# Walter Ballard

Walter Harvey Ballard Sr. (January 12, 1933 – October 26, 2024) was an American NASCAR driver from Houston, Texas. In 1971, he won the Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series (known as the NASCAR Cup Series as of 2021), in its first year under Winston's sponsorship.

## NASCAR Winston Cup Series

Ballard made his first start in the Winston Cup Series — then known as the Grand National Series — in 1966, but did not race in the series again until 1971.
In 1971, Ballard ran a nearly-full season in a car owned by his father, Vic, capturing 11 top-tens, a tenth-place finish in points, and the Rookie of the Year Award.
In the 1972 Daytona 500, Ballard's car flipped in the race. On lap 19 of the race, his car ramped over Buddy Baker's car on the front stretch wall and flipped over where it flipped another two times in the grass before landing on all four wheels. Ballard and Baker were both unscathed. Despite the flip, Ballard had an even better season in 1972, collecting seven top-tens and a sixth-place finish in points. He continued to race full-time with his family-owned team until 1975, and competed part-time in the 1976 and 1977 seasons before retiring from the series after 1977.
Ballard's best result in the Winston Cup Series was a third-place finish in the 1971 Space City 300 at Meyer Speedway in Houston, Texas.

## Other NASCAR series

Ballard also drove six races in the NASCAR Grand National East Series from 1972–1973, collecting one top-ten in 1972, and attempted two races in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1971 and 1976, failing to qualify for both.

## Personal life and death

In 1979, Ballard started an automotive repair business with his sons Daniel, Stoney and Clint, retiring in November 2005. As of 2007, he resided in Charlotte, North Carolina. His wife Katy died in 2019.
Ballard died in Kingwood, Texas, on October 26, 2024, at the age of 91.

## Motorsports Career Results
### NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

#### Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results :
| Year | Team | 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 | NGNC | Pts | Ref |
| 1966 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Ford | AUG | RSD | DAY | DAY | DAY | CAR | BRI | ATL | HCY | CLB | GPS | BGS | NWS | MAR | DAR 20 | LGY | MGR | MON | RCH | CLT | DTS | ASH | PIF | SMR | AWS | BLV | GPS | DAY | ODS | BRR | OXF | FON | ISP | BRI | SMR | NSV | ATL | CLB | AWS | BLV | BGS | DAR | HCY | RCH | HBO | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | 84th | 560 | |
| 1971 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Ford | RSD | DAY | DAY 23 | DAY DNQ | ONT DNQ | RCH 30 | CAR | HCY | BRI 25 | ATL 39 | CLB 13 | GPS 11 | SMR 12 | NWS 17 | MAR 25 | DAR 16 | SBO 4 | TAL 22 | ASH 13 | KPT 7 | CLT 40 | DOV 10 | MCH 17 | RSD | HOU 3 | GPS 5 | DAY 32 | BRI 11 | AST 13 | ISP 10 | TRN 12 | NSV 6 | ATL 18 | BGS 10 | ONA 8 | MCH 20 | TAL 22 | CLB 8 | HCY 21 | DAR 29 | MAR 16 | CLT 20 | DOV 9 | CAR 22 | MGR 12 | RCH 11 | NWS 13 | TWS 39 | | 10th | 2633 | |

#### Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results :
| Year | Team | 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 | NWCC | Pts | Ref |
| 1972 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Ford | RSD 14 | DAY 36 | | | CAR DNQ | ATL 26 | BRI 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6th | 6781.45 | |
| 1972 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Plymouth | | | RCH 21 | ONT 47 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6th | 6781.45 | |
| 1972 | Joe Phipps | 65 | Chevy | | | | | CAR 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6th | 6781.45 | |
| 1972 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Mercury | | | | | | | | DAR 18 | NWS 9 | MAR 9 | TAL 19 | CLT 15 | DOV 16 | MCH 12 | RSD 25 | TWS 33 | DAY 23 | BRI 9 | TRN 10 | ATL 10 | TAL 15 | MCH 11 | NSV 9 | DAR 12 | RCH 12 | DOV 8 | MAR 20 | NWS 19 | CLT 19 | CAR 15 | TWS 18 | 6th | 6781.45 | |
| 1973 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Plymouth | RSD 19 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8th | 5955.7 | |
| 1973 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Chevy | | DAY 19 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8th | 5955.7 |
| 1973 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Mercury | | | RCH 11 | CAR 39 | BRI 17 | ATL 14 | NWS 18 | DAR 25 | MAR 8 | TAL 48 | NSV 22 | CLT 18 | DOV 28 | TWS 16 | RSD 15 | MCH 30 | DAY 26 | BRI 14 | ATL 15 | TAL 9 | NSV 7 | DAR 17 | RCH 6 | DOV 17 | NWS 13 | MAR 18 | CLT 23 | CAR 22 | | | | | | 8th | 5955.7 |
| 1974 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Chevy | RSD | DAY 10 | RCH 19 | CAR 6 | BRI 14 | ATL | DAR 40 | NWS 12 | MAR 11 | TAL 24 | NSV 21 | DOV 22 | CLT 12 | RSD | MCH 35 | DAY 20 | BRI 10 | NSV 26 | ATL 13 | | TAL 48 | MCH 24 | DAR 16 | RCH 5 | DOV 10 | NWS 9 | MAR 25 | CLT 12 | CAR 15 | ONT 16 | | 15th | 748.44 | |
| 1974 | Ed Hawks | 75 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC 29 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15th | 748.44 | |
| 1975 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Chevy | RSD 31 | DAY 25 | | CAR 17 | BRI 18 | ATL 24 | NWS 10 | DAR 18 | MAR 15 | TAL 12 | NSV 10 | DOV 25 | CLT 10 | RSD 24 | MCH 11 | | NSV 18 | | TAL 48 | MCH 11 | DAR 25 | DOV 14 | NWS 25 | MAR 14 | CLT 41 | RCH 15 | CAR 11 | BRI 12 | ATL 17 | ONT 20 | | 11th | 3151 | |
| 1975 | Champion Racing | 10 | Ford | | | RCH 19 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11th | 3151 | |
| 1975 | Tom Williams | 38 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DAY 31 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11th | 3151 |
| 1975 | Dalton Racing | 7 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11th | 3151 | |
| 1976 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Chevy | RSD | DAY | CAR 25 | RCH 14 | BRI 19 | | NWS 10 | DAR | MAR 9 | TAL | NSV 8 | DOV 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ONT DNQ | | 26th | 1554 | |
| 1976 | Ballard Racing | 29 | Chevy | | | | | | ATL 24 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1554 | |
| 1976 | Hollar Racing | 29 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | CLT 22 | RSD | MCH 31 | DAY | NSV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1554 | |
| 1976 | Negre Racing | 82 | Dodge | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC 37 | TAL | MCH | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1554 | |
| 1976 | Price Racing | 45 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BRI 26 | DAR | RCH 22 | DOV 16 | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | ATL | | | | 26th | 1554 | |
| 1977 | Ballard Racing | 03 | Chevy | RSD | DAY 19 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 55th | 318 | |
| 1977 | Price Racing | 45 | Chevy | | | RCH 22 | CAR | ATL | NWS | DAR | BRI | MAR | TAL | NSV | DOV | CLT | RSD | MCH | DAY | NSV | POC | TAL | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | | | | | | | | | | | 55th | 318 |
| 1977 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | NWS 16 | CLT | CAR | ATL | ONT | | 55th | 318 | |
| 1978 | Ballard Racing | 30 | Chevy | RSD | DAY | RCH | CAR | ATL | BRI | DAR | NWS | MAR QL$^†$ | TAL | DOV | CLT | NSV | RSD | MCH | DAY | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | NA | - | |
| 1978 | Hylton Motorsports | 48 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | NSV 30 | POC | TAL | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | ATL | ONT | | NA | - | |
| $^†$ – Replaced by Tighe Scott ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||