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Gary Collins (racing driver)

{{short description|American racing driver (born 1960)}}

{{Infobox NASCAR driver

| name = Gary Collins

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|01|24}}

| birth_place = Bakersfield, California

| achievements =

| awards =

| Total_Cup_Races = 4

| Years_In_Cup = 4

| Best_Cup_Pos = 79th (1994)

| First_Cup_Race = 1988 Checker 500 (Phoenix)

| Last_Cup_Race = 1994 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 (Sonoma)

| Cup_Wins = 0

| Cup_Top_Tens = 0

| Cup_Poles = 0

| Total_Truck_Races = 4

| Years_In_Truck = 1

| Best_Truck_Pos = 42nd (1995)

| First_Truck_Race = 1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic (Phoenix)

| Last_Truck_Race = 1995 Jerr Dan/Nelson 150 (Monroe)

| Truck_Wins = 0

| Truck_Top_Tens = 1

| Truck_Poles = 0

}}

Gary Collins (born January 24, 1960) is an American stock car racing driver. Now retired, he competed primarily in the NASCAR Winston West Series, however he also ran selected races in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and was among the drivers selected to compete in the first NASCAR exhibition race held in Australia in 1988.

Racing career

The son of Marion Collins, owner of Mesa Marin Raceway,{{cite web|url=http://autoweek.com/article/nascar-camping-world-truck/gary-collins-father-nascar-trucks|title=Gary Collins: The father of NASCAR trucks is true racing pioneer|last=Pryson|first=Mike|date=September 17, 2015|website=Autoweek|accessdate=2017-12-29}} Collins ran a total of four NASCAR Winston Cup Series races in his career; all four were combination races with the Winston West Series. His Winston Cup Series debut came at Phoenix International Raceway in the 1988 Checker 500, where he started 39th and finished 33rd in a family-owned Oldsmobile. He would run two more races at Phoenix, in 1990 and 1991, posting a best finish of 33rd in the 1990 event; his final Winston Cup start came at Sears Point International Raceway in the 1994 Save Mart Supermarkets 300, where he finished 40th while driving a Ford for Venable Racing.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/rquery?id=colliga01&trk=t0&series=W|title=Gary Collins - Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results|website=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media Network|accessdate=2017-12-29}}

Collins was one of the drivers selected to compete in the Goodyear NASCAR 500, the first exhibition race held by NASCAR in Australia;{{cite news|title=NASCAR racing cars begin trek to Australia in North Charleston|last=Melling|first=Brian|date=January 17, 1998|newspaper=Sunday Post/Courier|page=13C|location=Charleston, SC}} he set the tenth fastest time in qualifying,{{cite news|title=Scorecard|date=February 27, 1988|newspaper=The News-Press|location=Fort Myers, FL|page=32}} and finished 19th in the event, crashing out on lap 80.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/race/1988-02/X|title=1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500|website=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media Network|accessdate=2017-12-29}}

During the winter of 1993,{{cite web|url=http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/mesa-marin-s-driving-force/article_286b8df5-add9-5ec2-a185-f772d920eefd.html|title=Mesa Marin's driving force|date=February 10, 2006|work=The Bakersfield Californian|accessdate=2017-12-29|location=Bakersfield, CA}} Collins and his family-owned race team constructed the first-ever prototype NASCAR SuperTruck Series presented by Craftsman chassis, demonstrating that the concept, developed by Collins in conjunction with off-road racing veterans Scoop Vessels and Jim Venable, was feasible. He was one of the drivers selected to compete in the four preliminary events that established the viability of the SuperTruck Series; in the second, held at Saugus Speedway, he was flagged the winner of the event,{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-11-sp-37335-story.html|title=SAUGUS SPEEDWAY : Collins Wins Exhibition for SuperTrucks|last=Esper|first=Darin|date=September 11, 1994|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2014-04-02|location=Los Angeles, CA}} when the race was shortened five laps before its scheduled finish due to rain.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/race/1994-03/X|title=1994 Supertruck Saugus 20|website=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media Network|accessdate=2017-12-29}} In 1995, Collins also ran four of the first six SuperTruck Series events in a family-owned No. 74 Chevrolet, posting a best finish of tenth in his final race in the series at Evergreen Speedway.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/drivdet/colliga01/1995/C|title=Gary Collins - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results|website=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media Network|accessdate=2017-12-29}}

In NASCAR's lower-level series, in the Winston West Series Collins won two races of 43 he competed in between 1988 and 2001; his wins came at Mesa Marin Raceway in 1994, driving for Venable, and at Tucson Speedway in 1997 while running for his family team.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/rquery?id=colliga01&trk=t0&series=P|title=Gary Collins - NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Results|website=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media Network|accessdate=2017-12-29}} his best points finish in the series came in 1995, when he finished 15th in the final standings, having competed in 7 of 15 events.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/yeardet/1995/P|title=NASCAR Winston West Series standings for 1995|website=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media Network|accessdate=2017-12-29}} Collins also ran a limited number of Featherlite Southwest Tour events, running eighteen races between 1987 and 1997, with a best finish of third at Mesa Marin in 1989.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/rquery?id=colliga01&trk=t0&series=SW|title=Gary Collins - NASCAR Southwest Series Results|website=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media Network|accessdate=2017-12-29}}

Following his racing career, Collins joined NTS Motorsports, becoming director of competition for the team's efforts in the SRL Southwest Tour, the successor to the Featherlite Southwest Tour.

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.)

==Winston Cup Series==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
colspan=45| NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year

! Team

! No.

! Make

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! 17

! 18

! 19

! 20

! 21

! 22

! 23

! 24

! 25

! 26

! 27

! 28

! 29

! 30

! 31

! {{Tooltip|NSCC|NASCAR Sprint Cup classification}}

! Pts

! Ref

1988

! Collins Motorsports

! 24

! Olds

| DAY

| RCH

| CAR

| ATL

| DAR

| BRI

| NWS

| MAR

| TAL

| CLT

| DOV

| RSD

| POC

| MCH

| DAY

| POC

| TAL

| GLN

| MCH

| BRI

| DAR

| RCH

| DOV

| MAR

| CLT

| NWS

| CAR

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| PHO
33

| ATL

| colspan=2|

! 80th

! 64

! {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/colliga01/1988/W|title=Gary Collins – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=April 17, 2023}}

1990

! rowspan=2| Collins Motorsports

! rowspan=2| 29

! rowspan=2| Olds

| DAY

| RCH

| CAR

| ATL

| DAR

| BRI

| NWS

| MAR

| TAL

| CLT

| DOV

| SON

| POC

| MCH

| DAY

| POC

| TAL

| GLN

| MCH

| BRI

| DAR

| RCH

| DOV

| MAR

| NWS

| CLT

| CAR

| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| PHO
33

| ATL

| colspan=2|

! 91st

! 64

! {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/colliga01/1990/W|title=Gary Collins – 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=April 17, 2023}}

1991

| DAY

| RCH

| CAR

| ATL

| DAR

| BRI

| NWS

| MAR

| TAL

| CLT

| DOV

| SON

| POC

| MCH

| DAY

| POC

| TAL

| GLN

| MCH

| BRI

| DAR

| RCH

| DOV

| MAR

| NWS

| CLT

| CAR

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| PHO
42

| ATL

| colspan=2|

! 91st

! 37

! {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/colliga01/1991/W|title=Gary Collins – 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=April 17, 2023}}

1994

! Venable Racing

! 20

! Ford

| DAY

| CAR

| RCH

| ATL

| DAR

| BRI

| NWS

| MAR

| TAL

| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| SON
40

| CLT

| DOV

| POC

| MCH

| DAY

| NHA

| POC

| TAL

| IND

| GLN

| MCH

| BRI

| DAR

| RCH

| DOV

| MAR

| NWS

| CLT

| CAR

| PHO

| ATL

! 79th

! 43

! {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/colliga01/1994/W|title=Gary Collins – 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=April 17, 2023}}

==SuperTruck Series==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
colspan=45| NASCAR SuperTruck Series results
Year

! Team

! No.

! Make

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! 17

! 18

! 19

! 20

! {{Tooltip|NSTSC|NASCAR SuperTruck Series classification}}

! Pts

! Ref

1995

! Collins Motorsports

! 74

! Chevy

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| PHO
20

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TUS
21

| SGS

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MMR
20

| POR

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| EVG
10

| I70

| LVL

| BRI

| MLW

| CNS

| HPT

| IRP

| FLM

| RCH

| MAR

| NWS

| SON

| MMR

| PHO

! 42nd

! 440

! {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/colliga01/1995/C|title=Gary Collins – 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=April 17, 2023}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Racing-Reference driver|Gary_Collins|Gary Collins}}
  • {{T3T|Gary_Collins}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Gary}}

Category:Living people

Category:1960 births

Category:Racing drivers from Bakersfield, California

Category:NASCAR drivers