Ken Rush

Kenneth Rush (September 14, 1931 – October 17, 2011) was a NASCAR Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1957 to 1972.

Career
He would win the 1969 'Bama 400 Grand Touring race on Saturday, September 13, 1969 - arguably the first race held at Talladega Superspeedway sanctioned by any motorsports body - in his Chevrolet Camaro. Another notable appearance for Rush was at the 1957 Rebel 300 where he finished in last place due to the infamous "lap 29" crash that he was 3 laps behind everyone else for.

In his eight-year career, Rush managed to race in 56 races for a distance of 9396 laps - the equivalent of 5717.6 mi. He started 14th on average and finished in 18th on average. After his racing career was over, Rush managed to earn $11,760 in total prize winnings ($0 when adjusted for inflation). Had he been born 40 years later, he may have accomplished the big prize winnings that today's NASCAR superstars earn from their races. A lot of the races during Ken's era paid $200 ($0 when adjusted for inflation) or less just for winning the race.

Ken died from a stroke in his hometown of High Point, North Carolina at age 80. He is survived by his wife Patsy and daughter Deborah.