NASCAR’s Unsolved Mysteries: The stories that still puzzle fans

Over the years, NASCAR fans have tried to make sense of several unsettling moments and events in the sport’s history. These quickly started debates and conspiracies, which are still going on today. Here are four of NASCAR’s Unsolved Mysteries.

The Disappearance of L.W. Wright

L.W. Wright is one of the most intriguing characters in NASCAR history, whose life and death remain surrounded in mystery. In 1982, a man pretending to be L.W. Wright managed to get into the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, which starred greats like Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. Wright was able to persuade a Nashville promoter to fund him after he lied and pretended to have had experience in NASCAR’s Grand National series. He even bought a car off of Sterling Marlin who was to be his crew chief for the next year.

But it was not long before Wright’s inexperience showed. He crashed during the Qualifying session but still joined the race. However, officials black-flagged him at lap 13 for being slow and a risk to the other drivers. After that, he vanished, leaving behind a trail of unpaid dues and confusion among the NASCAR community. Yet, no one ever found Wright again, and thus it became one of NASCAR’s unsolved mysteries. Whatever happened to Wright became a subject of mystery for many years and only adds to the myth of his brief time in NASCAR.

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The Haunted Tale of Lake Lloyd

Lake Lloyd, which is located inside Daytona International Speedway, is not just a beautiful lake but much more than that. People have linked it to a local legend related to NASCAR. This artificial pond appeared during the construction of the raceway in 195,8 and its total area is 29 acres. There have since been many stories of a strange phenomenon about the lake; from unexplained splashes to ghostly apparitions. Some people have claimed that the lake is haunted by the vengeful spirit of Lloyd, after whom the lake was named.

Other incidents have only added to the folklore of the lake being haunted. For example, in 1960, Tommy Irwin, a NASCAR driver, had become the first person to crash into the lake during a race. Floods submerged his car, and it took two days to recover it.
Other drivers like Bay Darnell in 1964 and Dave Stacy in 1994 have also crashed into the lake during races, which also contributed to the mystery of the lake.

Darrell Waltrip’s 17 Coincidence at the 1989 Daytona 500

This is not a mystery per se, but rather an interesting story of multiple coincidences, as Darrell Waltrip’s win at the 1989 Daytona 500. Waltrip, who left Johnson’s team to join Hendrick Motorsports in 1987, had a series of coincidences in this race.

Waltrip was driving car No. 17 and his win came with a $1.7 million purse. His pit number was 17, his garage stall was 17 and it was his 17th Daytona 500. Furthermore, his name contains seventeen letters, he lived in the house on Lot 17, and his golf handicap was 17. Also, it was 1989 and when you add 8 and 9 the sum is 17. Waltrip himself recalled, “Jeff [Hammond] said, ‘What do you think that means?’ And I said, ‘It means we’re either going to finish first or 17th. I’m just not sure which one.’” Waltrip ended up winning the race. This series of coincidences makes his victory a memorable and intriguing moment in NASCAR history.

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The disappearance of a lug nut from J.D. McDuffie’s car

J.D McDuffie died during the 1991 Watkins Glen International, and some believe a missing lug nut from his car is behind his accident. The accident happened when the right front wheel fell off, which led him to crash into a tire barrier. After the accident, the wheel nut—meant to secure the wheel—went missing. That made it difficult to investigate and determine exactly what went wrong mechanically. This has created a mystery around McDuffie’s fatal accident.

The disappearance of the lug nut has since created controversy and conspiracy theories. Some have argued that the nut could have been deliberately altered to sabotage the car. Others believe that it was perhaps stolen to hide a mistake that would lead to legal repercussions. This theory came into more common use when Ima Jean McDuffie, the widow of McDuffie, sued Watkins Glen International and lost, for the accident which occurred when her husband hit a barrier that she deemed unsafe. The missing lug nut remains unsolved, which only compounded the tragedy of McDuffie’s death.