Longtime car owner joins Lynda Petty, Martin Truex Jr. as quarterly honorees
RELATED: Images of Junie Donlavey's life in NASCAR
Longtime car owner Junie Donlavey was named the National Motorsports Press Association Spirit Award recipient for the third quarter of 2014.
Donlavey, who passed away in June at the age of 90, competed at NASCAR's highest level from 1950 through 2002. The native of Richmond, Virginia, gave numerous drivers their start in NASCAR's premier series, now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. That list included two-time champ Joe Weatherly, Jimmy Hensley, Harry Gant and Robby Gordon. Donlavey also aided the careers of drivers such as Ken Schrader and Dick Trickle.
Teams owned by Donlavey made 863 starts, and nine of those teams finished in the top 10 in points in the season standings. His lone win as an owner came in 1981 at Dover International Speedway with driver Jody Ridley.
Donlavey was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame in 2009, and in September, the garage area at Richmond International Raceway was named in his honor .
Also receiving votes for the third quarter were Sprint Cup Series drivers Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kyle Larson.
Other quarterly winners of the Spirit Award for 2014 are Lynda Petty (first quarter) and Martin Truex Jr. (second quarter).
The NMPA Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, quarterly winners are chosen, and an overall winner is selected by a vote of the NMPA membership.
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