Kirk Shelmerdine Explained

Kirk Shelmerdine
Birth Date:8 March 1958
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Achievements:1986, 1987, 1990, 1991 Winston Cup Series Champion (Crew Chief)2023 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee
Total Cup Races:26
Years In Cup:6
Best Cup Pos:47th (2004)
First Cup Race:1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400 (College Station)
Last Cup Race:2006 Pepsi 400 (Daytona)
Cup Wins:0
Cup Top Tens:0
Cup Poles:0
Total Busch Races:13
Years In Busch:4
Best Busch Pos:49th (1995)
First Busch Race:1994 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last Busch Race:2008 Camping World 300 (Daytona)
Busch Wins:0
Busch Top Tens:0
Busch Poles:0
Total Truck Races:2
Years In Truck:2
Best Truck Pos:79th (1995)
First Truck Race:1995 Pizza Plus 150 (Bristol)
Last Truck Race:1997 Virginia Is For Lovers 200 (Richmond)
Truck Wins:0
Truck Top Tens:0
Truck Poles:0
Updated:February 25, 2006
Birth Name:Edward Kirk Shelmerdine V

Edward Kirk Shelmerdine V (born March 8, 1958) is an American stock car racing driver and former championship-winning crew chief for Dale Earnhardt.

Crew chief

After spending his early NASCAR career as an engineer for Hylton Engineering, in 1984 he joined Richard Childress Racing to become the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt had 46 wins, 142 top 5 finishes, and 246 top 10 finishes with Shelmerdine en route to four championships in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991.[1] The pit crew won four consecutive Pit Crew Titles over the next eight years. His accomplishments include being the youngest crew chief to win a NASCAR race, and the youngest crew chief to win a Winston Cup championship. In 1992, he announced he was retiring from his crew chief duties, and embarked on a racing career on his own to pursue his dream of being a driver.[1]

Driving career begins

He started running in the ARCA series in 1993 where he has three career wins. He has since run in all the top levels in NASCAR. Shelmerdine has run a total of two Craftsman Truck Series races with a best finish of 17th at Bristol in 1995. He has also run 12 Busch Series races with a best finish of 17th in 1994 at Daytona for Levin Racing.

Cup driving career

Shelmerdine's NASCAR Winston Cup Series career actually started in 1981 in a race at College Station (Texas World Speedway, where owner/driver James Hylton brought out a 2nd car (No. 8) for Shelmerdine to drive. After two laps, he quit and finished 33rd of the 34 cars. His next start would come at Talladega Superspeedway in 1994 for Jimmy Means. Shelmerdine finished 26th in the No. 52 Ford. He started his own Cup team in 2002 and ran races at Talladega, Loudon and Pocono, but he was primarily a "field filler" driver.

2004 was a breakout year for Shelmerdine, as he attempted all 36 races as an owner,[1] 32 as a driver. As team owner he had other drivers fill in for him at selected tracks: Tom Hubert at Infineon and Watkins Glen, Brad Teague at the fall Bristol race, and Ted Christopher at the July Loudon race. Shelmerdine's best finish would be a 37th at Michigan while his car's best finish would be a 29th at Watkins Glen, with Hubert behind the wheel.

2005 was a step back. The team qualified for only three races (Infineon with Hubert, Loudon with Christopher, and Pocono with Shelmerdine). Shelmerdine finished 42nd in the Pocono race with heating conditions ending his day 192 laps short of the finish.

He started out 2006 on a better note. He was rolling his car on to his hauler after failing to qualify high enough in his qualifying race for the Daytona 500. A NASCAR official stopped him and informed him that he qualified for his first Daytona 500 by gaining the final spot with his qualifying speed. He finished in 20th place on the lead lap, the best finish of his Cup career. His performance gained media attention as he said if he did not qualify, he'd sell his race team because he was extremely low on money. He was using a motor from Richard Childress (in exchange for a displaying a sponsorship decal). His tires had been donated by a family of Dale Earnhardt fans. He had no full-time pit crew, only his loyal teammates such as Phil Harris, J.V. Daniels and a few others.

Shelmerdine's plans for the rest of 2006 were limited, however, he did race at Talladega. He qualified 22nd and was having a good run when he wrecked early in the race. Shelmerdine finished 40th. Since then, he has attempted to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 but failed to make the race after a qualifying crash, his next appearance was at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona where he made the show but fell out early and finished 43rd.

On December 22, 2006, the Federal Election Commission sent an "admonishment letter" to Shelmerdine as a response to him for running with a Bush/Cheney decal on his car in 2004.[2]

Shelmerdine drove the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 in the 2008 Daytona testing sessions and was to be entered in the 2008 Daytona 500. He attempted a number of races during the 2009 season after buying Toyotas from Bill Davis Racing. Shelmerdine used Tom Hubert for road courses and New England staple Ted Christopher for Loudon.

It was announced on August 26, 2010, that on September 14, 2010, the assets of Kirk Shelmerdine Racing were to be sold at Public Auction at the team's basis in Welcome, North Carolina. Shelmerdine stated the reason for the closure is lack of sponsorship and technology provided for independent teams.[3]

Personal life

Shelmerdine resides in Welcome, North Carolina, and is the father of two children.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (

Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536PtsRef
1981Richard Childress Racing8RSDDAYRCHCARATLBRINWSDARMARTALNSVDOVCLTTWS
RSDMCHDAYNSVPOCTALMCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARNWSCLTCARATLRSDNA0[4]
1994Jimmy Means Racing52FordDAYCARRCHATLDARBRINWSMARTAL
SONCLTDOVPOCMCHDAYNHAPOCTALINDGLNMCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARNWS66th85 [5]
53CLT
CARPHOATL
2002Hover Motorsports80FordDAY
CARLVSATLDARBRITEXMARTALCALRCHCLTDOVPOCMCHSONDAY73rd77[6]
Kirk Shelmerdine Racing72FordCHI
CLT
27NHA
POC
INDGLNMCHBRIDARRCHNHADOVKAN
TALMAR
ATLCARPHOHOM
2003Donlavey Racing90FordDAY
CARLVSATLDARBRITEXTALMARCALRCHCLTDOVPOCMCHSONDAYCHINHAPOCINDGLNMCHBRIDARRCHNHADOVTALKANCLTMARATLPHOCARHOMNA-[7]
2004Kirk Shelmerdine Racing72FordDAY
CAR
LVS
43		ATL
DAR
BRI
TEX
MAR
TAL
CAL
RCH
CLT
DOV
POC
MCH
43		SONDAY
CHI
NHAPOC
IND
GLNMCH
BRICAL
RCH
NHA
DOV
TAL
KAN
43		CLT
MAR
ATL
PHO
DAR
HOM
47th723[8]
200527DAY
CAL
LVS
ATL
BRIMAR
TEXPHOTALDARRCH
CLT
DOV
POC
MCHSONDAYCHINHAPOC
INDGLNMCHBRICALRCH
NHA
DOVTALKANCLTMARATLTEXPHOHOM84th37[9]
2006ChevyDAY
CALLVSATLBRIMARTEXPHOTAL
RCHDARCLT
DOVPOCMCHSONDAY
43		CHINHAPOCINDGLNMCHBRICALRCHNHADOVKANTAL
CLT
MARATL
TEXPHOHOM58th177[10]
2007DAY
CALLVSATLBRIMARTEXPHOTALRCHDARCLTDOVPOCMCHSONNHADAY
CHIINDPOCGLNMCHBRICALRCHNHADOVKANTALCLT
MARATLTEXPHOHOM73rd0[11]
200927ToyotaDAY
CALLVSATLBRIMARTEXPHOTALRCHDARCLTDOVPOCMCHSONNHADAYCHIINDPOCGLNMCHBRIATLRCHNHADOVKANCALCLTMARTALTEXPHOHOM82nd0[12]
Daytona 500
YearTeamManufacturerStartFinish
2002Hover Motorsportsalign=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQ
2003Donlavey RacingFordalign=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQ
2004Kirk Shelmerdine Racingalign=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQ
2005align=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQ
2006Chevy42align=center style="background:#DFFFDF;"20
2007align=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQ
2009Toyotaalign=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQ

Nationwide Series

NASCAR Nationwide Series results
YearTeamNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435PtsRef
1994Levin Racing19ChevyDAY
CAR
RCH
ATL
MARDARHCYBRIROUNHANZHCLTDOVMYBGLNMLWSBOTALHCYIRPMCHBRIDARRCHDOVCLTMARCAR59th361[13]
1995Beverley Racing25DAY
CAR
RCH
ATL
NSV
DAR
BRI
HCYNHANZHCLTDOVMYBGLNMLWTALSBOIRPMCHBRIDARRCHDOVCLTCARHOM49th562[14]
2002Jay Robinson Racing49FordDAY
CARLVSDARBRITEXNSHTALCALRCHNHANZHCLTDOVNSHKENMLWDAYCHIGTYPPRIRPMCHBRIDARRCHDOVKANCLTMEMATLCARPHOHOM110th70[15]
2008Jay Robinson Racing28ChevyDAY
CALLVSATLBRINSHTEXPHOMXCTALRCHDARCLTDOVNSHKENMLWNHADAYCHIGTYIRPCGVGLNMCHBRICALRCHDOVKANCLTMEMTEXPHOHOM122nd78 [16]

Craftsman Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627PtsRef
1995AAG Racing65ChevyPHOTUSSGSMMRPOREVGI70LVLBRI
MLWCNSHPTIRPFLMRCHMARNWSSONMMRPHO79th112[17]
1997Kenneth Appling Racing03ChevyWDWTUSHOMPHOPOREVGI70NHATEXBRINZHMLWLVLCNSHPTIRPFLMNSVGLNRCH
MAR
SONMMRCALPHOLVS124th71[18]
1998WDW
HOMPHOPOREVGI70GLNTEXBRIMLWNZHCALPPRIRPNHAFLMNSVHPTLVLRCHMEMGTYMARSONMMRPHOLVS126th25[19]

ARCA Re/Max Series

(key) (

Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Re/Max Series results
YearTeamNo.Make12345678910111213141516171819202122232425PtsRef
1993Kenneth Appling Racing98OldsDAY
FIFTWSTAL
KILCMSFRSTOLPOCMCH
FRSPOCKILISFDSFTOLSLMWINATL
50th-[20]
1994DAY
TALFIFLVLKILTOLFRSMCH
DMSPOCPOCKILFRSINFI70ISFDSFTOLSLMWINATL
75th690[21]
1996Kenneth Appling Racing98ChevyDAYATLSLMTALFIFLVLCLT
CLT
KILFRSPOCMCHFRSTOLPOCMCHINFSBSISFDSFKILSLMWINCLTATL119th-[22]
19973DAYATLSLMCLT
CLT
POCMCH
SBSTOLKILFRSMINPOCMCHDSFGTWSLMWINCLT
TALISFATL
50th-[23]
1998DAY
ATL
SLMCLT
MEMMCH
POC
SBSTOLPPRPOC
KILFRSISFATL
DSFSLMTEX
WINCLT
TAL
ATL
15th2175[24]
1999DAY
ATL
SLMANDCLT
MCH
POC
TOLSBSBLNPOC
KILFRSFLMISFWINDSFSLMCLT
TAL
ATL
28th1260[25]
2000DAY
5*		SLM
AND
CLT
KIL
FRS
MCH
POC
TOL
KEN
BLN15th2340[26]
Team CLR57FordPOC
WINISFKENDSFSLMCLT
TAL
ATL
2001DAY
NSHWINSLMGTYKENCLTKANMCHPOCMEMGLNKENMCHPOCNSHISFCHIDSFSLMTOLBLNCLTTALATL105th240[27]
2003Hylton Motorsports48FordDAYATLNSHSLMTOLKENCLTBLNKANMCHLERPOCPOCNSHISFWINDSFCHISLMTALCLT
SBO
60th510[28]
2008Kirk Shelmerdine Racing27ChevyDAY
SLMIOWKANCARKENTOLPOCMCHCAYKENBLNPOCNSHISFDSFCHISLMNJETALTOL149th60[29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shelmerdine doing 'what can't be done'. Bonkowski. Jerry. April 13, 2004. ESPN. 2013-02-28.
  2. Web site: FEC COMPLETES ACTION ON TWO ENFORCEMENT CASES. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070204090211/http://www.fec.gov/press/press2006/20061222mur.html. 2007-02-04.
  3. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine's Fire Sale Symbolic of Death of NASCAR Independents. Buchanan. Mary Jo. August 27, 2010. Bleacher Report. Turner Sports. 2013-02-28.
  4. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  5. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  6. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  7. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  8. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  9. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  10. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  11. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  12. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  13. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1994 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  14. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1995 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  15. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2002 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  16. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  17. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  18. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  19. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 16, 2015.
  20. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1993 ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  21. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1994 ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  22. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1996 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  23. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1997 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  24. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1998 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  25. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 1999 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  26. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2000 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  27. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2001 ARCA Re/Max Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  28. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2003 ARCA Re/Max Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.
  29. Web site: Kirk Shelmerdine – 2008 ARCA Re/Max Series Results. Racing-Reference. September 22, 2015.

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