|
Local driver makes NASCAR, Sylva proud
Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship crew chief, Dennis Connor, is making his hometown of Sylva proud.
Connor works with the number 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel team and has been involved with NASCAR for 31 years.
Connor has had a successful and historical past as a crew chief in NASCAR. Many view him as an all-around good guy but most know him as a championship crew chief. Considering Connor has three championship rings from 1997, 1999 and 2001 in the NCTS. In 1996 and 1998 he was a runner-up.
Connor was born in Sylva in 1951. He and his wife, Brenda, and their eight cats now make their home in Concord.
Also in Connor’s list of acheivements are 21 poles, 24 wins and 143 top-10 finishes as a NCTS crew chief.
“Connor was good at mechanics; it came easy to him. In 1975, he met Junior Johnson’s transport driver and asked if he could attend a couple of races. At the tracks, Connor learned all about the sport. Three years later, he made his crew chief debut for Richard Childress Racing with Childress as the driver,” said Jeffrey Sturek, public relations manager for the team.
Over the years Connor has worked as a mechanic, a car and crew chief, general manager and an engine tuner. His mentor in racing is well-known Nascar crew chief, Harry Hyde, who steered the likes of Tim Richmond to multiple victories.
From 1986 through 2001, Connor was employed at Hendrick Motorsports with its NNCS and NCTS teams. He worked with drivers Benny Parsons, Ken Schrader, Jack Sprague and Richmond, who he says gave his most memorable moments in racing.
Connor was instrumental in starting HMS’s truck program when the series first evolved in 1995. Terry Labonte made the team’s first start in the No. 5, finishing second in the race. During that year, Connor ran into Sprague, who was running his own truck team and doing well with some top-10 finishes. HMS’s owner, Rick Hendrick later hired Sprague to drive the No. 5 truck, the start of a dynasty in NCTS competition. The team finished fifth in the driver points standings that year with 15 top-10 finishes and several near victories.
From 1996 to 2001, Connor led Sprague and the team to an impressive run – three championship trophies and twice a runner-up.
Between 1997 and ’98, Connor led the team to a string of 24 consecutive top-10 finishes, the most by a NCTS team in the series’ 11 years heading into the 2006 racing season. In all, Connor has never finished lower than fifth in the NCTS driver points standings when acting as crew chief and he does not plan on breaking that streak this year with ppc Racing. Connor says, “I’ve surrounded myself with so many good people in the past. It’s all about the people.”
|
