Wheeler, one of stock car racing's greatest promoters, was recently named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Class of 2026

With fire-breathing robots and death-defying school-bus stunts, he brought spectacle to stock-car racing as the sport boomed in the 1970s and beyond.

Former Charlotte Motor Speedway executive Humpy Wheeler has died at the age of 86, NASCAR announced. The “innovative track promoter,” as NASCAR described him, helped propel the sport onto the national stage in the ’70s during his tenure as the general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway.