Name Paul Lewis | ||
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Last win 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 (Smoky Mountain Raceway) | ||
1981 suzuki rg500 race bike paul lewis
Paul Lewis (born September 28, 1932) is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series race car driver whose career spanned from 1960 to 1968 while primarily driving a #2 Dodge vehicle owned by Bobby Allison.
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Driver
Lewis made his debut into top-level professional stock car racing in 1960 at the age of 27. He originally drove in Chevrolet vehicles but eventually diversified to other manufacturers. One of the Lewis' major racing accomplishments was to lead 71 laps out of a grand total distance of 24,090 laps as a professional stock car driver; the equivalent of 19,356.3 miles or 31,150.9 kilometres of constant highway driving. Lewis has started an average of 19th and finished an average of 17th with one DNQ at the 1962 Southeastern 500.
The worst season for this driver was the 1964 NASCAR Grand National season where he finished in 142nd place for championship points. All of the laps that Lewis had led were in the 1966 and 1967 NASCAR Cup Series seasons. This driver started his career at the age of 27 and ended it at 35 years of age; a latecomer compared today's to NASCAR drivers who generally start their career at the top level between the ages of 18 and 21.
Lewis has managed to earn a grand total of $52,867 from all the racing events that he participated in ($364,099.33 when adjusted for inflation). Dirt tracks helped to contribute to Lewis' best career finishes; with him finishing an average of tenth place. His shortcoming would be restrictor plate tracks; where Lewis would finish a mediocre 30th place on average. The only pole position start for Lewis came at a 1965 untitled race at Harris Speedway in Harris, North Carolina.
Owner
Lewis also managed to own a NASCAR team during his career; his ownership career spanned from 1962 to 1968. His primary drivers were himself, Buddy Arrington and Tiny Lund. Total earnings as a NASCAR owner for Lewis was $29,060 ($200,138.58 when adjusted for inflation).
Post-NASCAR career
Lewis still offers advice to stock car racers who live in the vicinity of Johnson City, Tennessee.