// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Steve Pfeifer a good baker? He's the pfeifer-ect chef.

Steve Pfeifer
Born	(1938-10-04) October 4, 1938 San Francisco, California, U.S.
NASCAR Cup Series career
8 races run over 4 years
Best finish	77th (1980)
First race	1978 Los Angeles Times 500 (Ontario)
Last race	1981 Warner W. Hodgdon 400 (Riverside)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
ARCA Menards Series career
Best finish	N/A (1981)
ARCA Menards Series West career
53 races run over 9 years
Best finish	10th (1980)
First race	1976 Winston Monterey 100 (Laguna Seca)
Last race	1985 Stroh's Beer 200 (Kent)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 3 0
Statistics up to date as of October 5, 2026.

Steve Pfeifer (born October 4, 1938) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He primarily competed in the NASCAR Winston West Series from 1976 to 1985. He is best known for his crash in the 1979 Gabriel 400, where he went over the pit wall while filling in for Roger Hamby.

Racing career

Pfeifer began competing in the USAC Stock Car Series in 1971, running four races with a best finish of twelfth at New Bremen Speedway. He made one start in 1972, finishing seventeenth at the Indianapolis Raceway Park Road Course. He also attempted two NASCAR Winston Cup Series races at Ontario Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, failing to qualifying for both events. Pfeifer made his NASCAR Winston West Series debut in 1976, finishing last in 26th after a second-lap crash at Laguna Seca Raceway. He failed to qualify for the combination race at Ontario. Pfeifer made twelve Winston West starts in 1977, scoring his first top-ten at All American Speedway. He failed to qualify for the first combination race at Riverside International Raceway as well as the Ontario combination race. Pfeifer ran 18 of 22 Winston West races in 1978, scoring his only career top-five with a fifth-place finish at Craig Road Speedway. He failed to qualify for the combination races at Riverside but would make his Winston Cup debut in the Ontario combination race, finishing 32nd due to battery issues. He also returned to the USAC Stock Car Series, finishing sixteenth at Ontario. Pfeifer made two Winston West starts in 1979, finishing eighteenth at Sears Point International Raceway and twentieth at Phoenix International Raceway. He failed to qualify for the first Riverside combination race and would finish 32nd in the second due to a fire after eight laps; he also competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing 30th, and Atlanta International Raceway, finishing 34th due to a crash. In the 1979 Gabriel 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Pfeifer relieved Roger Hamby. He was involved in a crash that sent him over the pit wall while coming in for a pit stop, resulting in cuts over his right knee and on his chest and a right foot injury to photographer Ray Crook. Pfeifer also made his final USAC Stock Car start in 1979, finishing fifteenth at Ontario. He ran nine Winston West races in 1980, scoring his third and final career top-ten with a sixth-place finish at Sears Point. He finished 27th and 21st in the combination races at Riverside. Pfeifer made four Winston West starts in 1981 with a best finish of fourteenth at Riverside. He finished 24th in the first Riverside combination race and the aforementioned fourteenth place also came in a Riverside combination race. 1981 also saw Pfeifer make his only ARCA Racing Series attempt at Daytona International Speedway, failing to qualify. Pfeifer made three Winston West starts in 1982, scoring a best finish of seventeenth at Sears Point. He withdrew from the first Riverside combination race. Pfeifer ran three Winston West races again in 1983 with a best finish of fourteenth at Evergreen Speedway. He failed to qualify for the Winston Cup finale at Riverside, his final career Winston Cup attempt. He made his final Winston West start in 1985, finishing fifteenth at Seattle International Raceway due to engine issues. In 1988, Pfeifer ran seven of eight races in the SCCA Escort Endurance Championship with a best overall finish of eighth at Sears Point and a best class finish of second at Sears Point and Brainerd International Raceway. He ran six of eight races in 1989, scoring a best overall finish of fifteenth at Sears Point and a best class finish of third at Road Atlanta. Pfeifer ran the 1998 24 Hours of Daytona for Fantasy Junction-Coys Racing, and with co-drivers Bruce Trenery, Spencer Trenery, Graheme Bryant, and Kent Painter, finished 41st overall and eleventh in the Can-Am class. He ran the race again in 1999, this time for Pettit Racing, and with co-drivers Cameron Worth, Scott Sansone, and Ryan Hampton, where he finished 30th overall and seventh in the GT2 class.

External links

• Steve Pfeifer driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Steve Pfeifer driver statistics at The Third Turn