An Absolute NASCAR Legend L.W. Wright Has Sadly Passed Away At 76

An outright NASCAR legend has sadly died…

L.W. Wright, known for tricking his way into racing the 1982 Winston 500, has passed away at the age of 76. He died Jan. 26.

The news of his death was shared in a Jan. 28 article from The Scene Vault Podcast. He passed away in Nashville, Tennessee at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility around midnight. Wright has been in prison since he was arrested on multiple charges — theft over $2,500, burglary, worthless checks and evading arrest — in Feb. 2023. (RELATED: Former Panama Striker Luis ‘Matador’ Tejada Collapses, Dies At 41)

If you don’t know who Wright is, he entered into 1982’s race at Talladega, and despite ‘Dega being one of the big races and the lights being bright, nobody knew who this guy was — even though he claimed to have raced in more than 40 NASCAR races.

Long story short, he managed to trick several people, including the legendary Sterling Marlin, to get both money and a car, and found himself in the Winston Cup.

At Talladega in 1982, some random guy told everyone he was a veteran driver, scammed a car from Sterling Marlin, and raced as “LW Wright” despite never driving a race car before.

Now you can watch his race, in high quality on NASCAR’s YouTube channel. 😁https://t.co/iA4I1CA2Ya pic.twitter.com/3sKJqNuDHT

— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) April 22, 2020

Here’s the video of Wright’s race to save you a click:

In 2022, 40 years later, Wright eventually gave his side of the story:

Wright, now 73, spoke to Rick Houston at a secret location for @TheSceneVault podcast. Here’s a clip provided to ESPN by Houston. pic.twitter.com/C2zH89k2us

— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) May 2, 2022

Say what you want about the guy, but he’s a massive legend for pulling off this all-time gem. Rest in peace, king.