Marty Robbins: NASCAR Star, Country Music Legend

Living big. Dying on top.

Mac Demere / autoMedia.com

Imagine country music superstars Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn attempting to enter NASCAR's top series. It’s not as farfetched as it may seem: Both have considerable racing experience in Legends cars. Still, their chances of qualifying, much less leading a race, and scoring a top-10 finish approach zero.

Maybe it’s inconceivable today, but four decades ago one of country music’s biggest stars did exactly that. Marty Robbins not only qualified for what was then the NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup series, but he led races and scored six top-10 finishes, including a fifth. He accomplished this in 35 races. Today, many Cup drivers never score a top-five finish and, to many, a top 10 is a cause for a party.

Racing Artist

As a musician and songwriter, Marty Robbins had almost 100 songs that made the country charts. More than a dozen made it to No. 1. His first No. 1 in 1956, was Singing the Blues. And it stayed at the top of the charts for 13 weeks. Several of his albums crossed over into the Pop charts top 10. He won three Grammy Awards. Robbins was the first country artist to simultaneously have all top three hits on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Chart. For old-time country music fans, Robbins is best known for his hits: “El Paso,” "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife," and “A White Sport Coat.” “El Paso” has been done by artists ranging from the Grateful Dead to the Rolling Stones. “El Paso” was the first country song to both win a Grammy Award and make it to the No. 1 on the Pop charts.

Robbins won the Grammy Award for the Best Country & Western Recording 1961, for his follow-up album “More Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs,” and also scored a Grammy Best Country Song in 1970, for "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife.” Robbins was named "Artist of the Decade" (1960-69) by the Academy of Country Music, was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982, and was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998 for his song "El Paso." He had a total of more than 30 Number 1 country hits. In addition to racing and singing, Robbins appeared in several movies, including the forgettable racing film Hell on Wheels. But racing may have been his first love.

Top 10

Robbins entered his first NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) event in 1966. Between then and 1982—a month before he died—Robbins ran 35 races in what was then called the NASCAR Grand National and, later, Winston Cup series. He led two races and scored six top-10 finishes including one fifth place at Michigan in 1974. Today, a driver capable of such performance would make $4 million or more a year. T-shirt and souvenir sales for a country superstar turned race driver might double that. Yet, Robbins sponsored his own car: A purple and yellow monstrosity that couldn’t be missed. Maybe he was colorblind. You couldn’t miss his car: I saw him race at Talladega and Atlanta. In addition, he ran several other races including the long defunct Grand American Series, ARCA and late model sportsman events.

Before, during, and after his NASCAR appearances, Robbins was a regular in late model sportsman competition at the old Nashville Speedway. Legend said he asked for the latest slot on the Opry so he could complete his race at Nashville Speedway. In honor of his dual careers, Robbins’ racing suit is on display in the Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Opry.

Big Rig

In one of his most memorable races, the spring race at Talladega in 1972, Marty cheated. Understand that cheating was—and is—not unusual in NASCAR. Here are just a few: Richard Petty used an oversized engine to score his 199th win (and maybe others), nitrous oxide bottles have been hidden in frame rails, many started the race with heavy right side wheels so that left side weight balance would be increased after the first stop, others dropped lead shot or mercury from the frame rails once the race started to reduce weight. The big difference: Marty admitted to rigging the restrictor plate so that it opened up during the race. The key was a bit of airplane model glue and wire retainers to prevent the restrictor rings from being digested by the engine. He disqualified himself: Perhaps the only time that’s happened in NASCAR. He said he just wanted to see what it was like to run with Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison.

In 1971, he competed in seven races with his best finish a seventh-place performance in the Southern 500 at Darlington. The next year, he had an eighth-place finish in the Miller High Life 500 at Ontario, Calif., and a ninth in the Southern 500.

Most of Robbins’s Cup career occurred after he had heart by-pass surgery. He said racing was relaxing compared to performing at the Grand Ol’ Opry. His last Winston Cup race was on Nov. 7, 1982. He died a month later on Dec. 8, 1982, following a heart attack. He was 57. What a way to go out.

About the Author

Mac Demere is a former race driver who competed in the NASCAR Southwest Tour and Daytona 24 Hours.