David Pearson

David Pearson (1934-2018) was an American stock car driver from South Carolina, who raced from 1960 to 1986 in the NASCAR Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 21 Mercury for Wood Brothers Racing.

Pearson, instantly competitive, won the 1960 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award and then three Cup Series championships (1966, 1968 and 1969). Notably, he never missed a race in the years he was active.

Pearson’s career paralleled Richard Petty’s, the driver who won the most (200) races in NASCAR history. They accounted for 63 first-second-place finishes, with the edge going to Pearson. Petty who had 200 wins in 1,184 starts, while Pearson (picture below in 1976) had 105 wins in 574 starts.

Richard Petty spoke highly of his rival who was nicknamed “the Silver Fox” for his calculated approach to racing. He said: “I have often been asked who my toughest competitor in my career was. The answer has always been David Pearson. It wasn’t a rivalry, but more mutual respect. David is a driver who made me better. He pushed me just as much as I pushed him. We were close on and off the track.”