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]
| Paul Lewis | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 28, 1932 Johnson City, Tennessee, United States | ||||||
| Awards | 1960 NASCAR Rookie of the Year Runner-up | ||||||
| NASCAR 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) | ||||||
| |||||||
Career edit
Driver edit
Lewis made his debut into top-level professional stock car racing in 1960 at the age of 27. He originally drove a Chevrolet. but also raced Ford, Dodge, and Plymouth cars.[3] During his 10-season career, Lewis made 114 Grand National starts, with 1 career pole in a May 1965 event at North Carolina's Harris Speedway, and scored his only career win at the 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 in Maryville, Tennessee. He led a total of 71 laps in his career as well.[4]
During his career, Lewis never ran a full season, and his best season points finish was 14th in 1965 after competing in just under half that year's events.[5] He 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 ($463,205.98 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.[6]
Owner edit
Like many NASCAR drivers of his time, Lewis also drove his own car during some his career; his ownership career spanned from 1962 to 1968. In addition to himself, Buddy Arrington and Tiny Lund also each drove 1 race apiece for Lewis. Total earnings as a NASCAR owner for Lewis was $29,060 ($254,615.66 when adjusted for inflation).[7]
Post-NASCAR career edit
Lewis still offers advice to stock car racers who live in the vicinity of Johnson City, Tennessee.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b c Paul Lewis racing information at Racing Reference
- ^ Paul Lewis Archived 2017-12-29 at the Wayback Machine racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ^ Racer profile about Paul Lewis at Insider Racing News
- ^ "Driver".
- ^ "Driver Season Stats".
- ^ NASCAR statistics on Paul Lewis Archived 2013-05-18 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages
- ^ NASCAR Team Owner statistics for Paul Lewis Archived 2015-09-21 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages
- ^ Paul Lewis remembers the first BMS race at TriCities
External links edit
- Paul Lewis driver statistics at Racing-Reference