Nelson Stacy (December 28, 1921 – May 14, 1986) was an American race car driver from Maysville, Kentucky.[1][2] He won the 1958, 1959, and 1960 MARC Series (now ARCA Menards Series) championships.[3] He also won four NASCAR Grand National Series races in 1961 and 1962, including the 1961 Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway and the 1962 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.[4]
| Nelson Stacy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | December 28, 1921 Flemingsburg, Kentucky | ||||||
| Died | May 14, 1986 (aged 64) Daytona Beach, Florida | ||||||
| Achievements | 1958 ARCA Series Champion 1959 ARCA Series Champion 1960 ARCA Series Champion 1961 Southern 500 Winner 1962 World 600 Winner 1964 Daytona ARCA 250 Winner | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 45 races run over 6 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 14th (1963) | ||||||
| First race | 1952 Race #28 (Dayton) | ||||||
| Last race | 1965 Firecracker 400 (Daytona) | ||||||
| First win | 1961 Southern 500 (Darlington) | ||||||
| Last win | 1962 Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| |||||||
| ARCA Series | |||||||
| Years active | 1956–1960, 1964 | ||||||
| Teams | Willie Holt | ||||||
| Starts | 111 | ||||||
| Wins | 37 | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st in 1958, 1959, 1960 | ||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 1952, '61-'65 | NASCAR Grand National Series | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1958 1959 1960 | ARCA Series Champion ARCA Series Champion ARCA Series Champion | ||||||
| Statistics current as of April 28, 2013. | |||||||
Early life
editStacy was originally from Kentucky. He was a veteran of World War II, serving as a tank driver in the U.S. Third Army under the command of General George S. Patton.
Early career
editIn 1952, Stacy made his first NASCAR Grand National Series start at Dayton Speedway. After a 12th-place finish out of 30 cars,[5] he decided it would be best to drive in the MARC Series (later the ARCA Menards Series).[3] He lost the 1957 title to Iggy Katona by 4.5 points, one of the slimmest margins in series history.[6] Stacy's move enabled him to win the series championship in 1958, 1959 and 1960.[3] He had wins in 1957, 1959 and 1960 at Canfield Speedway.[7] In 1959, he started the season in April by winning two of three races (Dayton and Canfield).[8]
NASCAR career
editAfter a decade in the MARC series, Stacy decided to give Grand National racing another try. In 1961 he returned to NASCAR competition at age 40, competing in 15 of the 52 scheduled races.[9] He won the 1961 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway beating Fireball Roberts and leading 72 laps. He also accumulated eight Top Ten finishes and 4 Top Five finishes.[10]
In 1962, Stacy won the Rebel 300 at Darlington Raceway, the final convertible race in NASCAR history, beating Marvin Panch,[11] as well as winning the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, coming from 18th place to beat Joe Weatherly,[12] and the 1962 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway, beating out Richard Petty by over three laps.[13] He accumulated three wins, seven Top Tens, and five Top Five finishes for the 1962 season. As mentioned, he also won the NASCAR Convertible Division race that year at the Darlington Rebel 300.[4]
Stacy failed to win any races in 1963. He accumulated nine Top Ten and four Top Five finishes. He finished a career-high 14th in the final points standing that year. In 1964, at age 43, Stacy's health began to become a factor.[how?] He went on to compete in two more Grand National races.[3] He achieved a 24th-place finish in his final start at the Firecracker 400 in 1965.[4] Stacy ended his NASCAR career after competing in 45 races. In his career, he had 24 Top Ten and 13 Top Five Finishes along with 4 wins.[2]
Later life and death
editStacy spent his final years in Florida, where he owned a car dealership.[4] He died on May 14, 1986, at the age of 64.[3]
Family life
editStacy was married to Mary Stacy. The couple had three children, two girls and a boy.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Nelson Stacy". Anderson Speedway. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ a b "Nelson Stacy career statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Nelson Stacy". Stacy Motorsports. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Samples, Steve. "Nelson Stacy". Legends of NASCAR. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ "1952 Dayton Speedway". Racing Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "ARCA's Early Days, The France Connection". Automobile Racing Club of America. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ "Canfield, The MARC/ARCA Story..." Toledo Speedway. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ "April Action in ARCAville Aplenty". ARCA. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ "1961 NASCAR statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "1961 Southern 500 statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "1962 Rebel 300 statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "1962 World 600 statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "1962 Old Dominion 500 statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
External links
edit- Nelson Stacy driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Stacy Motorsports
- Legends of Nascar article on Stacy