Turning down a team like Dale Earnhardt Inc. would sound unthinkable to most drivers, but Ron Fellows stands out. At its peak, DEI housed one of the richest rosters in NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Jr., John Andretti, and Martin Truex Jr, to name a few. Each carried the banner at different points. For a driver looking to break into the Cup Series full-time, it was the kind of opportunity career dreams were made of.

But when Canadian road course expert Ron Fellows received a chance to make that leap, he walked the other way. Fellows, not 66, joined DEI in his early 40s as a part-time specialist, delivering flashes of brilliance, most memorably his breathtaking 2004 charge at Watkins Glen, where he climbed from last to second and nearly beat Tony Stewart. That was enough to earn him a permanent pl

See Full Page