H.A. Wheeler
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Howard Augustine Wheeler Jr. (born October 23, 1938), nicknamed Humpy Wheeler, is an American motorsports executive and businessman. He is best known as the former general manager of
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
, a banked racetrack in
Concord, North Carolina Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 105,240 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Concord is the second-most populous city in the Cha ...
. Wheeler held the positions of publicity directors for numerous companies and later became the president and general manager of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He is a major auto racing promoter and businessman, particularly in
stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...
and
IndyCar racing ''IndyCar Racing'' is a racing video game by Papyrus Design Group released in 1993. Papyrus, consisting of David Kaemmer and Omar Khudari, previously developed '' Indianapolis 500: The Simulation'', released in 1989. The game was intended as a ...
. Wheeler was born and raised in
Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small Suburb, suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about east of Gastonia, North Carolina, Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi ...
. In 1964, he gained his first major publicity job when he was hired by the
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey S. Firestone (18681938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, carriages, and other form ...
. After bouncing around real estate and public service jobs when Firestone shut down its racing program in 1970, Wheeler was hired by
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
chairman
Bruton Smith Ollen Bruton Smith (March 3, 1927 – June 22, 2022) was an American motorsports executive and businessman. He was best known as the owner of two public companies, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) and Sonic Automotive. Smith held the positions ...
as president to replace the outgoing
Richard Howard Richard Joseph Howard (October 13, 1929 – March 31, 2022), adopted as Richard Joseph Orwitz, was an American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a graduate of Columbia University, ...
in 1975. During his time at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, he gained a reputation for creating unique promotions for races at the speedway. He abruptly retired from the position in May 2008, a decision that was seen as shocking to most of the NASCAR landscape. After retiring as president of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, he pursued other business endeavors with his advising company The Wheeler Company, including the failed
Grand Prix of America The Grand Prix of America was a failed Formula One World Championship race proposal. In 2011, plans were revealed for the race for target planned entry into the 2013 Formula One World Championship. The plan was to hold the race on the proposed ...
proposal and Speedway Benefits, an American short-track alliance program. Wheeler is regarded as a pioneer in promoting in the motor racing industry. Throughout his time as a racing promoter and general manager, Wheeler was known for pulling off numerous unique promotions and stunts in order to promote the Charlotte Motor Speedway and its races, making him one of the most successful promoters in auto racing. Drivers and industry leaders view Wheeler highly for his promotions and actions during his time at the Charlotte Motor Speedway due to their effectiveness and the unique nature of Wheeler's promotions. Wheeler was involved in a years-long rivalry with
Bruton Smith Ollen Bruton Smith (March 3, 1927 – June 22, 2022) was an American motorsports executive and businessman. He was best known as the owner of two public companies, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) and Sonic Automotive. Smith held the positions ...
, the
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
(CEO) of
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has its headquarters ...
(SMI), the company that owned the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Wheeler, who had worked under Smith since 1975, retired from his position at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008 due to disagreements with Smith, a decision that was seen as a surprise in the NASCAR landscape. Wheeler heavily criticized both
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
and Smith for the next 12 years. The two decided to end the rivalry in 2020, after Wheeler made successful attempts to reconnect with Smith.


Early life

Wheeler was born in
Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small Suburb, suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about east of Gastonia, North Carolina, Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi ...
, on October 23, 1938, to Howard Augustine Wheeler Sr. (1902–1968) and Kathleen Louise Dobbins (1910–2005). His father was the athletic director and the football head coach at
Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The college is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. ...
, and often took Wheeler to games. Wheeler often imagined during games how to improve the quality of the events. Wheeler attended Charlotte Catholic High School, a private preparatory school that was connected to Belmont Abbey. Initially wanting to play football at Charlotte Catholic, he resorted to boxing due to Charlotte Catholic not having a football program. At Charlotte Catholic, Wheeler was known as a jock who had won numerous debate contests. According to Wheeler, his family lived in the
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...
. Wheeler also stated that he learned most of his life lessons from his mother, who owned a mercantile store. Throughout his childhood, Wheeler had an "entrepreneurial itch and desire to make my own money", a trait that he credits to his mother. He inherited the moniker "Humpy" through his father, when his father was caught trying to buy a pack of
Camel cigarettes Camel is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and by Japan Tobacco outside the U.S. Most recently Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Vi ...
during a football practice session with the
Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...
. He was hesitant to inherit the moniker, as he wanted a different identity from his father. He had tried on numerous occasions to remove the moniker, due to numerous companies not wanting to hire Wheeler due to nickname. After being told he could not work at a New York-based public relations firm with the name Humpy, his father became seriously ill. After seeing his father in his condition, he realized "how much the name meant to me", and eventually inherited it. Unable to work with cars at the time, at the age of 13, he founded the town's only bicycle repair shop, in hopes that teenagers in the town would break their bicycles. The business became successful, and Wheeler eventually began to hold and promote weekly bicycle races. At the same time, he also held a part-time job at a local hardware store. Wheeler watched his first auto racing event in 1949 at the age of 11 at the
Charlotte Speedway Charlotte Speedway was the site of NASCAR's first Strictly Stock Series (now NASCAR Cup Series) race on June 19, 1949. The Daytona Beach Road Course held the first race sanctioned by NASCAR in 1948. The track was a few miles west of the NASCAR ...
. According to Wheeler, after a
Sunday service "Sunday Service" is a song by American rapper Latto from her third studio album, ''Sugar Honey Iced Tea'' (2024). It was released on February 9, 2024, through Streamcut and RCA Records as the album's second single. Produced by Go Grizzly, Pooh B ...
session, he headed down to a local
drive-in A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or Drive-in theater, movie theater) where one can driving, drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by ...
where a race car with "wild colors" passed by the restaurant. He later found out from an older friend of his that the car was racing in a stock car race held at the speedway by
Bill France Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based s ...
At the age of 15, now old enough to work with cars, he spent most of his time working in a garage with a car owner who fielded and raced a 1937
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
coupe in races throughout the Carolinas; mainly at Newberry Speedway in
Newberry, South Carolina Newberry is a city in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States, in the Piedmont northwest of Columbia. The charter was adopted in 1894. The population was 10,277 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Newberry County; at one time ...
. As a race car driver, he drove at Newberry Speedway until 1960, when he was banned by the promoter of the speedway.


College education

Initially, Wheeler pursued after a professional boxing career, having ambitions to join the 1960 United States Olympic boxing team. Wheeler had gotten a scholarship to join the
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
boxing team, but the scholarship was later revoked after Michigan State's conference, the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
, entirely withdrew from boxing after a conference boxer died. As a result, Wheeler initially decided to skip college and train in New York-based Stillman's Gym to compete in amateur boxing. After competing in 42 matches with a 40–2 record, he withdrew from boxing after realizing that in his weight class, he could potentially have to face up against
Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...
and
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
. He instead focused on a football career. Wheeler accepted a football scholarship to play for the
University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
in February 1957 as a left guard. Playing for the team's freshman squad, Wheeler managed to make the dean's list during the spring semester of 1958. The next season, Wheeler
redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
the season. During his junior season, he suffered a back injury during a scrimmage that led to him being placed into the university's infirmary. The injury left Wheeler temporarily paralyzed as a
paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...
, taking nine months for Wheeler to regain some function in his lower limbs. While Wheeler had hopes of being promoted to the main squad in 1959, the back injury eventually led to Wheeler abandoning his football career. Wheeler graduated from South Carolina in 1961, double majoring in journalism and political science.


Business and promotional career


Early business and promotional ventures

Wheeler gained his first job in 1956, working as a publicity supervisor for the Allstate Racing Association. He later bounced around numerous publicity jobs, including being the publicity director for the Dixie Auto Racing Company, the International Timing Association, and the University of South Carolina athletic department. He was also the assistant publicity manager of
Darlington, South Carolina Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina metropolitan area. Darlington is known f ...
-based
Darlington Raceway Darlington Raceway is a egg-shaped oval track in Darlington, South Carolina. The track has hosted a variety of racing events since its inaugural season of racing in 1950; primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The venue has a capacity of 47,00 ...
, working under Russ Catlin. During his time at South Carolina, Wheeler was hired as a sports writer for ''
The Columbia Record The ''Columbia Record'' was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Columbia, South Carolina. It was established in 1897. International Paper & Power Co. purchased ''The Record'' in 1929 from R. Charlton Wright, who had been principal owner s ...
'' in 1959. He worked for ''The Columbia Record'' until he graduated from South Carolina. After graduating, Wheeler was hired as the promotion copy editor for
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
, television station
WBTV WBTV (channel 3) is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Media. The station's studios are located off Morehead Street, just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter is ...
in February 1961. Two months later, he was promoted to become the publicity director of the station. Around the same time, he obtained a lease to run the Robinwood Speedway in
Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the most populous city in and the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte area, behind Concord, North Carolina, Concord. The po ...
. A track that had gained a reputation for being rundown, Wheeler spent around $20,000 (adjusted for inflation, $) to renovate the track. A year later, Wheeler was hired to promote the Starlite Speedway in
Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 United States census, 2010 to 34,551 in 2020 United States census, 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlot ...
, and the Gastonia Fairgrounds the year after. After seeing initial success, Wheeler absorbed heavy amounts of debt due to "judgement against heelerin accidents" and a lack of insurance according to Wheeler. In addition, Robinwood Speedway was closed in 1963 after the Gastonia Country Club moved near the racetrack. In later interviews, Wheeler stated, "My God, how did I last as long as I did? I was a loose cannon."


Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, departure from racing

In February 1964, Wheeler was announced by ''
The Charlotte News ''The Charlotte News'' was the afternoon newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was first published on December 8, 1888. The newspaper was eventually purchased on April 5, 1959 by Knight Newspapers, owner of its larger rival ''The Charlotte Ob ...
'' to have been hired by the
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey S. Firestone (18681938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, carriages, and other form ...
to be the company's new public relations representative for their racing program. In 1969, Wheeler and Firestone had threatened to exit the
NASCAR Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (the top NASCAR series, known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 and 1970, then the NASCAR ...
, citing the fact that the company's rival, the
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...
, had the majority of drivers that were directly supported by manufacturers under contract, meaning they could not run a lap with Firestone tires. In 1970, Wheeler left the company after Firestone closed its public relations office in Charlotte. While Firestone wanted Wheeler to transfer to a new location in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
and despite the fact that he had been working there for two months, his family wanted to stay in Charlotte. Wheeler then moved towards promoting the North Carolina tourism industry and economy, hoping for Charlotte to be a major East Coast seaport by 2000. In November, he denied the sale of
Darlington Raceway Darlington Raceway is a egg-shaped oval track in Darlington, South Carolina. The track has hosted a variety of racing events since its inaugural season of racing in 1950; primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The venue has a capacity of 47,00 ...
and the transfer of its two races to a new superspeedway between the South Carolinan cities of
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...
and
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
. In 1971, he was named the public service director for the city of Charlotte. By early 1972, he had hopes of turning
Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina a ...
into the North Carolina's leading seaport. In May of the same year, he resigned from the city of Charlotte to become the public relations director for the Ervin Company, a real estate development company. By early of 1973, he had ambitions of turning the Charlotte housing industry more "interchangeable", wanting houses in Charlotte to feel like homes consumers could associate with. In early 1975, he became the vice chairman of the Charlotte–Mecklenburg Bicentennial Celebration, a celebration that commemorated the
United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memo ...
in Mecklenburg County. He was able to attract then-President of the United States
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
to the celebration.


Return to racing industry at Charlotte Motor Speedway, brief boxing stint

In 1975, then-
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
chairman
Bruton Smith Ollen Bruton Smith (March 3, 1927 – June 22, 2022) was an American motorsports executive and businessman. He was best known as the owner of two public companies, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) and Sonic Automotive. Smith held the positions ...
had planned to become the majority shareholder of the speedway, attempting to complete a takeover of the speedway from the previous chairman and the president of the speedway at the time,
Richard Howard Richard Joseph Howard (October 13, 1929 – March 31, 2022), adopted as Richard Joseph Orwitz, was an American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a graduate of Columbia University, ...
. On August 29, ''
The Charlotte News ''The Charlotte News'' was the afternoon newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was first published on December 8, 1888. The newspaper was eventually purchased on April 5, 1959 by Knight Newspapers, owner of its larger rival ''The Charlotte Ob ...
'' announced that Wheeler had been hired by Smith as the development director for the speedway. Shortly thereafter, Howard felt threatened for his position due to Wheeler's hiring, with the local North Carolina media predicting that Wheeler would most likely be the final piece for Smith to complete a takeover of the speedway's control. By early October, Howard announced his intentions to resign as president during the annual stockholders' meeting on January 30, 1976, with Wheeler predicted to replace Howard. On the day of the annual stockholders' meeting, Howard officially announced his retirement, with Wheeler to replace the outgoing Howard. Within his first year as president, Wheeler announced a $3-5 million renovation that was scheduled to be completed in 1981. By the start of the 1980s, Wheeler had gained a reputation for pulling off unique promotions that eventually led to the
World 600 The Coca-Cola 600, originally the World 600, is an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on a Sunday during Memorial Day weekend. The first race, held in 1960 in NASCAR, 1960, was a ...
becoming the second most-attended racing event in the entirety of the United States, behind the
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...
. Wheeler also stated his desire to expand NASCAR to a national market, when the league mainly had stuck to a Southeastern market at the time. In the early 1980s, Wheeler had ambitions to promote professional boxing in Charlotte. In 1982, he set up a fight between
Bernard Taylor Bernard Taylor may refer to: *Bernard Taylor (author) (born 1934), British horror and suspense author *Bernard Taylor, Baron Taylor of Mansfield (1895–1991), British coalminer and politician *Bernard Taylor (boxer) (born 1957), American boxer *Be ...
and
Eusebio Pedroza Eusebio Pedroza (March 2, 1956 – March 1, 2019) was a Panamanian boxer who held the World Boxing Association, WBA and lineal featherweight championship from 1978 to 1985, having defended the title against 18 different contenders, more than any ...
that was set to be held at the
Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...
on August 14 for the
World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...
featherweight championship. The fight was the first world championship boxing match to occur in Charlotte. On July 22, the fight was announced to be postponed with no future date, a decision that was seen as a major blow to the Charlotte economy. The fight was eventually rescheduled to October 16. However, during a press conference that was scheduled to announced the undercards to the title fight, Wheeler stated that he and
Top Rank Top Rank, Inc. is a boxing promotional company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, Top Rank has promoted many world class fighters, including M ...
would never promote another boxing match in Charlotte, stating that he had thought the Charlotte Boxing Commission demanded too much revenue from the fight. Wheeler, with the help of Smith, continued expanding and renovating the speedway throughout the 1980s. To celebrate the track's 25th anniversary, Wheeler directed the construction of
condominiums A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
in 1983, scheduled to be completed in time by 1984. While the idea was mocked at the time, by the project's completion, every condominium had sold out by 1983. In 1985, with the help of the
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...
, he formulated
The Winston All-Star events are annually held in the NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Beginning in 2008, NASCAR began the practice of using Roman numerals to identify each race, but ended one year later. Hi ...
(now called the NASCAR All-Star Race), a race featuring past winners of the previous season. In 1987, Wheeler directed the construction of a private club and restaurant named The Speedway Club. By the end of the 1980s, the Charlotte Motor Speedway had a capacity of 170,922.


NASCAR Sportsman Division

In January 1989, Wheeler announced the creation of the
NASCAR Sportsman Division NASCAR's Sportsman Division was formed in 1950, one year after the Strictly Stock (now NASCAR Cup Series) was launched and two years after NASCAR’s formation. It gave NASCAR three major series, along with the original Modifieds. It was replac ...
, a series that had the stated goal to give drivers who were accustomed to short track racing some experience on bigger speedways, such as
superspeedways Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost univ ...
. Within the six years of the series' existence, the series gathered a negative reputation as a dangerous, unsafe series. Throughout the series' existence, numerous drivers, such as David Gaines in 1990, Gary Batson in 1992, and most notably
Russell Phillips Russell Lee Phillips (March 6, 1969 — October 6, 1995) was an American NASCAR Sportsman Division driver. He was killed in a crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1995. Personal life Phillips graduated from Independence High School in Charlott ...
in 1995, were all killed in accidents, with the third being
decapitated Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common ...
when Phillips' head hit a caution light when his car's roof was exposed in the accident. By the time Phillips' accident occurred, the series had been placed under increased scrutiny for safety issues, with drivers suffering injuries in crashes becoming a commonality. On November 28, 1995, Wheeler announced his plans to leave the series, leaving it in control of NASCAR, who quickly disbanded the series by the end of 1996.


Speedway Motorsports era

In 1991, to promote the 1992 The Winston, Wheeler, with the help of Bruton Smith and Iowa-based
Musco Lighting Musco Lighting, often referred to as Musco, is a privately-held company that specializes designs and manufactures sports lighting, transportation and infrastructure lighting, automated sports broadcasting, and modular sports venue products. The com ...
directed the installation of lights at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for nighttime racing. At the time, the installation was seen as a major feat, as no oval track as large as Charlotte Motor Speedway had installed permanent lights before. The lights were installed by April 1992. In 1995, Wheeler became the president and
chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
of the newly incorporated
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has its headquarters ...
(SMI), started by Smith. In 1997, Wheeler and the speedway hosted the first
Indy Racing League IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...
race at the speedway. In 1999, Wheeler and hardware retail chain
Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...
agreed to buy out the naming rights to the speedway. Heading into the 2000s, with NASCAR experiencing the deaths of
Adam Petty Adam Kyler Petty (July 10, 1980 – May 12, 2000) was an American professional stock car racing driver. A member of the Petty racing family, he was the fourth generation from the Petty family to drive in races in the highest division of NASCA ...
, Kenny Irwin Jr., Tony Roper, and
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional Stock car racing, stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Serie ...
in 2000 and 2001, Wheeler partnered with
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
-based engineer Paul Lew to create the Humpy Bumper, a bumper designed to absorb energy in head-on collisions. Prior to the
2005 Coca-Cola 600 The 2005 Coca-Cola 600, the 46th running of the race, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on May 29, 2005, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The race was the twelfth of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. The po ...
, Wheeler directed the levigation of the speedway, which led to numerous problems for both of the speedway's races in 2005. Due to these problems, Wheeler ordered the repaving of the speedway in 2006. In that same year, he joined the advisory board of Carolinks, a
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
-based intermodal company. In January 2008, Wheeler stated his desire to host regional open auditions at the speedway for the eighth season of ''American Idol''.


Leaving Charlotte Motor Speedway, later business ventures

On May 21, 2008, days after the
2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race The Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race XXIV were run on Saturday, May 17, 2008, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, a suburb outside of Charlotte. The events were telecast live at 7 pm US EDT on Speed Channel with r ...
, Wheeler announced his retirement from his position as president of the
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
due to numerous disagreements with Bruton Smith, with the retirement effective after the 2008 Coca-Cola 600. The decision was seen as both shocking and abrupt to most of the NASCAR landscape, with most having thought that Wheeler had left too early. Wheeler was replaced by Smith's son,
Marcus G. Smith Marcus Graham Smith (born April 11, 1973) is an American businessman. He is best known as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI), an organization that owns or operates 11 racetracks across the United States. Smith ...
. Almost three months after his retirement from the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler announced the founding of The Wheeler Company, a management consulting firm that focused on both motorsports and general sports. In 2009, Wheeler was rumored that he was seeking a management job at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...
after he had skipped attending the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 and the celebration of the Charlotte Motor Speedway's 50th anniversary in favor of attending the
2009 Indianapolis 500 The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 24, 2009. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season. Hélio Ca ...
. In June, Wheeler later clarified that he was "in the talking stage" of providing marketing and consulting assistance to the
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...
. In addition, he stated that he was not interested in replacing
Tony George Anton Hulman "Tony" George (born December 30, 1959) is the former Chairman, President, and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. ...
as president of the speedway. Before the statement, George was rumored to have been forced out of his role as the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 2010, Wheeler authored an
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
along with
Peter Golenbock Peter Golenbock (born July 19, 1946) is an American author. He is noted for his many books about baseball and other sports. Many of his books have been bestsellers. Career Golenbock initially worked as a lawyer for Prentice Hall, a publishing ho ...
named ''Growing Up NASCAR: Racing's Most Outrageous Promoter Tells All''. The book featured stories of certain promotions held by Wheeler told from his perspective. According to Wheeler, the book was cut from over 600 pages to 218 pages due to too much content. The book opened to positive reviews from both ''
Bleacher Report ''Bleacher Report'' (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sports and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. ''Bleacher Report'' was acquired by Time Warner's Turner B ...
'' and ''
The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. It is owned by Chatham Asset ...
''. In 2011, Wheeler was announced as an advisor to the proposed
Grand Prix of America The Grand Prix of America was a failed Formula One World Championship race proposal. In 2011, plans were revealed for the race for target planned entry into the 2013 Formula One World Championship. The plan was to hold the race on the proposed ...
, a
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
street course race proposal that would have taken place near Port Imperial, New Jersey. On October 9, 2013, Wheeler founded Speedway Benefits, a marketing and advertising partnership that sought to combine short tracks across the United States into a single body for the purposes of contract negotiations with suppliers, advertisers, and business partners. The partnership sought to oversee the growth of "grassroots racing" by bargaining for more advertising profits and to seek an overall lower cost of operation for short tracks. While seeing initial success, by 2018, most tracks had left the alliance to return to "older ways", with only around 75 tracks still in the alliance for lower food concession costs.


Promotions


Charlotte Motor Speedway

After becoming president of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in September 1975, Wheeler, using his experience from his dirt track promotion days, spurred promotions that attempted to create drama; mainly, by adding cash incentives for certain achievements. By 1977, the World 600 became the second-highest paying race on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit, only behind the
Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
. Wheeler has pulled off numerous stunts, pre-race shows, and also directed several renovations for the speedway to attract fans. His first major promotion came when a rivalry between well-known NASCAR driver
Cale Yarborough William Caleb Yarborough (March 27, 1939 – December 31, 2023) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winn ...
and relative new-comer
Darrell Waltrip Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports Color analyst, 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 (known as the NAS ...
began in 1977 during an accident in the 1977 Southern 500. In a post-race interview, Yarborough, who claimed he was wrecked by Waltrip, called Waltrip the derogatory nickname "Jaws". To promote the rivalry at the
1977 NAPA National 500 The 1977 NAPA National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on October 9, 1977, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Race report 41 drivers competed at this event. Benny Parsons defeated Cale Yarbor ...
, and in reference to both the rivalry and Yarborough's sponsor at the time, Holly Farms Poultry, Wheeler placed a dead chicken inside a shark's mouth and placed the contraption inside a car, parading the contraption around prior to the race's first round qualifying session. After the incident, Wheeler made numerous promotions that gained notoriety and coverage in the local Charlotte media and the NASCAR industry. For the 1980 World 600, Wheeler hosted the "Great American Taxi Race", a race that featured 20 taxicab drivers. For the
1984 World 600 The 1984 World 600, the 25th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 27, 1984. A souvenir program from this race cost $4 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Background Charlotte Motor Speedway was ...
, Wheeler staged a reenactment of
Operation Urgent Fury The United States and a coalition of Caribbean countries invaded the small island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela, at dawn on 25 October 1983. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in military occupation with ...
, a United States invasion of
Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
that had occurred just a few months earlier. His last major promotion came at the 2007 Bank of America 500, when Wheeler announced the creation of an "all-you-can-eat" grandstand, where fans could pay for a buffet before and after the race. Wheeler on occasion has attracted drivers to make one-off races throughout Wheeler's tenure as general manager of the speedway in hopes of attracting different demographics. In his first race as the general manager, the
1976 World 600 The 1976 World 600, the 17th running of the event, was a Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 30, 1976, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Race report The five drivers that dominated the 1976 NASCAR Wins ...
, he convinced
Janet Guthrie Janet Guthrie (born March 7, 1938) is an American former racing driver. She is the first female to qualify and race in either the Indianapolis 500, or the Daytona 500, both of which she competed in during 1977. She had first attempted to enter th ...
to enter the race as a promotion to attract more women spectators; at the time, only 15% of the speedway's spectators were women.


Unrealized promotions

Numerous promotions that Wheeler had created have been rejected or cancelled for various reasons. In 1980, Wheeler proposed a demolition derby featuring
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
players driving cars that were colored in their team's color. However, the NFL rejected the idea. In later years, a California filmmaker proposed a working flying saucer to fly over the racetrack in secrecy. While Wheeler initially wanted to go ahead with the promotion, he later relented after finding out that the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
would most likely investigate the saucer due to the promotion's secrecy. At the
1978 World 600 The 1978 World 600, the 19th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on May 28, 1978, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Race report Zsa Zsa Gabor served as the celebrity grand marsh ...
, Wheeler made an attempt at entering
Willy T. Ribbs William Theodore Ribbs Jr. (born January 3, 1955) is an American former race car driver, racing owner, and sport shooter known for being the first African-American man to have tested a Formula One car (he did so in 1986) and to compete in the Ind ...
to attract more black fans to go to the speedway. However, the promotion went awry when the original crew chief that Ribbs was supposed to drive for,
Harry Hyde Harry Hyde (January 17, 1925 – May 13, 1996) was a leading crew chief in NASCAR stock car racing in the 1960s through the 1980s, winning 56 races and 88 pole positions. He was the 1970 championship crew chief for Bobby Isaac. He inspired t ...
, refused to give a car for Ribbs to drive. On May 15, Ribbs was caught by police going the wrong way down a one-way street. Ribbs decided to try and outrun the cops, eventually being caught at the gymnasium at
Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...
. In jail, Ribbs called ''
The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. It is owned by Chatham Asset ...
'' writer Tom Higgins, to Wheeler's ire. After Ribbs paid a $27 (adjusted for inflation, $) fine for his release that same day, he was missing from the track for the next two days, leading to Wheeler rejecting Ribbs' entry. As a result of Ribbs' absence, the team owner of the car that Ribbs was supposed to drive, Will Cronkite, replaced Ribbs with local North Carolinan short track driver
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional Stock car racing, stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Serie ...
. In later interviews, Wheeler denied that he had attempted to bring in Ribbs as a way to promote the speedway. An unrealized promotion that was Wheeler's stated "dream promotion" was a fight between a man and a shark on the frontstretch of the speedway, where one opponent must die in the fight for the other to be crowned the victor of the fight. Wheeler had proposed to bring in marathon swimmer and
Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the most populous city in and the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte area, behind Concord, North Carolina, Concord. The po ...
, native Moon Huffstetler to kill a shark. The idea faced stiff opposition from former track presidents of the
Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (currently known as EchoPark Speedway for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as the Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georg ...
and the
Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway (formerly known as Texas International Raceway from September to December 1996) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It has hosted various major races since its inaugura ...
, Ed Clark and Eddie Gossage, respectively. Clark predicted that Huffstetler would either drown or be eaten by the shark. As a response, Wheeler suggested that Huffstetler should wear
chain mail Mail (sometimes spelled maille and, since the 18th century, colloquially referred to as chain mail, chainmail or chain-mail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common milita ...
armor. When Wheeler suggested the promotion to Gossage in Wheeler's office, Gossage predicted that the animal rights group
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights ...
(PETA) would heavily protest the event. Wheeler asked Gossage to hire fake demonstrators if PETA did not show up. After Gossage refused again, Wheeler angrily told Gossage to "get out of my office and figure it out".


Legal issues and controversies


1999 VisionAire 500K incident

On May 1, 1999, during the early laps of the scheduled 1999 VisionAire 500K race at the
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
, an accident involving
Stan Wattles Stan Wattles (born July 24, 1961 in Glen Cove, New York) is a former driver in the Indy Racing League. He raced in the 1996–2001 seasons with 19 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1998–2000. He placed 8th in two races, and led h ...
and John Paul Jr. occurred on the speedway's front stretch. The crash resulted in heavy debris. The right rear wheel and tire assembly from Wattles' car was sent into the grandstands at high speeds, killing three people: Randy Pyatte, Dexter Mobley, and Jeffrey Patton. In addition, the debris injured eight more people, including a critically injured nine-year-old. After a lengthy caution period, the race was put under a
red flag Red flag may refer to: Signs and warnings * Red flag (idiom), a literal or metaphorical warning * Red flag (American slavery), signal of an upcoming slave sale * Red flag warning, issued by the National Weather Service in the United States * ...
to stop the race and for Wheeler to determine if the race should continue. Wheeler decided to cancel the race due to the deaths, stating that "it was the only thing to do". In the aftermath of the incident, Wheeler sent 20 goodwill ambassadors to help assist survivors of the incident. Among said tasks for the ambassadors were to buy groceries, give autographed merchandise, pay rent for survivors, and to record personal details that included mental, medical, and legal histories of the survivors, victims, and their families. The recording of personal details led to an investigation by Motor Racing Outreach on whether if lead ambassador chaplain Steve Green violated ethical standards. On May 19, Wheeler announced that the track's catch fence was revamped to prevent another occurrence of debris in the grandstands. On May 28, the family of Dexter Mobley sued the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Humpy Wheeler, and the
Indy Racing League IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...
for negligence concerning fan safety, with the family of Randy Pyatte also considering joining the lawsuit. By August 29, Pyatte's family had joined the lawsuit. On May 11, 2000, just over one year since the incident, the lawsuit was settled under a
confidentiality agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...
.


Charlotte Motor Speedway bridge collapse

After the 2000 The Winston ended, a pedestrian bridge that connected the Charlotte Motor Speedway to a nearby parking lot collapsed during a massive influx of fans using the bridge. An section of the bridge collapsed onto
U.S. Route 29 U.S. Route 29 or U.S. Highway 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to Ellicott City, Maryland, just west of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United Stat ...
, sending pedestrians into a fall. Although no fatalities occurred, a total of 107 people were injured in the collapse. The immediate cause of the collapse that was given by both the speedway and North Carolina state officials was corroded steel cables on the bridge. When Wheeler was asked about the safety of the speedway, he stated, " he collapseis very concerning. But I'm not concerned about the safety of the place." Investigators later determined that the contractor used to build the bridge in 1995, the Tindall Corporation, had "used an improper additive to help the concrete filler at the bridge's center dry faster", which was later determined to be
calcium chloride Calcium chloride is an inorganic compound, a Salt (chemistry), salt with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline solid at room temperature, and it is highly soluble in water. It can be created by neutralising hydrochloric acid with cal ...
. In the aftermath of the incident, a new bridge was built to replace the collapsed bridge that was completed in time for the
2000 UAW-GM Quality 500 The 2000 UAW-GM Quality 500 was the 29th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 8, 2000, before an audience of 140,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charl ...
. In early 2003, Cindy and Marty Taylor, both injured in the collapse, sued the speedway and the Tindall Corporation for negligence during construction. The Tindall Corporation was found responsible, but not the speedway. Afterwards, around 50 lawsuits were filed against the speedway for negligence, with many of them being settled out of court. The few cases that were determined in court all determined that the speedway was not required to pay damages for fans who had filed lawsuits.


In popular media


Films

Wheeler played the role of Tex, the boss of fictional sponsor Dinoco in the 2006 animated film ''Cars''. Wheeler managed to land the role during the movie's pre-production in 2000, when ''Cars'' director
John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter ( ; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, a ...
visited the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the
2000 UAW-GM Quality 500 The 2000 UAW-GM Quality 500 was the 29th stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 8, 2000, before an audience of 140,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charl ...
. Lasseter, who liked Wheeler's voice, gave him the role of Tex. Wheeler recorded voice lines in 2004 and 2005. Wheeler reprised the role in 2017 for the movie series' third adaptation, ''
Cars 3 ''Cars 3'' is a 2017 American animated sports comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is a sequel to '' Cars 2'' (2011) and the third film in the ''Cars'' franchise. It was directed by Brian Fe ...
''.


Television shows

In 2008, Wheeler hosted a NASCAR discussion television series on the
Speed Channel Speed was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television network that was owned by the Fox Sports Media Group division of 21st Century Fox. The network was dedicated to motorsports programming, including auto racing, as well as a ...
named ''The Humpy Show''. The show was scheduled to feature Wheeler, one retired driver, and a current driver per each one-hour long episode discussing a certain current topic. The first episode premiered on February 12, and featured
Buddy Baker Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 19 ...
and
Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American auto racing driver. He is best known for competing in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2000–2022, last driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. Busch is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series ch ...
. However, no new episodes came out the premiere, although Wheeler announced that he was planning to make new episodes after his retirement in May of the same year. Wheeler appeared in the season three finale of ''
American Pickers ''American Pickers'' (or also known as ''The Pickers'' for international broadcasts) is an American reality television series that premiered on January 18, 2010, on the History Channel, produced by A&E Networks in collaboration with Cineflix Me ...
'', an American television show that is dedicated to the restoration of old
Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...
artifacts. In the episode, Wheeler donated several items from his personal collection of memorabilia to the
NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, is a Hall of Fame and Museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina that honors NASCAR and its history. Inductees to the Hall of Fame are drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs ...
.


Personal life

Wheeler married Patricia Adele Williams on May 12, 1962, in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
. Humpy and Patricia have had three children together: Traci, Patti, and Trip. The family's
residence A residence is a place (normally a building) used as a home or dwelling, where people reside. Residence or The Residence may also refer to: * Domicile (law) In law and conflict of laws, domicile is relevant to an individual's "personal l ...
is in
SouthPark, Charlotte SouthPark is an area edge city in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Its name is derived from the upscale SouthPark Mall, which opened on February 12, 1970. At nearly 1.8 million square feet, SouthPark Mall is the largest shopping mall i ...
. The Wheeler family used to live in a lakefront home in
Mountain Island Lake Mountain Island Lake is a lake northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina created in 1924 to coincide with the building of Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station. It is named after the mountain which appears as an island in the lake, and the surroundi ...
, having moved there in the late 1990s from
Lake Norman Lake Norman is an man-made lake, artificial fresh water lake in southwest North Carolina. The largest lake in the state, it was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station, Cowans Ford Dam by ...
. The family moved from Mountain Island Lake to SouthPark in 2019. In 2020, the former residence on Mountain Island Lake sold for $3.4 million.


Religious views

Wheeler is a devout
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, having been in the Catholic Church since birth. His father was a Catholic and his mother was a
Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...
when Wheeler was born. In his early years, Wheeler used to attend a Southern Baptist church on the account that Belmont, along with most cities in the Southeastern United States at the time, did not have Catholic churches. Wheeler described his early life as "tough" due to himself being a Catholic in an extremely Protestant area. Wheeler's mother later converted to Catholicism 25 years after the two married.


Legacy and honors

Wheeler is regarded as one of the foremost and revolutionary race promoters in auto racing. Throughout his time as the general manager at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, he was known as a promoter who pulled off unique, extravagant, and action-packed promotions, with Wheeler being named the "
P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was ...
of NASCAR" by some industry leaders and the NASCAR media. Former president of NASCAR,
Mike Helton Michael Gregory Helton (born August 30, 1953) is an American businessman and the current vice chairman for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, better known as NASCAR. He is best known for being NASCAR's third president and for ...
, stated that Wheeler took promotion "to a new level". Eddie Gossage, once an employee under Wheeler who later became the president of the
Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway (formerly known as Texas International Raceway from September to December 1996) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It has hosted various major races since its inaugura ...
, stated that Wheeler had a "vital role in shaping ASCAR.. I know that I am a far better promoter as a result of being a graduate of 'Humpy University.'"


Smith–Wheeler rivalry, comments on NASCAR's decline

Early tensions with
Bruton Smith Ollen Bruton Smith (March 3, 1927 – June 22, 2022) was an American motorsports executive and businessman. He was best known as the owner of two public companies, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) and Sonic Automotive. Smith held the positions ...
, the head of
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has its headquarters ...
(SMI), the company that owned the
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
, were documented as early as 1991. In 1991, Wheeler wrote a private letter to Smith, stating that a relentless pace of expansion and work done on the speedway had burnt out the speedway's executives and had begun straining employees' relationships with their families. According to Wheeler, while the two had been lifelong friends, they had found themselves in "constant disagreement". On May 21, 2008, Wheeler announced an abrupt retirement from his position as president of the Charlotte Motor Speedway after the 2008 Coca-Cola 600 race weekend and announced that he would no longer be affiliated with the speedway, a decision that was seen as a shock to most of the NASCAR landscape. Wheeler was replaced by
Marcus G. Smith Marcus Graham Smith (born April 11, 1973) is an American businessman. He is best known as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI), an organization that owns or operates 11 racetracks across the United States. Smith ...
, Bruton Smith's son. Wheeler stated that the decision was sudden, and that he had hoped for a part-time position with the track. Smith stated that he had offered Wheeler a consulting job. Both Smith and Wheeler have disputing views on the terms of the retirement. Smith stated that he retired on his own will, stating in 2009, "I think I've seen or heard that made it seem like he was terminated or something. He retired on his own will. Period. Period. Period." Wheeler, however, stated that while some aspects of his retirement were on his terms, not all aspects of his retirement was. By July 2008, the stock price of SMI had plummeted by over 50% since November 2007, with a noticeable steep decline during the months after Wheeler's departure. Smith did not invite Wheeler to the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 race weekend, further straining tensions between the two. In 2010, Wheeler stated that he had left his position due to the initiation of new projects on the speedway that were started by Smith without Wheeler's knowledge. Among said projects were a new office space behind Wheeler's personal office, the construction of the
zMax Dragway zMAX Dragway is a drag racing facility located in Concord, North Carolina, adjacent to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Opened in 2008, the facility hosts a variety of racing events. History Completed in 2008, zMAX Dragway was developed by Speedway ...
, and the cancellation of a campgrounds site on the speedway. In 2012, Wheeler stated that he was "at war" with Smith again, arguing over who had created the idea to install lights at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 2012, Wheeler stated that modern NASCAR drivers had "lost touch" with core audience of NASCAR, feeling that drivers had become too clean and corporate. The next year, Wheeler made comments on NASCAR's declining popularity on his personal
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel. In a video, Wheeler stated that he believed the entire industry of
stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...
had become too expensive, preventing hopeful drivers with lower incomes from ever competing. In addition, he believed that ever since the mainstream rise of NASCAR that started in the 1990s, corporate sponsors had prevented drivers from having extravagant personalities, such as ones of
Darrell Waltrip Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports Color analyst, 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 (known as the NAS ...
and
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional Stock car racing, stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Serie ...
. By 2014, Wheeler admitted that although some things had changed, he still felt that there were a lack of personalities. However, he did react positively to changes around the entertainment aspect of the sport, including the new addition of the NASCAR playoffs and the work of then-NASCAR CEO
Brian France Brian Zachary France (born August 2, 1962) is an American businessman and the former Chief executive officer, CEO and Chair (official), chairman of NASCAR. He served in the post from 2003 to 2018, following his grandfather (and NASCAR co-founder) ...
. He stated, "Brian has made very good decisions lately... The new Chase format gets rid of points days, and nobody's ever bought a ticket to see a points race. No more fucking around and talking about how finishing sixth was a great points day." In 2017, during a span that had NASCAR oversee steep declines in attendance and television ratings, Wheeler stated that believed a new aerodynamics package, along with his constant belief of a wider span of personalities, could help NASCAR recover from its decline. In 2020, Wheeler decided to make an attempt to cool down tension with Smith by visiting Smith's house. Wheeler stated that he had missed Smith, stating that "we were like brothers, and I missed the debates". Smith greeted Wheeler with a friendly attitude, and the two reconnected, ending over 12 years of tension. After Smith's death in 2022, Wheeler wrote an
op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
for ''
The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. It is owned by Chatham Asset ...
'' on June 30 that praised Smith, with Wheeler stating that "in the 60 years I have known Bruton, I found no man smarter... there were few like him".


Recognition

* Wheeler was inducted into the Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992. * Wheeler was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. * Wheeler was inducted into the
International Motorsports Hall of Fame The International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF) is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame located adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway (formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway) located in Talladega County, Alabama, Talladeg ...
in 2006. * Wheeler was inducted into the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is a hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles ...
in 2009. * Wheeler was awarded the Achievement in Motorsports Tribute Award from the North Carolina Motorsports Industry in 2013. * Wheeler was given an honorary doctorate from
Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The college is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. ...
, his father's alma mater, in 2019.


Bibliography

* ''Growing Up NASCAR:'' ''Racing's Most Outrageous Promoter Tells All'' (Motorbooks, 2010).


See also

*
Bruton Smith Ollen Bruton Smith (March 3, 1927 – June 22, 2022) was an American motorsports executive and businessman. He was best known as the owner of two public companies, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) and Sonic Automotive. Smith held the positions ...
*
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
*
Speedway Motorsports Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has its headquarters ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Humpy Living people People from Belmont, North Carolina 1938 births Auto racing executives International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees NASCAR people South Carolina Gamecocks football players Charlotte Catholic High School alumni