LW Wright – Story of the DB Cooper of Nascar Drivers

09-07-21

Episode Transcription

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Hey Man: what's up Buckaroo, okay, big cat, HMM, baby boy, all right pal, have you ever heard of Palo Er? You know I do a time. Alistenin Pale Pales. Tarin! Have you have you thought I was so us go ahead? I've ever heard of L, W right, l right, yeah, www right. No, I've heard a lot from now that be wrong. Oh my God, no is pretty. You know we're getting started who's out, though you're right is, it in t writes brother. No, they is. They just gave their kids initials yeah. They actually don't have a no. It doesn't stay. Breathing yeah, it's just just NT and L, L W yeah, that's! Actually it's spelled. El Dub Ya, O Okkak Il Dibe should to entee, and you should name your kid. An JUSEF. Do we start an x fl up an as color but a cavado man. We just I'll, tell you what we get out there. We go fast, all right, they're, coming up to the fourth turn they're going to have the parallel park here. There's no real mirrors! The bears are just stick a subway advertisements. It's really hard to get parallel park with a subway advertisement: Things: okay, l, W right a stone; okay, he is as wikipedia describes him and unidentified. This description is great and unidentified American confidence. trickster. Okay, so is l w right just like a name that we've given him or is that someone he went by that's something he went by Okay and so apparently a confidence trick. Trickster is the Ron man yeah a long term, confiant form yeah man. Conman stands for confidence, man, yeah confidence, trickster confidence, trickster man, a stem, I'm from C F, man or C t most as our conference, frank ter man, thanks frick, sure, yeah. So a c t man, let's see Tad Conde, Yeh Kin, a you think about how many words we use. I was thinking about email, the other day, yeah email. So many kids don't even know that male is real o like a what do you think about it? Why do we have mailboxes on our house? We go but email I mean there's children who don't know you know Santa takes email. Now he does. He really yeah he's had for a long time. Sant at San a dot sat g male, oh, he doesn't have his own. Actually, in a thirteen, a g mail, he didn't get to a fascinate other ones. No, but I was even thinking about like car were for a harage. Oh really, that's insane! How dumb you are! Oh, my gosh things you learn this morning. So I'll be right. He's a confidence. trickster you tonto use a Waki just say con man, I would say: Comin is trickster forever in just wondering. If it was like a DB cooper situation, it actually is they refer to him kid you not as the DB Cooper of NASCAR shut up. I am call me: L W INTRIGUE NASCA AS car the DB COOPER OF NASCAR this guy in one thousand nine hundred and eighty two just decided, you know what I'm going to race in the Winston five hundred at the Talladega Talladega Talladega superspeedway, and never raced before I'm assuming well. It doesn't seem like it that when you watch how he did, it doesn't seem like he knew what he was doing he might have, but it's kind of like that Olympic race, where all the girls didn't hand off the baton. Very well yeah, you know their Olympians, but it didn't seem like it seem like it yeah yeah. Maybe that was L, L W. I ha to what you're saying W, like he's: George, all right old deb. So in one thousand, nine hundred and eighty two seemingly out of nowhere, yeah in Henderson, Ville Tennessee, guided by the name of William dunaway contacts, Nashville newspaper to promote a driver named L, W Wright, and he tells them that he is entering the Winston five hundred with the name music city racing because he's from Nashvill Nashville, yeah yeah, and he says that he's very excited for it, because he's started in forty three Nascar Bush, Grand National Series Races and he is sponsored and again this is a time when it's pretty hard. You can't just google that it's true, you know it's true, so I feel like I and again. This is something we've talked about before about. I wish I could just disappear. Sometimes you know I missed. That was the opportunity to. I also missed the opportunity to catfish society, O no socie really good. I mean you could get away with a lot, because now someone googles you, you know I watched an interview with some of the guys who were so o they're gonna find a lot of stuff from high school like that is hair band hair air band. Can an hair air band yeah yeah yeah and that's embarrassing for you not really you can't I'm pretty proud of that. I actually showed somebody that, like not it's a back on your phone, I was I like Heyeh. is you sure I tend person you met a coffee show you're waiting in line yeah. My name is Tim, but also I don't know you know. I don't know what your days looking like, but I think I did so. I did like over ten years ago, but it's the peak of my life and now yeah. I have vered yeah yeah yeah that a that they didn't. Compare, though those are girls, jeans, I'm wearing you'll notice anyways. So so it's ironic. You said that because I watched an interview with some of the guys that were involved in like the holding this off in Nas car at the time, so they were like that. A CAR START I don't know hold on the MEPAL. Should we start an x fl of the NASCAR, where, like Mascari, very especial and then you just go, go to be xl. I think right extreme call league, I don't know we're getting there, you know, but I mean where it's just like the. I guess it's a demolition Derby, but it's just kind of like it rules. Don't they exist now it's football with cars. I know that I know that these exist because I've gone to them like a local races and stuff yeah, but I want to televised yeah, that's fair. I want a hard jumping off the high ropes. You know, I don't think. Okay anyways NASCAR was founded in one thousand nine hundred and firty eight, Oh okay. Yes, it's been around for a while, and so the interview I watched was some of the like elder statesmen of Nascar, like they were the people who were running nascar like the commissioners and stuff. I imagine they have like, like real fix of Vana Georgia accent, you know for a fact they do and there was a guy who he kept record of the races of the all of all of NASCAR. Okay and he was his job or this is what he did he was supposed to for it's just what he did. There's a difference, and you know it you know it's like. Was this man commissioned and paid by NASCAR or is he is weird now he was commissioned and paid? He was the guy who can at he's got a spiral. Note Book Lo ruled literally he pulls out a binder. Is a black three ring binder super thick, we're wearing white gloves. He doesn't touch if he's not wear his gloves and he pulls it open both hands skin scrolls through like a slow badger as B right. Why does he make that noise? It's gethite glove? Oh, no! No! He goes for his well. Let me check the let me check the band because I've kept a ready, TAK, the catalog I've cat, the record since we started NASCAR and he opens it and he was Ah aw right. That's you're, just like dude. What is your e? You know and off camera he's. Just like hey thanks, so much fetters me. I really do it. Thank you! Yeah! That's cool! We like the touch of the binder yone of these gloves out here. I have. I have your Salus. You want to touch. My binder just holds it out, you can I mean you can flip through it. If you want he look at was now. I think we're we're good. Okay, thanks, you wasn't supposed to be in the dear anyways. He was like he's a yeah he's like so my job. What I would do is he's a mass car restorium. He would pull his his to the page in the binder for that race and then he would call the people who ran that race the day after the race, and he would ask them to tell them the stats of the race, and so he could put everybody in their placing andd their speed, whatever whatever stats they kept, and he said he said you would not believe how many times I will call these people who ran these NASCAR races and ask them for staff, so they'd be like I don't know, and we just would not have you raised yesterday h. This is what's his name, we know cesil Hi. This is Cecil with NASCAR. I just wonder what your stats from yesterday were and then guys like well heck. If I no man, we just I'll, tell you what we get out there, we go fast iteas, just like I don't know, may we get out there go fast. The men are just who they're supposed to be. You know I mean what I hard data they're supposed to be yeah, I'm just I'm more concerned with these men become the men they been they're meant to be I'm putting the men in mint. You know I'm saying like you are meant for this all right anyway, thanks have have a good day he's a a I don't have nothing to put in the bonder yeah and so he's like he's like honestly, we have a lot of blank pages yeah I records, which is a perfect for l right because he will fill them in yeah and so he'll call me that was me so yeah. So he said he claimed was in forty three races and he was like he's like yeah he's, like I remember after everything happened with l o to be right, looking back through our records and not being able to find them but being like well just because I can't find them, but could in a little bit that's the key to a good lie. Is the plausibility yeah exactly and it was plausible, with NASCAR here's, here's the part that wasn't plausible in that. In that newspaper Article Yeah, I claimed I forty three races but also said that he was going to be sponsored by country, music, stars, Merle, haggard and T G shepherd who did not sponsor him and immediately their representatives called then in they were like hey, hey, no, listen. PG Shepherd would like his full name removed from his article in one of you bother Rom. It's Te Ge Shepherd. If we see one, if we see if we see one more publication with two more dots, I swear we're gonna we're going to lose it we're going to sue you we're going to we're going to sue you and so all of a sudden he gets on a local notoriety everyone, as the guy's name. He City took out the Ad William, a guy by the name of William Dunaway, okay, and so do we think. That's all though you're right is supposedly his manager manager yeah. But I don't know how do you go to manager as a mass car driver? You called the guy with the book. The binder you say: Hey. Has there any managers at? Let me check my bind and he's like this. I can't seem to find my gloves. I S Open it low. I can't open it without putting my cellos like William Dunway has at least two other drivers he's representing represent presentative yeah. I got you so he made me answeer a you okay, so he goes on and he finds a guy in Nashville who runs a marketing agency called space age marketing. The guy's name is okay. The guy's name is B Turel. There are always people, man, Bee Dub, Ya, Correll, Terela B, W trel runs a company CON Space Age Marketing. Should we go by our initials? Is that the thing to do yeah? If you want to lie? Well, you went by your initials for a long time for such a long J. I was thinking about that. Yes, Sur, that's dumb! Oh My. You know, that's like where you know like you know, mine at least sounds like an author. WHAT JK Myers yeah I sound like I write a still sounds like an author. I guess I won't think that, because Jake rolling but yeah JK Myers sounds like I wright medieval fiction literally any you, but I don't. I I fiction M. it's pretty pretty great t tell you about the the starbucks employee who sent me her erotic novel. Oh, I think you did. I was Yeatton comfy in the. I only knew her for like two weeks and then she was like she, your comedian, I'm also an artist as sure of how the interaction went and she was like. I write novels. Don't laugh at them, though, and I said send it send it to me and then she did and I and you said to Brak that yeah it was detailed. You forwarded it to her and said. I think you should keep this and I forward to her and said Ello I'll. Look at this responded inside apes meant for TJ stone, I'm sorry, okay, okay, so e Jay stone a will. I love tilling podcast and want to support the show. Well, you can support us by buying till an podcast march and wearing it out in the wild. We have teas hoodies, shirts and so much more in our merch store. We also have exclusive march for every single episode, but those are limited so make sure you get him. While you can text till in to six six, eight six, six to support the show. Thank you so much so he goes to w t relacing an actual sponsor yeah and here's the thing about as car. At the time like most things in the S, it was blowing up yeah and much. How much does it cost to sponsor someone in the NAS car? I don't know how much it cost spots all it you had, you had you had to purchase a car right, you had to pay a team and you had to pay for the license to get into the NASCAR and then expenses to get there. So it was pretty expensive yeah. He gets thirty Sandolas from W T rel, as I go start up, yeah from that advertisement from Yeah Space Age, marketing really from B Trot not from his company as an investment, pretty much for the possibility of music city racing being successful. Okay, and so he ends up giving him the money he goes and he buys a Monica from an esteemed nascar driver named Sterling Marlin, and so at what point did they change to the NAS cars? We know now you know talking about what do you mean like the fiberglass top like the NAS cars that we know now where they ever were they racing with real cars? At one point I mean yeah yeah, I mean I know. They're racing were real cars now I know they're real, but I mean like video games they're not like like they're, not like cars. You know exactly what I mean. I know what you mean, I'm I'm imagine red light and you look next to you and there is a nascar hold on. Oh okay. This is great. I'm on Cora when did NASCAR, stop using real cars and start using shells that look like carse. That's that's the question yeah and this guy commented the entire history of NASCAR. Oh well. I don't want to know from there. I want to know from kited a okay. Well Wikipedia doesn't say well I mean I'm sure it does on as cars actual page. It doesn't on the n right page, okay, I'll D, be right and do you're right. Let's at least start car racing cut, see because I know they're called like cars. Well, no, I think they still call him Marty Carlos. Did they really yeah? They don't look like it. I am aware, that's what I'm saying Tim. We you and I same page you and I were looking at the binder right now. You and I are on the same page of this binder. Okay, I'm just asking a side question: Don't let me side track you? You know, okay, how about you get back on the track, yeah, what you get back out there. I was sorry side. So sorry for me, Sorr for me trying to paste car you you know getting over this. So still I try to make a little pit stop. Sterling Marlin was a like esteem. Racer. His Dad was a really big. Have a lot of records and sterling Marlin would eventually go on to win Talladega a couple times. Okay, he sells him this car for twenty Thousan dollars, which w pays for seventeen Zadas in cash and then pays a three give m a three thousand dollar check, which probably doesn't clear, and so someone gives you a part in cash, and I, like I'm gonna rea the rest in a check. You can assume that that cash is what you're getting yeah it sterling mine right off. The Bat said he was suspicious of the excessively high money spending from B right. He didn't even negotiate. I told him twentyone and he was like okay, but Marlin was he was suspicious of him, but he said you know what I got to see this, and so he signs on to be his crew chief is a Gatala he's like yeah I'm going to go, I'm going to be a part of this yeah. Oh I've absolutely do that, and so he ends up buying new tires from good year parts from Travis Tiller, which is, I guess, another supplier and then raising jackets from Southern Tech, Tat Textile Association. They bought all the right stuff, yeah they're, buying all the stuff that they need he's got a racing jacket is the most important. That's the most important part, the racing jacket, so L B right goes on to enter into the the Talladega Race C, and you have to do in weenter to iges it's different today. So is it because it's available you're right this? I don't think so. Okay! Well, I think, probably maybe I don't think it's totally, but I think it's one of those things where it's like remember this guy and this guy, Oh and law. I think it was one of those things it's like. We should set some pre. We should like make some rules here, yeah. So at the time you just had to get a special license, which you just would have to pay Nasar for was how you can ye at yeah, and so he bought the special license. You know a a parallel park on the track Ye. I take you out there. They make sure that you use your turn signals and you gotta. You know I did really great on the cornering and the passing, and then it was that parallel park. I really got me because you do that a lot in the race. I mean a lot all right. They're, coming up to the fourth turn they're going to have to parallel park here. Can they do it? You know? Jim They used to be is better whether he's in real cars. Now there using these fake cars is a lot harder. There's no real mirrors. The meres are just stickerare subway advertisements. It's really hard to get parallel park with a subway advertisement, that's good! So they he goes to this. He buys the license. Yeah goes to the qualifying race and in the Cosso he did all this with thirty thousand yeah thirty sand, dollar, okay, and so two thirds of it goes for the car. Yes exactly, okay, and so he goes. He goes to the qualifying race, and this was a significant race, because in the same race the record was actually broken for fastest, like qualifying race, speed, which was two hundred miles an hour, and so w right seems a little nervous at this yeah qualifying race and he sucesos like what's wrong, and now he was like is like you've done this. I mean at least forty three times for right he's like He. Well, I be it a real person yeah. This is a real guy, and so L W is talking to his crew chief and sterling man and he's Marlin recounted after the fact he's like he's like yeah, you know the questions he was acting or he was asking me made. It seem like he really was the kind of person who didn't know what was going on: okay, just a bigger the right ones, the gas and the left. One O the break, like the direct quote was he didn't seem like someone who knew what was going to do and when I go on the track, it's only left her just left a bunch right like does it, and this is a serious question. I know it's not really relevant to this moment right now, but does this car turn right? Can I I I the ability to a t? What happens an I go right? Does the Sepelit? What's the blue to situation hello, does it take the AC to kick in pated seats yea? I try to be picky, but I just want to know what options I'm getting is there? Is there a version with he is about this or what's the cash price here? What's the get hey cup holder how, but because I brought this big goal, but I I want to make the big gold. I got a big Gulp at the big gold and a five dollar footlong from some one on the brow sponsors and this new album from TV shepherds. When I look box, when I look behind me, all I see is subway because they're propelling me forward subway, you know as fast race fans. Their first t again is the goal to win. Is the goal to go faster than everyone else? What's the? What are we doing? He is. It was like golf who you want to be the lowest speed. This is, it seems, like he doesn't know. What's going on, I feel like when you show up to a race. It's pretty obvious, that's what I confused by it's kind of like yeah, it's a race. You know you just beat them Yeuten, you drive, you beat them yeah, I'm assuming gets like technical questions, I'm assuming he's asking technik he's really prepared for the raise to like he didn't. You know, he's not hydrating he's just drinking ro, eggs and whiskey. You Know Bourbon or whatever was yeah. I read on the Internet, it's good for racing, yeah when's, the NAP. When do we get to say the net? Is that your three laps is hey? So how do I pass the baton in here? This seems ITARE. You gonna take this or what we shwe have to try to get into an NASCAR race. I just feel like we've got to do it, so he ends up qualifying he qualified thirty six, which is pretty crazy because he crashed in the race yeah. It seems like everyone's going to qualify as we e they could take forty people in thirty eight signed up, so s kind, O, like I mean they could take thirty, nine and somehow three other people qualified after him. I was slower times than he did, even though he crafted, he literally had to crash stilling how to come and fix his car, like on the side of the track, and he had to re, enter on the side of the track. Yeah. Well I mean they pulled it off, you know and he fixed it and then he kept going and he qualified thirty six for the freaking Talladega Nights, that's what the race is called. The official name is Talde. We've been Talladega, we have yeah. So as l that's hollow Greyhound for L Chikor shoes off, we did we did we pour gloves before we step into the air. We have to put gloves out into the park attend, it was like y'all got to pay for parking and we feel like a re, Goin, a God, yea yea. He like you guys, can go inside. You can keep the glove you can, you can go inside, it cost twelve dor to park, and then you got to pay twenty five ar a mission to get into the museum over here, and we were like a a like that we're just here to try to qualify. We in my Honda inside fication track there, a hybrid race, so race day comes okay for Talladega for Talladega how it? How much time is time? How much time is between qualifying and Talladega? Did he have time to figure out what a race was? I assume he had ample time to ask more questions, okay and make his really strategize and more nervous. I don't know what it is. What did the captains think after the qualifying race, so they're like we're, going to go, tell a day go. Guess we made it. I guess women you're going to pass the opportunity. I guess yeah you're, like I mean this guy's got to kill himself but we're here. So this is cool yeah, I'm running the car yeah, and so so they end up going in, and race starts off. Just fine do you get paid if you qualify, you get paid based on your position in the race yeah. I guess I don't know how much money's in this I know there's a lot I mean there is. I think there is a lot o o Ficino now than there was then okay. I think this is the big. This is a big race, though so there's is a lot in this race ye back then, and so he starts the race and here's the thing about w that I don't know if we discussed yet he didn't know how to what he was doing had no idea what he's doin. So I had never driven a car before sterling was talking about it and was like you know we talked about this before, but he just would peddle to the metal the whole race. How fast can he go now? I don't know now. I know at the time so that Sweeta was two hundred miles an hour, so the slowest car that qualified was a hundred and eighty six pounds an hour m at that race at that time, but today they go fast. HOW FAST DOES TO CAR FAN hands? Dude that are just like. When you do, I mean you can hear it. You Got Thunder, fingers thunder tips, yeah, that's what they call my you bailed out of that so fast yeah, that's what they call my yeah and you just thought it was going to trail off into nothing we're doing a podcast. That's the point o the worth. It is just people. I listen to this episode. Okay, so two hundred miles an hour still: okay, okay, so it was just still fast yeah. It is pretty Dang fast anyways. So so he goes in this race and his thing was: he just would peddle to the medal the whole time, and I I as a supposed to do to I'm not faulting him for that still they was like. So I was like you can't. You can't do that, and so he ends up blowing his engine after thirteen laps. You can't Peeralee al the whole time now. Yeah you have to you have to paste that engine and why, like I don't know, I'm not a NASCAR driver, I would have. If I was talking to storthing about racing, he would say this guy seems like a guy who doesn't know what's going on, okay, which was the same thing for l right. So a what you're saying is when I'm doing go cart tracks. I should not pedal the metal the whole time. Apparently apparently, because you could buy your engine or I think it has something to do with shifting. I think we, I think it's because they weren't automatic. You want to go carding. How do you ask that you know I don't want to say: Go, go carding because that sounds got a different thing: get to go! Go carts soup with a rose and stuff. So do you want to go carting after this I mean. where? Is there a go car trying to e? Go Google it okay, cool! Let's go! Go! Let's go google cart. Let's Google go cardin, let's go. Google go go cards all right. I want to race, okay, let's at port race, if we can't find go, cars will foot race. If I would like Er de go cart and I will foot race you and then I'll see we'll see who puts Peteon the metal. You know I'm saying yeah so we're here to use your go cards, but only he is going to do it. Jara's heart exploded episode to you life. You got to paste that stuff. You know you gotta. You really got to pace it. You know. So we can't let you just run next to the goat card on the track. Well, it's or catch me like O. don't let me do it, I'M gonna! It is gonna Chase. You rathines run around your go cart track! No, I'm just going to hop the fence and do it. Oh, my gosh, like a stranger, what do you think I hae fully yeah but like a stricker yeah, I use the word like do you think? Does that happen at NASCAR THE PEOPLE SRA? No, absolutely on obliterated. My car going two hundred miles an hour with the upside. You don't have to look both ways. You know you can nowhere. It's going, probably that but they're fast, really fat. Actually, I did watch a whole video about how angled the drake like burms the burns yeah, is that what they're called yeah? Okay? That sounds like a slang term for the suburbs. Now the burn burbs, I know- but I say anyway, they're very they're, like I mean what thirty six degree angle, that's insane yeah, they're more angle than your butt. Sorry, it's IT WEIRD! Okay, you know at Tillin we're not just a PODCAST, we're a ministry and our hope is to continue to reach more people with the light and the joy of the Lord, because I remember at the center of all this, the core of who we are. Our main objective is to fiddle off the devil. If you want to help support us in that ministry, please join us on patron. We will get at free episodes, exclusive merchandise, a discord channel or we can discuss everything you want to talk about your dreams, your ideas, your problems, text till into six, six, eight! Six! Six! Do you feel that relief anyway? Here's another advertisement, so he finishes the race in thirty ninth place, which is last Talladega, yeah, okay, because I he blows into it and he recees a prize of fifteen hundred forty five dollars. So rickie made some of his money back as a little bit of his money back. Here's what's interesting, didn't get any points in the cut because he was a late entry to the. How much the first place got a say. It doesn't say in this one I'll. Look it up! You got to anticipate my questions. I don't stop that you're going to bring my scream. What are the payouts for Nasca sound like we're doing fully for a civil war film, so on average the winner takes home. Forty seven thousand dollars peras Oh wow, while the loser makes close to eight thousand. THAT'S NOT CURRENT! These days! No! That's car! Oh, that's current per race, forty, seven thousand, for how many times do Nascar people race a year hold on look at us doing just research on the fly. We need a research in turn if you're interested in applying for that get a life dude a well. You can't pay you all right. I find some friends. Don't try to be our research in turn. Do something better with your life. If I said that- and you were like, I would love to do that you're a problem. Not You have a problem. You are a problem. Go ahead! It's a thirty six race season, Oh wow! So if you win every one of them yeah, but I mean the odds of you winning every single one, but I mean elorn e h, loser last place. It said to makes takes eight thousand. So Oh yeah, even if you lose every single one ease you make more money than probably I m time. Thirty six, we Alan my goat, where's that calendar APP. It is two hundred and eighty eight. You got to pay your team out of that trail. You know pretty good mate if you er have a team, that's why you losing. Can we qualify? I mean I, how hard is it o as we need to tell the story about L B right? Sorry, I ter be right, I'm just trying to think of side hustles. He gets fifteen hundred, a yeah on the weekends, no weekends Monday through Wednesday, a door dash and then on the weekends, I'm a NASCAR driver, but like not a good one, you litigation and so the whole week I pet, the metal. You know I'm saying my doors I take the I put the Dash in door dash and then I use that same car. What, if your delivering door as in a Nascanora ion, yet they should hey we're a. We are an AV, we're a media company. Now, just so you know so NASCAR. If you see this, which I doubt you will but were to as much more likely you'll see this. If you see this hey, listen, we got some ideas were ready to race. I want to go fast, okay, so he literally loses he loses crashes. The car his team is pulling the car off the off the track by heaven afford a tow truck. He goes and picks up his prize money from the prize a deck. I don't know where that and I pieces out literally gets in the team, semi and just leaves and what he drives it yeah it on les lows the egeon miles down highway. He pieces out, you don't know, drive anything he pieces out and nobody ever finds them again literally disappears off the face of the earth. It doesn't sound like a good con that it just sounds like he lost a lot of money and then drove a semi off a cliff is a con. I think this is a sad man. Here's what happened is what happened? Okay, so after this he disappears and then a bunch of people started realizing the checks he gave them were bouncing, obviously, and so his landlord he hadn't, accept checks. His landlord had forty five hundred dollars worth of bad checks from l right. There was ten thousand dollars that he owned, the United Trappers Marketing Association, which I don't know where that came rapidly yeah. I don't know where that came into play. How much did you owe ten thousand dollars for all the traps he was said and so the check that he paid the last half for his car set out page out the street trying to catch a car. He said I could spend ten dollar on traps or I could pen tar in a car I'm going to trap a car trop a car. No, he doesn't know what he did was he bought were of those like those the boots car bets, so booting people's cars. s like that one looks like on a the cars. While they drove by a go fast. That'll go really fast. He thought they were like poke alls. He would just throw him that car at the Otto catch em all that's how I do it, so he h he disappears and then the Nascar South Central Bell, which was a att company all of the good year, Tires Travis Tiller, southern Textile Association and Sterling Marlin. They all had checks bounce from him, totalling like a gosh like forty thousand dollars worth of bounce checks, so he gets multiple warrants, our that for fifteen hundred dollars. He made the money though he made the money, and so he gets all these warns out for his rest and people start looking for him. Stilling Marlin is trying to find them, but the person who wants to find him the most is the guy from space age, marketing B, W T el because he's like I invested thirtys in this Guy Yeah and he sucked, and he wasn't who he said he was. He didn't raise in no forty three races because then B, W trel hires a private investigator to find this guy, which is the guy from knives out he's like. I Want my money back, I I'll find your mom and so he's like his sons. I find this man's Glosson and a higher Pi to figure out the results, the races well, I'm doing a documentary next week and I can't seem to find my glut. That's all right. Mister historian man. They both have the same accents. I find you and then they're just searching around his two bedroom house. I know there are bigger cases, but this man can't find his loves trying to find just it's interesting, because the carpets brown on the whole hat, like the white gloves you'd, think, would stick out stand out. Yeah they did it, but that Pi described later we say this man did not seem to know what he was doing. The Pepe, all of our podcast, with you says well, is es guys, do not seem to know what they're doing so so the Pi goes and he talks to all the all the racers from those forty three races. He was supposed. Oh and all the racers are like yeah. We don't know that guy pretty sure he wasn't a racer and so that a racers talk are they cool the was like yeah they're, smoking, OBIS, the is the so yeah I don't know. I don't know yeah, no, a little more southern. Oh I don't know, I don't know, I don't know that's to something like its cool southern drop out. Southern Heck. If I know there you go there, it is. Is there it is hey, we should go a movie you're, a good director as all right. We see how we just got into character. Just it is there okay, so the Pi am I going to catch whatever your hands got. We just when you touch a yeah, you will actually is. The Pi ends up basically come to the conclusion that L W right doesn't exist on account of the fact that he doesn't there's no record of anybody need named L, W right living in Nashville or ever just kidding, but not living in Nashville, where he claimed he lived, okay and so they're pretty sure he was working on her now alias and they try to contact all to again. It's pretty easy to just like just disappear or go by a fake name at that time, because I mean like I was surprised with the you know- er like so many documentary but the Ted Bundy stuff, but the fact that he can just disappear to like a county twenty miles down the road and then nobody know Evan just be fine like that. The states is no. I miss it Huh, but where the story kind of went from like crazy to crazy was when a few months after the race everybody's looking for him, nobody can find them. He's got all these bounce checks. All these worn out for s arrest. He ends up. Jumping his car like out of an airplane over South Entra Washington, it spilling money, and I was ten to go different. I was going to go a different route, I'm glad you went B Cooper. I was going to go, haven't heard from him in so long and then in the deserts of New Mexico, there's a police officer at night and a car speeds by on to Er mo he takes off on the road after him and then he's he's on the radio. You know he's o the radio call in dispatches like this patch. I think I got La. I got all o yeah and they were like who- and I was like music excuse me- don't you watch NASCAR. This is lanny and here, like yeah, ever actually, ninety eight. This is true. This is a true Tad. Ninety eight percent of NASCAR fans are named long. That's like a common thing for that demographic. So here's the thing the theories I ever say he did this for fifteen hundred dollars. It doesn't make sense to me. Here's the here's, the problem yeah. The motivation doesn't make sense right if it was like, if it's seven hundred thousand great thusness connection of who he is, do you just want to race or car the theory? It doesn't make sense because here's a thing it couldn't have been on order. A fifteen hundred bucks. Let's be critical about this race. Don't you share your critical race theory? What's that yeah? I do believe in CRT. Let me tell you about we talking about O that you're right all right. I don't know why this is so controversial. Here's the theories he could have been doing this for one of three real reasons: Right: money, okay, the fifteen hundred L- I don't think so. The Thrill, I guess he made out with the other fifteen sand. He didn't make out with it. But you know I'm talking about he's. I mean some! Yes, it not even because he's spent it he spent on all of it. Well, he spent seventeen sandolas in cash yeah, but at least I mean that leaves thirteen grand he's De Les Than Fifteen hundred. You know that least fourteen five, forty that was just a money can then he would have took the money from space, age, marketing and just pieced out after that. That is true like. Why would you go risk your life as you want to Ras car it when you can just be like? I just t now? Are they risking our lives there? I heroes they're, putting their lives on the eve his life. You know, that's a documentary, though they put in their lines on the finish, the other possibility is, it was for the thrill, which is yeah. I mean that that sounds way more legitimate, because one you get the Racer Carl Yeah and you got to drive a semi who doesn't want to do o those things things. So those are the two. That's the one, that's the most believable to me, the other. The other theory that's been proposed is that it was like almost like a bar bet that, like he was hanging out with friends and someone's like you couldn't make it in a NASCAR is like yeah. I could and then this is him going to make it an asker here's. The problem, though, nobody's ever found them. You would think I was a bar bat yeah. He he would have been proud ag about it, and somebody would find him after that yeah, but I mean well then think about what happens. Is You do this elaborate thing yeah and then you get warrants for your arrest. I suppose, and that's where you go, I can't talk about it. May She may Ma, like my he probably tells his friends and stuff, but at the end of the day it's kind of like I don want to get unrested he's an NDA. Let me tell you the coolest thing: I ever did here's a non disclosure agreement, here's an ND agreement and I'm El de I'm l w right and DP Cooper. HERE'S AN IN DE AGREE! Are you saying indie indeed, as independent the Greement, that independent NDA yeah is ind Agne in signed by my lawyer from Indianapolis? It is an in the indie Ta and we're gonna sign it in Delaware. In D, Oh, my gosh, I was in North Dakota. It also works of a stretch, okay and I'm a medical doctor, so it is an Indie in the DA signed, an ind by an MD, and my soul is just empty I'll. Tell you what so that's an indie in de in the a signed in nd by an MD who's empty, and let me tell you what my Sol's empty. Let me open on my binder. There was, I open up my Bible to the NT all right. So now we're looking on the N T to side of Indian Dean da n n d by an M D who is empty? Okay, we can fiddle these things are done. That night is a production of space. Tim Media produced by Christian Taylor, audio by out Garnet video by Conteret or graphics, and our logo by Kalu of Goldberg, and our social media is run by Kala backer. Our host our JERN myres and Tim Stone falls on your favorite social media platform at Tillin. PODCAST is till and podcast remember to tell all your friends about us and we'll see you next Tuesday for another episode of things. I have on last night t


Nascar has long been the pinnacle of the racing world. However, within the Nascar community, there stands no track greater than the Talladega Super Speedway. This racetrack is the track of dreams. Nascar Drivers spend their careers chasing qualifications for a chance on that pavement. In 1982 one aspiring driver rose through the ranks to earn his qualification at the Winston 500 held on Talladega’s hallowed grounds. But, there was only one problem. This racer was no Nascar Driver. In fact, he was no driver at all. Yet, somehow this driver managed to scam not only an entire race team but the whole of Nascar. Whatsmore, after the Winston 500, he vanished and hasn’t been found to this day. This is the unbelievable DB Cooperesque story of LW Wright.

How to Become a Nascar Driver

In the spring of 1982 news began circulating about a new Nascar driver based out of Nashville TN with hopes of competing in the Winston 500. This race was arguably the most significant race in the sport and the most impressive. Taking place at the Talladega Superspeedway, the Winston 500 was host to some of the fastest drivers in the world. Most racers approached or surpassed 200 mph at this race. New Nascar drivers had to possess nerves of steel to race like this. LW Wright may not have had nerves of steel, but he did have the cunning chops needed to trick an entire organization.

The hype grew around the Nashville racer due to his 43 Nascar starts and his sponsors, country music stars Merle Haggard and TG Sheppard. The problem? LW Wright hadn’t competed in any of these races nor was he sponsored by anyone. Nonetheless, the press coverage surrounding his Nascar goals landed him with a sponsorship, a 1981 Monte Carlo, and a full racing team. With his race car, team, and sponsor in tow, Wright managed to barely squeak by at the qualifying race and earn a spot in the Winston 500.

The Biggest Race for Nascar Drivers

Sterling Marlin, a mechanic and future Nascar driver accompanied Wright to Talladega as the racers crew chief. Recalling the events of that day Marlin said, “Wright didn’t seem like he had any idea what was going on.” When Marlin would cover strategy with Wright, the new driver would ask questions that most drivers would see as fundamental. His inexperience was made evidently clear after just a few laps when Wright blew his engine.

Nascar drivers racing at Talladega just like LW Wright
Nascar drivers racing at Talladega.
Photo By Curtis Palmer
What Happened to LW Wright

Right after his vehicle was disqualified from the race for mechanical failures LW Wright disappeared. Straight from the speedway, Wright took the team’s semi-truck and seemingly fell off the face of the earth. Then the checks began to bounce and everyone from his sponsor, his race team, and the companies that sold him gear were looking for Wright to get the money they were owed. Multiple sources hired private investigators to track LW Wright down. After investigation, it became clear that no one named LW Wright had ever competed in Nascar or lived in Nashville. This mysterious Nascar driver was never seen or heard from again.

Wright’s Motives

LW Wright was nothing more than a major con man. The question remains, what was LW Wright’s motive? All in all, LW seemed to only make it out with a few thousand dollars in profit. If money was his goal he probably would have taken the sponsorship money and skipped town long before risking his life alongside the world’s best Nascar drivers. It is possible that he was a thrill-seeker who just wanted to compete in a race. If this were the case, though, one would expect him to race in some lower-profile racers and avoid the financial fraud.

One theory, however, is pervasive. Some believe that LW Wright entered the Winston 500 as a bar bet. In this theory, LW was so committed to proving that he could make it to Talladega that nothing would stand in his way. Unfortunately, many laws were broken in his road to the race so he has had to remain silent about what was likely his most impressive accomplishment.

Conclusion

The LW Wright story has shocked Nascar drivers for generations. It’s truly unbelievable to consider what this man accomplished and how he pulled off his disappearing act. We may never know his motivations or how he got away with it, but we do know this, he may not have known what was going on at Talladega but he did know perhaps a little too much about people.

Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning, and laughing a whole lot while you do, then you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode right now!

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Sources

LW Wright – Wikipedia

Fake Nascar Driver – Jalopnik


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