Chuck Bown
Encyclopedia
Richard Charles Bown, Jr. (born February 22, 1954 in Portland, Oregon
) is a former NASCAR
champion. His last ride came in 1999. He currently lives with his wife in Asheboro, North Carolina
. He is the brother of former fellow NASCAR competitor Jim Bown
. He is also the owner of Crewschool.com, an online school for pit crew members.
at Riverside International Raceway
the #27 Plymouth
owned by his father Dick. Bown started 22nd but finished 32nd that day after crashing on lap 88. Bown made 2 more starts in the #27 that year, with his best finish being fourteenth at the second Riverside race.
In 1973, Bown returned to the Winston Cup Series driving his father’s #03 Rose Auto Wrecking sponsored Dodge, finishing in the top-10 for the first time in his career at the Tuborg 400
at Riverside. In 1974, Bown again competed in the three California races on the Winston Cup Series schedule, the two events at Riverside as well as at Ontario Motor Speedway
. His best finish was 20th. In 1976, Bown began driving for Gerald Cracker, driving the #01 Lakes Drywall sponsored Chevrolet in four races, and the #03 at Riveside, where he had his best finish. Bown was named the Most Popular Driver of the Year in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1977. In 1979, Bown drove Jim Testa’s #68 Kings Inn/Kings Mountain Truck Plaza Buick
and Boy Scout Special Chevrolet
in 7 Winston Cup events. He scored a 7th place finish in the Daytona 500
and a 6th place finish in the Firecracker 400. He drove eleven races for the next two years for different owners, but did not reach the top-ten.
. His first start came at the Goody's 300, where he started 28th but finished 40th after wrecking his #67 Buick early in the race. He made his only other start of the year at the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway
, where he's started 13th and won his first career Busch race. The following season, Bown ran three races in the #7/56 Pontiac
, but did not finish a race.
In 1989, Bown ran his first full season in Busch driving the #63 Nescafé
Pontiac at Lanier Speedway
and at South Boston Speedway
. He finished the season with 5 top-5s and 12 top-10s wound up ninth in the championship standings. The following year, Bown won six races and four poles. He had a total of thirteen top-fives and won the Busch Series championship over Jimmy Hensley
by 200 points. That same season, he returned to the Cup series, running three races in the #97 Kellogg's Pontiac for Tex Powell, his best finish 23rd at the Atlanta Journal 500.
In 1991, Bown won three times and garnered four poles, but dropped 4th in the Busch Series points. He made one Winston Cup start driving Cale Yarborough’s #66 TropArtic Pontiac at North Wilkesboro Speedway
where he finished 26th. The following season, Bown failed to win a race and had only five top-five finishes, and dropped to eleventh in the standings. In 1993, Bown won his final career pole at Richmond International Raceway
and won his final race at Martinsville Speedway
. He recorded 5 top-5s and 13 top-10s en route to a fourth place points finish. He made one Winston Cup start driving the Roulo Brothers' #39 Pedigree Chevrolet at Phoenix, finishing 24th.
for Bobby Allison
. He won the pole for the Food City 500
, setting a new track record. He was seriously injured in a wreck at Pocono Raceway
which sidelined him for the season.
Bown returned to racing in 1995 in four Busch races, finishing ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway
in the #05 Key Motorsports
Ford. He competed in nine Cup races in the #32 Fina
/Lance Snacks
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
for Active Motorsports, his best finish a 21st at Charlotte. In 1996, Bown drove for a variety of teams in the Busch Series, his best finish 21st at Darlington Raceway
. He drove the Sadler Brothers Racing’ #95 Shoney’s Inns Ford in three Winston Cup Series events but only finished one race.
In 1997, Bown began racing in the Craftsman Truck Series
, driving the #99 Exide Ford F-150 for Roush Racing
. Despite not winning a race, he had four top-fives and finished ninth in the standings. The next season, Bown qualified on the pole at the season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway
, but finished 25th. After that race, he was released from Roush due to downsizing. He movted to the #57 CSG Motorsports Ford driving in six events before being released. He ended the season driving the #67 Hill Machinery Chevrolet Silverado
in a pair of races, finishing seventeenth at Phoenix.
In 1999, Bown returned to Hensley to drive their #63 Exxon Superflo
Chevrolet. Despite a seventh-place finish at Charlotte, Bown was released from the team halfway into the season, and soon retired.
in 2009 along with Wayne Spears, Doug George
, and Rick Carelli
.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
) is a former NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
champion. His last ride came in 1999. He currently lives with his wife in Asheboro, North Carolina
Asheboro, North Carolina
Asheboro is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 21,672 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County, and is the home of the state-owned North Carolina Zoo.-Geography:...
. He is the brother of former fellow NASCAR competitor Jim Bown
Jim Bown
Jim Bown is a former NASCAR driver. He has run a total of 23 Winston Cup races. He scored one top-ten result, a tenth place finish at Riverside International Raceway in 1982. In the NASCAR Busch Series , he competed in 122 races, with four top-fives and one pole...
. He is also the owner of Crewschool.com, an online school for pit crew members.
1970's
Bown made his NASCAR debut in 1972 in the Winston Cup Series. At the age of seventeen, he ran the Winston Western 500Winston Western 500
The Winston Western 500 was an annual NASCAR Winston Cup race held at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California, USA, in January, and then in later years, November. From 1963 to 1981, the race was held in January and was the season opening race...
at Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway was a race track or road course in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989...
the #27 Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
owned by his father Dick. Bown started 22nd but finished 32nd that day after crashing on lap 88. Bown made 2 more starts in the #27 that year, with his best finish being fourteenth at the second Riverside race.
In 1973, Bown returned to the Winston Cup Series driving his father’s #03 Rose Auto Wrecking sponsored Dodge, finishing in the top-10 for the first time in his career at the Tuborg 400
Budweiser 400
The Budweiser 400 was an annual summer NASCAR Winston Cup race held from 1970 to 1988 at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California, USA. A 400-mile race was also run at the track in November 1963. The race distance was 400 miles until 1976 when it was shortened to 249 miles...
at Riverside. In 1974, Bown again competed in the three California races on the Winston Cup Series schedule, the two events at Riverside as well as at Ontario Motor Speedway
Ontario Motor Speedway
The Ontario Motor Speedway, located in Ontario, California, east of Los Angeles, was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: IndyCar Series and USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a ...
. His best finish was 20th. In 1976, Bown began driving for Gerald Cracker, driving the #01 Lakes Drywall sponsored Chevrolet in four races, and the #03 at Riveside, where he had his best finish. Bown was named the Most Popular Driver of the Year in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1977. In 1979, Bown drove Jim Testa’s #68 Kings Inn/Kings Mountain Truck Plaza Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
and Boy Scout Special Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
in 7 Winston Cup events. He scored a 7th place finish in the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
and a 6th place finish in the Firecracker 400. He drove eleven races for the next two years for different owners, but did not reach the top-ten.
1986–1993
In 1986, Bown returned to NASCAR, running in the Busch SeriesBusch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
. His first start came at the Goody's 300, where he started 28th but finished 40th after wrecking his #67 Buick early in the race. He made his only other start of the year at the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway
Oxford Plains Speedway
Oxford Plains Speedway is a racetrack in Oxford, Maine, USA. Established in 1950, it has been home to various NASCAR Nationwide Series events, including the True Value Oxford 250, Oxford 250 and True Value 250. With 14,000 seats, the speedway has the largest seating capacity of any sporting venue...
, where he's started 13th and won his first career Busch race. The following season, Bown ran three races in the #7/56 Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
, but did not finish a race.
In 1989, Bown ran his first full season in Busch driving the #63 Nescafé
Nescafé
Nescafé is a brand of instant coffee made by Nestlé. It comes in the form of many different products. The name is a portmanteau of the words "Nestlé" and "café". Nestlé's flagship powdered coffee product was introduced in Switzerland on April 1, 1938 after being developed for seven or eight years...
Pontiac at Lanier Speedway
Lanier Speedway
Lanier National Speedway is a 0.375-mile paved oval racetrack just outside of Braselton, Georgia. The track opened in 1982 as a dirt track, and was paved in the mid-1980s. The track is under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner with Super Late Models, SuperTrucks, Junkyard Dogs, Outlaw...
and at South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway or "SoBo" is a short track located just outside South Boston, Virginia, U.S.A.. SoBo is located approximately sixty miles east of another area familiar to most NASCAR fans, Martinsville. It is owned by Mattco, Inc, the Mattioli family trust that owns Pocono Raceway, with...
. He finished the season with 5 top-5s and 12 top-10s wound up ninth in the championship standings. The following year, Bown won six races and four poles. He had a total of thirteen top-fives and won the Busch Series championship over Jimmy Hensley
Jimmy Hensley
Jimmy Hensley is a former NASCAR driver. With a career spanning 27 seasons in all three of NASCAR's elite divisions, Hensley may be best remembered for his Rookie of the Year award won in 1992, his 15th season in the series, and for his nine career Busch Series wins. He spent most of his career...
by 200 points. That same season, he returned to the Cup series, running three races in the #97 Kellogg's Pontiac for Tex Powell, his best finish 23rd at the Atlanta Journal 500.
In 1991, Bown won three times and garnered four poles, but dropped 4th in the Busch Series points. He made one Winston Cup start driving Cale Yarborough’s #66 TropArtic Pontiac at North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway was a short track that held races in NASCAR's top three series from NASCAR's inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996...
where he finished 26th. The following season, Bown failed to win a race and had only five top-five finishes, and dropped to eleventh in the standings. In 1993, Bown won his final career pole at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
and won his final race at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
. He recorded 5 top-5s and 13 top-10s en route to a fourth place points finish. He made one Winston Cup start driving the Roulo Brothers' #39 Pedigree Chevrolet at Phoenix, finishing 24th.
Final years
In 1994, Bown moved back up to the Cup series, driving the #12 ReLife/Straight Arrow Ford ThunderbirdFord Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
for Bobby Allison
Bobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. His two sons, Clifford Allison and Davey Allison followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other....
. He won the pole for the Food City 500
Food City 500
The Food City 500 is a 500 lap race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on the track at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This is one of two NASCAR races held at Bristol, the other being the Irwin Tools Night Race, and is considered one of NASCAR's best races...
, setting a new track record. He was seriously injured in a wreck at Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
which sidelined him for the season.
Bown returned to racing in 1995 in four Busch races, finishing ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
in the #05 Key Motorsports
Key Motorsports
Key Motorsports is a NASCAR team owned by Curtis Key. The team currently fields the #40 Chevrolet Impala driven by Charles Lewandoski, the #42 Chevrolet Impala drien by Tim Andrews, the #46 Chevrolet Impala driven by Chase Miller, and the #47 Chevrolet Impala driven by Danny Efland / Scott Wimmer...
Ford. He competed in nine Cup races in the #32 Fina
Petrofina
Petrofina was a Belgian oil company which merged with Total in 1999 to form TotalFina, but the name has now been changed back to Total after another merger...
/Lance Snacks
Lance Inc.
Lance, Inc. is an American snack food company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.They manufacture snacks such as:*Captain's Wafers*Toastchee Crackers*Nekot cookies*Gold-N-Chees crackers*Cape Cod Potato Chips*Tom's Potato Chips*Archway Cookies...
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
for Active Motorsports, his best finish a 21st at Charlotte. In 1996, Bown drove for a variety of teams in the Busch Series, his best finish 21st at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
. He drove the Sadler Brothers Racing’ #95 Shoney’s Inns Ford in three Winston Cup Series events but only finished one race.
In 1997, Bown began racing in the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
, driving the #99 Exide Ford F-150 for Roush Racing
Roush Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
. Despite not winning a race, he had four top-fives and finished ninth in the standings. The next season, Bown qualified on the pole at the season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway
Walt Disney World Speedway
Walt Disney World Speedway is a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida.It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and was designed primarily as a venue for the Indy 200 at Walt Disney...
, but finished 25th. After that race, he was released from Roush due to downsizing. He movted to the #57 CSG Motorsports Ford driving in six events before being released. He ended the season driving the #67 Hill Machinery Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
in a pair of races, finishing seventeenth at Phoenix.
In 1999, Bown returned to Hensley to drive their #63 Exxon Superflo
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
Chevrolet. Despite a seventh-place finish at Charlotte, Bown was released from the team halfway into the season, and soon retired.
Awards
Bown was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of FameWest Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame
The West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame is a Hall of Fame for people associated with late-model stock car racing on the West Coast of the United States. Many NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series champions are inducted in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is located at Toyota Speedway at...
in 2009 along with Wayne Spears, Doug George
Doug George
Doug George is a NASCAR driver and mechanic. Currently, he is the crew chief of the #51 NOS/Miccosukee Gambling Toyota Tundra driven by Kyle Busch and Brian Ickler in the Craftsman Truck Series. He has made a total of 58 starts in NASCAR.He began racing professionally in the 1980s, driving for his...
, and Rick Carelli
Rick Carelli
Rick Carelli is an American race car driver from Arvada, Colorado. He was nicknamed the "High Plains Drifter". He won multiple times in the #6 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series truck.-Racing career:...
.