Butch Lindley
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| Born: | March 25, 1948 | |
| Birthplace: | Greenville, South Carolina | |
| Died: | June 6, 1990 (aged 42) | |
| Cause of Death: | Effects of auto racing accident | |
| Achievements: | — | |
| Awards: | 1977 and 1978 NASCAR National Sportsman champion
1984 All Pro Series champion |
|
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics | ||
| 11 races run over 5 years. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 42nd - 1982 (Winston Cup) | |
| First Race: | 1979 Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville) | |
| Last Race: | 1985 Miller High Life 400 (Richmond) | |
| First Win: | – | |
| Last Win: | – | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 0 | 1 | 0 |
| NASCAR Nationwide Series Statistics | ||
| 41 races run over 3 years. | ||
| First Race: | 1982 Southeastern 150 (Bristol) | |
| Last Race: | 1984 Cardinal 250 (Martinsville) | |
| First Win: | 1982 Spring 220 (Richmond) | |
| Last Win: | 1983 DAPCO 200(Greenville-Pickens Speedway) | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 6 | 22 | 5 |
Butch Lindley (March 25, 1948 - June 6, 1990) was a short track racer, who has raced in various NASCAR series.
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[edit] Winston Cup career
Lindley made his debut in the Winston Cup (now NEXTEL Cup) in a special appearance in 1979. He Started 14th in a Kenny Childers Chevy at Martinsville, Lindley fell out early due to overheating. He ended up 28th.
In 1981, Lindley made three starts in his own car, the #26 Chevy. Lindley, however, struggled in all of them, and did not finish any races. His best run was a 24th at North Wilkesboro, but he did qualify 4th in Martinsville.
In 1982, Lindley made four more starts, and continued to struggle, only finishing one of them. Driving the #01 Emanuel Zervakis Buick, Lindley started 14th at Martinsville. Lindley dominated the middle portion of the race, leading the most laps of his career (163). However, he had to settle for second, losing to Harry Gant by one lap. In his return to Martinsville later in the year, Lindley was once again a factor, leading two laps before engine failure.
Lindley made two starts in 1983. His better run was the spring race for Richmond. Driving for Zervakis, Lindley led seven circuits and came away with an 11th place finish. He also ran at Martinsville for Bill Terry, recording a 25th place finish.
Lindley's last career start came in 1985 for Bobby Hawkins, in a car with Larry McReynolds as crew chief. He drove the #16 Carolina Tool Chevy at Richmond, and had a decent run of it. He started 17th and was running high in the event before a lug bolt fell off and he finished 19th.
[edit] Busch Series Career
Lindley had greater success in very limited Busch Series starts. He ran half of the 1982 schedule for Zervakis. In fourteen starts, Lindley won four of them. The first came at Richmond, then was followed by a pair of wins at South Boston Speedway and the season finale at Martinsville. In addition, Lindley finished in the top-5 nine times and had an additional top-10. Lindley, in fact, finished in the top-10 in all but one of the races he finished. He also won two poles. Despite only competing in half of the events, he finished ninth place in points.
Lindley ran 25 of the 35 races in 1983, and once again had a solid enough season to stay high in the points, finishing 13th in the final rundown. He won races at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, South Boston Speedway, and Caraway Speedway despite switching between Zervakis' team and Dana Racing. In addition, Lindley ended up with 3 poles and a total of eleven top-10s.
Lindley made two starts in 1984, both for Ed Whitaker. In his first outing for the team, he started 7th and finished 3rd at Richmond. Later in the year, he once again started 7th at Martinsville and was running well before engine failure doomed him to 29th.
[edit] Lindley's Death
Lindley was racing on the short tracks of the Southeast, including the All Pro Series. Lindley was racing on April 13, 1985 at the DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida. Lindley was leading in a feature race at the small speedway which had passed the scheduled distance for the race. However, many short tracks have long featured rules similar to NASCAR's current green-white-checker finish regulations, with the exception that the final five consecutive laps (in this situation) had to be under green conditions.
Lindley was racing a #16 Chevrolet Camaro when a part broke on the car as it entered Turn One, sending the car into a spin, with the car hitting the wall flush on the driver’s side. Lindley's helmet made contact with the wall.
Lindley suffered a closed head injury and was in a coma before his death on April 6, 1990.
His son Mardy Lindley races actively in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup series.
[edit] Accomplishments
Along with his six NASCAR Busch Series wins and five poles, Lindley won National Sportsman championships in 1977 and 1978 and the All Pro title in 1984.
In 2005, Lindley was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame. The NMPA ceremony was held in January 2006 in Charlotte.
