Rex White, NASCAR Champion and Hall of Famer, Passes Away at Age 95

Photo: NASCAR Media

Rex White, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the 1960 champion of the NASCAR Cup Series, has passed away at the age of 95, NASCAR confirmed on Friday.

Along with the confirmation of the devastating news, came a statement from Jim France, Chairman and CEO of NASCAR, which reads: “We mourn the loss of NASCAR Champion and Hall of Famer, Rex White. Rex epitomized the formative days of NASCAR—a true pioneer whose contributions helped shape the foundation of our sport. His hard work, dedication and talent allowed him to make a living doing what he loved most – racing cars,” France said. “He was the model of consistency – finishing in the top five in nearly half of his races – and dominated the short tracks. On behalf of NASCAR and the France family, I want to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Rex White.”

White spent nearly a decade (from 1956 to 1964) competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, securing 28 race wins, 110 top-five finishes and 163 results inside the top-10, along with 36 pole positions. White’s championship in 1960 came by running 40 of the 44 events – winning six of them and only finishing outside the top-10 five times.

The Taylorsville, North Carolina-native was born in 1929, during the Great Depression and survived polio, which ended up withering one of his legs. However, the NASCAR champion never let that stop him from achieving his dream of driving race cars at a professional level.

In 1998, White was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers (as part of NASCAR’s 50th Anniversary celebration), and was again included on the list of 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. His accolades in the early days of the NASCAR Cup Series led to him being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015.