Denny Wilson - Racing

Denny Wilson is an American race car driver and businessman.  He is from Washington, Missouri.

After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force he resumed his college education and worked in his father’s Triumph dealership for a short time before going into real estate and other non-automotive related businesses eventually coming back to the sports car business full time some twenty years ago.  His Wilson Motor Company specializes in classic European sports cars. 

Denny became interested in sports cars and road racing even before he had a driver’s license.  While still in the Air Force and with the help of his father he was able to start racing in Sports Car Club of America events.  He qualified for the American Road Race of Champions in his first year of competition in SCCA nationals.  He was also racing professionally in short track stock cars and some CARA and USAC stock car races.  It was at these venues he would meet many of the top name drivers of the time such as A.J.Foyt, Bobby Unser, Roger McCluskey, Bobby Allison and Butch Hartman.  He would eventually drive stock cars, open wheel formula cars, sports racing, sedans and sports cars at over sixty race tracks.  Denny has set numerous lap records and fastest race laps while establishing a lifetime winning record. 

In road racing he would win ten SCCA divisional championships in Formula B and two sports car classes.  Denny also has won the Grove Racing Award twice as the outstanding driver for the St.Louis Region of the SCCA and the coveted Mark Donahue Award presented by the Road Racing Drivers Club for outstanding performance. 

Other professional racing includes his own team and as a paid driver in the IMSA Camel GT series driving two BMW M1’s and a Porsche RSR.  Later Denny would drive for Dick Bahre Racing in NASCAR at Topeka, Watkins Glen and Lime Rock Park. 

For a period Denny was a professional driving instructor assisting SCCA national licensed drivers that wished to improve on their abilities.  He has been an SCCA chief instructor.  He has also coached some stock car drivers on road racing.  His most interesting student being five time USAC champion Butch Hartman before a 250 mile race at Mid-America Raceways, an event that Hartman won.  With the closing of MAR Denny no longer had a facility for his private instructing.

Denny’s first drive for another car owner was for the proprietor of a small manufacturing company that made after market sports car parts.  The car was a Lotus 7A.  Today Denny races a Lotus Super 7 in vintage racing events around the country.  He is sponsored by Mecum Auctions, the premier classic car auction company.  You can see him race his black and yellow Mecum Lotus at such places as Road America, Watkins Glen and Virginia International Raceway.  He still enjoys winning seasons.