Richard Bown (August 12, 1928 – May 12, 2024) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NASCAR Winston West Series between 1961 and 1975. He was an inductee to the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Racing career Bown's first racecar was a 1937 Ford Coupe, which he purchased for $5, and he drove it in his first race in Salem, Oregon. In 1961, Bown made his NASCAR Grand National Series debut at Marchbanks Speedway, finishing seventeenth in his self-owned Chevrolet. This also doubled as his NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model Division debut; his first standalone start in the series came in the following race at Kearney Bowl, where he finished tenth. Bown is known to have competed in two races in 1962, scoring another top ten at the California State Fairgrounds Race Track. His next Grand National start came in 1963 at Riverside International Raceway, where he finished nineteenth. His only known standalone Pacific Coast Late Model Division start of the year came at Manzanita Speedway, where he finished second. In 1964, Bown expanded his NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model Division schedule, competing in eighteen of twenty-nine races. Across those starts, he scored eleven top-tens, three wins, and three poles. Bown's wins came at Evergreen Speedway, Eugene Speedway, and Ascot Park. Bown ran eight of fourteen races in 1965, scoring five top-tens. This included the combination race with the Grand National Series at Riverside, where he finished twenty-seventh due to engine issues. In 1966, Bown only attempted four races, making three starts and failing to qualify for the race at the California State Fairgrounds Race Track. He did not compete in the series in 1967. In 1968, Bown made one start, coming at Tri-City Raceway, where he finished eighth. Bown made one Grand National Series start in 1969, finishing twelfth at Riverside. He is known to have competed in seventeen Pacific Coast Late Model Division races, scoring a win at Jantzen Beach Arena. He also won the Apple Cup at Yakima Speedway. Bown competed in all but one race in 1970, scoring six wins, eleven top-tens, and four poles. He finished sixth in the standings. He also competed in six Grand National Series races, scoring his only career top-ten at Smoky Mountain Raceway. Bown ran fourteen of twenty-six races in 1971 in the rebranded Winston West Series, but only scored four top-tens. He made four Winston Cup starts, including the World 600. Bown competed in all thirty West Series races in 1972, scoring three wins, eighteen top-fives, and twenty-three top-tens. He finished a career-best third in points. His only Winston Cup starts were combination races, with his best finish being thirteenth in both Riverside races. Bown's final full-time West Series season was 1973, where he scored a win, twelve top-fives, and sixteen top-tens in twenty-one races. He failed to finish the combination races at Riverside. Bown competed in one race in 1974, a combination race at Riverside, finishing thirtieth. His final start in both the Cup and West series was the 1975 Winston Western 500, where he finished thirtieth due to engine issues. He then retired from racing to focus on supporting the racing careers of his children.

Personal life Bown was born on August 12, 1928, in Gettysburg, South Dakota, to Walter Bown and Annetta Ulmer Bown. He grew up in the state, where he first developed his love for cars. He settled in Portland, Oregon in 1941, where he met his wife, Evelyn Ferguson Bown, with whom he had three children: Sheri, Chuck, and Jim. Chuck and Jim both became NASCAR drivers, with Chuck winning championships in the NASCAR Winston West Series and NASCAR Busch Series, and Jim winning seven races in the West Series. Bown was a self-made millionaire in the auto wrecking business. He opened his business, Rose Auto Wrecking, in 1953, and ran it for over 60 years. Bown became president of the Auto Wreckers Association and in the 1960s, he testified before Congress on their behalf.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series NASCAR Grand National Series resultsYearTeamNo.Make12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152535455PtsRef1961Bown Racing61NChevyCLTJSPDAYDAYDAYPIFAWSHMS17ATLGPSHBOBGSMARNWSCLBHCYRCHMARDARCLTCLTRSDASPCLTPIFBIRGPSBGSNORHASSTRDAYATLCLBMBSBRINSVBGSAWSRCHSBODARHCYRCHCSFATLMARNWSCLTBRIGPSHBO136th2161963Bown Racing61ChevyBIRGGSTHSRSD19DAYDAYDAYPIFAWSHBOATLHCYBRIAUGRCHGPSSBOBGSMARNWSCLBTHSDARODSRCHCLTBIRATLDAYMBSSVHDTSBGSASHOBSBRRBRIGPSNSVCLBAWSPIFBGSONADARHCYRCHMARDTSNWSTHSCLTSBOHBORSD77th8801965Bown Racing611PlymouthRSD27DAYDAYDAYPIFAWSRCHHBOATLGPSNWSMARCLBBRIDARLGYBGSHCYCLTCCFASHHARNSVBIRATLGPSMBSVALDAYODSOBSISPGLNBRINSVCCFAWSSMRPIFAUGCLBDTSBLVBGSDARHCYLINODSRCHMARNWSCLTHBOCARDTS98th3001969Mike Ober61ChevyMGRMGYRSD12DAYDAYDAYCARAUGBRIATLCLBHCYGPSRCHNWSMARAWSDARBLVLGYCLTMGRSMRMCHKPTGPSNCFDAYDOVTPNTRNBLVBRINSVSMRATLMCHSBOBGSAWSDARHCYRCHTALCLBMARNWSCLTSVHAUGCARJFCMGRTWSNANA1970RSD22DAYDAYDAYRCHCARSVHATLBRITALNWSCLBDARBLVLGYCLTSMRMARMCH51st28802PlymouthRSD25HCYKPTGPSDAYASTTPNTRNBRI24SMR6NSV21ATL19CLBONAMCHTALBGSSBODARHCYRCHDOVNCFNWSCLTMARMGRCARLGY

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series resultsYearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748PtsRef1971Mike Ober02PlymouthRSD16DAYDAYDAYCLT33DOVMCHRSD39HOUGPSDAYBRIASTISPTRNNSVATLBGSONAMCHTALCLBHCYDARMARCLTDOVCARMGRRCHNWSTWSNANA2ONT27RCHCARHCYBRIATLCLBGPSSMRNWSMARDARSBOTALASHKPT197202RSD13DAYRCH59th791.7502WONT18CARATLBRIDARNWSMARTALCLTDOVMCHRSD13TWSDAYBRITRNATLTALMCHNSVDARRCHDOVMARNWSCLTCARTWS197302DodgeRSD17DAYRCHCARBRIATLNWSDARMARTALNSVCLTDOVTWSRSD32MCHDAYBRIATLTALNSVDARRCHDOVNWSMARCLTCAR75thNA197402WRSDDAYRCHCARBRIATLDARNWSMARTALNSVDOVCLTRSD30MCHDAYBRINSVATLPOCTALMCHDARRCHDOVNWSMARCLTCARONT90th2.811975Marquardt Racing26WChevyRSD30DAYRCHCARBRIATLNWSDARMARTALNSVDOVCLTRSDMCHDAYNSVPOCTALMCHDARDOVNWSMARCLTRCHCARBRIATLONT103rd73

Winston West Series NASCAR Winston West Series resultsYearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930PtsRef1961Bown Racing61NChevyASPHMS17NANAUnknownNAKEA10ASPRSDASPASPANSATSBONASPCSFANSASP1962ASPHMS18ASPGARSGSGARBKSASPCSF10ASP20th4001963Bown Racing61ChevyRSD19ASPRSDSALSGSTUCMNP20th464UnknownNASMF2MNPRSD1964Bown Racing61PlymouthCSPRSDSJS17POREUG1CTR4RAS14ASPJBA0†ASPASPCSF3ASP14th312261NEVG1YAK5POR14SAL6POR11JBA3EVGSGS2BKSASPOIRASPGHR9SWF2POR15NAUnknownTAC2196561NPlymouthBRS9SJS8ASPPOR2EVG3BRSPOR15ASPPOR2ASPASPCSF14ASP12th1288611RSD271966Mike Ober61RSDS99ASPASPDCS12POR17ASPOSSVALS99ASPAMPPOR18SGVCSFDNQNANA1968Mike Ober61ChevyRSDASPKEAVALASPAMPDCSPOREVGEUGMEDOSSTCR8YAKEVGEURBKSS99CSPSGSNANA1969RSD12CSF13SGV19SON20EVGTCR8YAK2DCS11SAL5JBA1OSS6SGS12SON7YAK3EVG0†CPR2POR4SMS7th80461nSGV25TWS197061RSD226th922PlymouthASP1202SGB17CSF5RSD25YAK18EVG1*JBA5CRSOSS3SGS1*MED6SAL1*SPS1*TCR12WSP1*S991*ASP21SGB21971RSD16OSS10SJS17CRS12S9920ASPRSD39SAL2SPS18SKA3USP6POR19LSPMEDDCSCRSOSSSGSBKSCSPEVG17IFS19YAKSGBTWS13th6312ONT27197202RSD13SJS2S991*SMN2*TCR2YAK10EVG3MED5POR2IFS9MER4SPS3LSP10WSP1*SKA5RAS2CRS2OSS3SGS2EVG17USP18YAK16*POR7ASP1*WCR3SMN63rd26652WONT1802WRSD13Bown Racing27CSP3BKS211973Mike Ober02DodgeAMP2MAD11S993AUR11KFS2CBS6USP2POR9SPS2WER3SGS2CAJ1OSS3CSP9BKS2LAG24EVG14POR154th1604.25PlymouthWSP3YAK4AMPDNQErnie Conn7DodgeAMP8*1974Mike Ober2WRSDAMPS99MSPCORSBPASPRSD30WERWSPSPSSTAUSPPORMEDEUGCBSCAJCRSASPAMPCSPEVGYAKPORSGBASPONTNANA1975Marquardt Racing26ChevyRSD30LAGMSPASPRSDASPUSPPOREVGSMSCRSCSPASPEVGYAKPORMSPONTNA33 † - It is known Bown participated in these races, but his final position is unknown.

References

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