Former NASCAR driver and racing legend dead at 76: ‘We lost one of our heroes’

SportsGary Myers has died. He was 76. . (AP Photo/John Raoux)APBy Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.comNASCAR driver Gary Myers has died.He was 76. Bowman Gray Stadium, where Myers became a legend, issued a statement on social media following his passing.“Our Bowman Gray family is saddened by the loss of Gary Myers,” the statement read. “Gary earned 38 wins at Bowman Gray in Modified competition, in a career that also saw him make starts in the NASCAR Cup Series and Grand National Series. Our thoughts are with his wife Pam, sons Burt and Jason, grandson Slate, and the entire Myers family.”Myers competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the NASCAR Grand National East Series, and the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour. Myers also drove in the SMART Modified Tour, and he won the championship there in 1996. That tour also posted a statement on X.“We lost one of our heroes — Gary Myers,” it read. “Gary was a founding member of the SMART MODIFIED TOUR & its 1996 champion. He had 15 wins. Gary’s sons, Burt & Jason, as well as grandson, Slate, are winning racecar drivers as well. Our thoughts & prayers go out to the entire Myers family.”Myers’ first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race came in 1974 at the Yankee 400. He was behind the wheel for 47 races in the series. “Last night I lost my hero,” Burt Myers wrote on Facebook Friday. “He fought so hard but was so tired. My daddy is in Heaven and can finally do the things he wanted to do the last several years. Thank God for the times we had. He taught me everything I know. Selfishly I want him here but I know he is much better off now. I miss him so much. I love you Daddy!”Brian Linder is the trending editor at PennLive.com. He has more than 20 years of experience working for newspapers first in South Carolina, then Daytona Beach, Florida and now in Pennsylvania. Linder spent...