Kenneth "Ken" L. Spikes (born February 2, 1935, in Cordele, Georgia - died November 16, 2009, in Albany, Georgia) was a driver for the NASCAR Grand National Series who drove from 1964 to 1970. Before he was in NASCAR, Spikes served in the United States Air Force.[1] During his spare time, Spikes would devote his time to operating a company specializing in heavy equipment.[1]
| Kenneth "Ken" L. Spikes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | February 2, 1935 Cordele, Georgia, United States | ||||||
| Died | November 19, 2009 (aged 74) Albany, Georgia, United States | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 16 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 40th – 1964 | ||||||
| First race | 1964 Atlanta 500 (Atlanta) | ||||||
| Last race | 1970 Talladega 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
| |||||||
Career
editSpikes officially drove in 1755 laps of professional stock car racing action; which is the equivalent of 2,695.3 miles (4,337.7 km).[2] The primary manufacturers for this driver were Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Dodge.[3][4] While he enjoyed an average start of 31st place; racing skills developed on the track allowed him to improve on his unimpressive starts with an average finish of 26th place.[2][4] Spikes would earn a grand total of $8,235 from his entire NASCAR driving career ($64,609.82 when adjusted for inflation).[2][4] He would fail to qualify for one race only: the 1967 National 500 set in prestigious Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina).[5]
After retiring from racing, he devoted his life to religion and became a minister. As a faithful church-goer at the Listonia Christian Mission, Spikes knew that he would be attracted to the ministry and became Reverend Ken Spikes.[1] He died at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia; leaving behind his wife Miriam (née Dean) along with four daughters, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.[1]
Titles, honours and awards
editShorthand titles
edit- February 2, 1935 – [Exact date unknown]: Mr. Kenneth Spikes
- [Exact date unknown] – November 16, 2009: Reverend Kenneth Spikes
References
edit- ^ a b c d Ken Spikes' death at Jayski.com. Archived.
- ^ a b c Ken Spikes career statistics at Racing Reference
- ^ Ken Spikes career information at Ultimate Racing History
- ^ a b c Ken Spikes complete information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ^ Ken Spike's only DNQ at Racing Reference
External links
edit- Ken Spikes driver statistics at Racing-Reference