3-time Cup Champion David Pearson Enters Scotts race

Throughout an incredibly successful career, which included three NASCAR Cup championships and 105 victories, David Pearson always looked forward to racing at Bristol Motor Speedway.

That’s not surprising at all when you consider that in just 20 starts at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, Pearson clicked off five wins. On March 20, when he suits up for the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown, the Silver Fox will be going after victory No. 6.

Joining Pearson in the 12-car, 35-lap event is his son, Larry Pearson, Harry Gant, and Rick Wilson, the last four drivers to be announced for the star-studded field. Others competing in the race are Cale Yarborough, Charlie Glotzbach, Dave Marcis, Tommy Houston, L.D. Ottinger, Jack Ingram, Phil Parsons and Jimmy Hensley.

A year ago, the 75-year-old Pearson planned to participate in the inaugural race of retired NASCAR drivers at BMS. However, problems with his back forced him to drop out of the event. This time around, though, he’s determined to race again around Bristol’s high banks.

“Yeah, I had a little trouble with my back last year,” he said. “But it’s just fine now and I’ll be there ready to race. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there to race. I’ve been there to see races, of course, but not to race.

“I would have liked to have been out there last year and hated that I couldn’t be. Any time you get a chance to be in something like that, you want to do it. Those guys looked like they had a real good time so I’m really looking forward to go out there and getting after them again.”

Pearson’s NASCAR resume is impressive to say the least. The Spartanburg, S.C. native, who was named to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990, was the Rookie of the Year in 1960. Six years later, he captured the first of his three Cup championships with the others coming in 1968 and 1969. Named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, Pearson won 105 races over a 27-year career that included 301 top five finishes and 113 poles. The win total and the number of poles he secured are second only to Richard Petty’s 200 wins and 123 poles.

Pearson’s first win at Bristol Motor Speedway came in the 1967 Southeastern 500 and he followed up by sweeping both races in 1968. He won the 1969 Volunteer 500, the first race on the newly-configured, steeper banking and claimed his final win on the short track in the 1971 Southeastern 500.

Pearson believes his chances are good for notching another win at what has always been one of his favorite race tracks.

“I can tell you one thing, I’ll do the best I can,” he said. “And I’m coming up there to win it. If you ever get into a race car and you’re not thinking you can’t win it and that somebody else might be better, you’ve done give up, done lost it. No point in racing at all if you don’t get in that car and know you’re going to win it.”

The 70-year-old Gant, who was among the legends in last year’s race and is another of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, won 18 Sprint Cup races and 21 Nationwide events over a 22-year-career. The 1984 runner-up to Terry Labonte in the points race won the 1992 Spring Nationwide event at BMS.

Larry Pearson, 56, captured back-to-back Busch Series championships in 1986-’87 on the way to collecting 15 career race wins over a 16-year-career. Pearson, who also competed in the Cup Series, won both Nationwide Series August events in 1987 and 1988 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The 57-year-old Wilson drove for 14 years in both the Cup and Nationwide Series. Wilson drove for Abingdon-based Morgan-McClure Motorsports from 1986-’89 in the Cup Series and for Abingdon’s Charlie Henderson when he captured his lone Bristol win, in the spring of 1989.

The Showdown takes place after the Scotts Turf Builder 300 Nationwide Series event. Tickets are available, starting at $45, which includes both races. To purchase tickets, please visit www.bristoltix.com, or call the BMS ticket office at 423-BRISTOL (274-4765).