Tommy Gale (racing driver)
Tommy Gale (September 10, 1934 – September 30, 1999) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race car driver from McKeesport, Pennsylvania who raced from 1968 to 1986. He ended up becoming one of the runners-up for the 1977 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award.
| Tommy Gale | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 10, 1934 McKeesport, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||
| Died | September 30, 1999 (aged 65) | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 246 races run over 17 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 15th – 1981 | ||||||
| First race | 1968 American 500 (Rockingham) | ||||||
| Last race | 1986 Winston 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
| |||||||
Career
Gale started as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie when he was 34 years old and competed until his retirement at the age of 51. Leading only three laps of his 60,655-lap spanning career, Gale managed to make $683,965 in total winnings ($1,690,809.65 when adjusted for inflation). While starting in 27th place on average, his average finishes were 22nd place after competing in a grueling 75,239.7 miles or 121,086.6 kilometres of top-level professional stock car racing.[1]
His only three DNQs came at the 1972 Miller High Life 500, the 1973 Daytona 500 and at the 1984 Talladega 500.[2]
Gale's strongest performances are on short oval tracks where he finished an average of 20th place. His weakness would be found on road courses; where a finish of 28th place would be expected out of Gale.[3] His primary vehicle throughout his career was the #64 Ford machine owned by fellow NASCAR driver Elmo Langley.[4]
Post-NASCAR career
After Tommy Gale retired from NASCAR, he decided to focus on his son and started a trucking business in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania; which is near his hometown of McKeesport.[5]
References
- ^ Career statistics about Tommy Gale at Racing Reference
- ^ Tommy Gale's NASCAR Winston Cup Series DNQ List at Racing Reference
- ^ NASCAR statistics on Tommy Gale at Driver Averages
- ^ Complete NASCAR career statistics on Tommy Gale at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ^ Gale won respect... not races at The Pittsburgh Press (Google News Archive Search)
External links
- Tommy Gale driver statistics at Racing-Reference