Edwin Keith "Banjo" Matthews was an American NASCAR driver, car owner, and builder.
12 Facts About Banjo Matthews
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Banjo Matthews was the car builder for the 1976 to 1978 NASCAR Cup Series champions.
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Banjo Matthews made 51 starts in the NASCAR Grand National Series, with a best finish of second at Atlanta.
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Banjo Matthews won three poles, one each at the Daytona Beach and Road Course, Daytona International Speedway, and Atlanta International Raceway.
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Banjo Matthews stopped driving in 1963 to focus on building cars.
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Banjo Matthews's drivers won 9 races and had 14 pole positions in 160 races.
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Banjo Matthews served as co-crew chief for Jack Ingram in 1975, with Junior Johnson.
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Banjo Matthews first worked for Holman Moody's Ford Motor Company factory team before starting his shop called Banjo's Performance Center in Arden, North Carolina in 1970.
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Banjo Matthews had failing health for his last two years, and he died in a nursing home in Hendersonville, North Carolina on October 2,1996.
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NASCAR owner Bud Moore said, "When Banjo Matthews first came around, he wore a pair of glasses that were so thick, it made everyone, on first impression, think of a "banjo.
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Banjo Matthews was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998.
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Banjo Matthews received the Buddy Shuman Award for his contributions to the sport, the Smokey Yunick Award for his mechanical ability, and was inducted in the inducted National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1996.