VINTAGE NASCAR OWNERS: Junie Donlavey

By Splash&Go | Jan 28, 2025
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Junie Donlavey is a former Nascar Cup Series team owner, who competed from 1950-2004. Throughout his team, Donlavey Racing's existence 67 different drivers at least made one start for the team. They only found victory lane in a Cup Series points race one time, in 1981 when Jody Ridley won the Mason Dixon 500 at Dover. Three different drivers won Rookie of the Year honors driving for Donlavey. Bill Dennis in 1970, Jody Ridley in 1980 and Ken Schrader in 1985. Some other well known drivers who spent time behind the wheel of one of the teams racecars, were Dick Trickle, Hut Stricklin, Buddy Baker, Dick Brooks, Ricky Rudd just to name a few.


As the sport continued to expand, through the 1980s, Donlavey Racing went from a perennial top 10 team, to another also ran small single car operation. By the turn of the century, the team was on its last leg. Being dealt the essential death blow when driver Rick Mast was diagnosed with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, forcing him to retire. Meaning the team's final somewhat steady primary sponsor was gone because they were tied to Mast. Donlavey Racing attempted its final two Cup Series races in 2004, before shutting it's doors for good following the season.


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