# Billy Wade (racing driver)

Billy Drew Wade (February 28, 1930 – January 5, 1965) was an American stock car racing driver.

## Career

Billy was the 1963 NASCAR Rookie of the Year for car owner Cotton Owens. He finished the season with 14 Top 10 finishes in 31 races. He won four consecutive races the following year for Bud Moore Engineering between July 10 and July 19, 1964. The four wins give Wade the sole distinction of being the only driver to accomplish this feat with victories at Old Bridge Stadium on July 10, the road course at Bridgehampton, N.Y on the 12th, a July 15 win at Islip Speedway in New York, and his fourth (and final) win at Watkins Glen. Dick Linder also followed his first victory at Dayton with a win at Hamburg; but Wade is the only driver to string four victories in a row once he got his first. He also accumulated five poles and 25 Top 10 finishes in his 35 starts. As of 2017, he is the most recent driver in NASCAR to get his first pole and win in the same weekend.
On January 5, 1965, Wade was performing a tire test at Daytona International Speedway, when a tire blowout caused his car to crash in the west turn, killing the 34-year-old Texan.

## Motorsports career results
### NASCAR
#### Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results :
| Year | Team/Owner | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | NGNC | Pts |
| 1962 | Luther Costales | 01 | Ford | CON | AWS | DAY | DAY | DAY 18 | CON | AWS | SVH | HBO | RCH | CLB | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 46th | 2,008 |
| 1962 | James Turner | 24 | Pontiac | | | | | | | | | | | | NWS 10 | GPS | MBS | MAR 8 | BOW 19 | BRI | RCH | HCY | CON | DAR | PIF | CLT | ATL | BGS | AUG | RCH | SBO | DAY | CLB | ASH | GPS | AUG | SVH | MBS | BRI | CHT | NSV | HUN | AWS | STR | BGS | PIF | VAL | DAR | HCY | RCH | DTS | AUG | MAR | NWS | CLT | ATL | | | | | | | | | | | | 46th | 2,008 |
| 1963 | Cotton Owens | 5 | Dodge | BIR | GGS | THS | RIV 7 | DAY 29 | DAY | DAY 41 | PIF 16 | AWS 7 | HBO | | | BRI 8 | AUG | RCH 4 | GRE 10 | SBO 13 | | MAR 7 | NWS 9 | CLB | THS | DAR 10 | ODS | RCH | CLT 24 | BIR | ATL 8 | DAY 19 | MBS | SVH | DTS | | | | BRD 12 | BRI 13 | GRE 18 | FAI 2 | COL 6 | AWS 5 | SPR 4 | BGS | ONA | DAR 28 | HCY | RCH | MAR 6 | DTS | NWS | THS | CLT 33 | SBO 19 | OCC 21 | RIV 33 | | | | | | | | 16th | 14,646 |
| 1963 | Cotton Owens | 6 | Dodge | | | | | | | | | | | ATL 13 | HCY | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 16th | 14,646 |
| 1963 | Bill Church | 0 | Chevrolet | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BOW 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 16th | 14,646 |
| 1963 | Mark Hurley | 61 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BOW 23 | ASH | OBS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 16th | 14,646 |
| 1964 | Cotton Owens | 6 | Dodge | CON 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4th | 28,474 |
| 1964 | Cotton Owens | 5 | Dodge | | AUG 3 | JAC 10 | SVH | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4th | 28,474 |
| 1964 | Rex White | 4 | Mercury | | | | | RIV 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4th | 28,474 | |
| 1964 | Bud Moore Engineering | 1 | Mercury | | | | | | DAY 10 | DAY | DAY 6 | RCH 3 | BRI 10 | GPS | BGS | ATL 12 | AWS 3 | HBO | PIF 6* | COL 4 | NWS 8 | MAR 33 | SVH | DAR 7 | LGY | HCY | SBO | CLT 5 | GPS | ASH | ATL 8 | CON | NSV | CHT | BIR 3 | VAL | PIF 6 | DAY 20 | ODS | OBS 1 | BRD 1 | ISL 1* | GLN 1* | LIN | BRI 22 | NSV 19 | MBS | AWS 26 | DTS | HUN 6 | COL 10 | BGS | STR | DAR 6 | HCY | RCH 14 | ODS | HBO | MAR 9 | SVH | NWS 4 | CLT 37 | HAR 16 | AUG 4 | JAC | 4th | 28,474 |