H.A. Wheeler
| Howard Wheeler | |
|---|---|
Wheeler in 2010
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| Born |
Howard Augustine Wheeler, Jr. October 23, 1938 Belmont, North Carolina, United States |
| Residence | Huntersville, North Carolina, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | H.A Wheeler Humpy Wheeler |
| Occupation | Consultant for the Formula One Grand Prix of America, Founder Speedway Benefits |
| Known for | Former President and General Manager of the Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| Children | 3 |
Howard Augustine "Humpy" Wheeler, Jr. (born October 23, 1938) is the former President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, one of the premier auto racing venues owned by Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Better known as H.A. or "Humpy" Wheeler, he has long been known as one of the foremost promoters of NASCAR auto racing.
During an appearance on the National Public Radio quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in July 2006, Wheeler explained the origin of his nickname. He said that when his father had played football at the University of Illinois, he was caught once smoking Camel cigarettes, earning the name "Humpy" for the camel's hump. His father's friends then began calling him "Humpy Jr." Growing up through high school, college football, and then racing, the name "Humpy" has stuck with him.
Wheeler was born in Belmont, North Carolina. He began his promotional career at age nine, selling tickets for a bicycle race. He was a defensive lineman for the South Carolina Gamecocks in the late 1950s. His teammates included future NASCAR communications director Jim Hunter (a running back), and Jim Duncan (later known as a marketing executive at Lowe's Motor Speedway). Early in Humpy's career, he was the race tire rep.for Firestone Tire and represented them at the Indy 500 for several years and helped them achieve an incredible winning record that stands today.
After becoming the president of Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler earned the reputation for organizing publicity stunts. A few weeks after driver Cale Yarborough gave the less-than-complimentary nickname 'Jaws' to rival driver Darrell Waltrip, Wheeler bought a giant dead shark, placed a dead chicken in the shark's mouth, and had it driven around the track on a flatbed truck before a race at Charlotte (Yarborough's sponsor at the time was Holly Farms Poultry). In 1984, the pre-race show for the World 600 was a reenactment of Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada the previous year.
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