NASCAR has seen its share of drivers competing under aliases, but few cases compare to the bizarre story of L.W. Wright, a man who managed to enter the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega despite having no verifiable racing history, and who vanished immediately after the race.
The saga began when a Hendersonville, Tennessee resident contacted The Tennessean to promote a new driver named L.W. Wright. The announcement described Wright as a 33‑year‑old veteran of 45 Grand National races, backed by a team called Music City Racing and sponsored by country music stars Merle Haggard and T.G. Sheppard.
From the start, the claims raised questions. No one in the racing community recognized Wright’s name, and the alleged celebrity sponsorships seemed unlikely. Still, under right‑to‑work rules, NASCAR was required to accept any entrant who paid the $115 competition license fee and $100 entry fee. Wright paid both, along with more than $1,000 for pit passes.
The only thing he lacked was a race car.
A Costly Con
Wright soon approached B.W. “Bernie” Terrell of Space Age Marketing, seeking financial backing. Terrell later said he provided Wright with $30,000 in cash to purchase a car, plus an additional $7,500 for expenses. Wright also departed with an expensive tractor‑trailer rig.
“It was strictly a con operation,” Terrell said at the time, adding that he had hired a private investigator to track Wright down.
With funds in hand, Wright then contacted driver Sterling Marlin and purchased a 1981 Monte Carlo for $20,700…$17,000 in cash and the remainder by check. Suspicious of the large cash payment, Marlin agreed to serve as Wright’s crew chief.
Wright continued spending freely, writing checks for more than $1,500 to Goodyear for tires, $1,200 to another driver for parts, and $168 for official jackets.
Sponsorship Claims Collapse
Wright’s story began to unravel after he repeated his claims of support from Haggard and Sheppard in a newspaper interview. This time, Sheppard saw the report and publicly denied any involvement.
“In fact, T.G. said he had never heard of the guy,” said Gary Baker, Raceway co‑owner and Sheppard’s tax attorney. “Something mighty fishy’s going on somewhere.”
Wright dismissed the issue as premature sponsorship talk and insisted he had simply exaggerated his racing résumé. By then, however, his license had been approved and NASCAR was obligated to let him compete.
A Brief Appearance on the Track
The 1982 Winston 500 marked the first time a driver qualified above 200 mph. Wright qualified at 187.379 mph, crashing into the wall on his second lap of qualifying but managing to start the race in 36th position.
His run was short-lived. Wright completed 13 laps before his engine failed, earning $1,545 in prize money and finishing 39th.
A Disappearance and a Trail of Bounced Checks
After the race, Wright abandoned his car at Talladega and disappeared. Within days, checks he had written to suppliers, landlords, and sponsors began to bounce. Among them were a $700 phone bill, a $4,500 rent check, and thousands owed to individuals and companies who had supported his supposed racing effort. One business owner reported losing $10,000.
Marlin later said he was not surprised when Wright’s check failed to clear, noting that Wright had asked basic questions at the track that any experienced driver would know.
NASCAR issued a warrant for Wright, but no arrest was ever made. The man who claimed to be a veteran racer simply vanished, leaving behind an abandoned car, unpaid bills, and one of the sport’s most enduring mysteries.
More than four decades later, the true identity and motives of L.W. Wright remain unknown.
