Cotton Priddy
Thomas Obrey "Cotton" Priddy (August 29, 1928 – June 10, 1956)[1] was a NASCAR Grand National race car driver from Louisville, Kentucky, USA.[2] He was the driver who died at the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway during a race on June 10, 1956.[2] He was traveling an estimated 90 mph, thrown clear, and suffered multiple fractures. He died an hour after the accident occurred in a West Memphis, Arkansas, hospital. This was his first time competing in a NASCAR grand-national race.[3]
| Thomas "Cotton" Priddy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 29, 1928 Louisville, Kentucky, United States | ||||||
| Died | June 10, 1956 (aged 27) LeHi, Arkansas, United States | ||||||
| Cause of death | Race-related crash | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 3 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 131st - 1953 NASCAR Grand National season | ||||||
| First race | 1953 untitled race (Daytona Beach Road Course) | ||||||
| Last race | 1956 untitled race (Memphis-Arkansas Speedway) | ||||||
| |||||||
Career
Priddy was posthumously awarded $50 in winnings ($498.35 when considering inflation) from his final race.[2] Previously, he raced twice in the 1953 season.[2] With zero finishes in the top ten, Priddy had only seventy-three laps of experience.[2] Earning only a grand total of $125 at the time of his death ($1,245.87 when considering inflation), his earnings were paltry even back in those days.[2]
Priddy's best finishes were on road courses with an average finish of 20th place; his average finish on dirt tracks was 28th place.[4]
References
- "Motorsport Memorial - Cotton Priddy". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- Cotton Priddy career information at Racing Reference
- "Death of race car driver Cotton Priddy". The Courier-Journal. 11 June 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- Cotton Priddy racing information Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages
External links
- Cotton Priddy driver statistics at Racing-Reference