Rick Mast
Encyclopedia
Rick Mast is a former NASCAR
driver. He competed in both the Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) and Busch Series
(now Nationwide Series) before retiring in 2002. He holds a business administration degree from Blue Ridge Community College.
for his first car. After racing at the local track level for the decade, Mast began running the Busch Series in 1982, and had four top-ten finishes in 11 eleven starts in his #22. Mast's first full-time season came in 1985, where he had fifteen top-ten finishes and seventh in the season points. Two years later, he would win his first NASCAR race at the Grand National 200, then followed it up with another win the next week. He finished 11th in points that year. He improved to eighth positions in 1988 the same year he made his Winston Cup debut for Buddy Baker
at the Busch 500, finishing 28th at that race. Mast won five Busch races while running full-time the next two years, before focusing his efforts on Cup.
in 1989, finishing sixth at the Daytona 500
in an unsponsored car, which Mast called his proudest achievement in racing. He still believes he would have won had his team been willing to gamble on fuel mileage. Mast ran selected races in 1990 for D.K. Ulrich before finishing the year with Travis Carter Motorsports
. In 1991, Mast signed to drive the #1 Skoal Classic
Oldsmobile
for Richard Jackson's Precision Products Racing. He started out the season by leading 14 laps in the Daytona 500
and finished fourth. He had three top-tens and finished 21st in points. That year, the Talladega Superspeedway
produced a couple of highlights for Mast. In the Winston 500
, he pushed a fuel-deficient Harry Gant
(driving for Leo Jackson, Richard's brother) during the final lap of the race, helping Gant win (Mast was one lap down in 10th). This action is prohibited after the white flag by NASCAR rules, regardless of who the individual drivers are, but he was not fined money or points. With less than 25 laps to go in the DieHard 500, Mast was tapped by Buddy Baker
entering the tri-oval
and flipped over. He slid to a stop a few hundred feet beyond the start-finish line and soon climbed out of the car, much to the delight of the crowd. He was not injured, but half-jokingly said afterwards, "I'm okay but I need another pair of underwear". The next year, Mast won his first career Cup pole at the final race of the 1992 season, the 1992 Hooters 500
, which was Richard Petty
's final race, Jeff Gordon
's first race, and the day that Alan Kulwicki
won the championship by one race position over Bill Elliott
. Mast's race ended on the first lap in a crash. The team switched to Ford in 1993. Mast had a career year in 1994, with ten top-ten finishes and a career-high-tying eighteenth, finishing a career-best second at Rockingham Speedway, a race where he slide sideways while racing side-by-side with winner Dale Earnhardt
coming out of the final corner. In August of that season, he won the pole position
at the inaugural Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
(a race for which 90 cars were entered), finishing eighteenth in points. 1995 was disappointing in comparison, with only three top-tens. Skoal left at the end of the season, and Hooters
replaced them, as the team switched to Pontiac
. He had three top-tens late in the year, but when the season came to a close, he and Hooters left PPR.
Mast signed to drive the #75 Remington Arms
Ford
for Butch Mock Motorsports
in 1997. An omen of what was to come appeared early as Mast failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, and rumors started about Mock firing Mast after the race. Those rumors were later proved to be unfounded, but the season was a struggle, and Mast finished 32nd in points that year. 1998, started off better as Mast won the pole at the GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400
, but the struggles continued, and he left the team when the season came to a close.
After rumors spread that Mast would return to Travis Carter to drive a car sponsored by Kmart
, he joined the #98 Cale Yarborough
-owned team, despite the fact that the team did not have sponsorship. Midway through the season, the team got sponsorship from Universal Studios
, and Mast posted two top-tens and became the first driver since Yarborough to go the whole season without failing to finish a race. Unfortunately, Universal did not renew their contract, and with questions surrounding Yarborough's plans on continuing to own the team, Mast was out of work again.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
for Larry Hedrick Motorsports
. But after the Food City 500
, Mast departed for A.J. Foyt Racing, and had two top-ten finishes.
Mast began 2001 with Midwest Transit Racing
, but due to sponsorship issues, they only ran part-time, and Mast soon left to drive the #27 Sauer Pontiac Grand Prix
for Eel River Racing
, but late in the season, the team closed down, and Mast was out of work once again. He made a deal with Donlavey Racing
for the final races of the season.
poisoning and Mast was forced to retire. He officially retired on January 22, 2003 at age 45. At retirement, he spoke with NASCAR President Mike Helton
about having teams redesign their air intake systems to get less exhaust fumes into driver's helmets. When NASCAR completely redesigned its race vehicle with the Car of Tomorrow
, it changed the exhaust exit location to be away from the driver and it cited carbon monoxide poisoning
cases like Mast's as a reason for the change.
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...
driver. He competed in both the Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) and Busch Series
Busch 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...
(now Nationwide Series) before retiring in 2002. He holds a business administration degree from Blue Ridge Community College.
Early & Busch career
Mast grew up in racing as his father and uncle were both race team owners. He began racing at age 16 at Natural Bridge Speedway and Eastside Speedway, after he traded an Angus cattleAngus cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of cattle much used in beef production. They were developed from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, and are known as Aberdeen Angus in most parts of the world....
for his first car. After racing at the local track level for the decade, Mast began running the Busch Series in 1982, and had four top-ten finishes in 11 eleven starts in his #22. Mast's first full-time season came in 1985, where he had fifteen top-ten finishes and seventh in the season points. Two years later, he would win his first NASCAR race at the Grand National 200, then followed it up with another win the next week. He finished 11th in points that year. He improved to eighth positions in 1988 the same year he made his Winston Cup debut for Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
at the Busch 500, finishing 28th at that race. Mast won five Busch races while running full-time the next two years, before focusing his efforts on Cup.
Car #1 years
Mast ran 13 races for Mach 1 RacingMach 1 Racing
Mach 1 Racing is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series team. It was owned by Hollywood stuntman Hal Needham and actor Burt Reynolds. A team owned by Chris Edwards ran under this name from 2004 until 2006....
in 1989, finishing sixth at 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....
in an unsponsored car, which Mast called his proudest achievement in racing. He still believes he would have won had his team been willing to gamble on fuel mileage. Mast ran selected races in 1990 for D.K. Ulrich before finishing the year with Travis Carter Motorsports
Travis Carter Motorsports
Haas-Carter Motorsports is a former NASCAR and USAR Pro Cup team. It was mostly owned by former crew chief Travis Carter and Carl Haas. The team previously fielded entries in the Winston Cup Series before closing...
. In 1991, Mast signed to drive the #1 Skoal Classic
Skoal tobacco
Skoal Tobacco is a division of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company . USSTC distributes dipping tobacco and, more recently, snus, both of which are marketed as smokeless tobacco. Skoal was first produced by US Smokeless Tobacco in 1934.-Cuts and Flavors:Skoal is packaged in 1.2 oz plastic can and is...
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
for Richard Jackson's Precision Products Racing. He started out the season by leading 14 laps in the Daytona 500
1991 Daytona 500
The 1991 Daytona 500 by STP was held February 17 at Daytona International Speedway. Davey Allison won the pole. In the first Gatorade 125 on Thursday, Richard Petty edged Hut Stricklin for second place, placing The King 3rd on the grid.-Pre-race Notes:...
and finished fourth. He had three top-tens and finished 21st in points. That year, the Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
produced a couple of highlights for Mast. In the Winston 500
Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race has always been held in late April or early May. The Aaron's 499 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the AMP Energy 500,...
, he pushed a fuel-deficient Harry Gant
Harry Gant
Harry Phil Gant is a retired American racecar driver best known for driving the #33 Skoal Bandit car on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit during the 1980s and 1990s.-Nicknames:...
(driving for Leo Jackson, Richard's brother) during the final lap of the race, helping Gant win (Mast was one lap down in 10th). This action is prohibited after the white flag by NASCAR rules, regardless of who the individual drivers are, but he was not fined money or points. With less than 25 laps to go in the DieHard 500, Mast was tapped by Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
entering the tri-oval
Tri-oval
A tri-oval is a shape which derives its name from the two other shapes it most resembles, a triangle and an oval. Rather than meeting at sharp, definable angles as the sides of a triangle do, in a tri-oval these angles are instead rounded into smooth curves. While an oval has four turns, a...
and flipped over. He slid to a stop a few hundred feet beyond the start-finish line and soon climbed out of the car, much to the delight of the crowd. He was not injured, but half-jokingly said afterwards, "I'm okay but I need another pair of underwear". The next year, Mast won his first career Cup pole at the final race of the 1992 season, the 1992 Hooters 500
1992 Hooters 500
The 1992 Hooters 500 was the final race of the 1992 NASCAR season. The race is considered one of the greatest NASCAR races of all-time. It was held November 15, 1992 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and was televised live on ESPN...
, which was Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
's final race, Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
's first race, and the day that Alan Kulwicki
Alan Kulwicki
Alan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series...
won the championship by one race position over Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
. Mast's race ended on the first lap in a crash. The team switched to Ford in 1993. Mast had a career year in 1994, with ten top-ten finishes and a career-high-tying eighteenth, finishing a career-best second at Rockingham Speedway, a race where he slide sideways while racing side-by-side with winner Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
coming out of the final corner. In August of that season, he won the pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
at the inaugural Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
(a race for which 90 cars were entered), finishing eighteenth in points. 1995 was disappointing in comparison, with only three top-tens. Skoal left at the end of the season, and Hooters
Hooters
Hooters is the trade name of two privately held American restaurant chains: Hooters of America, Incorporated, based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hooters, Incorporated, based in Clearwater, Florida...
replaced them, as the team switched to 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...
. He had three top-tens late in the year, but when the season came to a close, he and Hooters left PPR.
Late 90s
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
for Butch Mock Motorsports
RahMoc Enterprises
RahMoc Enterprises is a former NASCAR Winston Cup team. The team was owned by long-time engine builder Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock, as well as Darwin Oordt in the team's later years. RahMoc Enterprises continues to operate as an engine supplier for several NASCAR teams.- Beginnings :RahMoc's debut...
in 1997. An omen of what was to come appeared early as Mast failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, and rumors started about Mock firing Mast after the race. Those rumors were later proved to be unfounded, but the season was a struggle, and Mast finished 32nd in points that year. 1998, started off better as Mast won the pole at the GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400
Subway 400
The Subway 400 was the second race of the NASCAR Nextel Cup season until 2004, held a week after the Daytona 500. This 400 mile annual race was sponsored by Subway and was held at North Carolina Speedway since 1966...
, but the struggles continued, and he left the team when the season came to a close.
After rumors spread that Mast would return to Travis Carter to drive a car sponsored by Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, he joined the #98 Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
-owned team, despite the fact that the team did not have sponsorship. Midway through the season, the team got sponsorship from Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, and Mast posted two top-tens and became the first driver since Yarborough to go the whole season without failing to finish a race. Unfortunately, Universal did not renew their contract, and with questions surrounding Yarborough's plans on continuing to own the team, Mast was out of work again.
Final years
During the early part of 2000, Mast climbed on board to drive the #41 Big Daddy's BBQ SauceBig Daddy's BBQ Sauce
Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce is a company that produces barbecue sauce. Based in Yukon, Oklahoma.-History:The sauce came from the result of two friends merging their famous recipes together...
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 Larry Hedrick Motorsports
Larry Hedrick Motorsports
Larry Hedrick Motorsports is a former NASCAR team. It was owned by businessman Larry Hedrick and always fielded the #41 Chevrolet in both the Winston Cup and the Busch Series. The team ran from 1990 until its closure in 2001.- Beginnings :...
. But after 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...
, Mast departed for A.J. Foyt Racing, and had two top-ten finishes.
Mast began 2001 with Midwest Transit Racing
Midwest Transit Racing
Midwest Transit Racing was a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series team owned and operated by Hal Hicks and Mike Witter. It was formed in 1998 as #03 with Dan Pardus driving and Midwest Transit as the sponsor. Before the car hit the track however, NASCAR changed the number to 07 for unspecified reasons...
, but due to sponsorship issues, they only ran part-time, and Mast soon left to drive the #27 Sauer Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac Grand Prix
Picking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
for Eel River Racing
Eel River Racing
Eel River Racing was a NASCAR Winston Cup team that operated from 1981 to 2001. The team's history of drivers include Geoff Bodine, Michael Waltrip, Johnny Benson, Kenny Wallace, Jeff Fuller, Rick Mast, and Mike Bliss, among others. The team mainly ran Pontiac Grand Prixs, although they did run...
, but late in the season, the team closed down, and Mast was out of work once again. He made a deal with Donlavey Racing
Donlavey Racing
Donlavey Racing is a stock car racing team that competed from 1950 until 2002 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was owned by Junie Donlavey and ran a total of 863 races in NASCAR...
for the final races of the season.
Retirement
In May 2002, Mast began feeling ill suddenly. He had lost weight and was forced to miss races to take medical tests to find out what was wrong. It turned out that he had suffered carbon monoxideCarbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning and Mast was forced to retire. He officially retired on January 22, 2003 at age 45. At retirement, he spoke with NASCAR President Mike Helton
Mike Helton
Michael Helton is the president of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing . He replaced Bill France, Jr. in November 2000 as the company's third president. He was named the Chief Operating Officer of NASCAR in February 1999....
about having teams redesign their air intake systems to get less exhaust fumes into driver's helmets. When NASCAR completely redesigned its race vehicle with the Car of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
, it changed the exhaust exit location to be away from the driver and it cited carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
cases like Mast's as a reason for the change.