Humpy Wheeler, NASCAR Hall of Famer and longtime president of Charlotte Motor Speedway, dies at 86

Howard Augustine "Humpy" Wheeler, the longtime president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway and one of the greatest race promoters in the history of NASCAR, died peacefully of natural causes surrounded by his family on Wednesday. He was 86.

A native of Belmont, N.C., Wheeler initially pursued an athletic career -- first as a boxer and then as a member of the University of South Carolina football team -- before taking on work as a publicist in the growing sport of stock car racing. After promoting races at Robinwood Speedway, Starlite Speedway and the Gastonia Fairgrounds while also working as the publicity director of WBTV in Charlotte, Wheeler joined the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in 1964 as the public relations representative for their racing program.

After the company's racing program shut down, Wheeler bounced between public and private sector jobs -- including one as public service director for the city of Charlotte -- before being hired as the new president of Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1975. In his role, Wheeler was tasked with making Charlotte a standard-setter for the growing sport of stock car racing, which was becoming increasingly popular in the region despite many racetracks of the time featuring shabby facilities.

"Racing must be the greatest sport in the world because we've dusted people to death," Wheeler told the Roanoke Times in 1990. "We've given them terrible rest rooms... they sit out in the rain, snow, sleet and hail... lousy parking...traffic jams. But they kept coming back, and they kept multiplying. What would ever happen if you ever did it right?"

In his role, Wheeler would become a pioneer and groundbreaker in the racing industry, as he would become notorious for pushing boundaries of what was possible both on and off the racetrack. Under his watch, Charlotte Motor Speedway undertook an ambitious and successful project to add permanent lighting for the now-famous 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race, marking the first time a track of its size had been lit for night racing. Wheeler is also credited with bringing famous female racer Janet Guthrie to NASCAR, as she became the first woman to qualify for a NASCAR race on a major speedway when she made the 1976 World 600 -- a race in which she would finish 15th.

Wheeler is also credited with promotional and pre-race activities that ranged from spectacular to borderline outlandish, including circus acts, driving stunts and even "Robosaurus," a fire-breathing mechanical T-Rex that would eat and mangle cars. Wheeler's various promotional stunts earned him the moniker of "the P.T. Barnum of motorsports," and his work was instrumental in making Charlotte's Coca-Cola 600 -- one of NASCAR's crown jewel events -- an event that could stand alongside the same day Indianapolis 500 in scale and prestige while also growing the sport's national profile.

2026 NASCAR schedule: League announces major additions with San Diego, North Wilkesboro and Chicagoland

Steven Taranto

Wheeler retired from his role at Charlotte Motor Speedway following the 2008 Coke 600, citing multiple disagreements with Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith (the two later reconciled in 2020, two years before Smith's death). Wheeler's notoriety extended beyond NASCAR by the end of his career at Charlotte, as he earned a Hollywood film credit as the voice of Tex, the boss of fictional sponsor Dinoco, in the Pixar movie "Cars."

Wheeler received many honors following his career, with the greatest coming this past May when he was named the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR as part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026. He was also inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America among others.

"Humpy Wheeler was a visionary whose name became synonymous with promotion and innovation in our sport," read a statement by NASCAR CEO Jim France. "During his decades leading Charlotte Motor Speedway, Humpy transformed the fan experience through his creativity, bold ideas and tireless passion. His efforts helped expand NASCAR's national footprint, cement Charlotte as a must-visit racing and entertainment complex and recently earned him the NASCAR Hall of Fame's prestigious Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. 

"On behalf of NASCAR and the France family, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Wheeler family and all who were touched by his remarkable life and legacy."