David Pearson, who was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina on December 22, 1934, passed away earlier today (Monday, November 12). He was 83.
Known as the Silver Fox, Pearson had 574 starts and 105 wins. His 105 wins puts him second on the all-time win list behind Richard Petty, and he won three Championships despite never running a full season. Pearson was the winner of the 1976 Daytona 500 in a finish that's still talked about to this day, as he and Richard Petty collided coming to the checkered flag. He also had 10 wins at Darlington, and captured 11 consecutive poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Pearson was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011.
As you can imagine, tributes are pouring in on Twitter from the NASCAR community. He will certainly be missed.