Paul Sawyer, 88; Helped Develop Stock Car Racing Into Major Sport

Paul Sawyer, 88, who helped develop stock car racing from a regional sport into an international phenomenon, died of pneumonia Saturday at a hospital in Richmond, Va.

Sawyer and his partner, early NASCAR star Joe Weatherly, bought a small dirt track in Richmond, along with tracks in Wilson, N.C., and Virginia Beach, Va., in 1955. A year later, Sawyer bought out Weatherly and concentrated on Richmond, which he gradually turned into a three-quarter-mile oval with more than 100,000 seats.

Sawyer sold the track to International Speedway Corp. in 1999, but remained on its board.

In 1997, Sawyer received the Buddy Shuman Award, which has been presented since 1957 to an individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the growth of NASCAR’s top series. In 1998, Sawyer received NASCAR’s Founder’s Award as part of the sport’s 50th anniversary celebration.

A native of Norfolk, Va., Sawyer served in the military during World War II and worked at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk from 1939 until his retirement in 1965.

The track he developed now holds two Nextel Cup races, two in the Busch Series, one in the Craftsman Truck Series and one in the Indy Racing League.