Danny Letner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Danny Letner
File:Danny Letner 1954.jpg
Letner, circa 1954
Born(1928-01-03)January 3, 1928
Downey, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 30, 2018(2018-03-30) (aged 90)
Orange, California, U.S.
AwardsWest Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2002 - Inaugural Class)
NASCAR Cup Series career
27 races run over 8 years
Best finish33rd (1954 NASCAR Grand National Series)
First race1951 Race 4 (Carrell Speedway)
Last race1963 Riverside 500 (Riverside International Raceway)
First win1954 Race 27 (Oakland Stadium)
Last win1955 Race 14 (Tucson Rodeo Grounds)
Wins Top tens Poles
2 10 1

Danny Lewis Letner[1] (January 3, 1928 – March 30, 2018) was an American racecar driver who won two races in what is now the NASCAR Cup Series.[2]

Career

[edit | edit source]

In 1951, Letner ran five NASCAR Grand National Division races in cars owned by his father, Bert. He earned two top-fives that year with a best finish of eighth. Letner then competed in a handful of races each year from 1954 to 1957, adding seven more top tens, including wins at Oakland and Tucson.[3][2]

In 1954, Letner won two races and finished in second place in the NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model standings. The next year, he won three races en route to a championship in his only full-time season. He won three of the twelve races he entered in 1957, his final season in the series.[2]

In 1956, Letner ran 23 races in the inaugural season of the short-lived NASCAR Convertible Division, winning at Langhorne Speedway.[4]

Letner retired from stock car racing in the early 1960s, but later took up off-road racing. He won the SCORE Parker 400 in 1989 at the age of 61,[5] and would go on to finish tied for second in the championship standings that year.[6]

In 2002, Letner was inducted into the first class of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

Personal life

[edit | edit source]

Letner was born in Downey, California. His son Marty and grandsons Kory and Harley have also competed in off-road racing.[7][8]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
[edit | edit source]
  • Danny Letner driver statistics at Racing-ReferenceLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).