Gary Myers, one of the most celebrated names in Southern stock car racing history, has died at the age of 76. The motorsport icon was widely regarded as a foundational figure in North Carolina racing culture, spending more than six decades competing and mentoring at the legendary Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem.
Myers rose to prominence in the modified division, where his aggressive driving style and mechanical expertise earned him respect across the Northeast corridor and beyond. For fans of late-model stock car racing, his name became synonymous with the gritty, working-class roots of the sport in the American Southeast.
But perhaps his most enduring legacy is familial. Myers is the patriarch of what has been called one of the most remarkable multi-generational racing families in the country. Two of his sons followed directly in his tire tracks, competing at professional levels in stock car circuits, and a grandson has also joined the ranks, making it four generations of Myers blood behind the wheel.
His children publicly expressed their grief following the announcement, describing their father as a hero and the guiding force that shaped not only their careers but those of their own children. Friends and colleagues in the racing community have praised Myers for his generosity as a mentor, noting that he freely shared knowledge with aspiring drivers long after his own competitive prime had passed.
Bowman Gray Stadium, often called the "Whelen Tour factory," remains the venue most closely associated with Myers' career. The half-mile dirt and asphalt track has hosted countless notable drivers who cut their teeth there before moving to national series. Myers was a regular presence on those grounds for well over sixty years, both as a competitor and later as a respected elder statesman of the sport.
Details regarding funeral arrangements and any planned memorial services have not yet been publicly released.
