Paul Goldsmith, an iconic figure in American stock car racing, has died. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway confirmed Goldsmith’s death on Friday. He was 98.
Goldsmith was born in West Virginia. After initially racing motorcycles, he eventually made the switch to auto racing, but he had success in both domains.
Goldsmith finished in first place in the Daytona 200 motorcycles race in 1953.
He is credited with five American Motorcyclist Association wins during his time as a professional motorcycle competitor.
Goldsmith then moved over to the auto racing side in 1956, when he entered his first NASCAR races.
He went on to earn nine wins and eight pole positions in the NASCAR Grand National Series, which is now known as the NASCAR Cup Series.
Goldsmith will also be remembered for being the final winner of the NASCAR premier-series race on the seminal Daytona Beach and road course in 1958.
His success was largely tied to two legendary car owners, Smokey Yunick and Ray Nichels.
Originally, Busch was going to be a highlight of the upcoming event organized by Triple Eight and Supercars, alongside the Adelaide event organizers.
The announcement of his withdrawal came just days before the official event reveal this weekend.
Fans had eagerly anticipated watching Busch challenge the competitive field of Supercars—a contrast to his usual NASCAR rivals.
The backstory of Kyle Busch’s involvement traces to last year’s Adelaide 500.
The idea of him joining the league first came to light during discussions with his NASCAR team boss, Richard Childress, aiming to sharpen Busch’s skills on road courses.
