NASCAR nicknames: Most memorable monickers from drivers of yesteryear
NASCAR has always had plenty of characters. Here are 15 great nicknames of inactive NASCAR drivers:
15. Rusty Wallace, Rubberhead - The nickname was given to him by Dale Earnhardt after a hard crash that Wallace endured.
14. Terry Labonte, The Iceman - The coolest driver in the NASCAR garage.
13. Clifton Marlin, Coo-Coo - As a toddler, Marlin couldn't pronounce his own name, which kept coming out as 'Coo-Coo.' It stuck.
12. Junior Johnson, The Ronda Road Runner - Junior hailed from Ronda, a small town in the heart of moonshine country in Wilkes County, N.C.
11. Jimmy Spencer, Mr. Excitement - Good or bad, Spencer always made things happen.
10. Ricky Rudd, Rooster - Rudd was feisty, tough and scrappy, like a bantam rooster.
9. Ned Jarrett, Gentlemen Ned - The most refined driver of the hardscrabble era.
8. Curtis Turner, Pops - The hard-driving, hard-living Turner got the nickname because he liked to bump other drivers and 'pop' them out of the way.
7. David Pearson, The Silver Fox - The opposite of Turner, Pearson was smooth and subtle, often not moving to the lead until near the end of the race.
6. Bill Elliott, Awesome Bill from Dawsonville - Elliott hailed from Dawsonville, Ga. And he was a pretty awesome driver, too.
5. Fred Lorenzen, The Golden Boy - Movie-star handsome, Lorenzen was the first NASCAR driver to earn $100,000 in a season. The nickname came from his good looks.
4. Richard Petty, The King - With seven championships, seven Daytona 500 victories and 200 race wins, Petty will forever be the king of NASCAR.
3. Darrell Waltrip, Jaws - Cale Yarborough gave Waltrip this name because he disliked how much his rival talked.
2. Edward Glenn Roberts, Fireball - Roberts was a great baseball pitcher and Fireball came from his ability to throw fastballs.
1. Dale Earnhardt, The Intimidator - 'Cause that's what he was.
