Robert William Pressley (born April 8, 1959) is an American former
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 ...
driver who previously served as the promoter at Kingsport Speedway in
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, w ...
. Pressley is now a County Commissioner in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Beginnings
Because his father, Bob, was a short track racer in Asheville, the younger Pressley naturally followed his father into the sport. In fact, his brother
Charley Charley may refer to:
Places
*Charley, Leicestershire, a parish in England
*Charley's Flat, alternate name for Dutch Flat, California
*Charley's Motel, former name of Star Lite Motel, Minnesota, United States
*Charley Ridge, West Virginia, United ...
, has been a long-time crew chief in the NASCAR level. Pressley began running at
New Asheville Speedway
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
and
Greenville-Pickens Speedway
Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Easley, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina. The track hosted weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several NASCAR touring series have raced at the track in prior years, includi ...
and won championships at both tracks. He also put together 150 wins in various Late Model Series in the Southeast. In 1984, Pressley made his NASCAR debut 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 ...
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 ...
, finishing 26th. Five years later, Pressley ran a limited schedule in the Busch Series, and won in just his twelfth series start at
Orange County Speedway
Orange County Speedway is a 3/8 mile (0.6 km) asphalt oval in Orange County, North Carolina, near Rougemont. It first opened in 1966 as 1/4 mile (0.4 km) and 5/8 mile (1 km) dirt oval (Trico Speedway), which operate ...
. He ran full seasons from 1991–1994, his best year coming in 1992 when he won races and finished fifth in points. In
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, he ran three races in the
Winston Cup
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the 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. In 1971, ...
Series in a car sponsored by
Manheim Auctions
Manheim, Inc. is an automobile auction company and the world's largest wholesale auto auction, based on trade volume with 145 auctions located in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. As a subsidiary of Cox Automotive, a subsidiary of priv ...
, his best finish being a 31st at Charlotte.
In 1990 Pressley was involved in
Michael Waltrip's horrific Bristol crash in which he tapped Waltrip from behind, sending Waltrip's #30 Kool-Aid car into a fence, disintegrating the car on impact.
Winston Cup
In
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, Pressley took over for the retired
Harry Gant in the #33 car owned by
Leo Jackson Motorsports
Andy Petree Racing (APR) was a NASCAR team that won 12 races. Originally formed in 1985 as Jackson Bros. Motorsports, its ownership changed hands several times over the years, with three different owners from its beginning to its closure in 2004. ...
in Cup. He posted one top-ten finish and was runner-up to
Ricky Craven for
Rookie of the Year. The following year, he put together two top-five finishes. Unfortunately, Jackson was retiring and sold his operation to crew chief
Andy Petree
Joseph Andrew Petree III (born August 15, 1958), is a former NASCAR crew chief, driver, team owner, and broadcaster who has worked as the rules analyst for ''Fox NASCAR'' and the Vice President of Competition at Richard Childress Racing. After ra ...
. After Pressley ran just one race for his new owner, he was released, but able to hook onto a ride with
Diamond Ridge Motorsports
Diamond Ridge Motorsports (formerly Diamond-Waltrip Racing, and Pastrana-Waltrip Racing) was a NASCAR Nationwide Series team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and Busch Series from 1990 to 1999, and revived as a Nationwide Series team in 201 ...
. Pressley ran just ten races for Diamond Ridge in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
, including the
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
, in which his car flipped on its nose acrobatically in the first few laps. Pressley posted a season-best finish of 14th, when he was suddenly fired from the ride. While he waited for a Cup ride to appear, Pressley returned to the Busch ranks, running the No. 47 Chevrolet for
ST Motorsports, and finished out the year with three top tens. Over in Cup, he joined the No. 77
Jasper Motorsports
Jasper Motorsports was a NASCAR Winston Cup team. It was owned by a variety of owners including D.K. Ulrich and Doug Bawel.
1970s–1980s
The car started in 1971 at what turned out to be the only Winston Cup race at Smoky Mountain Raceway ...
team, which became one of the more popular tandems in the Cup circuit among fans.
Following his abbreviated Cup run in 1997, Pressley returned full-time in
1998 with the Jasper team, where he posted a then career-best third-place finish at
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° ...
. Despite being replaced temporarily by
Hut Stricklin
Waymond Lane "Hut" Stricklin Jr. (born June 24, 1961) is an American former professional stock car racing driver.
Racing career
Stricklin grew up in Calera, Alabama. He married Pam Allison, the daughter of NASCAR legend Donnie Allison after the ...
due to injuries, Pressley finished 32nd in points that year.
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
was a struggle however, as Pressley and company failed to qualify six times that season, and often had trouble finishing races. Following the addition of
Ryan Pemberton in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, Pressley was able to increase his position in points to 25th. In
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, he had five top-tens, nearly won the inaugural
Tropicana 400
The Camping World 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series stock car racing, stock car race held annually at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, Joliet, Illinois, from 2001 to 2019. Previously, the race was held in July from 2001 through 2010, with nig ...
before finishing in second, and finished 25th in points handing the driving duties to the car for the road course events to
Boris Said
Boris Said III (born September 18, 1962) is an American semi-retired professional racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford Mustang for MBM Motorsports and in the Trans-Am Series, driving the No. 2 ...
. Robert Pressley, although competitive in some races, struggled with consistency, and would part ways with Jasper at the conclusion of the 2001 season.
In 2002 he had a one race deal with
Melling Racing
Melling Racing was a Championship-winning NASCAR Winston Cup Series race team owned by Harry Melling and his son Mark Melling. Harry Melling ran the team from its inception in 1982, to mid-1999. When Harry died after a heart attack in mid-1999, ...
for the Daytona 500 and locked himself in by qualifying speed on Pole Day, Qualifying 5th overall with the same car they had qualified 3rd or better on the 2001 restrictor plate tracks. After receiving sponsorship from
Brand Source he had an engine problem at the end of the race. When he blew up, his car was nearly destroyed on pit road as an accident happened on the tri-oval and
Michael Waltrip's car came across onto pit road, also nearly hitting the pace car as well.
Recent years
At the end of 2001, Pressley was released from Jasper, and he tackled on a new venture, the Craftsman Truck Series. He signed with
Bobby Hamilton Racing
Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is a disbanded NASCAR racing team. It was owned by four-time Winston Cup winner and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton until his death on January 7, 2007. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was given owners ...
and won his Truck Series debut at
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...
. He also ran the season opening
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
in Cup for what was the last race for
Melling Racing
Melling Racing was a Championship-winning NASCAR Winston Cup Series race team owned by Harry Melling and his son Mark Melling. Harry Melling ran the team from its inception in 1982, to mid-1999. When Harry died after a heart attack in mid-1999, ...
, finishing 22nd. In 2003, Pressley moved to HT Motorsports in the Trucks, finishing 12th in points. He returned to the Busch Series to drive the 47 again for ST Motorsports, finishing in the top-ten twice, before moving back to the trucks with HT in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, finishing 20th in the standings.
His son
Coleman Pressley won the 2010
UARA-Stars
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States, founded in 1953 by John Marcum. The current president of ARCA is Ron Drager, who took over the position in 1996 following the death of Bob Lo ...
championship and raced sporadically in NASCAR. He currently serves as
Joey Logano's spotter. His nephew
Caleb Pressley is a blogger and podcaster for
Barstool Sports
Barstool Sports is an American blog website and digital media company headquartered in New York City that produces content on sports and pop culture. Founded by David Portnoy in 2003 in Milton, Massachusetts, the company's two primary owners are ...
.
Pressley served as promoter at the Kingsport (TN) Speedway from 2011-2014, moving the track to
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (formerly the Whelen All-American Series, Winston Racing Series and the Dodge Weekly Series) is a points championship for NASCAR sanctioned local short track motor racing around the United States and Ca ...
-sanctioned status beginning with his first season. Pressley also owns a restaurant in the
Asheville
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
,
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 ...
area called Celebrity's Hot Dogs.
In 2016, Pressley was elected as a county commissioner in
Buncombe County
Buncombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is classified within Western North Carolina. The 2020 census reported the population was 269,452. Its county seat is Asheville. Buncombe County is part of the Ashevill ...
,
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 ...
.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
=Daytona 500
=
Busch Series
Craftsman Truck Series
ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
References
External links
*
*
Racer Profile:Robert Pressley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pressley, Robert
Living people
1959 births
North Carolina Republicans
Sportspeople from Asheville, North Carolina
Racing drivers from North Carolina
NASCAR drivers
American Speed Association drivers
ISCARS Dash Touring Series drivers
ARCA Menards Series drivers