Credit: X @speedwaybenefits

Aug 22. H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler — known affectionately as the P.T. Barnum of racing — died Wednesday at age 86.

Wheeler was a familiar name to longtime North Carolina residents and motorsports fans alike. As president of Charlotte Motor Speedway for more than three decades, he joined track owner Bruton Smith in turning the facility into a hub of racing spectacle that helped fuel NASCAR’s surge in popularity in the 1970s and ’80s.

His flair for promotion became legend. At the World 600 (now Coca-Cola 600), Wheeler dreamed up pre-race stunts that featured everything from school bus jumps to Robosaurus, the fire-breathing robot that devoured cars. A strong supporter of the military and veterans, he once staged a full-scale pre-race reenactment of the U.S. invasion of Grenada.

Beyond the track, Wheeler’s legacy reached Hollywood. Pixar tapped him to voice Tex Dinoco in the movie Cars — fittingly portrayed as a 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, the ultimate symbol of the American dream on wheels in the 1970s.

Visit NASCAR.com to read more about Wheeler’s life and the legacy he leaves behind.