Ken Rush

Kenneth Rush (September 14, 1931 – October 17, 2011) was a NASCAR Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1957 to 1972.[1]

For American politician, see Kenneth Rush.
Ken Rush
Ken Rush, circa 1969
Born(1931-09-14)September 14, 1931
High Point, North Carolina, United States
DiedOctober 17, 2011(2011-10-17) (aged 80)
High Point, North Carolina, United States
Cause of deathStroke
Achievements1969 Grand American
Champion 1964 & 1966 Bowman Gray Stadium Modified Champion
Awards1957 Grand National Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
56 races run over 8 years
Best finish39th (1957)
First race1957 Race #23 (Newport)
Last race1972 World 600 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 16 2
Statistics current as of April 22, 2013.

Career

He would win the 1969 'Bama 400 Grand Touring race on Saturday, September 13, 1969 - arguably the first race held at Talladega Superspeedway sanctioned by any motorsports body - in his Chevrolet Camaro.[2] Another notable appearance for Rush was at the 1957 Rebel 300 where he finished in last place due to the infamous "lap 29" crash that he was 3 laps behind everyone else for.[3]

In his eight-year career, Rush managed to race in 56 races for a distance of 9396 laps - the equivalent of 5,717.6 miles (9,201.6 km).[1] He started 14th on average and finished in 18th on average.[1] After his racing career was over, Rush managed to earn $11,760 in total prize winnings ($71,879.14 when adjusted for inflation).[1] Had he been born 40 years later, he may have accomplished the big prize winnings that today's NASCAR superstars earn from their races.[4] A lot of the races during Ken's era paid $200 ($1,820.62 when adjusted for inflation) or less just for winning the race.[4]

Ken died from a stroke in his hometown of High Point, North Carolina at age 80.[5] He is survived by his wife Patsy[4] and daughter Deborah.

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References
  1. Ken Rush racing information at Racing Reference
  2. History Archived 2010-04-16 at the Wayback Machine at Talladega Superspeedway
  3. 1957 Rebel 300 at Racing Reference
  4. The Racing Career of Ken Rush Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine at StockCarRacing.Com
  5. http://www.nascar.com/news/111023/ken-rush-1957-nascar-rookie-of-year-dies-obit-2011/
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