Shot by "The Daredevil" at Daytona during Speedweeks 2008 - Wiki Commons

David became known as the "Silver Fox" because of his calculated approach to racing, staying in around eighth or ninth position, saving his car for the final sprint to the checkers. NASCAR said of him "he is the model of NASCAR efficiency during his career." The only person who came close to him was Richard Petty and between them both they came in an astonishing one-two win no less than sixty three times.

David Gene Pearson was born on the 22nd December 1934 in the "moonshine" town of Whitney, South Carolina. His parents worked at the local mill, as did most of the locals, and did their best to provide for their family. David left school after the 10th grade and went to work at the mill with his parents but he was soon disillusioned with this and left there to work in a car body shop with his brother. He saved the money he earned to buy a Ford coach which he modified to convert it into a street rod racing it on dirt tracks until finally rolling it over, wrecking it. His mother gave him some money to buy another car to build using this car to race on dirt tracks and in 1952 he won $30 in an outlaw class race. Success followed success and before long he had attracted the attention of the racing community, including John Littlejohn, at nearby Spartanburg. From an early age David had a love of racing (he used to climb a tree at the local race track to see the races) and he once said "I’d always been interested in cars and I decided right then that was what I wanted to do with my life." David was content with the fame he found locally and was not really looking for fame but others thought differently. Friends and family started to raise money to buy a car that David could compete in the NASCAR Grand National where in 1960 he competed in a limited number of races and was named the Rookie of the Year. David was unable to race in the 1962 season because he had bent the frame of his own race car but as luck would have it Darel Dieringer was unable race in the inaugural World 600 at Charlotte because of a dispute and John Littlejohn recommended that Ray Fox hire David to drive his car in place of Darel. After having a successful test drive David went on to win the race and later in the season he won the Firecracker 250 at Daytona and the Dixie 400 at Atlanta making him the first man to win, in a single year, on three of NASCAR’s Big Four tracks. His phenomenal NASCAR career had begun!

David has an incredible list of awards: three times Grand National winner 1966, 1968 and 1969, NASCAR "Rookie of the Year" 1060, named as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers 1998, the National Motor Sports Press Association’s Hall of Fame inductee 1991, the International Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee 1993, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Court of Legends 1998 and has been nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame 2011. He holds the record for being the first man to drive a stock car over 190 mph at Daytona (190.029mph). There is a report about him in the South Carolina Concurrent Resolution 4658 which states "Whereas, never flamboyant and a man of sterling character, and despite a racing career that spans twenty seven years, and includes five hundred seventy four races, one hundred five victories, three championships, and accomplishments too numerous to mention, David Gene Pearson never forgot his Southern roots or lost the humility that dwells in the heart of a true Southern gentleman and son of the soil."

David retired from racing in 1986 and was widowed in 1991. He has three sons, Larry who raced in NASCAR and was the 1986 Busch Series champion, Ricky who was general manager and a crew chief for Buckshop Jones/Buckshop Racing when they won two Busch Series races and Eddie.

David Gene Pearson resides in Spartanburg, South Carolina comfortably living with his father, Lennie H. Pearson, his sister, Josephine Pearson Brown and many loyal friends.

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David Pearson - Wikipedia
NASCAR Website
All You Need - David Pearson
Experience NASCAR - David Pearson

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