Charles Glen Little Jr., born on April 29, 1963, is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Little holds a degree in marketing from Washington State University and a J.D. degree from Gonzaga University. Currently, Little works at NASCAR as managing director for technical inspection and officiating. Let's delve into his career, achievements, and personal life.
Early Racing Career
Little began racing on short tracks in Washington in the mid-1980s. He soon began racing in the American Speed Association West late model series, the NASCAR Northwest Tour Series, and the NASCAR Winston West Series.
NASCAR Winston Cup Debut
Little made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut in 1986 at Riverside International Raceway, driving the No. 28 Ford owned by George Jefferson. He started 25th and finished thirteenth. He ran the other Riverside race that year but finished 35th after suffering engine failure.
He ran both Riverside races the next year, finishing fifteenth both times in the No.
The following year, Little was eligible for NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors and signed to drive the No. 90 for Junie Donlavey. However, his best finish was an eighteenth, at the Coca-Cola 600, and he was released early in the season.
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In 1989, he missed United Airlines Flight 232. About a third of the passengers aboard the flight perished during its emergency landing in Iowa.
In 1990, Little and his father Chuck teamed to field their own entry, the No. 19 Ford sponsored by Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce. He ran eighteen races and had seven top-twenty finishes, garnering a 33rd place points finish.
In 1992, Little signed to drive the No. 66 TropArctic-sponsored Ford for Cale Yarborough but was released six races into the season. Later, he caught on to the No. 9 Ford fielded by Melling Racing and had an eighth-place finish at Talladega. He also made his Busch Series debut that year, starting and finishing 29th in the No.
In 1993, Little, along with Greg Pollex and former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, formed Mark Rypien Motorsports, running the No. 23 If It's Paper-Bayer Select-sponsored Ford on a limited basis that year, posting a second-place finish at Dover International Speedway. The next year, the team went full time and Little had 10 top-five finishes, finishing third in points. He also drove the No. 97 Ford at the Daytona 500 that season, finishing 29th.
In 1995, Little broke through and won six races during the course of the season, including the first two races of the season, at Daytona and Rockingham, and finished second in points, behind Johnny Benson. His other wins were at Loudon, Charlotte, Talladega and South Boston.
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Little did not win a race the following season, however, and slipped to sixth in points. He also ran nine Winston Cup Series races, five in Pollex's No.
In 1997, Little returned to the Winston Cup Series, running the No. 97 Pontiac for Pollex with a sponsorship from John Deere. He finished seventh at the Food City 500, but the team struggled to make races. Late in the year, Jack Roush purchased the team to be added to his stable for 1998.
In 1998, Little drove for Roush full time with Jeff Hammond as crew chief. Running 32 out of 33 races, he had seven top-tens, including a second-place run at Texas, finishing behind Mark Martin, and finished a career-high fifteenth in points. He was unable to duplicate that performance in 1999, posting just five top-tens and finishing 23rd in points. After just one top-ten in 2000, Roush announced Little would not drive the 97 the following season. Late in the year, Little was pulled out of the car and replaced by his successor, Kurt Busch, with Hammond still as crew chief.
During the season, he also ran a handful of races in the Busch Series. Originally running the No.
In 2001, Little signed to drive the No. 74 Staff America-sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo for BACE Motorsports in the Busch Series. He had six top-tens and finished ninth in points. He started off 2002 running for BACE, but the team closed after three races due to sponsor issues. He made his final Cup start in a BACE car at Dover that year, finishing 33rd.
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Post-Racing Career
Starting in 2013, Chad took on the role of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series managing director. On February 2, 2015, NASCAR announced that Little would be moving into a new role, as a managing director of technical inspection and officiating. He keeps regular office hours in the sanctioning body's research and development center in Concord, North Carolina. He also was a part-time studio analyst for Speed Channel.
Chad Little assumed the role of NASCAR managing director for technical inspection and officiating in 2015.
Chad Little's NASCAR Career Statistics
Here's a summary of Chad Little's NASCAR career statistics:
| Series | Years | Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Best Points Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winston Cup Series | 1986-2002 | 133 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15th (1998) |
| Busch Grand National Series | 1992-2002 | 133 | 6 | 27 | 47 | 2nd (1995) |
| SuperTruck Series | 1995 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52nd |
Note: These statistics provide a glimpse into Chad Little's performance across different NASCAR series.
NASCAR Busts: Chad Little
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