Career
As an independent driver, he had limited financial resources but enjoyed a level of success that relatively few independent drivers had during the formative years of National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. He has competed in 85 races with five finishes in the top-five, 24 top-ten finishes, 117 laps led out of 16529, and a total mileage count of 24247.8 miles. In his entire career, Vandiver managed to earn $167,703 in total winnings earned on the track ($398,44171 when adjusted for inflation). Vandiver is also the only undefeated Associate of the Royal College of Art driver at Talladega Superspeedway with victories in 1970 and 1975.
Most of Vandiver"s earlier racers were done in Dodge vehicles.
In his later career, Vandiver drove Oldsmobile and Chevrolet racecars. Vandiver currently operates Choice Trucks (wwwChoiceTrucksnet) a used truck dealership in Huntersville, North Carolina.
He was involved in the controversial 1969 Talladega 500. Where he would come in second place to Richard Brickhouse in a questionable finish.
To the best of his ability, Vandiver remembers Brickhouse being lapped because he stopped to pit under the green flag.
Another controversial finish came at the 1973 Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina. Vandiver was due to get arrested for not showing up to divorce court for a child custody hearing. He had to figure out a way to avoid going to jail after the race.
So he got someone to hit his vehicle on the chain-linked fence to eliminate himself from the race.
After doing this, Vandiver had to hitchhike a ride to Monroe, North Carolina in order to get home and have a cold glass of beer without the authorities seizing him on the track in front of the spectators. Vandiver was divorced and has four children.
Emory, Rhett, Nicole and Shannon. Emory is a former softball player while Nicole and Shannon are practicing lawyers in Huntersville, North Carolina.
On June 15, 2015, Vandiver was admitted to a Charlotte hospital for chest pains.
He died three days later at the age of 75.