Cotton Priddy

Cotton Priddy
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)

Thomas "Cotton" Priddy (August 29, 1928 – June 10, 1956) was a NASCAR Grand National race car driver from Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Priddy died racing at the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway on June 10, 1956. 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. The race was not stopped and was won by driver Ralph Moody. The qualifying of race itself was already marred by the death of another driver, Clint McHugh.

Career

Priddy was posthumously awarded $50 in winnings ($592.11 when considering inflation) from his final race. Previously, he raced twice in the 1953 season. With zero finishes in the top-ten, Priddy had only 73 laps of experience. Earning only a grand total of $125 at the time of his death ($1,480.26 when considering inflation), his earnings were paltry even back in those days.

Priddy's best finishes were on road courses with an average finish of 20th place; his average finish on dirt tracks was 28th place.

References

↑ "Motorsport Memorial - Cotton Priddy". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 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.
↑ "Motorsport Memorial".
↑ "Clint McHugh Killed In NASCAR Accident". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. June 10, 1956.
↑ "Motorsport Memorial".
↑ Cotton Priddy racing information Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages

External links

Cotton Priddy driver statistics at Racing-Reference

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[mem-1] "Motorsport Memorial - Cotton Priddy". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.

[racingreference-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