Randall Alexander Dorton (May 1, 1954 – October 24, 2004) for Hendrick Motorsports. With Dorton, the team won nine NASCAR championships.
Career
Born in Concord, North Carolina, Dorton began his NASCAR career in the 1970s working for crew chief Harry Hyde. In 1984, Dorton's company Competition Engines was bought out by Hendrick Motorsports, and two years later, he was named Engine Builder of the Year by NASCAR and Clevite Engine Parts.
Death
On October 24, 2004, Dorton and nine others boarded a Beechcraft Super King Air heading to Martinsville Speedway for the Subway 500. Flying into foggy weather, the pilots became disoriented, and flew five miles past Blue Ridge Airport, and when they attempted to perform the missed approach procedure, the plane flew two miles without making the necessary right turn, and the plane crashed into Bull Mountain, killing all on board; the race would begin 27 minutes later. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson won the race, though no post-race celebrations were held. The suits were settled in 2011, six years after the crash.
The trophy awarded to the winner of the Mahle Engine Builders Challenge is named the Randy Dorton Trophy in his honor.
Personal life
Dorton was the son of Jimmy and Lorene Dorton,