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Pete Orr (racing driver)

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Charles "Pete" Orr (July 29, 1956 – November 18, 2002) was an American stock car racing driver. Regarded as a superstar in Florida late model competition,[1] Orr competed primarily in the lower levels of racing, but did have a brief NASCAR Busch Series career; his death from lymphoma in 2002 led to the State of Florida enacting insurance reform.

Charles "Pete" Orr
Born(1956-07-29)July 29, 1956
Miami, Florida
DiedNovember 18, 2002(2002-11-18) (aged 46)
Montverde, Florida
Cause of deathLymphoma
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
6 races run over 2 years
Best finish65th (1996)
First race1995 Gatorade 200 (Darlington)
Last race1996 Goody's Headache Powder 250 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0

Career

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Born in Miami but a long-time resident of Montverde, Florida,[2][3] Orr competed in local short track racing events throughout Florida starting in the 1970s.[4] He ran for Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Winston All-American Challenge Series, later renamed the Slim Jim All Pro Series, in 1988;[5] he competed in the series over the next several years, both as a driver and as crew chief for fellow Florida racer David Russell.[6] Orr continued competing in local events as well, winning the FASCAR Triple Crown Series in 1991.[7] In 1992 he won the prestigious Orange Blossom 100 at New Smyrna Speedway for the second consecutive year;[8] he also won the speedway's World Series of Asphalt championship.[9]

Busch Series

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In 1995, having left local competition in an attempt to make it at the top levels of the sport,[10] Orr made his debut in NASCAR national touring competition, driving for David Ridling in the Busch Grand National Series.[11] Orr was 39; he had promised his wife he would retire if he hadn't reached the Busch Series level by age 40.[11] Driving the No. 88 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Farmer's Choice Fertilizer, he ran two races in the 1995 season, at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway, with a best finish of 29th; he failed to qualify for the two final races of the season.

Remaining with Ridling's team for the 1996 season, Orr planned full-time in the Busch Series, declaring his intention to compete for Rookie of the Year honors; in the season-opening Goody's 300 at Daytona International Speedway, Orr qualified tenth for the series' biggest race of the year,[12] but was involved in an accident, finishing 40th of 46 cars and completing only 50 laps.[13] Orr failed to qualify three times over the next six races, with his best finish in the three races which he qualified for being 34th, at Richmond International Raceway in the third race of the season, and Bristol International Raceway in the seventh. Bristol's Goody's Headache Powder 250 would be Orr's final race in NASCAR's higher levels; before the race the following week at Hickory Motor Speedway, Ridling released him from the team, replacing him with Kevin Lepage,[14] who would go on to win at the season's final race.[15]

Following his aborted Busch Series career, Orr returned to local short track competition,[16] racing as far afield as DeSoto Speedway in Florida and Jennerstown Speedway in Pennsylvania in 2000.[17][18]

Legacy

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Suffering from lymphoma, he retired from racing in 2001, having scored over 300 wins in racing competition[19] Orr became a victim of insurance fraud, with over $250,000 in claims being refused by his insurance company;[19] the racing community assisted in paying for his medical treatment.[20] Orr died of his cancer on November 18, 2002; he was survived by his wife Terri, three sons, and a daughter.[2]

Orr's insurance issues led to the Florida Legislature passing insurance reform following his death;[21] the measure was referred to as the "Pete Orr Insurance Anti-Fraud Act",[22] or more simply as the "Pete Orr Bill".[23] from 2003 until 2015, the Orange Blossom 100 was named the Pete Orr Memorial, with the family supporting the race;[24] Orr had won the event four times, more than any other driver.[2]

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.)

Busch Series

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NASCAR Busch Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 NBGNC Pts Ref
1995 Ridling Motorsports 88 Chevy DAY CAR RCH ATL NSV DAR BRI HCY NHA NZH CLT DOV MYB GLN MLW TAL SBO IRP MCH BRI DAR
29 		RCH DOV CLT
31 		CAR
DNQ 		HOM
DNQ 		80th 146 [25]
1996 DAY
40 		CAR
DNQ 		RCH
34 		ATL
36 		NSV
DNQ 		DAR
DNQ 		BRI
34 		HCY NZH CLT DOV SBO MYB GLN MLW NHA TAL IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR HOM 65th 220 [26]

ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ABSC Pts Ref
1996 Ridling Motorsports 88 Chevy DAY
DNQ 		ATL SLM TAL FIF LVL CLT CLT KIL FRS POC MCH FRS TOL POC MCH INF SBS ISF DSF KIL SLM WIN CLT ATL NA 0 [27]

References

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  1. ^ Marseglia, Paul (August 7, 1990). "DiCandio holds on for first feature win". The Daily Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 4. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Matthews, Mark K. (November 21, 2002). "Racing legend Charles 'Pete' Orr captured trophies for 3 decades". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. p. B6. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  3. ^ Coole, Terri (February 22, 1996). "Montverde's Orr skids out of Daytona race". Lake Sentinel. Orlando, FL. p. 11B. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  4. ^ "Orr Captures Hobby Race". The Palm Beach Post-Times. West Palm Beach, FL. July 21, 1974. p. E6. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  5. ^ "Pete Orr wins race on way to Challenge". The Daily Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. 1988. p. 9. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  6. ^ Dame, Mike (August 15, 1991). "Orlando's Russell making run for rookie points title". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  7. ^ Marseglia, Paul (November 5, 1991). "Orr wins $1,000 prize in Speedworld 50 laps". The Daily Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 4. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  8. ^ Marseglia, Paul (January 29, 1992). "Orr keeps hands on Orange Blossom title". The Daily Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 5. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  9. ^ Marseglia, Paul (February 9, 1993). "New Smyrna gets green flag". The Daily Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 6. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  10. ^ "Orr races to DeSoto win". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, FL. April 17, 1995. p. 5C. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Zizzo, Mike (July 27, 1995). "Orr takes long road to Grand National". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. p. D10. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  12. ^ "Purvis is making splash at Daytona". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, AL. February 17, 1996. p. B5. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  13. ^ Williams, Charlean (February 18, 1996). "Busch rookie Orr banged up, finishes 40th". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. p. S2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  14. ^ Oakes, Kalle. "Lepage gets a big break, deservedly so". Sun-Journal. Lewiston, ME. p. 1C. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  15. ^ Biebrich, Richard Jr. (November 4, 1996). "Lepage Wins A Safe Jiffy Lube". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Archived from the original on March 23, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  16. ^ "Racing back on track at Speedway". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. June 27, 1998. p. 5A. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  17. ^ "Patience pays off for No. 6 qualifier". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, FL. February 7, 2000. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  18. ^ "Florida driver increases level of competition in Late Models". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. April 30, 2000. p. D20. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  19. ^ a b Groeller, Greg (April 15, 2002). "Insurance Scams Dupe Floridians". The Ledger. Lakeland, FL. p. B1. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  20. ^ Cole, Christine (June 21, 2002). "Racing-memorabilia sales to aid driver's cancer fund". Lake Sentinel. Orlando, FL. p. G4. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  21. ^ Groeller, Greg (April 6, 2003). "Legislators take on unlicensed insurers". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. p. H1. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  22. ^ "Florida's Gallagher Applauds Anti-Fraud Law". Insurance Journal. San Diego, CA: Wells Media Group. June 18, 2003. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  23. ^ "State financial officer applauds Pete Orr bill". Orlando Business Journal. Orlando, FL. March 27, 2003. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  24. ^ Shacklette, Buddy (February 1, 2003). "Pete Orr Memorial Orange Blossom 125 set". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 2A. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  25. ^ "Pete Orr – 1995 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  26. ^ "Pete Orr – 1996 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  27. ^ "Pete Orr – 1996 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
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