Humpy Wheeler
Howard Augustine “Humpy” Wheeler Jr. (October 23, 1938 – August 20, 2025) was an American motorsports promoter and executive best known for leading Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) and turning it into a national showcase for stock car and IndyCar racing. His high-energy promotions earned him the nickname “the P. T. Barnum of NASCAR.”
Wheeler grew up in Belmont, North Carolina, in a middle-class family. His father was a coach and athletic director, and his mother owned a mercantile store. The family nickname “Humpy” came from a joke about his father, and the name stuck. As a youngster he ran a bicycle repair shop and staged bicycle races, while also following auto racing at nearby tracks. He attended Charlotte Catholic High School, tried boxing and football, and later earned a double major in journalism and political science from the University of South Carolina (graduating in 1961). He began a career in public relations and racing publicity, working for several organizations including Firestone, which hired him in 1964.
In 1975, Bruton Smith hired Wheeler to run CMS as president and general manager. Wheeler quickly earned a reputation for flashy, crowd-pleasing promotions that boosted attendance and revenue. He oversaw a series of major upgrades and concepts at CMS, including the World 600 (now the Coca-Cola 600), the construction of condominiums for fans, and the creation of the Winston All-Star Race (funded by R. J. Reynolds’ cigarette brand) in 1985. He also pushed for NASCAR to reach a national audience and helped expand CMS’s facilities and programming, including the arena’s lights installation in 1992.
During the 1990s Wheeler’s role grew beyond CMS. In 1995 he became president and chief operating officer of Speedway Motorsports (SMI), Bruton Smith’s company. CMS hosted the first Indy Racing League race in 1997, and in 1999 The Winston was renamed with Lowe’s sponsoring the track’s naming rights. Wheeler also helped develop safety innovations, such as the Humpy Bumper, a device intended to absorb energy in head-on crashes.
Wheeler’s tenure was marked by both triumphs and tragedies. The 1999 VisionAire 500K at CMS ended in a fatal debris accident in the grandstands, prompting safety reviews and changes. In 2000, after The Winston, a pedestrian bridge near CMS collapsed, injuring many fans and leading to lawsuits and a series of safety improvements. Wheeler also earned notoriety for dramatic, sometimes controversial promotions—such as a planned promotional fight between a man and a shark on the frontstretch, and other stunts designed to draw attention to CMS.
In 2008 Wheeler retired from CMS after a dispute with Bruton Smith, with Smith’s son Marcus taking over. Wheeler soon started The Wheeler Company, a management and consulting firm, and remained active in the racing world. He explored opportunities with the Grand Prix of America project and helped found Speedway Benefits in 2013, a marketing alliance for short tracks.
Beyond his real-world promotions, Wheeler lent his voice to popular culture. He voiced Tex, the boss of the fictional sponsor Dinoco, in the 2006 Pixar film Cars and returned for Cars 3 (2017). He also hosted The Humpy Show on Speed Channel in 2008 and appeared on the TV show American Pickers, donating NASCAR memorabilia to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Personal life and legacy: Wheeler married Patricia Adele Williams in 1962, and they had three children. He remained a practicing Catholic throughout his life. Known as a showman who could turn racing into must-see entertainment, Wheeler left a lasting mark on NASCAR and American motorsports. He died on August 20, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina, at age 86. His career is remembered for pushing promotions to new levels and helping NASCAR grow into a national sport, while also prompting ongoing debates about safety, spectacle, and the business of racing.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:57 (CET).