Former NASCAR Driver Gary Myers Dies at 76

Gary Myers, the former NASCAR driver who became one of the most decorated and recognizable figures in Bowman Gray Stadium history, died Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the age of 76 after a period of declining health.

A native of Walnut Cove, North Carolina, Myers spent more than six decades connected to the quarter-mile Winston-Salem short track, piling up 38 victories in Modified competition while also making 46 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. His death was confirmed by the SMART Modified Tour, which remembered the 1996 series champion as one of its heroes.

A Legend Forged at Bowman Gray Stadium

Gary Myers' name is inseparable from Bowman Gray Stadium, the historic flat quarter-mile oval that has hosted stock car racing since 1949 and built a national reputation for its bruising, bumper-to-bumper modified battles.

The track confirmed his passing with a statement that distilled his legacy: “Gary earned 38 wins at Bowman Gray in Modified competition, in a career that also saw him make starts in the NASCAR Cup Series and Grand National Series.” Those 38 victories placed Myers among the winningest modified racers ever to turn laps at the storied venue.

But his footprint extended well beyond the stat sheet. As the patriarch of a multi-generational racing family, Myers helped transform a surname into a Winston-Salem institution. He grew up around the track watching his father, Billy Myers, and his uncle, Bobby Myers, compete there during the 1950s — a childhood spent in the grandstands that eventually carried him into the driver's seat.

From Walnut Cove to Victory Lane: A Racing Timeline

Myers' journey traced a path from the short tracks of North Carolina to NASCAR's top division and back again.

• March 4, 1950: Gary Myers is born in Walnut Cove, North Carolina, into a family already racing at Bowman Gray Stadium.
• 1974: Myers makes his first NASCAR Cup Series start in the Yankee 400 at Michigan International Speedway, driving the No. 87 Chevrolet.
• 1974–1978: He competes in 46 Cup Series races across five seasons, including a Daytona 500 qualifying attempt.
• 1978: Myers records his best Cup Series points finish of 27th overall, with his final Cup start coming in the Los Angeles Times 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway.
• 1996: He captures the SMART Modified Tour championship as one of the series' founding members, amassing 15 career wins in the series.
• September 10, 2026: Myers dies at age 76 after a period of declining health.

Why Gary Myers Mattered to Stock Car Racing

By the standards of NASCAR's modern superstar era, Myers' Cup Series numbers were modest: 46 starts, a best points finish of 27th and no victories in the premier series. But his significance to stock car racing was measured on a different scale entirely.

In the world of modified racing — the grassroots discipline long considered the beating heart of short-track stock car competition — Myers was royalty. The SMART Modified Tour, which he helped found, put it directly in a tribute posted to X: “We lost one of our heroes — Gary Myers. Gary was a founding member of the SMART MODIFIED TOUR & its 1996 champion. He had 15 wins.”

That championship, combined with his 38 Bowman Gray victories, made Myers a bridge between stock car racing's foundational era and its modern incarnation. His father and uncle were part of the generation that built Bowman Gray's reputation in the 1950s; Myers then carried that torch through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s before handing it to his sons.

That lineage may be his most enduring achievement. Sons Burt Myers and Jason Myers became decorated modified racers in their own right, and grandson Slate Myers recently became the fourth generation of the family to win at Bowman Gray Stadium — a continuity that is vanishingly rare in any professional sport.

Tributes Pour In for a Racing Patriarch

Within hours of his death, tributes began circulating across the short-track racing world.

Bowman Gray Stadium issued its own statement: “Our Bowman Gray family is saddened by the loss of Gary Myers… Our thoughts are with his wife Pam, sons Burt and Jason, grandson Slate, and the entire Myers family.”

The most personal tribute came from his son Burt, a multi-time modified champion. “Last night I lost my hero,” Burt wrote, describing Gary as the person who taught him everything he knows about racing.

“He fought so hard but was so tired. My daddy is in Heaven and can finally do the things he wanted to do the last several years. Thank God for the times we had. He taught me everything I know. Selfishly I want him here but I know he is much better off now. I miss him so much. I love you Daddy!”

The Myers Legacy Rolls On

Even in mourning, the Myers family's presence at Bowman Gray Stadium is certain to continue. Burt and Jason Myers remain fixtures in modified competition, and Slate Myers represents a fourth generation of the family on track.

That continuity is perhaps Gary Myers' greatest legacy: a racing family that began in the grandstands of a North Carolina short track in the 1950s is still winning races there more than seven decades later. As tributes continue to arrive, the track and its fans are left with a name that will echo through Bowman Gray for generations to come.

The Bottom Line: Gary Myers at a Glance

• Died Sept. 10, 2026, at age 76 after a period of declining health.
• Born March 4, 1950, in Walnut Cove, North Carolina.
• 46 NASCAR Cup Series starts between 1974 and 1978; best points finish of 27th in 1978.
• 38 career wins at Bowman Gray Stadium in Modified competition.
• Founding member and 1996 champion of the SMART Modified Tour, with 15 career series wins.
• Patriarch of a four-generation racing family including sons Burt and Jason and grandson Slate.