Wayman "Hut" Stricklin was a
NASCAR race car driver.
Stricklin was born on
June 24, 1961, in
Calera, Alabama. He married Pam Allison, the daughter of
NASCAR legend
Donnie Allison after they were introduced by her cousin Davey. Hut was the last member of the
Alabama Gang.
In
1986, Stricklin won NASCAR's
Dash Series Championship. The next year, he made his debut in NASCAR Winston Cup.
Two years later he finished second to
Dick Trickle in the
NASCAR Rookie of the Year championship with car owner
Rod Osterlund. In his sophomore season, he competed in only three events before taking over the driving chores of
Bobby Allison's #12 Raybestos Brakes
Buick. 1991 turned out to be one of his best seasons yet, as he finished 16th in the championship point standings as well as a career high 2nd place at
Michigan International Speedway. Halfway through
1992, Hut left Allison to drive
Junior Johnson's McDonald's Ford. The next year, Stricklin paired with owner
Travis Carter to form a new team, the Number 23
Camel Cigarettes Ford. It was a disappointing year with Hut finishing 26th in points.
After Stricklin couldn't find a ride for
1995, he served as a consultant for
Kenny Bernstein's rookie driver
Steve Kinser, a
World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion who was struggling to transition from dirt to pavement. During the season, Kinser resigned, and Stricklin took over, posting five top 10 finishes. Unfortunately the team closed at the end of the year, and Hut had to find a new job.
Hut joined the
Stavola Brothers Racing #8
Circuit City Ford in
1996. He had a second-place finish at
Darlington Raceway, and ended up 22nd in points that year.
In
1998, Stricklin went between jobs, first driving the #8 car, which closed because of sponsorship woes, then driving substitute duty for
David Green and
Robert Pressley for the rest of the year.
1999 presented Hut with a new challenge. He was now the crew chief for
Gary Bradberry's #78 Ford for
Triad Motorsports. When that team was sold, Hut took over the #58
Ford for businessman
Scott Barbour. He posted some of the best finishes of the year for that team, including a top-ten finish at
Michigan. Despite posting three consecutive DNQs, Stricklin appeared to have found solid footing, as Barbour announced Stricklin would be his driver through 2003, and would have
Motorsports Safety Technologies as his sponsor. Unfortunately, sponsorship again plagued Stricklin, as shortly after signing the deal, MST produced a
bounced check, causing Stricklin's team to close its doors forever.
In
2000, Stricklin drove for longtime owner
Junie Donlavey at the
Brickyard 400 and finished 14th. The next year he had a 6th place finish at Michigan. However, sponsor
Hills Brothers wanted to find a new team, and they both moved to Bill Davis' #23
Dodge.
In
2002, Stricklin struggled and was soon released. That was the last year that he drove a
NASCAR race.
Hut Stricklin's family now owns Stricklin Auto & Truck Parts in Cleveland, North Carolina.
Stricklin was a stunt driver for the movie Days of Thunder
