| Biography | - Tony Warren is a former NASCAR driver from Fletcher, NC. In his short Nationwide Series career, Warren competed in nine events to earn three top-ten finishes.
Warren's debut came in 1982, when he competed in the season finale at Martinsville. Starting positions in the field of forty are unknown, but Warren slipped through the typical Martinsville mayhem to finish a solid 19th.
Warren's next four races came during the 1983, when the driver got off to a running start. He started the year off with a lead-lap finish at Greenville, an effort that rewarded him with a career-best 5th place finish. After nearly matching that with a solid 6th place run at Hickory in June, Warren fell off a bit in the latter part of the year. He started on the outside pole, but blew an engine late in the July Hickory event to finish 23rd and then crashed to 19th at Martinsville.
Warren's final four races came in 1986, when he wound up with a a career-high 43rd place finish in the points. After a rough start to the year , Warren found his old consistency again. He ran 18th at South Boston and then had his best run of the year with a 7th place run in the July Hickory race. He then ended his career with a midpack 22nd place run at Charlotte.
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| abstract | - In his youth Tony had been a child actor, appearing on Children's Hour alongside Violet Carson, Doris Speed and Alan Rothwell under his real name (for example, all four appeared in a play together on the life of Humphrey Chetham broadcast on 17th August 1952 at 5.00pm). Realising that his acting ambitions would not be met, he moved into script-writing with an unsolicited episode of Shadow Squad which was eventually commissioned and transmitted by Granada Television in two parts on 3rd and 6th November 1958. Warren was given an exclusive contract with Granada in March 1960 and found himself on the team of writers working on adaptations of the W.E. Johns Biggles books, an assignment which he loathed. At the prompting of drama executive producer Harry Elton, Tony proposed a new series more suited to his interest and skills. This series, initially titled Florizel Street, was a redraft of a script he'd submitted to the BBC under the name Our Street back in 1956 . Initially commissioned for a thirteen week run, Warren undertook to write the first twelve episodes, with the thirteenth in which the street is demolished not being produced, and continued to regularly write for the programme until 1964, from 1967 to 1969 and from 1975 to 1976. In total he wrote 69 episodes of the programme plus a further episode (372) which was never recorded due to the 1964 ITV Strike. After leaving the show he continued to work as a writer, penning scripts and novels. There are two portraits of Tony in the National Portrait Gallery. On 20th May 2014, the main studio block at the Media City Studios at Trafford Wharf was named "The Tony Warren Building" in a special ceremony attended by ITV Chief Executive Adam Crozier, the cast and production crew and Mr Warren himself. William Roache made a speech during the dedication. Tony died just under two years later after a short illness. Many paid tribute to his work and legacy. William Roache stated "Tony was the father of Coronation Street and he gave us all so much" while Helen Worth said '"Tony was a genius of our time, the dearest funniest and most inspirational man of his generation. He brought real life into our homes for us all to relate to and enjoy. He will of course live on forever through Coronation Street." ITV said, “All who worked with Tony throughout his illustrious career had the utmost respect for his achievements and he remained a consultant on the Manchester-based soap until the day he died. He was considered one of the television industry’s greatest minds as he devised the idea for the Weatherfield soap at the age of 24, at the very beginning of his acclaimed writing career.” Carol Ann Duffy said, “Manchester has lost its dearest son and so many of us a beloved friend. And the millions who have loved Coronation Street for over half a century have lost their Dickens.” Tony's 1969 autobiography was titled I was Ena Sharples Father. He has received many awards and an honorary degree for creating the UK's longest-running drama series. In the 2010 fiftieth anniversary drama The Road to Coronation Street he was played by David Dawson who gained Warren's thorough approval for his portrayal. Tony passed away on 2nd March 2016, aged 79. His funeral was held two weeks later, with cast members past and present attending.
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