| Birth date | September 14, 1931 |
|---|---|
| Birth place | High Point, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Death date | October 17, 2011 (aged 80) |
| Death place | High Point, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Death cause | Stroke |
| Achievements | 1969 Grand American Champion 1964 & 1966 Bowman Gray Stadium Modified Champion |
| Awards | 1957 Grand National Series Rookie of the Year |
| Total cup races | 56 |
| Years in cup | 8 |
| Best cup pos | 39th (1957) |
| First cup race | 1957 Race #23 (Newport) |
| Last cup race | 1972 World 600 (Charlotte) |
| Cup wins | 0 |
| Cup top tens | 16 |
| Cup poles | 2 |
| Updated | April 22, 2013 |
Kenneth Rush (September 14, 1931 – October 17, 2011) was an American NASCAR Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1957 to 1972.[1]
Career
Rush would win the 1969 'Bama 400 Grand Touring race on Saturday, September 13, 1969 - arguably the first race held at Talladega Superspeedway sanctioned by any motorsports body - in his Chevrolet Camaro.[2] Another notable appearance for Rush was at the 1957 Rebel 300 where he finished in last place due to the infamous "lap 29" crash.[3]
In his eight-year career, Rush managed to race in 56 races for a distance of 9396 laps - the equivalent of 5,717.6 miles (9,201.6 km).[1] He started 14th on average and finished in 18th on average.[1] After his racing career was over, Rush managed to earn $11,760 in total prize winnings ($ when adjusted for inflation).[1] Had he been born 40 years later, he may have accomplished the big prize winnings that today's NASCAR superstars earn from their races.[4] A lot of the races during Rush's era paid $200 ($ when adjusted for inflation) or less just for winning the race.[4]
Rush died from a stroke in his hometown of High Point, North Carolina at age 80.[5]
References
- ^ Ken Rush racing information at Racing Reference
- ^ History Archived 2010-04-16 at the Wayback Machine at Talladega Superspeedway
- ^ 1957 Rebel 300 at Racing Reference
- ^ The Racing Career of Ken Rush Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine at StockCarRacing.Com
- ^ "Rush, '57 NASCAR rookie of the year, dies at 80 - Oct 23, 2011 - NASC…". Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2011-11-13.