Butch Hartman (racing driver)
Larry "Butch" Hartman (May 11, 1940 – December 21, 1994) was an American stock car racing national champion in the United States Automobile Club (USAC) from Zanesville, Ohio. After winning the USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year award in 1966, the series' Most Improved Driver in 1967, and its Most Outstanding Driver the following year. He won five USAC Stock car national titles in the 1970s. Hartman had the fourth highest number of USAC Stock car wins in the series' history. Hartman raced in twenty NASCAR stock car races; his highest finish was a fifth-place run at National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (now Lowe's Motor Speedway). Hartman worked full-time at his father's company, building his own engines and towing his cars to the track each weekend. In 1968, he became the first rookie to lead the Daytona 500.
| Butch Hartman | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | American | ||||||
| Born | May 11, 1940 Zanesville, Ohio | ||||||
| Died | December 21, 1994 (aged 54) | ||||||
| Retired | early 1980s | ||||||
| USAC Stock Car | |||||||
| Years active | 1966 – early 1980s | ||||||
| Teams | Independent family team | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976 | USAC Stock Car champion | ||||||
| Awards | |||||||
| 1966 2004 | USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame | ||||||
| Cause of death | Heart attack | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 20 races run over 6 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 31st (1977) | ||||||
| First race | 1966 National 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 1979 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 (Darlington) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of April 20, 2013. | |||||||
He was an independent driver in an era of factory teams. He raced a No. 75 Dodge car with yellow and black colors, sponsored by his father's company "Hartman White and Autocar Truck Sales and Service".