Gary Myers was an American stock car racing driver whose career became closely connected with Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR and one of North Carolina’s most enduring racing families.
Born March 4, 1950, in Walnut Cove, North Carolina, Myers competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Grand National East Series, Featherlite Modified Tour and SMART Modified Tour. He also became the 1996 SMART Modified Tour champion and recorded 38 Modified victories at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Myers died on September 10, 2026, at age 76. His death ended the career of a driver who had spent more than six decades around Bowman Gray and helped carry the Myers racing name across four generations.
Gary Myers at a Glance
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Myers |
| Born | March 4, 1950 |
| Birthplace | Walnut Cove, North Carolina |
| Died | September 10, 2026 |
| Age at death | 76 |
| Profession | Stock car racing driver |
| NASCAR Cup races | 46 |
| NASCAR Cup career | 1974–1978 |
| Best Cup points finish | 27th, 1978 |
| Cup wins | 0 |
| Cup top-10s | 0 |
| Bowman Gray Modified wins | 38 |
| SMART Modified Tour championship | 1996 |
| Sons | Burt Myers and Jason Myers |
| Grandson | Slate Myers |
| Racing family | Four generations |
Who Was Gary Myers?
Gary Myers was a North Carolina racing driver who competed across several levels of stock car racing.
His career included the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the Grand National East Series, the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour, the SMART Modified Tour, the USAR Hooters Late Model Series and the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
His biggest statistical connection was with Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, where he won 38 Modified races.
The track was more than simply another venue for Myers. His family had been connected with Bowman Gray since the 1950s, and he remained involved there for more than 60 years.
The Myers Family Racing Legacy
Gary Myers was the second generation of his family to compete at Bowman Gray.
His father, Billy Myers, was a prominent early stock car racer at the track. His uncle, Bobby Myers, was another important figure in the family’s racing history.
Bobby won the Bowman Gray Stadium championship in 1952 and later died in a crash at Darlington Raceway in 1957 while driving for Lee Petty.
Billy Myers also established his own record at Bowman Gray, winning three championships and 22 races.
Gary followed them into racing and eventually became one of the track’s most successful Modified competitors.
The next generation was represented by his sons, Burt Myers and Jason Myers. His grandson, Slate Myers, later became the fourth generation of the family to compete in racing.
Gary Myers and Bowman Gray Stadium
Myers’ 38 victories at Bowman Gray are central to his racing legacy.
He competed at the Winston-Salem short track as a driver, watched his father and uncle race there, and later became part of the racing environment that shaped his sons.
His involvement with the venue therefore covered several eras of Modified racing.
The Bowman Gray community described him as a fixture at the stadium for more than six decades, from watching family members race in the 1950s to competing himself and later helping Burt and Jason develop their careers.
NASCAR Career
Myers also reached NASCAR’s top division, then known as the Winston Cup Series.
He made his first Cup start in 1974 in the Yankee 400 at Michigan International Speedway. His final Cup race came in the 1978 Los Angeles Times 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway.
Across five seasons, Myers made 46 Cup Series starts. He recorded no victories, top-10 finishes or poles, but established himself as a regular independent-style competitor during an era when smaller teams and owner-drivers were an important part of the series.
His best championship result came in 1978, when he finished 27th in the final Winston Cup standings with 1,915 points.
His 1978 NASCAR Season
The 1978 season was Myers’ strongest year in terms of his final Cup championship position.
He drove both Pontiac and Chevrolet equipment during the season and competed in races at tracks including Martinsville, Richmond, Talladega, Charlotte, Nashville, Bristol, Darlington, Dover, Martinsville and Ontario.
His results included a 14th-place finish at Bristol and another 14th at Darlington. He also finished 15th at Nashville, 17th at Charlotte and 18th at Charlotte earlier in the season.
Myers finished the year 27th in the championship standings, his best Cup points result.
Daytona 500 Attempts
The Daytona 500 was also part of Myers’ NASCAR story.
He attempted to qualify for the 1976 Daytona 500 but did not qualify.
In 1978, Myers entered the Daytona 500 in a Pontiac but the result was recorded as a withdrawal.
He was also listed in the 1979 Daytona 500 record, although his Cup career itself had effectively ended after the 1978 season.
The 1996 SMART Modified Tour Championship
One of Myers’ most significant achievements came well after his early NASCAR years.
In 1996, he won the SMART Modified Tour championship.
The 1996 season consisted of 12 races, and Myers finished the championship only 10 points ahead of runner-up Frank Fleming. Jay Foley finished third, 74 points behind Myers.
Myers won two races during the season, including the opening event at Summerville Speedway and a later race at Franklin County Speedway.
The championship made him the first Myers family member to win the SMART title. His son Burt later followed him by winning championships in 2002, 2021 and 2023.
Gary Myers’ Other Racing
Although NASCAR and Bowman Gray are the most recognizable parts of his career, Myers raced in several different divisions.
He competed in the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour during the 1980s and early 1990s.
His career also included the USAR Hooters Late Model Series and the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
The Modified ranks remained particularly important to him, eventually connecting his own career with the next generation of Myers drivers.
Gary Myers and His Sons
Gary Myers’ influence extended directly into the careers of his sons.
Burt Myers became one of the most accomplished Modified drivers in the family. He won NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championships in 2010 and 2016 and SMART Modified Tour championships in 2002, 2021 and 2023.
Burt also became a multiple-time Bowman Gray Stadium champion and continued racing at the same track where his father had built his reputation.
Jason Myers also followed his father into Modified racing. He competed in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the former Southern Modified Tour, the Southern Modified Racing Series, the ASA Southern Modified Race Tour and other Modified divisions.
Gary also became the car owner for Jason and, later, his grandson Slate.
The Fourth Generation: Slate Myers
The Myers racing story eventually reached a fourth generation through Slate Myers, Burt’s son and Gary’s grandson.
Slate began competing in Modified racing in the 2020s and raced in the SMART Modified Tour in the No. 4 car associated with Gary Myers.
His career gave the Myers family another direct connection between its earliest Bowman Gray roots and modern Modified racing.
A Family Bigger Than Gary Myers
The Myers racing connection extended beyond Gary, Burt, Jason and Slate.
Gary’s cousin Danny “Chocolate” Myers was also a major figure in American motorsports. Danny became known for his long career as a gas man for Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing and was later inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
That made the Myers name part of both the driving and crew-side history of NASCAR and American stock car racing.
Gary Myers’ Racing Style and Legacy
Myers’ career was not defined by a long list of NASCAR Cup victories. Instead, his importance came from the depth and longevity of his involvement in Modified racing.
He competed at a time when local short-track racing was a major part of the American stock car landscape.
At Bowman Gray, his 38 victories gave him a permanent place among the track’s leading Modified drivers. His 1996 SMART championship added a major touring-series title to that record.
Just as important, he helped turn racing into a multigenerational family tradition.
Gary Myers’ Final Years
Myers remained connected to racing long after his own NASCAR Cup career ended.
His family continued competing at Bowman Gray and on the Modified circuit, keeping his name directly attached to the No. 4 car and the family’s racing operation.
His grandson Slate’s emergence as a driver gave Myers the opportunity to see a fourth generation of his family enter the sport.
Gary Myers’ Death
Gary Myers died on September 10, 2026, at the age of 76.
His sons Burt and Jason announced the loss in separate social media tributes. Burt described his father as his hero and said Gary had taught him everything he knew, while Jason called him the family’s patriarch and remembered him as his best friend.
No specific cause of death has been publicly disclosed. Reports said Myers had been experiencing declining health before his death.
The Legacy Gary Myers Leaves Behind
Gary Myers’ career stretched from the short tracks of North Carolina to NASCAR’s premier division and back to the Modified racing world where his family had built its reputation.
He competed in 46 NASCAR Cup Series races, won 38 times at Bowman Gray Stadium and captured the 1996 SMART Modified Tour championship.
But his most distinctive legacy is the family itself.
Billy and Bobby Myers established the family’s early racing roots. Gary carried them forward. Burt and Jason became successful professional Modified drivers, and Slate extended the family tradition into a fourth generation.
For a driver whose career was built as much around the short track as the national stage, that continuity became one of Gary Myers’ greatest achievements.
