H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, the legendary track promoter who helped usher NASCAR's presence onto a national stage, has passed away, NASCAR announced. He was 86.

Wheeler, a native of Belmont, North Carolina, spent 33 years at the helm of Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, and was named the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Wheeler spurred on many industry firsts at the facility. Charlotte was the first track to build condominiums on site, offer fine dining in a restaurant overlooking the race track and, most telling of all, the first speedway of its size to feature racing under the lights.

He was also known for his pre-race extravaganzas, NASCAR said, which ran the gamut from school-bus vehicles leaping row upon row of junkyard-bound cars to Robosaurus, a towering, fire-breathing, car-crunching mechanical robot, to recreations of numerous military operations--including the invasion of Grenada.

Wheeler was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009. He also served as president of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the group that owns Charlotte Motor Speedway and eight other NASCAR-sanctioned venues.

He departed Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.

"Humpy Wheeler was a visionary whose name became synonymous with promotion and innovation in our sport," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France in a statement. "During his decades leading Charlotte Motor Speedway, Humpy transformed the fan experience through his creativity, bold ideas and tireless passion. His efforts helped expand NASCAR's national footprint, cement Charlotte as a must-visit racing and entertainment complex and recently earned him the NASCAR Hall of Fame's prestigious Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. On behalf of NASCAR and the France family, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Wheeler family and all who were touched by his remarkable life and legacy."

To learn more about Wheeler's life and contributions to the industry, visit nascar.com.

Image courtesy of NASCAR/Harold Hinson