David "Dink" Widenhouse (born January 1, 1932, in

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

) is a retired

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Grand National Series driver. Widenhouse began racing at the age of fifteen when his brother built a dirt track near

Concord, NC Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the city ...

. Dink's first car was a '37 Ford Coach with what would become his trademark "B-29" emblem on the side. From the age of 22 to the age of 24, Widenhouse competed in 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 Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

fairgrounds,

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, Concord, Myrtle Beach and

Columbia, SC Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

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 US$3,225 ($ when adjusted for inflation). His only last place finish came at an untitled 1955 race at Southern State Fairgrounds in

References

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1955 Untitled Race at Southern State Fairgrounds Information

Dink Widenhouse Papers
J Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
Oral History Interview with Dink Widenhouse
1932 births Living people NASCAR drivers Sportspeople from Concord, North Carolina Racing drivers from Charlotte, North Carolina {{NASCAR-stub