Randall Alexander Dorton (May 1, 1954 – October 24, 2004) was the Director of Engine Operations and lead engine builder for

Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 291 Cup Seri ...

. With Dorton, the team won nine

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 ...

championships. On October 24, 2004, Dorton was killed in a

plane crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

Patrick County Patrick County is a county located on the central southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,608. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valleys of the Pi ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

's Bull Mountain, near

Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...

in Martinsville, in which he along with seven other passengers, a number of whom associated with Hendrick Motorsports, and the two pilots were killed.

Career

Born in

Concord, North Carolina 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 cit ...

, Dorton began his NASCAR career in the 1970s working for crew chief

Harry Hyde Harry Hyde (January 17, 1925 – May 13, 1996) was a leading crew chief in NASCAR stock car racing in the 1960s through the 1980s, winning 56 races and 88 pole positions. He was the 1970 championship crew chief for Bobby Isaac. He inspired t ...

. In 1984, Dorton's company Competition Engines was bought out by Hendrick Motorsports, and two years later, he was named Engine Builder of the Year by NASCAR and Clevite Engine Parts. Dorton's engines helped guide the team to nine NASCAR titles (five in the

Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...

, one in the

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

, and three in the

Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...

). Dorton also worked with

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

and Hendrick Motorsports in the

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

department.

Death

On October 24, 2004, Dorton and nine others boarded a

Beechcraft Super King Air The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. ...

heading to Martinsville Speedway for the

Subway 500 The Xfinity 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. The race is traditionally held in the fall and has been run in every NASCAR Cup Series season, starting with the sixth event in the inaugu ...

. Flying into foggy weather, the pilots became disoriented, and flew five miles past

Blue Ridge Airport Blue Ridge Regional Airport is nine miles southwest of Martinsville, in Henry County, Virginia. It is owned by the Blue Ridge Airport Authority. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorized it as a ''gener ...

, and when they attempted to perform the missed approach procedure, the plane flew two miles without making the necessary right turn, and the plane crashed into Bull Mountain, killing all on board; the race would begin 27 minutes later. Hendrick driver

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...

won the race, though no post-race celebrations were held. In February 2006, Dorton's wife Dianne filed a lawsuit against

Rick Hendrick Joseph Riddick "Rick" Hendrick III (born July 12, 1949), nicknamed "Mr. H", is an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. He is also a co-owner of JR Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Au ...

alleging that he and his team were liable for Dorton's death, and claimed the team "showed 'conscious and intentional disregard' for Randy Dorton's safety, alleging that company president John Hendrick rejected the pilot's suggestion to divert to a different airport because of bad weather because he didn't want to be late for the race." The suits were settled in 2011, six years after the crash.

Legacy

In tribute to Dorton, a 900-horsepower engine was built and used by Jimmie Johnson in a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro before being placed on display in the Hendrick Motorsports Museum. The trophy awarded to the winner of the Mahle Engine Builders Challenge is named the Randy Dorton Trophy in his honor.

Personal life

Son of Jimmy and Lorene Dorton, he has a son, Jonathan, and a brother, Keith.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorton, Randy 1954 births 2004 deaths Accidental deaths in Virginia NASCAR crew chiefs Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2004