Name Dink Widenhouse | Role NASCAR Driver | |
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Born January 1, 1932 (age 92)
Concord, North Carolina ( 1932-01-01 ) Best finish 24th - 1955 NASCAR Grand National Series First race 1954 untitled race (Hickory Speedway) Last race 1956 Southern 500 (Darlington Raceway) | ||
David "Dink" Widenhouse (born January 1, 1932 in Concord, North Carolina) is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) driver.
Widenhouse began racing at the age of fifteen when his brother built a dirt track near Concord, NC. Dink's first car was a '37 Ford Coach with what would become his trademark "B-29" embalm on the
From the age of 22 to the age of 24, Widenhouse competed in 2,101.9 miles (3,382.7 km) and 3,097 laps of racing. While he never won a race, he managed to gain a pole position at the 1955 running of the Wilkes County 160 (now the First Union 400) finishing 19th in that race. Widenhouse had a successful racing career at the Charlotte fairgrounds, Midland, Concord, Myrtle Beach and Columbia, SC and Danville Virginia. Part of his success stemmed from his great mechanic "Greaseball Young". His racing career came to an end in the 1960s when paved tracks became the norm. Widenhouse always preferred dirt and did not like racing on pavement. During his racing career he won nearly 200 races, with his record including 21 wins in one season. He was known as "the Preacher" because he never raced on Sunday.
Widenhouse's career earnings were $3,225 USD ($28,409.21 when adjusted for inflation). His only last place finish came at an untitled 1955 race at Southern State Fairgrounds in Charlotte, North Carolina.