Roy Tyner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William "Roy" Tyner
A photo of Roy Tyner in a white T-shirt posing in front of the grandstand of an American speedway.
Born	(1934-01-03)January 3, 1934 Red Springs, North Carolina
Died	February 23, 1989(1989-02-23) (aged 55) Conover, North Carolina
Cause of death	Homicide
NASCAR Cup Series career
311 races run over 13 years
Best finish	10th – 1968 Grand National season
First race	1957 untitled race (Coastal Speedway)
Last race	1970 Tidewater 300 (Langley Field Speedway)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 71 0

William Leroy "Roy" Tyner (born January 3, 1934 – died February 23, 1989) was a Native American race car driver. He was known for competing in the NASCAR Grand National Series. Roy Tyner came from Red Springs, North Carolina, in the United States. He was a talented driver and later became a team owner in NASCAR.

Roy Tyner's NASCAR Career

Driving for NASCAR

Roy Tyner raced in many exciting events, like the 1968 Fireball 300 and the famous 1959 Daytona 500. During his career, he finished in the top five fourteen times. He also placed in the top ten seventy-one times.

Tyner completed 45,420 laps during his races. This means he drove about 30,896 miles (or 49,723 kilometers) in his stock cars! He raced for thirteen years, from 1957 to 1970. He started his NASCAR journey when he was 23 years old.

Roy Tyner had some cool nicknames, like The Flying Indian and The Wild Indian. He often drove cars from popular brands like Pontiac, Ford, and Dodge. Pontiac is no longer making cars today. His most famous sponsor was Pepsi, and he was often seen drinking it.

For a short time in 1962, Roy Tyner took a break from racing. Other drivers like Art Brady and Cale Yarborough sometimes drove his car during this period.

Becoming a NASCAR Team Owner

After his racing days, Roy Tyner also became a NASCAR team owner. This meant he owned the cars and managed the team that raced them. He also ran his own business fixing cars. Later, he worked for Junior Johnson's race team, driving their show cars.

As an owner, Tyner's cars achieved great results. They finished in the top five twelve times and in the top ten sixty-one times. His cars completed 36,235 laps, covering about 23,869 miles (or 38,413 kilometers).

A famous African-American driver named Wendell Scott once raced using Roy Tyner's car. This happened in 1968 at an event called the 1968 Rebel 400. Roy Tyner passed away in 1989. He was married twice and had three children: William Leroy Jr., India Dawn, and Truett. Truett even has a special Pontiac patch from his father's racing days.