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Gary Nelson (born June 5, 1953) is an auto racing manager, former crew chief and President of Coyote Cars. [1] He was Bobby Allison's crew chief for his 1983 NASCAR Cup championship. [2] He was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2006. [2] He is the current team manager of Action Express Racing and winner of 6 IMSA national Championships in 9 years since 2014. [1]
Nelson was born in Elgin, Illinois on June 5, 1953, the sixth child and second son of Mildred Ollendorf and Arnold Nelson. Arnold moved his family to Redlands, California one year later to get out of the cold. Nelson left school after completing the 9th grade.
Nelson started in the racing business at 16 years old, cleaning up the shop for San Bernardino, California driver Ivan Baldwin. Nelson soon became Baldwin's number one asset as crew chief, engine builder and all around mechanic. Ivan Baldwin driving with Gary Nelson as crew chief became the top team for short track racing on the west coast. Baldwin and Nelson raced any time anywhere and seemed to win or crash on a regular basis from 1969 thru 1976. The pair raced NASCAR stock cars winning numerous track championships on the west coast. In 1976 Nelson took a floor sweeper job at DiGard Racing in the South East with young Darrell Waltrip, driving. The team won Waltrip's first big track race at Darlington in 1977. Nelson moved through the ranks to become DiGard's Chief Mechanic in 1978 as the team won at most NASCAR tracks from 1977 - 1979. Finishing 2nd to Richard Petty in the 1979 Winston Cup Championship. [2] Nelson took a one-year break to help a friend start a new business, Ron Eaton, of Lakewood Washington.
Returning to DiGard late in 1981 Nelson became crew chief for DiGard's newest driver Bobby Allison. Allison had been driving for 21 years at the time and raced for 21 different owners with no championships. The combination of Nelson and Allison proved to be strong, winning their first race, the 1982 Daytona 500. Together they won 9 Winston Cup races in 1982 finishing second in points to Darrell Waltrip, who had moved to Junior Johnson's race team. Nelson and Allison came back in 1983 even stronger, winning 7 Winston Cup events and the 1983 Winston Cup Championship with Waltrip finishing 2nd. Things began to unravel between Allison and the team owners of DiGard in 1984 and 1985. Frustrated with the internal battle between Allison and DiGard Nelson built a R&D car and took it to Daytona in July 1985 to prove his ideas. Greg Sacks was offered a one race ride to drive the car. The team won what many call the biggest upset in NASCAR history by winning the 400 mile event. Instead of ending the Allison, DiGard dispute as Nelson had hoped, the Sacks victory caused even more internal conflict. When Rick Hendrick called asking Nelson to help start a second team for Hendrick Motorsports Nelson decided to take Rick up on his offer. Nelson was paired with Geoff Bodine and charged with building a complete Winston Cup race team in less than 4 months. The new team's first race together brought another win for Nelson, the 1986 Daytona 500. The team went on to win one more race in 1986 at Dover. Hendrick Motorsports began to struggle with many engine failures and crashes making 1987 a difficult year for all involved.
For 1988, Nelson, continued with a limited schedule at Hendrick Motorsports but never won again with Geoff Bodine. Having a few weekends off, Nelson worked part-time in 1988 for ESPN as a booth announcer alongside Bob Jenkins and Ned Jarrett. Felix Sabates hired Nelson late in 1988 to build a new team called Sabco racing. Kyle Petty became Sabco's driver. The Nelson - Petty combination began building momentum with several wins from 1989 to 1991 but a 12-week recovery from a broken leg Kyle suffered during a crash at Talladega sent the team into a tailspin. Bill France Jr asked Nelson to become the Winston Cup Series director late in 1991. Nelson worked for NASCAR as its Winston Cup Director during its biggest growth period 1992 through 2001. NASCAR promoted Nelson to Vice President of R&D in 2001 giving him the task of building the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, NC. The first task of the R&D Center, led by Nelson was to improve the safety of racing. NASCAR had lost 10 drivers in its top three National racing series between 1991 and 2001.
Of all Nelson's success in racing, Nelson is most proud of the safety improvements. Dale Earnhardt lost his life on February 18, 2001. Since that date to the time of this writing (July 2, 2019) there has not been another life-threatening accident in any of NASCAR's National racing series. Nelson left his position at NASCAR in 2007 to form his own company, Gary Nelson & Associates. NASCAR became the first client for Gary Nelson & Associates. A motorcycle race team (Pair of Nines) hired Gary Nelson & Associates to manage their racing team. The team won several events and the 2008 Moto ST championship. Also in 2008, a Grand American road race team, Brumos Porsche, hired Nelson as consultant. The team won the 2009 Rolex 24-hour endurance race in Daytona. In 2010 Gary Nelson & Associates was hired to form a new team called Action Express Racing for new car owner Bob Johnson. Nelson took the title of Team Manager, a position he holds today. Action Express Racing, managed by Gary Nelson won its first race, the 2010 Rolex 24 event in Daytona and has gone on to win many major events and National Championships since.
Nelson was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame and is credited with many innovations still in use today in racing. Roof flaps, power steering, generation 5 NASCAR chassis, cowl flaps, are a few.
Nelson feels the best compliment he can receive is to be called a "Racer"
He was hired as a broadcaster for ESPN during the 1988 season. [2] He was hired by NASCAR and has held several roles in the organization. He was the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series director, Vice President of Competition, and Vice President of Research and Development. [2]
Nelson is a bachelor and the proud father of two adult boys William and John Nelson.
Darrell Lee Waltrip is an American motorsports analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 11 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson. Waltrip is a three-time Cup Series champion.
Robert Arthur Allison is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short tracks with high purses. Allison raced competitively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1961 to 1988, while regularly competing in short track events throughout his career. He also raced in IndyCar, Trans-Am, and Can-Am. Named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he was the 1983 Winston Cup champion and won the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982, and 1988.
Terrance Lee Labonte, nicknamed "Texas Terry" or "the Iceman", is an American former stock car driver. He raced from 1978 to 2014 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup and Sprint Cup Series. A two-time Cup Series champion in 1984 and 1996 and the 1989 IROC champion, he is the older brother of 2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, and the father of former Nationwide Series driver Justin Labonte. He also co-owns a Chevrolet dealership in Greensboro, North Carolina with Rick Hendrick. He appeared on the CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard in 1984, where he played an unnamed pit crew member.
Raymond Donald Evernham Jr. is an American consultant for Hendrick Companies, formerly an auto racing crew chief for Bill Davis Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, owner of his own team Evernham Motorsports from 2001 to 2010, and analyst for ESPN's NASCAR coverage. A three time Winston Cup Series Champion with driver Jeff Gordon, in 1999, Evernham won the NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated "Person of the Year". Evernham was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Class of 2018.
Greg Sacks is an American former stock car racing driver. He is married and has three children. He lives in Ormond Beach, Florida. He and his sons are partners in Grand Touring Vodka.
James Robert Yates was a NASCAR engine builder and former owner of the Sprint Cup Series team Yates Racing, owned since 2007 by his son Doug. He purchased the team from Harry Ranier in 1988, with driver Davey Allison. In 2018, Yates was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Jeffrey L. Hammond is an American NASCAR personality and crew chief. Currently, he is a commentator for NASCAR's coverage on Fox Sports. He is also referred to as Hollywood Hammond by his Fox colleague Darrell Waltrip. He is an alumnus of East Carolina University.
The 1976 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 28th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 5th modern era NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday, January 18 and ended on Sunday, November 21. Cale Yarborough, driving the #11 Junior Johnson Holly Farms Chevrolet scored his first of three consecutive NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup Championships. Skip Manning was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
The 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 42nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 19th modern-era Cup Series. It began on Sunday, February 11, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Because of a highly controversial penalty to Mark Martin early in the season, Dale Earnhardt with Richard Childress Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion for the fourth time, edging out Martin by 26 points.
The 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 39th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 16th modern-era cup series. The season began on February 8 and ended on November 22. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the championship for the third time.
DiGard Racing was a championship-winning race team in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series that had its most success in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The team won the 1983 Winston Cup championship with Bobby Allison at the wheel.
Michael “Mike” Ford is an American NASCAR crew chief from Morristown, Tennessee who most recently was known to be working for RSS Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Wood Brothers Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was formed in 1950 by eponymous brothers Glen and Leonard Wood. From 2006 to 2008, the team was merged with Tad and Jodi Geschickter's JTG Racing. The Wood Brothers Racing Team holds the unique distinction of being the oldest active team in NASCAR, having fielded cars since 1950. They are known for their long relationship with Ford Motor Company, and the long-standing use of the number 21 on their main car. The team currently fields the No. 21 Ford Mustang full-time for Harrison Burton and has a technical alliance with Team Penske.
The 1984 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 4, 1984, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Waddell Wilson is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series crew chief and engine builder. He was the winning crew chief for the Daytona 500 in 1980, 1983, and 1984. He was crew chief or engine builder for Holman-Moody, Harry Ranier, and Hendrick Motorsports. Drivers included Bobby Allison, Mario Andretti, Buddy Baker, Geoff Bodine, A. J. Foyt, Junior Johnson, Fred Lorenzen, Cale Yarborough and Ricky Rudd.
Tony Gibson is a retired American auto racing crew chief. He last worked for the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by Kurt Busch in the NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He was the crew chief for Busch's 2017 Daytona 500 victory. Gibson worked as car chief on Alan Kulwicki’s title team of 1992 and was also the car chief on Jeff Gordon’s title teams of 1998 and 2001. With Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Gibson, was the crew chief for racers such as Steve Park, Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and at Stewart-Haas Racing for Ryan Newman from 2009 to the majority of 2012 and Danica Patrick for 2013 to most of 2014 before swapping drivers.
The 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 32nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 9th modern-era NASCAR Cup season. It was the final year with the Gen 2 car. The season began on Sunday, January 13 and ended on Sunday, November 15. Dale Earnhardt won his first Winston Cup championship, winning by 19 points over Cale Yarborough. Jody Ridley was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
The 1978 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 30th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 7th modern era NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday, January 22 and ended on Sunday, November 19. Cale Yarborough driving the Junior Johnson #11 First National City Travelers Checks Oldsmobile won his then record third consecutive NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Winston Cup. Ronnie Thomas was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year in a tight battle with Roger Hamby.
Junior Johnson & Associates was a NASCAR team that ran in the Winston Cup Series from 1953 to 1995. The team was run by former driver Junior Johnson and was best known for fielding cars for legendary talents such as Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Terry Labonte, Bill Elliott, Geoffrey Bodine, and Sterling Marlin.
James Kenneth "Buddy" Parrott is an American NASCAR crew chief. Over 18 years, Parrott won 49 races. Parrott's sons Todd and Brad also served as crew chiefs.