Hurley Haywood

Hurley Haywood
Haywood in 1994
Nationality American
Born (1948-05-04) May 4, 1948 (age 76)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1977–1983, 1985–1987, 1990–1991, 1993–1994
Best finish1st (1977, 1983, 1994)
Class wins3 (1977, 1983, 1994)
The Porsche 936 which Hurley Haywood drove to victory at the 1977 24 Hour of Le Mans

Harris Hurley Haywood (born May 4, 1948)[1] is a retired American race car driver. Haywood has won multiple events, including five overall victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona, three at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and two at the 12 Hours of Sebring and was the fifth driver to complete the informal triple Crown of endurance racing. He is credited with the 1988 Trans-Am title, two IMSA GT Championship titles and 23 wins, three Norelco Cup championships, a SuperCar title and 5 IndyCar starts.

He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 (Porsche 936), 1983 (Porsche 956) and 1994 (Dauer 962 Le Mans) and is tied as the most successful driver at the 24 Hours of Daytona with 5 wins (1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, and 1991).[2] He won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1973 and 1981. He also drove in the 1980 Indianapolis 500 finishing 18th. He represented IMSA four times in the International Race of Champions (1986, 1989, 1992, 1995).[3] In 1970, he was drafted into the army where he served as Specialist 4 with the 164th Aviation Group near Saigon during the Vietnam War.[4] After completing his tour of duty, he won his first IMSA GT title in 1971.[5]

After Peter H. Gregg's death, Haywood was a spokesperson and executive with Brumos Automotive dealerships.[6]

He is the honorary chief driving instructor at the Porsche Track Experience, held at the Barber Motorsports Park outside Birmingham, Alabama.[7][2] Patrick Dempsey produced a documentary film, Hurley, about Haywood's life.[8]

In honor of his historical achievements, he was invited to perform the ceremonial duties of Grand Marshal at the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans.[9]

  1. ^ "Porsche Honors Hurley Haywood On 70th Birthday". Porsche. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b Porsche Sport Driving School Instructor Profile Archived 2010-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Racing-Reference.info IROC statistics for Hurley Haywood
  4. ^ Bell, T. Anthony. "Hurley Haywood: Racing Icon and Unknown Soldier" Archived 2019-06-16 at the Wayback Machine, Fort Lee Traveler, 30 November 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  5. ^ Motorsports Hall of Fame of America – Hurley Haywood
  6. ^ Motorsport.com interview with Hurley Haywood Archived 2006-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Instructors | Porsche Track Experience - Birmingham, AL". www.porschedriving.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Patrick Dempsey Talks About His Newest Film: The Inspiring Story Of Race Car Driver Hurley Haywood". Forbes.
  9. ^ Hurley Haywood, three-time winner and Grand Marshal of the 24 hours of Le Mans