| Rex Allen White, like many other pioneers of racing, | | | | first time out. That year he totaled fourteen top-ten |
| was born in the Deep South where moonshine | | | | finishes. Over the 9 years that he competed, Rex |
| running abounded. In Taylorsville, North Carolina | | | | won more races than any other driver. That included |
| where he grew up, he would lie awake at night and | | | | big names like Lee and Richard Petty, "Fireball" |
| listen to the sounds of cars roaring through the night, | | | | Roberts, Ned Jarrett, Joe Weatherly, Junior Johnson, |
| running liquor. He was amazed at how the drivers | | | | and Buck Baker. 1960 was a banner year for Rex. He |
| could maneuver around curves and steep mountain | | | | won six races and the Grand National championship. |
| turns and how they modified their cars to handle | | | | 1961 and'62 weren't bad either-he won 15 times and |
| such speeds. Rex was a small man, only 5'4'' but | | | | finished 2nd and 5th in the points standings. |
| would become a great champion in the world of | | | | In his era, he was Chevrolet's hero and NASCAR's |
| racing. He suffered polio as a child and was left with | | | | most consistent driver, with 163 top ten finishes out |
| a withered leg, but that didn't slow Rex down at all. | | | | of the 233 races he ran. He was selected Driver of |
| At the age of 8, he was already working on his | | | | the Year and one of NASCAR's Top Fifty Drivers. |
| family's Model T. He just wanted to make things go | | | | Rex White retired from racing in 1964 while driving |
| faster. At 15, he scraped together some money and | | | | for Bud Moore. His retirement was rather sudden and |
| headed for Washington, DC. After seeing a racing | | | | it was speculated that the increasingly dangerous |
| poster at the gas station where he worked, his | | | | speeds on the track were a concern to him. He was |
| interest in the sport peaked. He would sneak under | | | | only 35 years old and at the prime of his career so |
| the fence at the local track to watch events and | | | | his retirement remains a bit of a mystery. |
| soon he worked his way up to being a mechanic. | | | | Nevertheless, he went out in a blaze of glory. In his |
| Eventually he began to race-and win. He was ready | | | | last two starts, he finished 3rd at Charlotte's World |
| to take his skills to the next level, which meant | | | | 600 and 5th at Atlanta for the Dixie 400 where he |
| heading back south to his roots. | | | | qualified fastest at 146.024 mph. If you ask his |
| In 1956, Rex entered the world of Grand National | | | | competitors they'll tell you that no one could set up a |
| racing. He took a Chevy, removed the hubcaps, | | | | racecar better than Rex White. He overcame a life |
| added a roll bar and a seat belt and painted an "X" on | | | | of poverty and a physical disability and became a |
| the side of the car. He finished 22nd of 76 drivers his | | | | force to be reckoned with and a NASCAR champion. |