Cotton Priddy
Thomas "Cotton" Priddy (August 29, 1928 – June 10, 1956) was a NASCAR Grand National race car driver from Louisville, Kentucky, USA.[1] He was the driver who died at the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway during a race on June 10, 1956.[1] 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.[2]
Thomas "Cotton" Priddy | |||||||
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Born | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | August 29, 1928||||||
Died | June 10, 1956 27) LeHi, Arkansas, United States | (aged||||||
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) | ||||||
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Career
Priddy was posthumously awarded $50 in winnings ($470.2 when considering inflation) from his final race.[1] Previously, he raced twice in the 1953 season.[1] With zero finishes in the top ten, Priddy had only seventy-three laps of experience.[1] Earning only a grand total of $125 at the time of his death ($1,175.49 when considering inflation), his earnings were paltry even back in those days.[1]
Priddy's best finishes were on road courses with an average finish of 20th place; his average finish on dirt tracks was 28th place.[3]
References
- Cotton Priddy career information at Racing Reference
- "Death of race car driver Cotton Priddy". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- Cotton Priddy racing information Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages