'I lost my hero': the heartbreaking message from Gary Myers' son after his death'

G ary Myers died on Thursday, September 10 in North Carolina , the state that was home throughout his entire motor racing career. With his passing, American motorsports bids farewell to one of the figures who helped build a family tradition that spanned four generations.

The news was formally confirmed by his sons, Burt and Jason Myers , who shared emotional farewell messages on their social media to honor the memory of their father and mentor.

Who was Gary Myers, the patriarch of a NASCAR family?

Motorsports fans know and deeply respect Gary Myers for embodying the purest, closest, and most passionate spirit of grassroots racing in the United States.

' Myers belonged to one of the most storied families in NASCAR . Four generations of his family have raced on the asphalt of the legendary Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, nicknamed "The Madhouse" because of the extremely high tension of its short-track oval races.'

Gary spent more than 60 years of his life glued to the racetracks. Fans watched him grow up from being a child watching his father race, then competing fiercely as a driver and, finally, staying in the pits guiding the steps of his own sons and grandson. Having competed side by side against his sons on the same track created an immense and deeply endearing emotional connection with the local public.

Although he competed in 46 races in NASCAR’s top category ( NASCAR Winston Cup Series) during the 1970s, Myers always did so as an independent driver . This means he built and maintained his own vehicles on very tight budgets, competing directly against the millionaire teams of the era.

One of his greatest achievements came in 1996, when he won the SMART Modified Tour championship. The organization itself remembered him as one of its founding members and highlighted the 15 victories he achieved in the category.

The message that moved the NASCAR family

Burt Myers's farewell revealed the most personal dimension of the loss. The driver was one of the first members of the family to speak out publicly and remembered Gary as his great “hero,” a figure whose importance extended far beyond the world of racing.

“Last night I lost my hero” , Burt wrote. The message reflected the personal dimension of a loss that transcends results and trophies.

"Last night I lost my hero. He fought with all his strength, but he was very tired. I’m sure he is now in heaven doing the things he couldn’t do in recent years." His message reflected both his personal pain and the deep relationship they had.

Jason Myers joined in the outpouring of affection and described Gary as the family's “patriarch”. He also recalled his close relationship with his children and his influence on the generations that kept the family tradition alive on the racetracks.

The story of Gary Myers does not end with his death. His father Billy and his uncle Bobby were part of the family's first generations on the tracks; then came Burt and Jason, and finally Slate, who began his career in 2024.

So far, the family has not publicly reported the cause of death. What remains confirmed is the legacy of a man who spent decades in motorsports and who ended up becoming the center of one of the families most closely connected to Bowman Gray .