The Man who fooled NASCAR, L.W. Wright, claimed to be a seasoned racer ready to compete in the 1982 Winston 500. But behind the scenes, his story was filled with lies, fake sponsors, and stolen money. With a wild tale and a fake racing career, Wright managed to fool everyone—until his quick rise and fall at Talladega Superspeedway revealed the truth. How did he pull off the ultimate con?
The Story of L.W. Wright and the 1982 Winston 500
In April of 1982, a man named William Dunaway from Hendersonville, Tennessee, reached out to The Tennessean, a local newspaper, to announce a new driver. He introduced L.W. Wright, a young man who claimed to be a seasoned NASCAR driver with 43 races under his belt. Wright said he would be racing in the prestigious Winston 500 at Alabama International Motor Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. This race was a major event in NASCAR, part of the top-level competition in the sport.
Wright said his racing team, Music City Racing, was backed by country music stars like Merle Haggard and T.G. Sheppard. He also mentioned that his race car was sponsored by these famous musicians. However, nobody had ever heard of him or his racing team. With just a week left before the race, Wright paid NASCAR $115 for a competition license and $100 for the race entry fee. NASCAR officials were suspicious, but they couldn’t stop him. NASCAR’s field manager, Doyle Ford, explained that if a driver could afford the fees and their car met the race rules, they had the right to compete.
How L.W. Wright Scammed His Way Into the 1982 Winston 500
To make his story more convincing, Wright needed a race car. He turned to B.W. “Bernie” Terrell, who ran a marketing firm in Nashville. Wright managed to convince Terrell to sponsor his team. He got $30,000 to buy a race car and another $7,500 for other expenses. With the money, Wright went to NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin and bought a 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for $20,700. He paid Marlin $17,000 in cash and gave him a check for the remaining $3,700.
Sterling Marlin was suspicious of Wright’s actions. He didn’t know who this man was or how he had so much money, so he decided to follow Wright to Talladega and act as his crew chief. As Wright continued his race preparations, he wrote several checks for other expenses. He gave Goodyear $1,500 for tires, paid $1,200 to a driver for spare parts, and wrote a $168 check for racing jackets. But, as we would soon learn, Wright’s checks were all fake.
Lies, Crash, and Suspicion at Talladega
As Wright arrived in Talladega for the race, things started to fall apart. First, the country music stars he claimed were sponsoring him, Merle Haggard and T.G. Sheppard denied ever meeting him. They said they were not involved with his racing team. Wright tried to explain this away by saying his sponsorship deals were not final yet. But more questions arose when other drivers in NASCAR said they had never seen him race before. Wright admitted that he had not competed in the top NASCAR series but said he had raced in the lesser Sportsman class at major tracks.
Even more suspicious was the way Wright acted. Marlin, who was supposed to be his crew chief, later said that Wright kept asking basic questions any driver should know the answer to. Wright didn’t seem to understand much about the racing process, and his lack of knowledge was obvious during the qualifying trials. Wright spun out during his second lap and crashed into a wall. The car was repaired, and he managed to qualify for the race, starting in 36th place. But it was clear that Wright was not the experienced driver he claimed to be.
A Short and Scandalous NASCAR Debut
The 1982 Winston 500 race aired live on ESPN, and Wright’s car made a few brief appearances on the broadcast. However, the cameras didn’t focus on him for long, and his name was barely mentioned. The race started, and after just four laps, a crash caused a yellow flag to come out for six more laps. Once the race resumed, Wright lasted only three more laps before being disqualified. The reason for his disqualification isn’t clear—some say it was because his car broke down, while others claim it was because he was driving too slowly.
After just 13 laps, Wright’s race was over. However, since he didn’t come in last place, he was still entitled to a cash prize of $1,545. Wright collected the money, but instead of staying with his crew and car, he abandoned them. He took off in the tractor-trailer that he had gotten from Terrell, leaving behind a trail of unpaid debts and stolen funds.
The Great Escape
Wright’s criminal activities didn’t end with the race. He had written several bad checks, including one for $3,400 to Marlin for the race car. Marlin was not surprised when the check bounced. “I kind of expected it,” he later said. Wright also owed money to NASCAR, having written bad checks totaling $1,500 for licenses and crew passes. Terrell, the man who had given Wright the startup funds for his racing team, lost nearly $40,000. Other businesses, including Goodyear and Southern Textile, also got stuck with bounced checks from Wright. In total, Wright defrauded over $60,000. NASCAR issued warrants for Wright’s arrest, and Terrell hired a private investigator to try and find him. But by 1983, Wright had disappeared from the public eye.
40 Years Later
For nearly 40 years, L.W. Wright’s identity and whereabouts remained a mystery. He became known as one of NASCAR’s most enigmatic figures, often likened to D.B. Cooper due to his sudden disappearance after the race. In 2022, however, Wright resurfaced during an interview on The Scene Vault Podcast, where he confirmed his identity as Larry Wright and shared details about his experience at Talladega. He claimed that he had been overwhelmed by the scale of the track and had not intended to defraud anyone; rather, he suggested that financial backers had backed out at the last minute.
L.W. Wright’s Legacy Ends Behind Bars
L.W. Wright’s death was reported shortly after it occurred at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville, Tennessee. He had been imprisoned since February 2023 on multiple charges including theft over $2,500 and writing worthless checks. His passing marked the end of a life filled with controversy and intrigue within NASCAR history.
Despite his claims during the podcast interview, Wright faced numerous legal issues following his return to public attention. He had ongoing troubles related to theft and writing bad checks, which eventually led to his arrest in February 2023. Tragically, L.W. Wright passed away on January 26, 2024, at age 76 while serving time in prison.
New in Brief: The Man Who Fooled NASCAR
L.W. Wright’s audacious 1982 NASCAR stunt remains a cautionary tale in motorsport history. Claiming to be a seasoned driver, he fooled sponsors, NASCAR officials, and even other drivers, convincing them he was set to compete in the Winston 500. However, his fabricated story unraveled when his car crashed, and he was disqualified after only 13 laps. Wright’s scam, which defrauded over $60,000, ended with his disappearance. After resurfacing decades later, he faced legal troubles before passing away in January 2024 while serving time for theft and writing bad checks.
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