Draft:Stuart Lyndon

Stuart Lyndon had been interested in racing since the age of three{{Cite web |date=1985-06-04 |title=The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/399498493/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}, and his early racing career saw him take to the dirt speedways of New Zealand, his debut coming at Meeanee Speedway in 1966. He would win one event at Gisborne Speedway on the Labour Day weekend of October 26–28, 1974 in a Holden Monaro.{{Cite web |title=Season Away – Gisborne Photo News – No 245 : November 6, 1974 |url=https://photonews.org.nz/gisborne/issue/GPN245_19741106/t1-body-d3.html |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=photonews.org.nz |language=en}} In addition to saloon cars, Lyndon was a bike racer and part-time Midget racer. Lyndon would spend two years in England before moving to the United States by way of Canada, in approximately 1977.{{Cite web |title=Lyndon, Russell Ivor Interview |url=https://knowledgebank.org.nz/audio/lyndon-russell-ivor-interview/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=knowledgebank.org.nz |language=en-NZ}} His speedway bike racing career continued while in England, at Brands Hatch Circuit.{{Cite web |title=The Roaring Season |url=https://www.theroaringseason.com/showthread.php?1762-Kiwi-NASCAR-ARCA-Driver-Killed(mid-80-s)&p=46323&styleid=5 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=www.theroaringseason.com}}{{Cite web |title=Motorsport Memorial – |url=http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=2750 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=www.motorsportmemorial.org}} His move was prompted by a comparative lack of opportunity in New Zealand, as well as the allure of the higher top speeds in stock car competition.

Stuart Lyndon spent the next eight years of his life in America. He raced in California, got married and moved to Arizona before finally settling in Asheville, North Carolina, working as a mechanic for NASCAR driver Bosco Lowe{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TuMyAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22Stuart+Lyndon%22+racing&pg=PA8&article_id=4272,793259 |title=Star-News |publisher=Star-News |language=en}} and Elliott Forbes-Robinson. In 1978, he participated in his first race in the Winston West series (now known as ARCA West): the 1978 Winston Gardena 100 where his No. 69 Ford Gran Torino finished 13th in the 20-car field.{{Cite web |title=1978 Winston Gardena 100 – The Third Turn |url=https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/1978_Winston_Gardena_100 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=thethirdturn.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Stuart Lyndon/Results/NASCAR Winston West Series/1978 – The Third Turn |url=https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/Stuart_Lyndon/Results/NASCAR_Winston_West_Series/1978 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=thethirdturn.com |language=en}} 1979 would see him finishing 13th at Mesa Marin{{Cite web |title=1979 Winston Mesa Marin 100 – The Third Turn |url=https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/1979_Winston_Mesa_Marin_100 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=thethirdturn.com |language=en}} and capturing his only top-ten at Craig Road Speedway, finishing 10th.{{Cite web |title=1979 Winston Las Vegas 100 – The Third Turn |url=https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/1979_Winston_Las_Vegas_100 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=thethirdturn.com |language=en}} Lyndon would also unsuccessfully attempt to qualify for a Super Late Model race at Mesa Marin in late 1979.{{Cite web |title=1979 Holley Carburetors 200 – The Third Turn |url=https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/1979_Holley_Carburetors_200 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=thethirdturn.com}} In either 1978 or 1979, Lyndon raced at Ontario, California, in the NASCAR Grand American Series, though the results are unknown.

In 1984, Stuart Lyndon acquired a Ford Thunderbird that had been built as a short track car for Kyle Petty during his final year at Petty Enterprises before his move to Wood Brothers Racing. Lyndon used parts from his Ford Gran Torino that he had used in the 1978–79 ARCA West Series to complete what was essentially a "kit car", performing extensive suspension and engine work.{{Cite web |date=1985-06-03 |title=The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/399489716/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}} His soon-to-be crew chief Rusty Jackson (misnamed 'Randy' in newspapers) stated that "Every penny he had was in that car."{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7jEdAAAAIBAJ&dq=atlanta+international+raceway+1985+newspaper+%22Lyndon%22&pg=PA63&article_id=6611,948151 |title=The Tuscaloosa News |publisher=The Tuscaloosa News |language=en}} This car was given the same No. 69 as his previous ARCA West attempts, but for 1985 he would run select races in the full ARCA Permatex Super Car series alongside his boss and friend Bosco Lowe. The nature of their racing relationship is unclear; Lyndon was officially credited as the owner of the No. 69 car, but other sources claim he drove for Lowe. In 1984, Lyndon looked to enter a Busch Grand National race at Hickory, but this ultimately did not eventuate.{{Cite web |title=The Asheville Times 13 Oct 1984, page 18 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/944716763/ |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Originally he planned to enter the 1985 Daytona 500, but was likely unable to prepare the car in time. Lyndon completed his first ARCA race at Atlanta International Raceway in March of 1985 with sponsorship from 'Bosco Lowe Enterprises Incorporated' (BLE Inc.), an auto wrecking yard, finishing 23rd.{{Cite web |title=1985 Georgia ARCA 150 – The Third Turn |url=https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/1985_Georgia_ARCA_150 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=thethirdturn.com |language=en}} Plans to run the following race at Talladega fell through, instead he would return to Atlanta in June.

Stuart Lyndon started the 1985 Georgia ARCA 500 33rd out of 40 cars.{{Cite web |title=1985 Atlanta ARCA 500K – The Third Turn |url=https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/1985_Atlanta_ARCA_500K |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=thethirdturn.com |language=en}} On lap 32, his Ford Thunderbird was gaining on Bosco Lowe's Pontiac and he made a move to pass him on the inside at turn 2, but as he did so, his car lost traction and he spun out heading towards the infield. Lyndon plowed into a dirt embankment at high speed, resulting in the total destruction of the car; including the roll cage, which failed completely and led to the driver going through the windshield. The sheet metal on the car was said to have flown off akin to an explosion. Davey Allison, who would go on to win the race, said "It was the worst wreck I've ever seen. When I went by him, he was laying half out the car and on the engine. After that I didn't look again. He hit so hard that part of the frame was still embedded in that bank. I called my pits and told them not to let the girls [his wife and daughter] look at the car when they brought it in. That's how bad it was."{{Cite web |title=https://twitter.com/nascarman_rr/status/1135611351181746176 |url=https://twitter.com/nascarman_rr/status/1135611351181746176 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=X (formerly Twitter) |language=en}} In the previous Winston Cup race at Atlanta in 1984, Terry Schoonover was killed in nearly identical circumstances after hitting the same stretch of inside dirt embankment. At Henry General Hospital, Stockbridge, Georgia, at 2:30PM EDT, Stuart Lyndon was pronounced dead of "multiple head injuries".

The 1985 Georgia ARCA 500 was originally planned to be broadcast, but following the death of Stuart Lyndon, this was ultimately not followed through with. In 2020, the YouTube channel 'digitalmanchris' posted nearly three hours of footage from the race. This is likely raw footage intended to be cut together at a later date for highlights, proven by the appearance of portions of this footage in the June 6th 1985 edition of ESPN's 'SpeedWeek' television program.{{Citation |title=1985 ESPN SpeedWeek – (June 6th) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXIQQeqRuls |access-date=2023-10-27 |language=en}}

Rusty Jackson stated that the safety of the Ford Thunderbird was not to blame, declaring that no car would have survived such an impact considering how Lyndon "must have hit it [the wall] wide open." Richard Petty pointed out that "You bounce off concrete, even head-on, but in dirt, the car just sticks in there..."{{Cite web |date=1985-06-05 |title=The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/399501152/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}

Given that this was the second death at this same section of Atlanta International Raceway in as many years, Mike Helton (general manager of the track at the time) announced that the dirt embankment would be replaced by concrete.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t2BEAAAAIBAJ&dq=atlanta+international+raceway+1985+newspaper+%22concrete%22&pg=PA12&article_id=2221,846023 |title=The Albany Herald |publisher=The Albany Herald |language=en}} In 1990 the track was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the complex underwent a radical reconstruction in 1997 that led to Lyndon's crash site (and Schoonover's) now being located off the exit of turn four.

As of 2025, Stuart Lyndon is the only New Zealander to die in any NASCAR-affiliated series, and the only New Zealander to have raced in the ARCA West series. Lyndon was the first New Zealander to race a stock car on a superspeedway.

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series

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

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• {{Racing-Reference driver|id=Stuart_Lyndon}}

{{Draft categories|

Category:NASCAR drivers

Category:ARCA Menards Series drivers

Category:New Zealand racing drivers

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