Charles William Rush, Sr

Born in Callison, July 6, 1922, he was a son of the late James Thomas and Tempie Luvenia Deal Rush. Owner and operator of Radiator Specialty Company for 50 years, he was one of the “pioneers” of stockcar racing. He was a NASCAR driver in the beginning days of the organization. For over 12 years, Charlie “The Charger” raced at tracks across the Southeast. He raced at the inaugural race of the Greenville-Pickens Speedway as well as the first race at Darlington International Speedway. He competed in races on Daytona Beach before Daytona Speedway was constructed. Other tracks on which he competed were Greenwood Fairgrounds Speedway, Peach Bowl Raceway (Atlanta), Gastonia Speedway, Lakewood Speedway (Charlotte), Jacksonville Speedway and many others. In 1948 he set the South Carolina record for the fastest speed on a ½ mile dirt track at Costal Speedway in North Charleston. He raced with drivers such as Lee Petty, Buck Baker, “Fireball” Roberts, J.B. Day, Curtis Turner, Bob Flock, Fonty Flock, Tim Flock, “Cotton” Owens, “Wild Bill (TM) Snowden, Buddy Shuman, Red Byron, Eddie Samples and many others. Highlights of his career are included in From the Cotton Patch to the Race Track and Legends of the Dirt Tracks. He was a member of the Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association and was of the Methodist faith. He was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years Carolyn Adams Rush.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 5 2023, 16:12:09 UTC