Banjo Matthews

Driver Matthews began his career at age 15 at Pompano Beach Speedway in Florida. He won three poles, one each at the Daytona Beach and Road Course, Daytona International Speedway, and Atlanta International Raceway. Matthews' best finishes were on superspeedways, where he would finish in 15th place on average, while his worst finishes would be on road courses, where he would finish in 39th place on average. Matthews drove 26 races using No. 94. Matthews stopped driving in 1963 to focus on building cars. His drivers won 9 races and had 14 pole positions in 160 races. Matthews is best known, however, for having constructed many cars in the 1970s and 1980s, including 72% of the winning cars in the top NASCAR division from 1974 to 1985 (262 wins in 362 Cup races). In 1978, he built the winning car for all 30 Cup races. He was nicknamed the "Henry Ford of Race Cars". ==Death and personal life==

Matthews had failing health for his last two years, and he died in a nursing home in Hendersonville, North Carolina on October 2, 1996. His wife Penny had died from cancer in 1984. His son Jody took over the family business and had a daughter. ==Banjo Nickname==

NASCAR owner Bud Moore said, "When Banjo first came around, he wore a pair of glasses that were so thick, it made everyone, on first impression, think of a 'banjo'. I don't know who thought of it first, but it stuck when we started calling him 'Banjo Eyes'." Matthews was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998. He also received the Buddy Shuman Award for his contributions to the sport, the Smokey Yunick Award for his mechanical ability, and was inducted in the inducted National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2022, Matthews was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Matthews was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998. He also received the Buddy Shuman Award for his contributions to the sport, the Smokey Yunick Award for his mechanical ability, and was inducted in the inducted National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2022, Matthews was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. ==References==