Paul Lewis, the only Tri-Cities driver recognized as an official winner of a NASCAR Cup Series race, died Sunday. He was 92.
The Johnson City racer won the 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 at Maryville and scored a runner-up finish at Bristol later that season. He also won the pole position for a Late Model Sportsman race at Bristol in 1972.
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Another big part of the Lewis legacy was starting Racers Reunion with local artist Jerry Honeycutt who hand-lettered many of the race cars back in the day. It was their goal to make sure the pioneers of the sport were remembered.
While it mainly focused on the local drivers in the Tri-Cities area, NASCAR Hall of Famers Rex White, the 1960 Cup Series champion, and Jack Ingram, a five-time national champion in the Late Model Sportsman and Xfinity Series, also participated.
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After a transition to the oval tracks, his first Cup Series start was in 1960 when he was 27. His best season was 1966 when he had nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 21 starts.
Driving the No. 1 Plymouth, he took the lead from David Pearson at Maryville on lap 137 and led the final 64 laps to win by a two-second margin. He also was second to Dick Hutcherson in the Southeastern 500 and fourth in the Volunteer 500 at Bristol that season.
Lewis even drove a race at Rockingham as a teammate to Richard Petty. He had 14 top-five finishes in his career and nine times was in the top three. He earned one Cup Series pole position at Harris, N.C., in 1965 before retiring with ignition problems.
— Times News —