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Kevin Conway (racing driver)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Kevin Conroy.
For other people with the same name, see Kevin Conway.
Kevin Conway
Conway in 2010
Born (1979-04-15) April 15, 1979 (age 45)
Cornelius, North Carolina, U.S.
Awards2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
31 races run over 2 years
Best finish35th (2010)
First race2010 Auto Club 500 (Fontana)
Last race2011 Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
34 races run over 6 years
Best finish36th (2011)
First race2003 Aaron's 312 (Atlanta)
Last race2011 Ford 300 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish86th (2009)
First race2009 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of November 29, 2012.

Kevin Conway (born April 15, 1979) is an American professional stock car racing driver who currently races in the Blancpain Super Trofeo Championship. He is the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year (ROTY), 2014 Super Trofeo World Champion, and two-time North American Super Trofeo Series Champion.[1] Conway has raced in motocross, legends, the World Karting Association, United States Automobile Club (USAC), American Speed Association (ASA), NASCAR's regional K&N Pro Series West, and all three of NASCAR's national touring series.

A protege of Cup Series winner Ernie Irvan and longtime test driver for Cup teams,[2][3] Conway is best known for his association with the male enhancement product ExtenZe from 2009 to 2011. The sponsorship led ultimately to Conway's first full-time NASCAR season and ROTY effort in 2010, but also led to lawsuits from former teams due to unpaid sponsorship funds.[4][5] Conway appeared on Shark Tank in 2021 as a business partner for the company “Phoozy”, which made specialized smartphone cases.[6]

Racing career

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Early career

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Conway began his career racing at age six, running AMA motocross, go-karts, and winged midget cars. Moving to Charlotte, North Carolina as a teenager, Conway became the youngest legends car national champion in 1994, at the age of 15.[3][2] Conway would later race late model stock cars in NASCAR's regional Dodge Weekly Racing Series.[2]

2002–2005

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Conway moved to major-league stock car racing in 2002, when he made his debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.[3] His first race came in the No. 17 Eagle One/Valvoline Chevrolet for A. J. Henriksen, Ernie Irvan, and George deBidart at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he started fifth and finished thirteenth after a rear axle problem late in the race.[3] In his next race that fall at Lowe's he finished seventh. Conway also served as a test driver for NASCAR Winston Cup Series team MB2 Motorsports.[3]

In 2003, Conway made his NASCAR Busch Series debut at Atlanta in the No. 22 for Bost Racing, qualifying 27th and finishing 33rd.[3] In 2004 he made his career debut in the Winston West Series at Fontana in the No. 28 Ford owned by Ernie Irvan, racing against Cup Series regular Ken Schrader and future Cup drivers Clint Bowyer and David Gilliland. Conway qualified and finished fifth after leading much of the race.[7][8] Conway attempted three Busch Series races in 2004, failing to qualify for all three.[9] In 2005, Conway signed to run the No. 03 Chevrolet for Gary Keller and Mark Smith,[10] but failed to qualify for the first two races of the season. He made his only start of the season at Darlington Raceway in the No. 43 Channellock/Supra Boats Dodge for the Curb Agajanian Performance Group, where he finished 29th.[11]

2006

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In 2006, he declared for Busch Series Rookie of the Year honors, driving the No. 58 Carver Racing Dodge, which was in the process of purchasing equipment from Glynn Motorsports.[12][3] After the team switched to the No. 40 for Richmond,[12] the team suspended operations, leaving Conway out of a ride after four starts.[13] He competed in the West Series once again at Irwindale Speedway for James Pritchard, where he finished eighth.

2007

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In 2007, Conway joined Joe Gibbs Racing's Busch program, signing on for eight races in the team's No. 18 Chevrolet. Conway brought sponsorship from Z-Line Designs, who partnered with him on the recommendation of former driver Lake Speed, and shared the ride with drivers Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Brad Coleman and Aric Almirola.[3][13] Conway struggled in the ride, having an average finish of 29.4, 9 positions worse than his teammates in the same ride. He was released at the end of the 2007 season, though Z-Line would continue to sponsor JGR.

2009: Various Cup/Nationwide teams

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After spending the 2008 season out of NASCAR, Conway returned in 2009 with sponsorship from his male enhancement product ExtenZe.[14] He began racing midway through the season in the No. 87 for Braun Racing (using the No. 87 owners points from NEMCO Motorsports), and had a career-best fifteenth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway.[15] He also ran a race for R3 Motorsports[14] and later K Automotive Racing to finish out the Nationwide season. He made his first Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix, finishing nineteenth in Rob Fuller's truck, as well as an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for a Sprint Cup race in the No. 70 TRG Motorsports Chevy.

2010

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Front Row Motorsports

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Conway's No. 34 Sprint Cup Series car during the 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Initially planning to run full-time in the Nationwide Series, in 2010 Conway signed to drive the No. 37 ExtenZe Ford in the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports as a teammate to Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland. Conway's lack of superspeedway experience caused him to delay his Rookie of the Year campaign, as NASCAR would not give him approval to compete in the Daytona 500. Kvapil raced the 37 at Daytona, while John Andretti ran Kvapil's 34 car. Conway earned a career best finish of 14th at Daytona International Speedway in July, one of only 3 finishes better than 30th in 2010. As the only fully sponsored driver in the Front Row stable, he rotated among the team's No. 34, No. 37, and No. 38 cars in order to remain in a Top 35-ranked car that would guarantee a starting spot.[16] Prior to the August race at Michigan, Conway and the ExtenZe sponsor logos were removed from the car, with Tony Raines replacing him. Conway and ExtenZe would go on to be sued by Front Row Motorsports for lack of payment, which they cited as the reason Conway was removed from the car.[4][17]

Robby Gordon Motorsports

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Conway returned to competition with Robby Gordon Motorsports at Bristol,[4] and ran 7 races in the No. 7 car,[18] as well as attempting one in the teams No. 07 car, missing the race at Charlotte. Owner Robby Gordon would also get into a sponsorship dispute with Conway and Extenze, which turned violent the next season.[18]

Conway won the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award for 2010 by default, as his only competitor, Terry Cook, ran only 3 of the first 10 races during the year. It was the least competitive rookie of the year battle in modern NASCAR history up to that point.[1][5][19] Conway ran 28 races in 2010.

2011

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Conway at Road America 2011

For 2011, it was announced that Conway would enter the Budweiser Shootout (eligible due to winning Rookie of the Year in 2010), Daytona 500, and possibly a few more races for Joe Nemechek and NEMCO Motorsports in the No. 97 Toyota with sponsorship from ExtenZe. Conway attempted 4 races, qualifying for 3 of them, in which he finished last in each.

Conway also ran 9 races in the Nationwide Series for NEMCO,[15] with an average finish of 28.1. He was released from NEMCO at the end of the season and has not competed in NASCAR since.[1]

2013

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In 2013 Conway competed in the North American Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Series. Over the course of the season he drove a race prepared, lightweight, four-wheel-drive, 570 horsepower version of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4[20] to win the series championship in the Pro-Am division. The final Super Trofeo Series race weekend was held in conjunction with the IndyCar season finale race weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.[21]

Personal life

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A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, Conway earned a marketing degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.[3][13] Conway started the marketing company Exclaim Racing, which organized his sponsorship deals.[13][4] He also served as an instructor at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.[3] Conway's father Sam was a former team manager for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, and a board member for Motor Racing Outreach. Sam died from lung cancer in 2007 at age 58.[8]

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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

Sprint Cup Series

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NASCAR Sprint 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 32 33 34 35 36 NSCC Pts Ref
2009 TRG Motorsports 70 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH NHA DOV KAN CAL CLT MAR TAL TEX PHO
DNQ 		HOM NA - [22]
2010 Front Row Motorsports 37 Ford DAY CAL
31 		LVS
36 		ATL
31 		BRI
28 		DAR
33 		DOV
30 		35th 1830 [23]
38 MAR
31 		PHO
33 		TEX
27 		TAL
30 		RCH
37
34 CLT
35 		POC
35 		MCH
40 		SON
28 		NHA
23 		DAY
14 		CHI
33 		IND
34 		POC
31 		GLN
31 		MCH
Robby Gordon Motorsports 7 Toyota BRI
36 		ATL
37 		RCH
41 		NHA DOV
37 		KAN
38 		CAL
31 		MAR
QL† 		TAL TEX PHO HOM
30
07 CLT
DNQ
2011 NEMCO Motorsports 97 Toyota DAY
DNQ 		PHO LVS BRI CAL MAR TEX TAL
43 		RCH DAR DOV CLT KAN POC MCH SON DAY
43 		KEN NHA IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH CHI NHA DOV KAN CLT TAL
43 		MAR TEX PHO HOM 79th 0 [24]
† - Qualified but replaced by Robby Gordon
Daytona 500
[edit]
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
2011 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota DNQ

Nationwide Series

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NASCAR Nationwide 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 NNSC Pts Ref
2003 Bost Motorsports 22 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX TAL NSH CAL RCH GTY NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM ATL
33 		PHO CAR HOM 139th 64 [25]
2004 Rick Ware Racing 51 Dodge DAY
DNQ 		CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL GTY RCH NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY NA - [26]
Mac Hill Motorsports 56 Chevy CHI
DNQ 		NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM
Smith Brothers Motorsports 67 Chevy ATL
DNQ 		PHO DAR HOM
2005 Gary Keller Motorsports 03 Chevy DAY
DNQ 		CAL
DNQ 		MXC LVS ATL NSH BRI TEX PHO TAL 122nd 76 [27]
Curb Racing 43 Chevy DAR
29 		RCH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR GTY IRP GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM
2006 Carver Racing 58 Dodge DAY CAL MXC LVS
28 		ATL
34 		BRI
43 		TEX NSH PHO TAL 86th 253 [28]
40 RCH
DNQ 		DAR
28 		CLT
DNQ 		DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA MAR GTY IRP GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM
2007 Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Chevy DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL BRI
26 		NSH TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV
30 		NSH
31 		KEN MLW NHA
21 		DAY CHI GTY IRP CGV GLN MCH BRI CAL
20 		RCH
43 		DOV KAN
35 		CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM 71st 523 [29]
2009 NEMCO Motorsports 87 Toyota DAY CAL LVS BRI TEX NSH PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV
24 		NSH
23 		KEN
15 		MLW NHA DAY CHI GTY
28 		IRP
20 		IOW GLN MCH BRI CGV ATL RCH DOV 45th 1149 [30]
R3 Motorsports 26 Chevy KAN
24 		CLT
24 		MEM
27 		TEX
20 		PHO
24 		HOM
22
23 CAL
18
2011 NEMCO Motorsports 87 Chevy DAY PHO LVS
43 		BRI 36th 120 [31]
Toyota CAL
22 		TEX TAL NSH
24 		RCH DAR DOV IOW CLT CHI MCH ROA
24 		DAY
25 		KEN NHA NSH IRP IOW GLN CGV
QL† 		BRI
29 		ATL RCH CHI
24 		DOV KAN CLT
36 		TEX PHO HOM
26
† - Qualified for Joe Nemechek·

Camping World Truck Series

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NASCAR Camping World Truck 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 NCWTC Pts Ref
2009 Rob Fuller Motorsports 71 Chevy DAY CAL ATL MAR KAN CLT DOV TEX MCH MLW MEM KEN IRP NSH BRI CHI IOW GTW NHA LVS
31 		MAR TAL TEX PHO HOM 86th 106 [32]

ARCA Racing Series

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

ARCA Racing 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 ARSC Pts
2002 Arne Henriksen 17 Chevy DAY ATL
13 		NSH SLM KEN CLT KAN POC MCH TOL SBO KEN BLN POC NSH ISF WIN DSF CHI SLM TAL CLT
7 		80th 365

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points
2023 Ave Motorsports LMP3 Ligier JS P320 Nissan VK56DE 5.6 L V8 DAY
 SEB
 WGL
 MOS
 ELK
 IMS
7 		PET
 33rd 264


References

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  1. ^ a b c DeGroot, Nick (January 28, 2015). "What did NASCAR driver Kevin Conway do after winning ROTY? He became a world champion..." motorsport.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c NASCAR (April 21, 2004). "WS: Irvan offers opportunity for Conway". Daytona Beach, Florida: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joe Gibbs Racing (March 20, 2007). "BUSCH: Conway debuts for JGR at Bristol". motorsport.com. Huntersville, North Carolina. Retrieved 9 November 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b c d Pockrass, Bob (September 14, 2010). "Front Row sues former driver Kevin Conway, Extenze over portion of $5.4 million sponsorship deal". scenedaily.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-18. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b Leone, Christopher (January 17, 2010). "Explaining NASCAR's Weakest Rookie "Race" in Recent Memory". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  6. ^ Atlanta's Phoozy, a super protective gadget case, lands on 'Shark Tank' The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  7. ^ Gluck, Jeff (July 18, 2010). "12 Out Of 12: An Interview With Kevin Conway". SB Nation. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  8. ^ a b Joe Gibbs Racing (August 29, 2007). "BUSCH: Fontana II: Kevin Conway preview". Huntersville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  9. ^ NASCAR (February 11, 2004). "2004 Rookie candidates preview". Daytona Beach, Florida: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  10. ^ Gary Keller Motorsports (December 8, 2004). "BUSCH: Gary Keller Motorsports forms new team". Dayton, Ohio: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  11. ^ Carver Racing (May 8, 2006). "BUSCH: Richmond: Kevin Conway weekend notes". Mooresville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  12. ^ a b "BUSCH: New team Carver Racing signs Conway". Carver Racing. Mooresville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. May 4, 2006. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d Tyler, Marty (February 2, 2007). "Conway Joins Joe Gibbs Racing "I Can't Wait"". Catchfence.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  14. ^ a b Tyler, Marty (September 29, 2009). "Kevin Conway And Extenze Ink A Multi-Year Deal". Catchfence.com. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  15. ^ a b Tyler, Marty (March 25, 2011). "2011 Auto Club Speedway Quotes "Caught in the CatchFence" from Kevin Conway, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Mike Harmon". Catchfence.com. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  16. ^ Ryan, Nate (October 8, 2010). "Front Row team does juggling act in qualifying for triple play". USA Today Sports. USA Today. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  17. ^ Pockrass, Bob (August 14, 2010). "Kevin Conway out at Front Row Motorsports as sponsor Extenze cuts ties with team". scenedaily.com. Brooklyn, Michigan. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  18. ^ a b Menzer, Joe (March 8, 2011). "CONWAY, RGM IN WAR OF WORDS AFTER ALTERCATION". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  19. ^ Vincent, Amanda (January 21, 2014). "2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie battle one to watch". autoracingdaily.com. Auto Racing Daily. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  20. ^ "Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo 2013 Technical Specifications". squadracorse.lamborghini.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-05. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  21. ^ "Series Champion, Conway Takes the Final Checkered Flag of the Season". squadracorse.lamborghini.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-28. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  22. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  23. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  24. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  25. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2003 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  26. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  27. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2005 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  28. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  29. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  30. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  31. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  32. ^ "Kevin Conway – 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
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Achievements
Preceded by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year
2010 		Succeeded by
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