Checkered Flag - John Callis, Nascar Driver, Crew Chief, Mechanic and Gentleman

[BGlover67]

It saddens me to notify everyone here that long time SAAC member John Callis of Cornelius, NC passed away today, August 10th, 2026.  He bravely battled dementia and was lovingly cared for by his sister Patricia Callis Powell.

John was born on May 31st, 1949 and grew up in Orlando, Florida.  He was a Marine veteran of the Vietnam War.  His Nascar racing career began during the 1980 season and included competing in seven Sprint Cup Series events.

Besides racing, John worked for numerous championship teams including Blue Max (Rusty Wallace) in 1989 and Robert Yates Racing in 1999 where he stayed until retiring from Nascar in 2015.

Most notably, he was also a master mechanic and when Holman Moody needed a 427 engine built for their continuation GT40's, John was the man they called.

John loved Shelbys and Fords in general and his prized possession was a 1967 nightmist GT350. 

He will be greatly missed.  Funeral arrangements are to be announced.



Here is a pretty neat interview of John with a local Carolina radio show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZRu-awVFhk

[JD]

Rest in peace good man.

[Bill]

Sad, he was a great man with a lot of knowledge and a great sense of humor.

Our condolences to his family and friends.

[NC TRACKRAT]

A great loss in so many ways.  He will be sorely missed.