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NASCAR Hall of Famer And Former Cup Series Champion Rex White Passes Away

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Rex White

Rex White — the 1960 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee — has passed away.

The Taylorsville, North Carolina native died almost a month shy of what would have been his 96th birthday.

White captured 28 victories in NASCAR’s premier series. And he did so over a relatively short career that spanned just nine years.

All of White’s wins came between 1958 and 1962, a year when he prevailed a career-high eight times. A noted short-track ace, White collected all but two of his winner’s trophies from tracks one mile or less in length.

Rex White Raced Against And Beat Many All-Time NASCAR Greats

Rex White made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1956 — NASCAR’s eighth season as a professional sports league. He made his final start in 1964, running only six races.

In his lone championship season, White beat out a highly acclaimed runner-up in the form of eventual seven-time champion and all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins leader Richard Petty. Other legends of the sport who competed that year and finished in the top 10 of the standings included Buck Baker, Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty (Richard’s dad) and Junior Johnson.

On Friday as news of White’s death began to circulate, tributes to the late champion began pouring in. Those who honored White included, most notably, NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France.

“We mourn the loss of NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Rex White,” France said in statement released by NASCAR. “Rex epitomized the formative days of NASCAR — a true pioneer whose contributions helped shape the foundation of our sport. His hard work, dedication and talent allowed him to make a living doing what he loved most — racing cars.”

White recorded an impressive 110 top-five finishes in 233 Cup Series starts. He posted 163 top-10 finishes and 36 poles.

“He was the model of consistency — finishing in the top five in nearly half of his races — and dominated the short tracks,” France said. “On behalf of NASCAR and the France family, I want to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Rex White.”

Former Champ Will Be Missed By Many Throughout The NASCAR World

Others around the sport, including NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley, joined Jim France on Friday in remembering Rex White.

Kelley, who noted White’s early life growing up on a North Carolina farm, praised the pioneering driver for the mark he left on the sport. That same mark ultimately led to White’s enshrinement in the NASCAR Hall of Fame a decade before his death.

“NASCAR has lost one of its true pioneers,” Kelley said in a statement released Friday. “The NASCAR Hall of Fame team and I have lost one of our staunchest supporters and cherished friends.

“Rex’s legacy and incredible accomplishments in and contributions to NASCAR will forever remain in our hearts, minds, archives and at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

See what more people are saying about White, who clearly had many admirers.

Meanwhile, FOX Sports eulogized White by sharing a short video with highlights from his NASCAR career.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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