Jimmy "Smut" Means is a former Winston Cup/Nextel Cup/Sprint Cup owner/driver. Currently, he is an adviser for Front Row Motorsports.
Local track history[]
Means won dozens of Late Model races in Alabama and Tennessee in the early 70's, including track championships at Huntsville Speedway and the historic Nashville Speedway USA. Template:Section-stub
Winston Cup history[]
Means did not win a single race. But Means still remained popular with the fans due to his determination and engaging personality. Means raced with car number "52". He had 17 Top 10 finishes in his 18 years of racing.
He was part the Alabama Gang which included Bobby Allison, Davey Allison, Red Farmer, and Donnie Allison and later Steve Grissom. Template:Section-stub
Ownership history[]
A long-time owner in the Cup Series, Means made his debut as an owner in 1978, when he fielded the #52 Chevrolet. He had two top-tens and finished sixteenth in points. He expanded to a multi-car team briefly, fielding the #25 for Charlie Chamblee in the #25 at Nashville, the #53 for Cecil Gordon at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and the #50 for Baxter Price at Texas World Speedway. In 1983, he stepped aside for Lennie Pond at Michigan International Speedway, who finished 22nd. In 1986, he shared the #52 with Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, Morgan Shepherd, Roy Smith, and Bobby Wawak. Means drove the #52 solely and didn't field a second car until in 1989, when he fielded the #67 Alka-Setzer Pontiac Grand Prix at the Daytona 500 for Mickey Gibbs, where he finished 34th after suffering engine faliure. Means gave up the #52 on two different occasions; Bobby Hillin, Jr. drove at Dover and Sears Point(finishing 19th & 21st), and Mike Wallace(finishing 31st and 39th) at Phoenix and Atlanta.
Means continued to run a part-time schedule in 1992, while fielding the #52 full-time. Scott Gaylord, Tommy Kendall, John McFadden, Mike Potter, Scott Sharp, and Brad Teague took over in the interim, with Kendall having the car's best finish was 13th at Sonoma. Graham Taylor drove the #53 at both Dover races. Means competed in 18 races in 1993, his final year, and shared the #52 with Gaylord, Jimmy Hensley, Mike Skinner, Taylor, Wallace, and Clay Young, with Hensley having the best finish, 25th at Rockingham. After Means' retirement as a driver, he kept the #52 team open for 1994, as Teague ran eight races in the car, his best finish a 22nd at Bristol Motor Speedway. Skinner, Bob Keselowski, and Kirk Shelmerdine also ran one race apiece for Means that season. Afterwards, sponsorship problems caused the team to close its doors.
In 2001, Means Racing returned to NASCAR in the Busch Series with a partnership with Moy Racing. They began the season with Teague, who ran five races total for them that season, his best finish a 38th at Watkins Glen International. Gaylord also returned to run two races, both resulting in 42nd place finishes. Kertus Davis, Ricky Sanders, and Andy Kirby also drove for the team that year. In 2002, Teague drove eleven races for the team, his best finish 38th at Nazareth Speedway. Jimmy Kitchens, Phil Bonifield, and Eric Jones drove part-time as well for the team that year. Teague made 11 starts for Means in 2003, with Donnie Neuenberger running an additional two races. In 2004, Bruce Bechtel joined as another driver to the team. He made several attempts, but only made one race, at Pikes Peak. Teague continued to run with the team, his best finish being a 26th at Bristol. The next season, Shane Hall was the team's original driver, but was soon released. Eric McClure began running with the team, with a best finish of 30th at Texas Motor Speedway, but was released in favor of Neuenberger. At the Dover 200, Neuenberger flipped over the Plan B Technologies Ford Taurus on Lap 2. He was uninjured, but as that was the team's only car, it is unlikely Means Racing will ever return.