L.W. Wright, the individual who conned his way into NASCAR and raced in the 1982 Winston 500, passed away on January 26th at age 76.
The Scene Vault Podcast shared the news in an article on Sunday, January 28th. His passing came near midnight at Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville, Tennessee. Wright had been imprisoned since his arrest for various charges in February of 2023.
Longtime motorsport journalists Rick Houston and Steve Waid are hosts of The Scene Vault Podcast. The pair brought recognition to the mysterious figure after the man who claimed himself to be L.W. Wright partook in a mid-2022 podcast episode. His identity was validated with detailed stories and the physical firesuit worn during the Spring race of 1982. His appearance was the first time in 40 years the one-off driver was heard of as many believed his story to remain forever unsolved.
You can hear The Scene Vault Podcast’s interview with L.W. Wright here.
Larry Wright (1949 – 2024)
L.W. Wright, an alias for his full name of Larry Ernest Wright, was born in April of 1949 and raised in the Appalachian town of Richlands, Virginia. He was one of eight siblings to a father in the coal mining industry. Little is known from his late teens to his near-30s aside from running moonshine, coal mining, short track racing in Virginia, the loss of his eldest brother in Vietnam, and his uncertain amount of involvement with the United States Army. He would also find himself faced with lawful and financial troubles. As a result, L.W. Wright became motivated to pursue a chance at racing, and so began his attempt at a chance in NASCAR.
The 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series saw its ninth race of the season set to take place at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Wright managed to get funding from various investors securing a NASCAR Grand National racing license, car parts, and Goodyear tires. Nashville marketing owner Bernie Terrell gave nearly $40,000 to aid Wright’s efforts. A record company called AASCO was brought on as a sponsor, but no information about the group is known. Country music veteran, T.G. Sheppard, was said to be an affiliate of the company, but he denied knowing of AASCO or the driver.
Wright purchased a Chevrolet from Coo Coo Marlin and Sterling Marlin with a repainted and renumbered 34, per request. Allegedly, he worked on tour buses in Hendersonville, Tennessee and formed a partnership with country music legends George Jones, Waylon Jennings, and Merle Haggard. The vocal icons learned of his interest to race and provided funding for a race in NASCAR, although they would not partake in sponsorship. Ultimately, Wright’s team name would be titled “Music City Racing” with the alleged funding from the trio of singers.
L.W. Wright’s Showing
The time would come for the Virginia native to arrive at Talladega Superspeedway. A single image of L.W. Wright was taken on pit road during the Talladega race weekend by the late David Chobat, a longtime photojournalist. This is the only known photograph of the driver in his firesuit and that weekend in Alabama.
Wright survived his way through Winston Cup practice unscathed. Before the race, he received feedback from Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt in preparation for tackling the two-and-a-half-mile Goliath. In qualifying, the rookie driver bested notables Slick Johnson and J.D. McDuffie on his first lap but would crash with damage on lap two. Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, other drivers, and crew members pitched in with parts and repairs to help Wright start the Sunday race.
The 1982 Winston 500 from Talladega Superspeedway took place on Sunday, May 2nd. The green flag flew with polesitter Benny Parsons leading a pack of 40 cars. Unfortunately, just 13 laps into the race, debutant L.W. Wright was black-flagged for not maintaining pace with his competitors (17:17 in the video below). He parked in the garage and was credited for 39th place. Waltrip, the eventual season Champion, would pass Parsons on the final lap to win the 500-mile event.
D.B. Cooper
Although many believed his disappearance came after the event at Talladega, L.W. Wright did return to NASCAR the following weekend. He qualified for the Cracker Barrel Country Store 420 from Nashville, Tennessee but missed the race on speed. The failed showing resulted in a changed career path and his disappearance from racing and seemingly the face of the world.
Not long after came reports of bounced checks by the Marlins, Terrell, and others who helped with funding. Wright denied any wrongdoing, although numerous personnel had claimed to have received invalid checks and owed money. NASCAR, Terrell, and investigators attempted to track down the trickster, but his identity remained a mystery for decades. That was, however, until the podcast with Houston and Waid.
Whether or not this individual was or was not the starter of the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway remains a mystery. Questions and event timelines remain unanswered and uncertain to this day. Nearly 41 years later, his story remains one of the most infamous tales in NASCAR and sports history.
In conclusion, L.W. Wright’s materialization and vanishment have given him the title of the “D.B. Cooper of NASCAR.”
