Humpy Wheeler, the 'P.T. Barnum of motorsports,' dies at 86

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Humpy Wheeler, a pioneering motorsports promoter and former president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, has died, NASCAR said. He was 86.

Charlotte Motor Speedway said Wheeler died of natural causes Wednesday in Charlotte, surrounded by his family.

“Humpy Wheeler was a visionary whose name became synonymous with promotion and innovation in our sport,” said NASCAR chairman Jim France. “During his decades leading Charlotte Motor Speedway, Humpy transformed the fan experience through his creativity, bold ideas and tireless passion. His efforts helped expand NASCAR’s national footprint, cement Charlotte as a must-visit racing and entertainment complex.”

Howard Augustine Wheeler Jr. was born in 1938 in Belmont, North Carolina, and gained his first major publicity job with Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. He held several other positions after Firestone shut down its racing program in 1970 and was hired at Charlotte Motor Speedway by owner Bruton Smith as president in 1975.

He became a transformative figure in promoting racing and was known as the “P.T. Barnum of motorsports” for flashy pre-race stunts, elaborate productions and sparing no expense in ensuring fans had the most enjoyable experience possible at his events.

Wheeler earlier this year was named winner of NASCAR’s prestigious Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR, to which he’d have been inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.

“Humpy’s contributions to and accomplishments in NASCAR are without parallel. The breadth and depth of his legacy, and those whom he influenced, assisted and mentored, cannot be overstated,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the Hall of Fame. "Frequently adding new dynamics to the sport, Humpy’s visionary leadership and creativity helped shape today’s fan experience.

“Through his innovative promotions and stunts, Wheeler’s contributions expanded NASCAR’s national and international presence during the 1990s and early 2000s, solidifying Charlotte as ‘NASCAR’s Home for Racing.’”

Wheeler mentored “hundreds, if not thousands,” of people throughout his life, Kelley said, including inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and Landmark Award recipient Janet Guthrie.

Wheeler spent 33 years running Charlotte Motor Speedway. His innovation and pre-race extravaganzas recreated numerous military operations — including the invasion of Grenada — that made the facility a gold standard in NASCAR. He promoted school-bus races during the week, grassroots series for young aspiring racers, stunts and even the “Robosaurus,” a towering, fire-breathing, car-crunching mechanical robot.

Wheeler and his boss, the late Smith, grew Charlotte Motor Speedway into the ownership group Speedway Motorsports Inc., which acquired multiple race tracks that play a pivotal role in American motorsports today. Charlotte was the first track to build condominiums on site, built a restaurant overlooking the race track and was the first speedway of its size to install lights for night racing.

“Charlotte Motor Speedway was blessed to have a leader in Humpy Wheeler who can only be described as ONE of a kind,” the speedway said in a statement. “ For more than 30 years, Humpy was a promoter’s promoter at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Alongside our founder Bruton Smith, Humpy pushed the speedway to new and greater heights — establishing the famed 1.5-mile superspeedway as not only the most innovative facility in NASCAR for fan, partner and competitor amenities, but also one of the most progressive in all of sports.

“Humpy’s engaging smile and flair for promotion were legendary, and his impact on every stakeholder in motorsports will be long-lasting. Humpy not only made his mark with publicity, but also with a laser-focus toward the fans," the speedway continued. “He would often tell his staff to pay attention to 'the three Ts — tickets, traffic and toilets,' in order to ensure fans have the best possible experience. He would also say it was our job to put a little ‘technicolor in people’s black-and-white lives.’"

Wheeler retired from Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports in 2008 after a bitter falling out with Smith, but remained active in motorsports through his own consulting company and was on the voting panel for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Pat; daughters, Traci and Patti; son, Trip; and four grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending and the family request donations be made in Wheeler’s name to the Belmont Abbey College Motorsports Management Program, which Wheeler was instrumental in launching more than 20 years ago.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Kyle Busch, left, and H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, President of Lowe's Motor Speedway, chat prior to qualifying in Concord, N.C., May 26, 2005. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, file)

FILE - H.A. 'Humpy' Wheeler, right, president of Lowe's Motor Speedway smiles during a joint session of the General Assembly in the Senate Chamber May 10, 2005 in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, file)

FILE - Lowe's Motor Speedway president H.A. Humpy Wheeler talks to the media during the NASCAR Nextel Media Tour in Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 25, 2005. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, file)

FILE - Lowe's Motor Speedway President, H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler announced a record purse of $5,120,407 for the upcoming UAW-GM Quality 500 race weekend October 10-13 during a news conference Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2002 at the speedway in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Harold Hinson, file)

FILE - H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, pays up for being late to the news conference to announce the burnout contest that will be held during the pre-race show before the start of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race during a new conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway on April 22, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Rick Havner, FILE)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, despite a lower court's ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.

The state's Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts.

The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map that was put in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents comprise a majority or close to it.

Attorney General Steve Marshall told the court that the state did not intentionally discriminate against Black residents and should be allowed to hold elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges.

The appeal is the latest development in the fallout from last month's Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections.

The Alabama cases stretches back several years. The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. The court-selected map was used in 2024.

After the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map’s use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling.

In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama’s May 19 primaries, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey set new special primaries for Aug. 11 in four congressional districts affected by the map switch.

Upon further review, the judicial panel said it was standing behind its initial finding that there was “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination, a holding that was independent of and unaffected by the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act.

It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.

The use of the court-ordered map led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. State Republicans are seeking to use a map that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim the south Alabama seat.

The state is asking for Supreme Court action by Monday as it makes preparations for the special vote in August.

This story has been corrected to show the Alabama primaries were May 19, not May 11.

Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

FILE - Shomari Figures, who is running for Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

A statue titled the "Authority of Law" sits in front of the Supreme Court on Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)