Thomas "Cotton" Priddy
Born(1928-08-29)August 29, 1928
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
DiedJune 10, 1956(1956-06-10) (aged 27)
LeHi, Arkansas, United States
Cause of deathRace-related crash
NASCAR Cup Series career
3 races run over 2 years
Best finish131st - 1953 NASCAR Grand National season
First race1953 untitled race (Daytona Beach Road Course)
Last race1956 untitled race (Memphis-Arkansas Speedway)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0

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]

It was the first time Priddy competed in a NASCAR grand-national race. On the 39th lap of the race, his Chevy sideswiped another driver and flipped down the dirt. Priddy was thrown clear from his car, he suffered multiple fractures and died about an hour after the accident occurred in a West Memphis, Arkansas hospital.[3] The race was not stopped and was won by driver Ralph Moody.[4] The qualifying of race itself was already marred by the death of another driver, Clint McHugh.[5][6]

Career

Priddy was posthumously awarded $50 in winnings ($538.19 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 ($1,345.47 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.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial - Cotton Priddy". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cotton Priddy career information at Racing Reference
  3. ↑ "Death of race car driver Cotton Priddy". The Courier-Journal. 11 June 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  4. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial".
  5. ↑ "Clint McHugh Killed In NASCAR Accident". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. June 10, 1956.
  6. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial".
  7. ↑ Cotton Priddy racing information Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages
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