Famous NASCAR Driver Dog Names

Shakey Jakey might not be a household name, but in the world of dog racing, he certainly holds his own. 

At younger than two years old, Shakey Jakey gained a title few dogs will ever even sniff in their lifetime — one of the fastest dogs in the world. He accomplished as much by destroying a track record at Wentworth Park in Sydney, Australia, taking an incredible 22-length lead over the competition while closing out the race with record-breaking splits. He completed the 520-meter race in 29.07 seconds, .20 faster than the previous record-holder, Punch One Out. The most incredible part? He did so on a sloppy track that had just previously sustained heavy rain. By comparison, the previous record for 515 meters was 29.30. Shakey Jakey did it nearly half a second faster with an additional 5 meters of length and in unfavorable conditions — oh, and it was his racing debut. 

To those who do not follow dog racing, it might seem odd that a dog that shattered such a significant record would make his maiden race also his final race, but his owner, David Pringle, had a much more lucrative career in mind for his lightning-fast racer: siring high-quality and high-demand puppies. Compared to what he might make in races, the estimated value of making Jakey a stud was around $700,000 a year… for 10 years. 

Five minutes after the race concluded, Pringle was made an offer of $500,000 to sell Jakey. Within a week, offers had reached a million, but given the state of taxation in Australia and the allure of owning a “dog of a lifetime”, Pringle decided to avoid the risk of further injury (as Jakey ended up with a shoulder issue shortly after the race) as well as potentially ruining his dog’s name with any losses he might sustain, and declined the money, opting to instead turn his race-track stud into a siring stud. 

So what’s the secret of the canine version of The Flash? First off, he was sired from champions as well. His mother, Kiacatoo Pearl, and his father, Collision, were also champions who not only sired him but several other champions. Pringle is also a third-generation Greyhound trainer who feeds all of his dogs a secret family recipe and for a time, was housing them in a heated, double-brick dog kennel, but even when that changed, he still kept them in considerable luxury compared to the standard canine accommodations that exist in most homes.