5 Underrated NASCAR Family Members

 5 Underrated NASCAR Family Members

By Brian H Cotnoir

From it's earliest days NASCAR has been a family sport.   There have been countless families and racing legacies in NASCAR History: The Petty's, The Earnhardt's, the Allison's, The Waltrip Brothers, The Labonte's, the Wallace's, The Busch Brothers, to just name a few.   However, there have been some racers who have not gained as much attention as some of their famous relatives, but still deserve respect and attention.  Here are five of those drivers.

1.)   Phil Parsons

Before his career as NASCAR Commentator, Phil Parsons was a racer.  His older brother, Benny Parsons, was the 1973 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.  Phil Parsons began his own NASCAR career in 1982 running the Inaugural Season in the--then called--Busch Grand National Series.  Driving for owner Johnny Hayes, Phil Parsons won in his 3rd career start at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Five years later while driving for the Jackston Brothers, Parsons would score his first & only win the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Motor Speedway.  After the early 1990's, Parsons started his own Grand National Series team and would return to Victory Lane at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1994.   Despite never winning in any of NASCAR's Top 3 Series again after that, Phil Parsons managed to have a solid career as a Owner-Driver and Car Owner, and has since become a beloved commentator, just like his Hall of Fame brother.

2.)  Larry Pearson

Larry Pearson is the son of NASCAR Legend, David Pearson, and while his father is known for winning 105 Career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series and 3 Cup Series Wins, Larry struggled to find any success in the NASCAR Cup Series.   However, in the second-tier, NASCAR Grand National Series, Pearson showed lots of promise.   Larry Pearson won back-to-back championships in the NASCAR Grand National Series in 1986 & 1987 and managed to score 15 career wins in the division.  Pearson was a wiz at the short tracks of the Grand National Series, and with the exception of a win at Darlington in 1995, Pearson never scored a win on any track bigger than one mile in length.

3.)  Bob Flock

Alabama racer, Bob Flock is the oldest sibling of the famous Racing Flock's.   Bob Flock's youngest brother Tim Flock is a 2-time Cup Series Champion, and his other brother Fonty won 19 races in his career.  Bob, despite being the oldest, only won 4 races in his Cup Seres Career.  Despite starting on the pole at the first NASCAR Cup Series race ever, Bob Flock would finish 32nd finishing only ahead of Glenn Dunaway (who was disqualified) after his engine failed after only 38 laps.   Flock would win at Hillsboro and North Wilkesboro at the final race of the season.   Bob Flock finished 3rd in the final points standings during the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series season (granted it was an 8-race season).  Bob Flock would only win 2 more races, at the almost mythic Air Base Speedway in Greenville, SC in 1951, and Weaverville in 1952.   Flock retired from NASCAR in 1956, with 4 career wins in 36 career starts.  Bob would pass away several years later of a Heart Attack; Bob Flock was 46 years old.

4.)  Jay Sauter

Long before his younger brother Johnny was winning races (and a championship), Jay Sauter was making a name for himself in the NASCAR Truck Series.  Jay Sauter took over the Iconic black #3 that Mike Skinner won the inaugural Truck Series Championship for at Richard Childress Racing during the 1997 season.  He scored his first career win in the Truck Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and would score three more wins for Childress over the next two seasons.   Although, he never won a championship, Jay Sauter was a championship contender finishing 6th, 4th, and 5th in the final points standings in his three full-time seasons in Truck Series.

5.)  Bobby Hamilton Jr.

Another son of a former NASCAR Champion, Bobby Hamilton Jr. was at one time one of the hottest up & coming drivers in the NASCAR Grand National Series.  He made his Grand National Series in 1998, and in 2002 he scored his first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  The following season he'd score 4 more wins and finish 4th in the final drivers' standings after finishing in the Top 5 in 8-out-of-the-final-11 races!  Bobby Jr.'s best seasons in NASCAR came while driving for Team Rensi, where spent four and a half seasons, and scored all 5 wins in his NASCAR career.  In 2001, he got to be teammates in the Cup Series with his father, Bobby Sr., at Andy Petree Racing as he subbed for the injured Joe Nemechek.  He would also run full-time for PPI Racing in 2005 during their twilight years.  He then ran one full-time season for his father's Truck Series team, before returning to Team Rensi in the Grand National Series but was unable to recapture the same magic he once had with the team.