Cause of death racing crash Name Friday Hassler | Role Race car driver | |
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Best finish 16th - 1971 Winston Cup Series season First win None as starter (was relief driver for Charlie Glotzbach in 1971 Volunteer 500; Glotzbach won) First race 1960 National 400 (Charlotte Motor Speedway) | ||
News Item (e366deb8-a405-2121-d525-c19c49b889cd)
( Dad ) Friday Hassler Black # 39 Chevrolet NASCAR
Raymond "Friday" Hassler (July 29, 1935 – February 17, 1972) was a NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver.
Contents
- News Item e366deb8 a405 2121 d525 c19c49b889cd
- Dad Friday Hassler Black 39 Chevrolet NASCAR
- Career
- References
Career
Hassler made his debut in 1960 but only drove a handful of races per year until 1967 when he drove 21 of the 49 races for Red Sharp and finished 32nd in points. He improved to 27th for Sharp the next year and drove his own car in 1969 to a 28th-place finish. In a late model car at the end of the year, he scored a win in the second annual Snowball Derby, now regarded as one of short track racing's most prestigious races. In 1970 he drove for James Hanley and finished 20th in points. His best season was 1971, when he drove his own car to 13 top-tens and a 16th place points result.
At the 1971 Volunteer 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hassler was a relief driver for race winner Charlie Glotzbach. It was not an official win for Hassler and its only one of three instances where two drivers drove the winning car in a NASCAR premier series race.
Hassler died in a crash during the first Daytona 500 qualifying race in 1972 at the age of 36 and the peak of his career. The accident happened on lap 19 and was started when the car of David Ray Boggs cut a tire.
Hassler is prominently featured in the 1975 book The World's Number One, Flat-Out, All-Time Great Stock Car Racing Book by Jerry Bledsoe. His son Jay lives in the Hixson area, owning an equipment rental firm, and has raced an occasional super late model at Five Flags Speedway where his father won the Snowball.