Chuck Bown

Chuck Bown, better know in NASCAR circles as “Unkie Chunky”, is one of the great pilots the Busch Series has known. Racing is a passion that runs deep in his family, since his younger brother Jim followed in his footsteps, and he has also made a name for himself competing in NASCAR. Chuck started his career at the age seventeen in 1972, racing in the Winston Cup Series, first driving for his father, and eventually for Gerald Cracker in the mid-seventies, and finally for Jim Testa by the end of the decade. During this early stage of his career, he would achieve some moderate success, especially at the Daytona 500 and the Firecracker 400, but for the most part, his best moments were yet to come.

Indeed, after a long period away from the racing circuits, Bown returned to NASCAR competitions in 1986, but this time running the Busch Series. This new phase began at the Goody’s 300 in Daytona, where his performance was nothing short of disappointing, finishing 40th at that race. It would take him three more years to run his first full season in the Busch Series, this time driving the #63 Nescafé Pontiac, ultimately finishing the season at the ninth position in the championship standings with 5 top-5’s and 12 top-10’s. The next season would be the one of reckoning for “Unkie Chucky”, since he would go on to win six races and four poles, cumulating a total of thirteen top-fives. This extraordinary performance enabled him to win the Busch Series Championship over his closest follower, Jimmy Hensley, by 200 points.

Although this was his brightest moment, Bown would know additional successes, most notably in 1991, when he won three races and four poles, and in 1993, when he would win his final career pole at Richmond International Raceway and his final race at Advance Auto Parts 500 at the Martinsville Speedway. Chuck Bown retired in 1999 after racing the Textilease/Medique 300 in South Boston. Over his 11-year career in the Busch Series, Bown participated in a grand total of 187 races, amassing one Series Championship, 11 wins, 11 poles and 73 top-10’s.