Rising Stars

It was not uncommon for young racers, who enjoyed tinkering with their cars, to work up the ranks to the major circuits.  Local racer David "Dink" Widenhouse began racing at 15 at the insistance of his brother Jack, who built a dirt track near Concord.  Dink would go on to win over 200 races in his career on mostly dirt tracks, though he chose to race part-time due to the substantial investment required.

As evidenced by the Widenhouse brothers, racing was a family affair.  Patriarchs of modern racing dynasties had roots around Charlotte and throughout North Carolina, such as Ralph Earnhardt (Kannapolis), Ned Jarrett (Newton), and Lee Petty (Randleman).