DARLINGTON, S.C. — NASCAR Hall of Famer, former team owner and crew chief Ray Evernham will serve as the Grand Marshal on Sunday for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, the track announced Tuesday afternoon.
The NASCAR legend will deliver the starting command for Sunday’s race, which culminates The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR at the Track Too Tough to Tame.
“There are few NASCAR crew chiefs as decorated and committed to improving the sport of stock car racing as Ray Evernham,” said Josh Harris, president of Darlington Raceway. “It’s a pleasure to highlight Evernham’s impact by naming him as Grand Marshal during NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend.”
Less than a decade into his illustrious career, Everham’s name was cemented in the history books. As crew chief, Evernham led Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team to three Cup Series Championship titles, four Southern 500 victories at Darlington Raceway, two Daytona 500 triumphs and a series-leading 49 wins in the 1990s. His innovation on pit road earned his No. 24 pit crew the nickname “Rainbow Warriors.”
Evernham recognized the special abilities of his pit crew and capitalized on their strengths, incorporating regular physical conditioning, speed and coordination drills and film review sessions into their training.
In 2001, Evernham became a team owner, spearheading the return of Dodge to NASCAR with Evernham Motorsports. His Cup Series drivers won 13 times under his leadership, including Bill Elliott’s victory in the 2002 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At Darlington, Evernham’s teams garnered four top-five finishes and three poles.
Evernham, a New Jersey native, found success as a modified driver in the northeast during the 1970s and 1980s. Evernham raced against the stars of the Northeast modified circuit, including Jerry Cook and Richie Evans, both NASCAR Hall of Famers. He competed regularly at Wall Stadium Speedway, a quarter-mile high-banked paved oval track in Wall Township, N.J.