NASCAR Hall of Fame countdown: David Pearson

Editor's note: Counting down the days until the NASCAR Hall of Fame announces its inaugural class, we're zeroing in on 10 of the 25 nominees. Each day's focus will be on one of those men and we'll wrap up as the voting panel convenes, the debates intensify and the selections finalized. The five inductees will be announced Oct. 14.

David Pearson

Competed: 1960-1986

Starts: 574

Wins: 105

Poles: 113

Pearson was the model of NASCAR efficiency during his career. His 105 Cup series victories ranks second all time and he amassed that figure in only 574 races – an 18.29 winning percentage.

In a career that spanned 27 years, Pearson never once ran every race in a season. When he came close to running the full schedule, he won a championship – or came close. In 1974, he finished third in the title hunt behind Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough but raced only 19 of 30 races.

Tom Higgins on 'The Silver Fox'

Motorsports writer and historian Tom Higgins shares a standout memory of each of the 10 nominees we're featuring as we count down to the NASCAR Hall of Fame vote and announcement.

Darlington, S.C. – April 11, 1976

The Rebel 500 at Darlington Raceway had evolved into a tight tussle between veteran drivers Buddy Baker and David Pearson.

“Darlington always has been a ‘white knuckle’ track for almost every driver,” Baker recalled recently. “Things were getting especially tense in that ’76 race because David and I had been back and forth at each other so much, swapping the lead. I know that I felt tension, and I figured David did, too.

“Then, going down the backstretch, he pulled alongside to pass. I looked over and David was driving with one hand and lighting a cigarette with the other!

“He appeared just as cool as if he was sitting in a rocking chair on his porch back home. I’ve got to be honest. It unsettled me a little bit.”

Pearson led the last 12 laps to edge Baker by seven-tenths of a second.

Other drivers also have told of seeing Pearson drive by while firing up a smoke with a cigarette lighter that was built into the dash of the Wood Brothers cars he drove to so many victories.

Was it a psychological ploy on the part of Pearson?

Asked about that, Leonard Wood, Pearson’s crew chief for many years, laughed and said, “They didn’t call David The Silver Fox for nothing.”