33 Facts About Butch Lindley

Butch Lindley was the champion of the NASCAR Sportsman Division in 1977 and 1978.

Butch Lindley began racing as a boy and pursued it as a full-time career from his late teens.

Butch Lindley established himself as one of the country's premier short track drivers, winning track championships at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, and finishing first in races at short tracks throughout the United States.

Butch Lindley was one of the few Southern drivers who successfully won the Northern late model scene.

Butch Lindley was a regular competitor in the NASCAR Sportsman Division for several years.

Butch Lindley won the 1977 NASCAR National Sportsman championship with a total of 7,566 points.

In 1978 Butch Lindley again captured the National Sportsman championship, finishing with 8,148 points.

Butch Lindley competed in 80 events and finished in the top five 58 times, including 23 wins.

In 1979 Butch Lindley finished second in points, and in 1980 he was fifth.

Butch Lindley continued a limited schedule in the Sportsman series after it became known as the Budweiser and then the Busch Series.

Butch Lindley ran half of the 1982 schedule for Emanuel Zervakis, making 14 starts and finishing in the top 10 ten times, including four wins.

Butch Lindley won three poles and posted 11 top 10 finishes.

Butch Lindley won races at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, South Boston Speedway, and Caraway Speedway despite switching between the Emanuel Zervakis and Dana Racing teams.

Butch Lindley made two starts in 1984, both for Ed Whitaker.

Butch Lindley finished in the top five 13 times, including seven wins, and was fourth in the final points standings.

Butch Lindley made his debut in the Winston Cup Series in 1979.

Butch Lindley started 14th in a Kenny Childers Chevrolet at Martinsville and finished 28th after falling out early due to overheating.

In 1981, Butch Lindley made three starts in his own car, the No 26 Chevrolet.

Butch Lindley did not finish any, and his best run was 24th at North Wilkesboro.

In 1982, Butch Lindley made four starts and finished only one.

Butch Lindley dominated the middle portion of the race, leading the most laps of his Grand National career, and finished second to Harry Gant.

Butch Lindley ran at Martinsville for Bill Terry, recording a 25th-place finish.

Butch Lindley drove the No 16 Carolina Tool Chevrolet, started 17th and was running near the front before a lug bolt fell off and he settled for a 19th-place finish.

Butch Lindley was leading after the 125-lap distance was complete, but the scheduled distance included a late caution flag, and All Pro rules stated that the final five laps of its races had to finish consecutively under the green flag, so the race continued.

Butch Lindley's helmet made hard contact with the wall, and he sustained a closed head injury.

Butch Lindley's crash was one of the factors that led to improvements in window nets, helmets, and head and neck restraints, which have dramatically reduced the number of injuries and deaths resulting from race car crashes.

Butch Lindley died over five years later at an assisted living facility in Greer, South Carolina on June 6,1990.

In 1965 Butch Lindley married Flora Joan Barbare, known as Joan.

Butch Lindley frequently traveled with him and assisted his race teams, and Joan was scoring laps during the race when he sustained his fatal injuries.

Butch and Joan Lindley had two children, daughter Tonda and son Mardy.

On November 17,2022, Mardy Butch Lindley was named crew chief for JR Motorsports' No 1 car with Sam Mayer driving, with the partnership scoring five wins.

Butch Lindley won the Snowball Derby in 1984 driving for crew chief and car owner Frankie Grill's GARC race cars team.

In 2005, Butch Lindley was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.