5 People who you won't believe made starts in NASCAR

 5 people who you won't believe made starts in NASCAR

By Brian H Cotnoir

NASCAR has had some surprise entrants in their sport.  Everyone from Formula 1 champions like Kimi Raikkonen to X-Games athletes, Travis Pastrana and Ricky Carmichael.  NFL coach Jerry Glanville also made sporadic starts in NASCAR's Xfinity and Truck Series while head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, as did Country Music Hall of Famer, Marty Robbins at the height of his music career.  However, there are some other well-known drivers who made starts in NASCAR that you may not have known.  Here are 5 drivers who you won't believe made starts in NASCAR.

1.) Eric Norris

Sorry, the picture on the article was meant to be clickbait.  Hollywood Legend Chuck Norris has never made a start in NASCAR....but his son Eric has.    Eric Norris raced in the NASCAR Winston West (the Modern-Day ARCA Menards West Series) between 1998-2002.  During his career he won 3 career Winston West Races and was the Series Champion in 2002.    Norris also ran 19 Truck Series Races and 2 Xfinity Series races from 1997-2007.  His best finish was a 13th Place at Watkins Glen in 1997 in the Truck Series.

2.)  Mike Cofer

Unless you're a diehard San Francisco 49ers fan, you're probably not going to recognize the name Mike Cofer.  He spent eight seasons in the NFL as a kicker and won back-to-back Super Bowls as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.  Towards the end of his NFL career Cofer decided to give racing a try.  Cofer raced in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour, where he won 1 race at Stockton 99 Speedway in California.  He also made 3 career starts in 2002 in the NASCAR Truck Series, but never managed to finish inside the Top 20.

3.)  Al Unser Jr.

Al Unser Jr. comes from a legendary racing family.  He is a 2-time Indy 500 Champion and a 2-time IndyCar Series Champion.   The year after he won his first Indy 500, he made his NASCAR debut in the 1993 Daytona 500.    Driver in one race for Hall of Fame owner, Rick Hendrick, Unser started 40th-out-of-41 cars and wound-up finishing 36th place after a wreck on lap 157.  Unser never made another attempt at a start in NASCAR.

4.)  Jim Clark

Formula One legend Jim Clark made a stop at Rockingham Motor Speedway for the penultimate race of the 1967 season.    Clark started 24th in the 44-car field, driving a 1967 Ford Fairlane for the legendary Holman-Moody team.  Clark's NASCAR debut ended early after an engine failure, and he wound up finishing 30th place.   Like Al Unser Jr., Clark never made another start in NASCAR.  He would tragically pass away from injuries he sustained in a Formula Two race at Hockenheim.  He is still regarded by many drivers as the Best Formula One Driver in History.

5.)  Rick Hendrick

The Winningest Owner in NASCAR History has also made started a handful of NASCAR races.  Following the resignation of Tim Richmond, Hendrick made his Cup Series at the season Finale at Riverside Raceway, where he finished 33rd.   The following season he'd run the Summer Race at Riverside again, and this time would finish and impressive 15th place, finishing one spot ahead of that season's eventual champion, Bill Elliott.  Hendrick also ran one Grand National Series Race at Raleigh in 1987 and one Truck Series Race during its inaugural season at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas, where his race ended 15 laps early after his Truck suffered transmission troubles.


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