[2] After he retired from racing, Rakestraw went to work as a mechanic and later became a service manager for a local grading company.
[1][2][3] Wilbur Rakestraw began his career in 1956 racing at his hometown track, the Dallas Speed Bowl.
[4] He continued racing in the SRE circuit at various local tracks including Fairburn, Gainesville, Lakewood, Cornelia, Canton, Macon, and the Peach Bowl.
[4] His best unofficial finish was a second place drive in a non-points race at Daytona behind Junior Johnson and immediately ahead of Fred Lorenzen.
[1] Rakestraw was a member of the Midwest Association of Race Cars (MARC) (now ARCA), where he collected numerous wins and top ten finishes.