Gary Balough (born September 16, 1947) is a retired

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

driver who competed from 1979 to 1992.

Career

Throughout the 1970s, Balough expanded his racing across the entire East Coast. He moved from Late Models in the Southeast to Dirt Modifieds in the Northeast. Between 1976 and 1978, Gary won the prestigious Syracuse 200 for modifieds. Balough led one lap in his NASCAR Cup career, at the 1981 Talladega 500 where he came from 41st to 1st, only to suffer from an overheating engine and resulting DNF. In addition to his many short-track wins, Balough also won the 1981 Miller High Life 300 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

. Balough beat

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

and

Jody Ridley Jody Ridley (born May 19, 1942) is a former NASCAR driver. He won the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award and one race at Dover International Speedway the next year, the only Cup victory for Donlavey Racing. His career statistics in ...

to win the race. Bob Rahilly of RahMoc Racing owned and built the cars and engines for both of these races. He started an average of 21st place and finished an average of 25th while bringing home a career total of $90,900 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Balough's only DNQ was at the 1991 Daytona 500. He served a sentence of 45½ months in jail for

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

; which ended his career along with his marriage. A ride with

Harry Ranier Ranier Racing with MDM, formerly known as Ranier-Lundy, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the K&N Pro Series East, and the ARCA Racing Series. The team formerly compe ...

's team was in the works along with a sponsorship from ''

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...

'' that would have paid him $750,000 ($ when adjusted for inflation) for having their name appear on his car for 25 races. Balough used many car owners, engine builders and car builders to help Balough become on top of his game. After his jail sentence expired, Balough still had access to his children and could still practice his hobby of

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. His first racing event after the end of his jail sentence was a 200-lap "All-Pro" race in

Summerville, South Carolina Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County, with small portions in Berkeley and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Su ...

where he earned the

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

and won the race. Balough has won more than 1000 races throughout his short-track career and has accumulated more than 20 wins in the All-Pro division. Balough later wrote an autobiography and was also the subject of a documentary film.

List of achievements

* 1968 Florida's Governor's Cup 200 Winner * 1976 Syracuse 200 Winner * 1977 Syracuse 200 Winner * 1978 Syracuse 200 Winner * 1981 Miller High Life 300 Winner * 1980 Snowball Derby Winner * 1980 Syracuse 200 Winner * 1984 All American 400 Winner * 1984 World Crown 300 Winner * 1986 All American 400 Winner * 1986 All-Pro Champion * 1986

Snowball Derby The Snowball Derby presented by Bayou Fox Hooters is a 300-lap super late model stock car race held annually at the Five Flags Speedway, a half-mile paved oval track in Pensacola, Florida, United States. The race has been contested every year s ...

Winner *2015 Inducted into the

Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame was established in 1992 to recognize individual achievements in the sport of stock car racing. It is located at 1 Speedway Dr., Weedsport, New York Weedsport is a village in Cayuga County, New York, Un ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balough, Gary 1947 births American drug traffickers American Speed Association drivers Living people NASCAR drivers Racing drivers from Florida Sportspeople from Fort Lauderdale, Florida