{{short description|American racing driver}} {{other people||Alan Carter (disambiguation){{!}}Alan Carter|Wilson Carter}} {{Infobox racing driver | birth_name = Wilson Alan Carter | birth_date = December 2, 1928 | birth_place = Miami Springs, Florida, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1993|5|23|1928|12|2|mf=y}} | death_place = Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. | current_series = | first_year = 1947 | car_number = 1, 4jr., p34, 44, 73 | championships = 3 | wins = 159+ <ref>{{cite web|title= Cars, Drivers & Events – Rags Carter |url= https://sites.google.com/site/arracarsdriversevents/home/carter-alan-rags|publisher=Auto Racing Research Associates |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref> | retired = 1980<ref>{{cite news|last=Blaine|first=Eddy|title=Let's Go Racing|url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/doylestown/doylestown-intelligencer/1980/04-18/page-24 |newspaper=The Intelligencer |location=Doyelstown PA |page=24 |date= April 4, 1980 |via=NewspaperArchive |accessdate=August 27, 2024}}</ref> | awards= | module1= {{Infobox NASCAR driver| child= yes | death_cause = |achievements = |awards= | Total_Cup_Races = 1 | Years_In_Cup = 1 | Best_Cup_Pos = | First_Cup_Race = 1952 Palm Beach Speedway<ref name="RR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver/Rags_Carter/|title=Rags Carter-NASCAR Cup Series|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|accessdate = May 23, 2023}}</ref> | Last_Cup_Race = | Cup_Wins = 0 | Cup_Top_Tens = 1 | Cup_Poles = 0 | Best_Busch_Pos = | First_Busch_= | Last_Busch_Race = | First_Busch_Win = | Last_Busch_Win = | Busch_Wins = | Busch_Top_Tens = | Busch_Poles = | updated = }} |last_series=Modified racing career}} '''W. Alan "Rags" Carter''' (December 2, 1928 – May 23, 1993) was an American stock car racing driver from Miami Springs, Florida. He won the 1965, 1966 and 1969 championships at the Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite book| last = Carter| first = Al Jr.| title = JUST CALL ME RAGS: Rags Carter's Racing Life| publisher = Coastal 181| date = 2017| isbn = 9780998862507}}</ref>

==Racing career== In his early career, Carter was a frequent winner at the South Florida tracks, including Broward, Medley, and Palm Beach Speedways. In 1952, Carter came from last place to win the Florida Stock Car Championship at Opa-Locka Speedway, crossing the finish line on his roof after tangling with future NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Banjo Matthews.<ref>{{cite book| last= Zullo|first= A.|last2= Nash|first2=B. M.|title=The Greatest Sports Stories Never Told|publisher= Simon & Schuster|date=1993| ISBN=9780671795276}}</ref>

It was at Palm Beach that Carter made his only appearance in the NASCAR Grand National Series, finishing sixth.<ref name="RR1"/> Carter spent the majority of his career racing in the Modified division, and in 1963 relocated to Pennsylvania, where he competed at the renowned tracks of the northeast, frequenting Orange County Fair (Victory) Speedway in New York and Reading Fairgrounds Speedway in Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 10, 1965 |title=Carter snares first Fairground feature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQcrAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=rags+carter&article_id=3900,3831323/ |access-date=May 29, 2023 |newspaper=Reading Eagle |location=PA |page=6 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=August 23, 1965 |title=Rags Cater triumphs at Victory Speedway |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SO9fAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA19&dq=rags+carter&article_id=5171,2685435 |access-date=May 29, 2023 |newspaper=The Evening News |location=Newburgh NY |page=19 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=David |date=June 10, 1979 |title=Rags Carter wins feature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eVtGAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=rags+carter&article_id=1529,1248837 |access-date=May 29, 2023 |newspaper=The Evening News |location=Newburgh NY |page=12 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Carter was inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and the Northeast Dirt Modified Halls of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://empamedia.com/halloffameAllan%20Rags%20Carter.html|title=EMPA Hall of Fame - Rags Carter|publisher= Eastern Motorsports Press Association|access-date=2023-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 24, 1992 |title=W. Alan Carter, 64, former Stock Car driver |url=https://www.mcall.com/1993/05/24/w-alan-carter-64-former-stock-car-driver/ |access-date=May 23, 2023 |newspaper=The Morning Call |publication-place=Allentown PA}}</ref>

==Motorsports career results== ===NASCAR=== (key) (<span style="font-size:85%">'''Bold'''&nbsp;– Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics''&nbsp;– Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. *&nbsp;– Most laps led.</span>) ==== Grand National Series==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%" |- ! colspan="48"| NASCAR Grand National 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 ! 27 ! 28 ! 29 ! 30 ! 31 ! 32 ! 33 ! 34 ! {{Tooltip|NWCC|NASCAR Winston Cup classification}} ! Pts ! Ref |- ! 1952 ! ! 34 ! Plymouth | style="background:#FFDF9F;"|PBS<br><small>6</small> | DAB | JSP | NWS | MAR | CLB | ATL | CCS | LAN | DAR | DSP | CAN | HAY | FMS | HBO | CLT | MSF | NIF | OSW | MON | MOR | PPS | MCF | AWS | DAR | CCS | LAN | DSP | WIL | HBO | MAR | NWS | ATL | PBS ! ! 91.5 ! <ref>{{cite web |title=Rags Carter – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results |url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/cartera01/1952/W/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |work=Racing-Reference |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC}}</ref> |- |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{Racing-Reference driver|Rags_Carter}} *[http://www.catamountstadium.com/RagsCarter_Roadster_FlaTrackHalfPaved_AlanCarterJrColl_Boyd.jpg Rags Carter with early roadster]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Rags}} Category:1928 births Category:1993 deaths Category:NASCAR drivers Category:Racing drivers from Miami-Dade County, Florida Category:Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame