The OG fans of pro wrestling will remember Magnum T.A, who was a star in the making at the National Wrestling Alliance in the early 1980s. He was sadly forced into retirement following a car crash in 1986. Not many, however, would know that he was also on the cusp of making a career for himself in NASCAR.
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Magnum T.A, whose real name was Terry Wayne Allen, appeared on The Dale Jr. Download podcast, where he spoke about his interest in racing. Well, it wasn’t just an interest that began out of the blue. Magnum grew up around motorsports.
The former pro wrestler had ties to figures like Ricky Rudd and a family circle that spent time on dirt bikes and go-karts. Racing was part of his life long before he stepped into a wrestling ring. And he knew what it takes to become a racer.
“I realized that there was nothing simple about it, that it was a skill set. It wasn’t just driving in circles.” Magnum said, before elaborating on how he mapped out a path that would let him straddle both worlds. He had planned to use wrestling to earn a name, and after reaching the top, he wanted to lay the groundwork for a shift into racing.
“I figured, I was 27, I’m gonna be the world’s champ. I can be the world champ for three years, and I can start doing some driving school stuff on the side and learning. And it scared the crap out of everybody, but I saw that as a less physical path than what I was doing every day because I’m doing this seven days a week,” said Magnum.
Wrestling, however, took a physical toll on him. Taking bumps daily wore him out. “And I am beating people up, and I’m getting beat up seven days a week,” said Magnum, who started thinking of racing seriously since the sport would offer a less physically punishing alternative career for him.
Soon, on a flight, Magnum found himself seated near Benny Parsons, a former Cup champion. Parsons walked him through what it would take to break into the sport, offering a blueprint. Within earshot sat Jim Crockett Jr., who had reason to be uneasy as one of his top wrestling stars was mulling a jump into another line of work that carried its own risks.
Magnum, however, had his eye set on the long game and was adamant he would get into racing eventually. But that road came to an abrupt end in October 1986. A crash into a telephone pole in heavy rain while driving his Porsche left him with severe injuries to his C-4 and C-5 vertebrae.
The damage was so grave that questions were raised about whether he would walk again. And in a split second, both his wrestling career and any shot at a move into racing ended.
