Paul Lewis (racing driver)
| Paul Lewis | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 28, 1932 Johnson City, Tennessee, United States | ||||||
| Awards | 1960 NASCAR Rookie of the Year Runner-up | ||||||
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career | |||||||
| 114 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 14th – 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series season | ||||||
| First race | 1960 Gwyn Staley 160 (North Wilkesboro Speedway) | ||||||
| Last race | 1968 World 600 (Charlotte Motor Speedway) | ||||||
| First win | 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 (Smoky Mountain Raceway) | ||||||
| Last win | 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 (Smoky Mountain Raceway) | ||||||
| |||||||
Paul Lewis (born September 28, 1932) is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series race car driver whose career spanned from 1960 to 1968[1] while primarily driving a #2 Dodge vehicle owned by Bobby Allison.[2]
Career
Driver
Lewis made his debut into top-level professional stock car racing in 1960 at the age of 27. He originally drove in Chevrolet vehicles but eventually diversified to other manufacturers.[3] One of the Lewis' major racing accomplishments was to lead 71 laps out of a grand total distance of 24,090 laps as a professional stock car driver; the equivalent of 19,356.3 miles or 31,150.9 kilometres of constant highway driving.[1] Lewis has started an average of 19th and finished an average of 17th with one DNQ at the 1962 Southeastern 500.[1]
The worst season for this driver was the 1964 NASCAR Grand National season where he finished in 142nd place for championship points.[1] All of the laps that Lewis had led were in the 1966 and 1967 NASCAR Cup Series seasons.[1] This driver started his career at the age of 27 and ended it at 35 years of age; a latecomer compared today's to NASCAR drivers who generally start their career at the top level between the ages of 18 and 21.[1]
Lewis has managed to earn a grand total of $52,867 from all the racing events that he participated in ($359,748.55 when adjusted for inflation).[1] Dirt tracks helped to contribute to Lewis' best career finishes; with him finishing an average of tenth place. His shortcoming would be restrictor plate tracks; where Lewis would finish a mediocre 30th place on average.[4] The only pole position start for Lewis came at a 1965 untitled race at Harris Speedway in Harris, North Carolina.[5]
Owner
Lewis also managed to own a NASCAR team during his career; his ownership career spanned from 1962 to 1968. His primary drivers were himself, Buddy Arrington and Tiny Lund. Total earnings as a NASCAR owner for Lewis was $29,060 ($197,747.04 when adjusted for inflation).[6]
Post-NASCAR career
Lewis still offers advice to stock car racers who live in the vicinity of Johnson City, Tennessee.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Paul Lewis racing information at Racing Reference
- ↑ Paul Lewis racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ↑ Racer profile about Paul Lewis at Insider Racing News
- ↑ NASCAR statistics on Paul Lewis at Driver Averages
- ↑ Paul Lewis' only pole position at Racing Reference
- ↑ NASCAR Team Owner statistics for Paul Lewis at Driver Averages
- ↑ Paul Lewis remembers the first BMS race at TriCities