 4 top ten finishes in the NASCAR Convertible Series
- 3 Starts in the Daytona 500 (22nd-place finish in the inaugural event)
- Numerous wins in the MARC series
- 2008 GRHOF Inductee
Death
Rakestraw died on May 7, 2014, of congestive heart failure.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Pioneer racer Wilbur Rakestraw dies". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- ^ a b c d "Georgia House Resolution 1264" (PDF). Georgia House. 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "2008 Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Inductees Announced..." Thunderroad USA. June 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ "Wilbur Rakestraw" (PDF). Thunderroad UAS. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
External links
- Wilbur Rakestraw driver statistics at Racing-Reference