Iowa stock car racer Terry Ryan, a 2008 inductee into the Quad Cities Raceway Hall of Fame whose early-career Dirt Late Model racing preceded significant asphalt success in the NASCAR and ARCA ranks along with touring USAC competition, died July 13 at an assisted living facility in DeWitt, Iowa. He was 88.

The driver who landed on the pole position for the 1976 Daytona 500 (in part because multiple drivers were tagged with aerodynamic penalties) and finished sixth as a rookie in NASCAR’s biggest event, launched his racing career on dirt, winning a three-way championship in a sportsman division at Davenport (Iowa) Speedway, Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway and Quad Cities Raceway in East Moline, Ill., in 1968 before moving up to the Late Model division.

The 31-year truck driver for Standard Forwarding was a five-time winner USAC Stock Car division on dirt and asphalt, including victories at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and the Illinois State Fairgrounds Mile in Springfield.

Ryan, who made 12 career NASCAR Cup starts in 1976-77, stepped away from racing after his 1980 USAC victory at Springfield. After a 16-year-hiatus, he returned to compete in vintage style cars and competed into his early 70s, according to story from longtime racing publicist Jerry O’Brien.

Ryan was preceded in death by his wife Colleen; survivors include daughter Kelly, a granddaughter and two great-grandchildren. The funeral is 11 a.m. Friday, July 17, at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Davenport.