Driver, owner

Everett “Cotton” Owens was a standout as a driver and an owner, winning championships as both. In his early years, the man from Union, SC was known as “King of the Modifieds.” The Navy vet netted more than 200 feature wins, including the prestigious Gulf Coast championship race. In 1949 he won 19 of 23 races he entered. His three National Modified Championship titles came in 1950, 1953 and ’54. In 1959 he was runner-up to Lee Petty for the NASCAR Cup Series championship despite running a partial schedule. Owens won nine Cup events over his 160-race driving career. As a car owner, his team won 38 of 405 races — just under 10% — before Owens retired in 1973, including the 1966 Cup championship with David Pearson. Owens also played a key role in convincing Chrysler to produce the new Hemi in the ‘60s that was so successful it was briefly outlawed. Owens was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013.