Grant Adcox fatal crash at Atlanta Journal 500 (19 November 1989) VIDEO & ALL PICS
- 6 years ago
Herbert Grant Adcox (January 2, 1950 – November 19, 1989) was a stock car racing driver who died in a single-car accident in the 1989 Atlanta Journal 500 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
In the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway held on November 19, 1989, Adcox crashed heavily on lap 198 of the event and died of major chest and head injuries, also suffering a heart attack as result of the crash. Upon investigation, it was determined that the severe impact had torn his improperly mounted racing seat away from its mount entirely, and this led to Adcox's death. It also led to new safety regulations on the way seats were mounted for the 1990 season.
Adcox, was an infrequent Winston Cup competitor, but one of ARCA's top-notch hitters. He won eight superspeedway contests: five at Talladega (including four straight), two at Atlanta and one at Daytona Beach, Fla. He finished in the top five in nearly every other ARCA event he ran. He was a talented, respected competitor who knew exactly what he was doing.
"(The death) overshadows this," said Wallace of the Winston Cup championship he claimed in the same hour Adcox died at Georgia Baptist Hospital. "It was one of the hardest hits I've ever seen. My heart goes out to Grant's family."
Nobody can prevent the kind of shot Adcox took into the turn one barrier, a collision which relocated the rear end housing 1 1/2 feet from its proper location and twisted the seat so violently that it was left facing the passenger-side window.
Adcox was a veteran standout on the Automobile Racing Club of America circuit, which includes tracks as small as one-fourth of a mile to the awesome 2.67-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He was a winner on both.
Adcox's Winston Cup Series career started in 1974, running a handful of races for father Herb Adcox with sponsorship backing from the family's Chevrolet dealership in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
In that year's Winston 500 – considered one of the crown jewels of the sport – held at the fastest track on the circuit, the Talladega Superspeedway, Adcox and his father qualified for the event. With a hundred laps in the books, a caution came out as Donnie Allison's clutch burned out and David Sisco's motor went up in smoke. Gary Bettenhausen, who had pitted a lap after the leaders, and was up on jacks as young Adcox came down for service. Adcox's car hit an oil and water patch and slammed straight into the Bettenhausen Matador, crushing catch can man Don Miller between the cars. A young crew member of the Nord Krauskopf team who was pitted nearby, Buddy Parrott, came rushing down to help, while Penske crewmembers John Woodward and John Watson were also injured. Miller was taken to the hospital and eventually had his right leg amputated. Learning of the extent of Miller's injuries, Adcox went into shock, and his car was withdrawn from the event.
Adcox continued to run sporadic Cup races among the years. Adcox qualified for the 1975 Talladega 500, but his crew chief Gene Lovell suffered a heart attack and died in their garage. Adcox's car was withdrawn but he was able to find a substitute ride. However, the race was delayed for a week due to rain and Adcox was again forced to withdraw. His spot on the grid was given to Tiny Lund, who had not raced in Winston Cup for several years. Lund subsequently died during the race in an accident on lap seven.
The 1978 Winston 500 at Talladega was Adcox's best result, as Krystal Restaurants came on board for a partial season with sponsorship money and in his family-owned Chevrolet, Adcox finished a strong fifth in his career best Cup finish.
But if Adcox's career had a theme, it was a shortage of cash. A year later, he was again sponsorless - he timed in fourth for the 1979 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway but his car's raw speed did not pay off, and his motor expired early. He continued to run sporadic events over the years but never again contended.
Adcox's primary claim to fame was for being a strong competitor in ARCA competition, a lesser stock car series that utilizes older Cup cars and more grass roots based operations. He was especially dominant on the superspeedways—he won a record four of them in 1986 and had eight total superspeedway triumphs in his career, with five victories coming at Talladega.
For 1989, Adcox had signed up with Bumper to Bumper All Pro Autoparts and in a family-owned Chevrolet planned to run in a handful of Cup events.
ARCA's sportsmanship award, the H.G. Adcox Award, is named in Adcox's honor, and is awarded annually by his father Herb. The Grant Adcox Memorial is also held annually in his honor at North Georgia Speedway and a subsequent event has been held also in Cleveland, Tennessee.
In the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway held on November 19, 1989, Adcox crashed heavily on lap 198 of the event and died of major chest and head injuries, also suffering a heart attack as result of the crash. Upon investigation, it was determined that the severe impact had torn his improperly mounted racing seat away from its mount entirely, and this led to Adcox's death. It also led to new safety regulations on the way seats were mounted for the 1990 season.
Adcox, was an infrequent Winston Cup competitor, but one of ARCA's top-notch hitters. He won eight superspeedway contests: five at Talladega (including four straight), two at Atlanta and one at Daytona Beach, Fla. He finished in the top five in nearly every other ARCA event he ran. He was a talented, respected competitor who knew exactly what he was doing.
"(The death) overshadows this," said Wallace of the Winston Cup championship he claimed in the same hour Adcox died at Georgia Baptist Hospital. "It was one of the hardest hits I've ever seen. My heart goes out to Grant's family."
Nobody can prevent the kind of shot Adcox took into the turn one barrier, a collision which relocated the rear end housing 1 1/2 feet from its proper location and twisted the seat so violently that it was left facing the passenger-side window.
Adcox was a veteran standout on the Automobile Racing Club of America circuit, which includes tracks as small as one-fourth of a mile to the awesome 2.67-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He was a winner on both.
Adcox's Winston Cup Series career started in 1974, running a handful of races for father Herb Adcox with sponsorship backing from the family's Chevrolet dealership in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
In that year's Winston 500 – considered one of the crown jewels of the sport – held at the fastest track on the circuit, the Talladega Superspeedway, Adcox and his father qualified for the event. With a hundred laps in the books, a caution came out as Donnie Allison's clutch burned out and David Sisco's motor went up in smoke. Gary Bettenhausen, who had pitted a lap after the leaders, and was up on jacks as young Adcox came down for service. Adcox's car hit an oil and water patch and slammed straight into the Bettenhausen Matador, crushing catch can man Don Miller between the cars. A young crew member of the Nord Krauskopf team who was pitted nearby, Buddy Parrott, came rushing down to help, while Penske crewmembers John Woodward and John Watson were also injured. Miller was taken to the hospital and eventually had his right leg amputated. Learning of the extent of Miller's injuries, Adcox went into shock, and his car was withdrawn from the event.
Adcox continued to run sporadic Cup races among the years. Adcox qualified for the 1975 Talladega 500, but his crew chief Gene Lovell suffered a heart attack and died in their garage. Adcox's car was withdrawn but he was able to find a substitute ride. However, the race was delayed for a week due to rain and Adcox was again forced to withdraw. His spot on the grid was given to Tiny Lund, who had not raced in Winston Cup for several years. Lund subsequently died during the race in an accident on lap seven.
The 1978 Winston 500 at Talladega was Adcox's best result, as Krystal Restaurants came on board for a partial season with sponsorship money and in his family-owned Chevrolet, Adcox finished a strong fifth in his career best Cup finish.
But if Adcox's career had a theme, it was a shortage of cash. A year later, he was again sponsorless - he timed in fourth for the 1979 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway but his car's raw speed did not pay off, and his motor expired early. He continued to run sporadic events over the years but never again contended.
Adcox's primary claim to fame was for being a strong competitor in ARCA competition, a lesser stock car series that utilizes older Cup cars and more grass roots based operations. He was especially dominant on the superspeedways—he won a record four of them in 1986 and had eight total superspeedway triumphs in his career, with five victories coming at Talladega.
For 1989, Adcox had signed up with Bumper to Bumper All Pro Autoparts and in a family-owned Chevrolet planned to run in a handful of Cup events.
ARCA's sportsmanship award, the H.G. Adcox Award, is named in Adcox's honor, and is awarded annually by his father Herb. The Grant Adcox Memorial is also held annually in his honor at North Georgia Speedway and a subsequent event has been held also in Cleveland, Tennessee.