Known as the White Knight; at the time of his death he was believed to have been the winningest short track racer ever, with over 1,200 victories.
He broke his hip when he was eight, and he was told that he would never walk again; instead, it led to his friend taking him to a race when he was nine, and he was instantly hooked.
After an illustrious career in many series, he joined NASCAR in 1989, and won the Rookie of the Year award.
He married Darlene Trickle in 1961 and the couple remained married until his suicide.
His easy to laugh at name was frequently mentioned after NASCAR races by ESPN's Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick.
