Just as Talladega is synonymous with Dale Earnhardt Sr., Charlotte Motor Speedway is more often than not linked with David Pearson for his qualifying stints at the track in the 70s. 

The Silver Fox had a remarkable career. However, Pearson was known beyond his race victories and achievements. And one such thing was his qualifying at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Between October 1973 and October 1978, Pearson had a string of 11 consecutive pole positions at the track. And while they ended in a win only thrice, it remained a miraculous feat, coming in a Wood Brothers No. 21 Mercury.

Leonard Wood, who once served as Pearson’s crew chief during his time at Wood Brothers Racing, said, "He had such a great sense of how to get into a corner and how to get off. He’d go down and back off the throttle and just let the car float in the corner and take a set. And he’d pick the throttle up at the right place, where some people like to go down there wide open and jam on the brakes and get the car all out of shape, about to spin out."

But that's not all. Even when he didn't qualify well in races, Pearson had a trick up his sleeve that let him go for wins while other drivers failed. Wood had explained that too!

"Back in those days, the cars would fall out a lot more. And he’d wait until about halfway, when a lot of the cars had already fallen out. At the halfway mark, he’d start going to the front if he wasn’t already in front.” 

David Pearson’s Remarkable Season That Shocked Everyone

The one fascinating aspect of the Hall of Famer’s career is that he rarely ran any season full-time, but he managed to win three championships. But what is more fascinating is his 1973 season, which is regarded as one of the best seasons in his NASCAR career.

The Silver Fox was racing for the Wood Brothers' racing team. Pearson and Wood Brothers won 11 out of the 18 races they participated in. This comes close to fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Richard Petty’s 1967 season run. 

In addition to that, he also earned eight poles and led 49.8 percent of the race laps. David Pearson and the Wood Brothers seemed unstoppable during the 1973 season. 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar