David Pearson (Left) and his restored 1937 Ford, with NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion Ryan Truex (Right) at Pearson’s farm in Boiling Springs, S.C. (Photo: Kate Gardiner/NASCAR)

David Pearson’s name is painted on the wall at historic Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina as the 1959 Late Model track champion. The ‘Silver Fox,’ who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011, excelled on those short tracks before advancing to NASCAR’s top level in the 1960s.

"When I look back on my career, I have had many great moments, but I will always remember when I first started on the short tracks of the Carolinas - it was pure grass roots racing,” Pearson said. “It taught me a lot and helped prepare myself for the top series in NASCAR.

“I have a lot of respect for the young guys today who understand they must start from the bottom and work their way up the ladder. You have to earn it. There are some good, smart drivers out there today and I would love to race against them."

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Greenville Pickens is the same arena where Ryan Truex has launched his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championships each of the last two years.

Like Pearson, Truex, the 18-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing development driver and brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr., spoke louder with his driving talents than he did out of the driver’s seat. The soft-spoken Truex collected five wins and an astounding 17 top 10s in his 21 starts in the series. Even when his championship defense in 2010 opened with him involved in a pair of wrecks in the closing laps – bouncing off the same walls that bear Pearson’s name – he kept the car on the lead lap and brought it home 14th.

Truex’s championship run also included races at a pair of Virginia tracks – South Boston Speedway and Martinsville Speedway – and Dover International Speedway, where Pearson had success nearly 20 years before Truex was born.