John Anderson
4/20/44 - 7/31/86
Massilon, OH

Cup Starts: 32 (1979 - 1983)
Best Finish: 5th @ Michigan Int. Speedway,
Brooklyn, MI (8/19/79)

BGN Starts: 5 (1982 - 1983)
Best Finish: 6th @ Charlotte Motor Speedway,
Charlotte, NC (10/9/82)
John Anderson was another driver who rose through the ASA ranks.  Anderson won several ASA races throughout the 70's before getting his chance at NASCAR in 1979.  He got the biggest win of his career on May 5, 1979 when he won the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race at Talladega. That win probably helped land him a Winston Cup ride in Russ Draime's Chevy at Michigan.  Anderson's debut was impressive.  After qualifying in the 20th position, Anderson picked his way to a 5th place finish.  That run lead to three more starts in 1979.  The door was open for John.

Anderson came to Daytona in 1980 with the Draime team and turned heads during Speedweeks.  After starting 17th in the second Twin 125 qualifying race, John worked his way to the front, leading four laps en route to a 3rd place finish.  His solid finish secured him the 6th starting spot for the Daytona 500.  Anderson ran well but a vibration late in the race forced him to finish 18th.  After a promising start, the Draime team folded early in the season.  John bounced between Henley Gray's team and the RahMoc Enterprises team for most of 1980.  Amongst many mediocre finishes were several bright spots, including a 9th place qualifying effort at Nashville in May and a 9th place finish in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona in July.  Anderson would finish the year driving for the new Warren Fabricating team owned by John Rebhan.  In the final three races of the season, he had a 6th place qualifying effort at Rockingham and a 9th place finish in the season finale at Ontario.  In all, John started 20 of the 31 races and finished 24th in the final point standings.

1981 had a much different start than the previous year.  Anderson returned to Daytona with the Warren Fabricating team with high hopes.  John started 7th in the first qualifying race and seemed poised to contend for the win.  His hopes of a good run were dashed when he suffered a horrific crash on lap 28.  His Oldsmobile barrel-rolled multiple times before coming to rest in a smoldering heap on the back straight.  John's career was never the same.  Anderson started only eight more races over the next few seasons, and never again broke the top 10.  His final start came at Charlotte in 1983 driving for Henley Gray where he finished 24th.  John Anderson lost his life in a highway accident three years later.
Anderson finished fifth in his Winston Cup debut in Russ Draime's #08 Chevrolet at Michigan in 1979.
John finished the 1980 season in the Warren Fabricating #77.  Here he battles with #68 Lennie Pond and #27 Benny Parsons at Ontario Motor Speedway on November 15, 1980.  Anderson finished 9th.
John's #77 is towed back to the garage at Daytona in 1981 after a series of tumbles during the first 125-mile qualifying race.  Anderson was running well and even lead a lap before the incident.
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