# Wayne Peterson (racing driver)

For the American composer, pianist, and educator, see Wayne Peterson.
Wayne Peterson (born May 24, 1938) is an American professional stock car racing owner/driver and former paratrooper and United States Army Special Forces member. He currently operates Wayne Peterson Racing, a team in the ARCA Menards Series.

## Military career

Peterson grew up in a poor family in Boaz, Alabama, and when he was 15 years old, his high school was visited by Army National Guard recruiters. Attracted by the benefits of food and clothing, he enlisted and entered active duty at 16, but was sent back to school upon the discovering of his age. After graduating, he returned to the military and was stationed at Fort Bragg as a paratrooper in the XVIII Airborne Corps. Peterson was a member of the United States Army Parachute Team (Golden Knights), and worked with NASA on performing High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) landings.
He was later assigned to the Third United States Army for 30 days, during which he was placed in the 77th and attended Ranger School in Fort Benning, followed by survival training in Antarctica and language studies in California, the latter in which he learned French and Vietnamese. Peterson served in Germany and Okinawa with the 10th and 1st Special Forces Groups respectively before being deployed to Vietnam in 1963 as an advisor and eventually a combat role. He served multiple tours during the Vietnam War until 1972.
In 1961, Peterson trained Cuban refugees and participated in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Two years later, he guarded President John F. Kennedy's body in the United States Capitol rotunda after his assassination. He also served as Richard Nixon and South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu's English/Vietnamese translator.
Peterson was scheduled to complete his service in 1980 when the government extended it by 13 months. He was ordered to Diego Garcia, where plans were made for Operation Eagle Claw, an effort to free United States embassy members in the Iran hostage crisis. However, the mission failed after two aircraft were destroyed during refueling. Peterson compared the debacle and resulting public backlash to that received by American troops withdrawing from Vietnam: "We had to abort, put our tail between our legs, same way we came out of Nam. We just didn't finish the job. [...] We had way too much TV coverage in Nam. The public don't need to know our missions; it messed with intelligence. Nam was a hard time, soldiers condemned for pulling the trigger. Of course, if you waited one second and thought about it, you were dead. We fought for the country, and our own survival. It wasn't pretty. You were there to save your people."

## Racing career

At 14, Peterson swept floors for a dirt track racing owner who would let him test his car. While he was stationed at Fort Bragg, he purchased a 1948 Hudson and converted it into a dirt track car. Peterson later joined NASCAR driver Lee Petty's crew as a gasman, followed by a tenure with Junior Johnson on the DiGard Motorsports team. As compensation, Johnson gave him a car, which he fielded for Lennie Pond at Talladega Superspeedway. He also competed in modified stock cars in the 1970s.
During the 1980s, he began competing in the Automobile Racing Club of America. In 1983, he entered the NASCAR Winston Cup Series' Atlanta Journal 500, but spun out during qualifying due to tire issues. The following year, he tried to qualify for the Daytona 500, but did not make the race after suffering an engine failure in his Twin 125 qualifier and finishing tenth in the consolation race.
Wayne Peterson Racing fields various cars in the ARCA Racing Series. Drivers included Tim Mitchell, a colorectal cancer survivor who raced for the team in the 2000s; Zachary Gibson, son of ARCA Midget Series racer Larry Gibson and grandson of Indianapolis 500 driver Todd Gibson, in 2009; and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Clay Greenfield in 2004. Greenfield, described by The Leaf-Chronicle as a "talented kid with no name", finished 12th in his series debut at Salem Speedway, marking the team's strongest finish since 1998. As of 2020, Tim Richmond, Steve Cronenwett and Jim Walker share the team's best race finish of ninth at Toledo Speedway and Talladega in 2004 as well as Toledo in 2020, respectively. The team has continued to field cars for drivers such as Ben Peterson, A. J. Moyer, Nate Moeller, and Cody Dennison.

## Personal life

Peterson was married to Sarah Peterson and has three sons, Michael, Brian, and Kevin, and five grandchildren, one of which is Ben Peterson, who competed in ARCA in 2019 and 2024. Sarah died in February 2008. Peterson currently resides in Pulaski, TN.

## 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.)

#### 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 | NWCC | Pts | Ref |
| 1983 | Peterson Motorsports | 83 | Buick | DAY | RCH | CAR | ATL | DAR | NWS | MAR | TAL | NSV | DOV | BRI | CLT | RSD | POC | MCH | DAY | NSV | POC | TAL | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR DNQ | ATL DNQ | RSD | NA | - | |
| 1984 | Peterson Motorsports | 06 | Buick | DAY DNQ | RCH | CAR | ATL | BRI | NWS | DAR | MAR | TAL | NSV | DOV | CLT | RSD | POC | MCH | DAY | NSV | POC | TAL | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | CLT | NWS | CAR | ATL | RSD | NA | - | |

##### Daytona 500

| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
| 1984 | Peterson Motorsports | Buick | DNQ | DNQ |

### ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Menards 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 | AMSC | Pts | Ref |
| 1983 | | 8 | Buick | DAY | NSV | TAL | LPR | LPR | ISF | IRP | SSP | FRS | BFS | WIN | LPR | POC | TAL 26 | MCS | FRS | MIL | DSF | ZAN | SND | | | | | | NA | - | |
| 1984 | Peterson Motorsports | 06 | Buick | DAY | ATL | TAL 22 | CSP | SMS | FRS | MCS | LCS | IRP | TAL | FRS | ISF | DSF | TOL | MGR | | | | | | | | | | | NA | - | |
| 1994 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Pontiac | DAY 32 | TAL | FIF | LVL | KIL | TOL | FRS | MCH | DMS | POC | POC | KIL | FRS | IND | I70 | ISF | DSF | TOL | SLM | WIN | ATL | | | | | 133rd | - | |
| 2001 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 6 | Chevy | DAY | NSH | WIN | SLM | GTY | KEN | CLT | KAN | MCH | POC | MEM | GLN 28 | KEN | MCH | POC | NSH | ISF | | | | | | | | | 133rd | 165 | |
| 2001 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 7 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CHI 36 | DSF | SLM | TOL | BLN | CLT | TAL | ATL | 133rd | 165 | |
| 2002 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | DAY DNQ | ATL | NSH | SLM | KEN | CLT | KAN | POC | MCH | TOL | SBO | KEN | BLN | POC | NSH | ISF | WIN | DSF | CHI | SLM | TAL | CLT | | | | NA | - | |
| 2003 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 27 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | NSH | SLM | TOL | KEN | CLT | BLN | KAN 36 | MCH | LER | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 131st | 165 | |
| 2003 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | POC 37 | POC | NSH | ISF | WIN | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 131st | 165 | |
| 2003 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DSF 37 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 131st | 165 | |
| 2003 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 6 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CHI QL$^†$ | SLM | | | | | | | | | | | | 131st | 165 | |
| 2003 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | TAL DNQ | CLT | SBO | | | | | | 131st | 165 | |
| 2004 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | DAY | NSH | SLM | KEN 36 | TOL | CLT | KAN 21 | | | SBO 24 | BLN | KEN | | | | | | | DSF 23 | CHI | SLM | TAL | | | | 52nd | 580 | |
| 2004 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 16 | Chevy | | | | | | | | POC 38 | MCH DNQ | | | | | POC DNQ | LER | NSH | ISF | TOL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 52nd | 580 | |
| 2004 | Jan Gibson Racing | 56 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | GTW 33 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 52nd | 580 | |
| 2005 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | DAY | NSH | SLM | KEN | TOL DNQ | LAN | MIL | POC 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 78th | 385 | |
| 2005 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 09 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | MCH DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | DSF DNQ | CHI | SLM DNQ | TAL | | | | 78th | 385 | |
| 2005 | Day Enterprises | 90 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | KAN 37 | KEN | BLN | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 78th | 385 | |
| 2005 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 78th | 385 | |
| 2005 | Norm Benning Racing | 8 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GTW 40 | LER | NSH | MCH | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 78th | 385 | |
| 2005 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 16 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ISF 35 | TOL | | | | | | | | | | | | 78th | 385 | |
| 2006 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | DAY | NSH DNQ | SLM DNQ | WIN DNQ | KEN | TOL | POC | MCH | | | BLN DNQ | POC | GTW | NSH | | | | TOL DNQ | DSF 35 | CHI DNQ | SLM | TAL | IOW | | | 107th | 205 | |
| 2006 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | KAN DNQ | KEN | | | | | MCH DNQ | ISF | MIL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 107th | 205 | |
| 2007 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | DAY | USA | NSH DNQ | SLM DNQ | KAN | WIN | KEN DNQ | TOL | IOW 35 | POC DNQ | MCH DNQ | BLN | KEN DNQ | POC DNQ | NSH | ISF 37 | MIL 39 | GTW | DSF DNQ | CHI | SLM | TAL | TOL | | | 68th | 385 | |
| 2008 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | DAY | SLM DNQ | IOW DNQ | KAN DNQ | CAR 50 | KEN 40 | | POC 38 | MCH DNQ | CAY 33 | | BLN 30 | POC DNQ | NSH 41 | ISF DNQ | DSF 36 | CHI DNQ | SLM DNQ | NJE | TAL | TOL | | | | | 33rd | 1050 | |
| 2008 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | | | | | | | TOL DNQ | | | | KEN DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 33rd | 1050 | |
| 2009 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 10 | Chevy | DAY | SLM | CAR | TAL 41 | KEN | TOL | POC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 40th | 725 | |
| 2009 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | MCH DNQ | | IOW 37 | KEN 37 | BLN 34 | | | | | DSF 36 | NJE | SLM | KAN 40 | | | | | | | | | | 40th | 725 | |
| 2009 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | | | | | | | | | MFD 32 | | | | | | | TOL 31 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 40th | 725 | |
| 2009 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 08 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC DNQ | ISF | CHI | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 40th | 725 | |
| 2009 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CAR DNQ | | | | | | | | 40th | 725 | |
| 2010 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | DAY | PBE 28 | | | TAL 41 | | | | | | | | | ISF 35 | | DSF 34 | TOL | | | | | | | | | 31st | 900 | |
| 2010 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | | | SLM 27 | TEX | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 31st | 900 |
| 2010 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | TOL 32 | POC DNQ | MCH DNQ | IOW 39 | | POC DNQ | BLN 33 | NJE 35 | | CHI 39 | | | | KAN DNQ | CAR | | | | | | | | | | 31st | 900 | |
| 2010 | Brad Smith Motorsports | 2 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | MFD 31 | | | | | | | | SLM 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 31st | 900 | |
| 2011 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | DAY | TAL 29 | | | NJE 32 | CHI | POC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 41st | 585 | |
| 2011 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | | | SLM 21 | TOL | | | | | | | IOW 36 | IRP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 41st | 585 | |
| 2011 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | MCH 39 | WIN 29 | BLN 32 | | | | | | | | KAN 38 | TOL | | | | | | | | | | | | 41st | 585 | |
| 2011 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC DNQ | ISF | MAD | DSF | SLM | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 41st | 585 | |
| 2012 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | DAY | MOB DNQ | SLM 26 | TAL | TOL | ELK | POC | MCH | | | | | | | | ISF 29 | MAD | SLM | DSF C | | | | | | | 70th | 305 | |
| 2012 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | | | | | | | | | WIN 26 | NJE | IOW | CHI | IRP | POC | BLN | | | | | KAN 39 | | | | | | | | | | 70th | 305 | |
| 2013 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | DAY | MOB | SLM | TAL | TOL | ELK 22 | POC | MCH 27 | ROA 25 | WIN 22 | CHI 26 | NJE | POC 31 | BLN 24 | ISF 32 | | | | | KEN 31 | KAN 31 | | | | | 21st | 1320 | |
| 2013 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MAD 26 | DSF | IOW | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 21st | 1320 | |
| 2013 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SLM 26 | | | | | | | | | | | | 21st | 1320 | |
| 2014 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | DAY | MOB | SLM 28 | TAL | TOL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1080 | |
| 2014 | Carter 2 Motorsports | 97 | Dodge | | | | | | NJE 26 | POC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1080 |
| 2014 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | | | | | | | | MCH 26 | ELK 23 | WIN 19 | CHI | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1080 | |
| 2014 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | IRP 28 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1080 | |
| 2014 | Hylton Motorsports | 49 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC 31 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1080 | |
| 2014 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 00 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BLN 24 | ISF 30 | MAD 28 | DSF 30 | SLM | KEN 33 | KAN | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1080 | |
| 2015 | Kimmel Racing | 80 | Ford | DAY | MOB 25 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 21st | 1505 | |
| 2015 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 00 | Ford | | | NSH 29 | SLM 26 | TAL | TOL | NJE | POC | | | | | | | | | | | | KAN 27 | | | | | | | | | | 21st | 1505 | |
| 2015 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 00 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | MCH 27 | | | | | | | | DSF 29 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 21st | 1505 | |
| 2015 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | CHI 27 | WIN 21 | | | | BLN 24 | ISF 29 | | SLM 28 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 21st | 1505 | |
| 2015 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | IOW 29 | IRP | POC | | | | | KEN 26 | | | | | | | | | | | | 21st | 1505 | |
| 2016 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | DAY | NSH | SLM 25 | TAL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 18th | 1430 | |
| 2016 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 00 | Chevy | | | | | TOL 27 | NJE 27 | POC | MCH 32 | MAD 23 | WIN 22 | IOW 28 | IRP 31 | POC | BLN 25 | ISF | | | | | KAN 34 | | | | | | | | | | 18th | 1430 | |
| 2016 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DSF 21 | SLM | CHI | KEN 31 | | | | | | | | | | | | 18th | 1430 | |
| 2017 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 88 | Chevy | DAY | NSH | SLM | TAL | TOL | ELK | POC | MCH 29 | MAD | IOW | IRP | POC | WIN | ISF | ROA | DSF | SLM | CHI | KEN | KAN | | | | | | 117th | 85 | |
| 2018 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 1 | Ford | DAY | NSH | SLM | TAL | TOL | CLT | POC | MCH 26 | MAD | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 43rd | 465 | |
| 2018 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 1 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | GTW 25 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 43rd | 465 |
| 2018 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 23 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | CHI 27 | IOW 23 | ELK | POC | ISF | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 43rd | 465 | |
| 2018 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Dodge | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BLN 19 | DSF | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 43rd | 465 | |
| 2018 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SLM 24 | IRP | KAN | | | | | | | | | | 43rd | 465 | |
| 2019 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Toyota | DAY | FIF | SLM | TAL | NSH | TOL | CLT | POC | MCH | MAD | GTW 22 | CHI | ELK | IOW | POC | | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 495 | |
| 2019 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ISF 21 | DSF 20 | SLM | IRP | | | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 495 | |
| 2019 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | KAN 22 | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 495 | |
| 2020 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | DAY | PHO | TAL | POC | IRP | KEN | IOW | KAN | TOL | TOL | MCH | DAY | GTW | L44 | TOL | BRI 26 | WIN 14 | MEM 17 | ISF 17 | KAN 17 | | | | | | 32nd | 102 | |
| 2021 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | DAY | PHO | TAL | KAN | TOL | CLT | MOH | POC | ELK 17 | BLN | IOW | WIN | GLN | MCH | ISF | MLW | | | | | | | | | | 62nd | 59 | |
| 2021 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DSF 15 | BRI | SLM | | | | | | | | | | | | 62nd | 59 | |
| 2021 | Brad Smith Motorsports | 48 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | KAN 24 | | | | | | 62nd | 59 | |
| $^†$ – Qualified for Brian Conz ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

#### ARCA Menards Series East

ARCA Menards Series East results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | AMSEC | Pts |
| 2020 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 0 | Chevy | NSM | TOL | DOV | TOL | BRI 26 | FIF | | | 52nd | 18 |
| 2021 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Chevy | NSM | FIF 13 | NSV 13 | DOV | | | | | 22nd | 90 |
| 2021 | Wayne Peterson Racing | 06 | Ford | | | | | SNM 16 | IOW | MLW | BRI | 22nd | 90 |