View source for Mach 1 Racing

{{short description|Auto-racing company}}
{{for|the current team that went by this name from 2004 to 2006|Front Row Motorsports}}
{{Infobox former NASCAR team
| name          = Mach 1 Racing
| logo          =
| owners        = [[Hal Needham]]<br>[[Burt Reynolds]]
| base          =
| series        = [[NASCAR]] [[Sprint Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]]
| drivers       = [[Stan Barrett]]<br>[[Harry Gant]]<br>[[Morgan Shepherd]]
| sponsors      = [[Skoal (tobacco)|Skoal]]
| manufacturer  = [[Buick]]
| opened        = 1981
| closed        = 1989
| drivers_champ =
| wins          = 9
}}
'''Mach 1 Racing''' was a [[NASCAR]] [[Sprint Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]] team. It was owned by Hollywood stuntman [[Hal Needham]] and actor [[Burt Reynolds]].

The team made its debut in [[1981 in NASCAR|1981]], fielding the No. 22 [[Skoal (tobacco)|Skoal]] Pontiac driven by [[Stan Barrett]]. Barrett ran ten races for the team that season, his best finish coming at [[Talladega Superspeedway]], where he finished 9th. Midseason, Mach 1 created a second car, the No. 33, driven by [[Harry Gant]]. Gant did not win that season, but he won three poles and had thirteen top-tens, finishing third in points.

In [[1982 in NASCAR|1982]], Gant drove the No. 33 [[Buick]] full-time with sponsorship from [[7-Eleven]]/[[Skoal tobacco|Skoal]]. He won at [[Martinsville Speedway|Martinsville]] and [[Charlotte Motor Speedway|Charlotte]] and finished fourth in points. After just one win the following season, the team switched to [[Chevrolet]], and Gant won three races, finishing a career best second in points. He followed that season up with another three wins in [[1985 in NASCAR|1985]].

For the next three years, Gant and Mach 1 failed to visit victory lane. Midway into the [[1988 in NASCAR|1988]] season, Gant suffered injuries at the [[Coca-Cola 600]]. [[Morgan Shepherd]] filled in for him, and had one top-five and two top-tens. After Gant finished 27th in the final standings, he left the team for [[Jackson Bros. Motorsports]], taking [[Skoal tobacco|Skoal]] and No. 33 with him.

In [[1989 in NASCAR|1989]], Needham sold the team to Bill Edwards, a North Carolina businessman, switched to the No. 66 and signed rookie driver [[Rick Mast]]. In their first race together, the [[1989 Daytona 500|Daytona 500]], Mast drove the unsponsored car to a sixth-place finish, an accomplishment he later said was the one he was the most proud of. Mast and Mach 1 ran twelve more races together that season, they were unable to duplicate that effort. Edwards closed the team and sold it to their [[pit stop|crew chief]], [[Travis Carter]].  [[Travis Carter Motorsports]] entered NASCAR competition in the [[1990 Daytona 500]].

== External links ==
*[http://www.racing-reference.info/owner?id=needhha01 Hal Needham Winston Cup Owner Statistics]

{{Mach 1 Racing}}
{{Travis Carter Enterprises}}

[[Category:1981 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1989 disestablishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct NASCAR teams]]
[[Category:American auto racing teams]]