Grant Adcox facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grant Adcox
Born	(1950-01-02)January 2, 1950 Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Died	November 19, 1989(1989-11-19) (aged 39) Hampton, Georgia, United States
Cause of death	Racing accident
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg)
Awards	1987, 1988 ARCA Racing Series Bill France Four Crown
NASCAR Cup Series career
60 races run over 11 years
Best finish	29th (1978)
First race	1974 Carolina 500 (Rockingham)
Last race	1989 Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 6 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	80th (1989)
First race	1989 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham)
Last race	1989 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
Statistics current as of December 18, 2012.

Herbert Grant Adcox (born January 2, 1950 – died November 19, 1989) was an American stock car driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, which is the top level of stock car racing in the United States. Sadly, he passed away in a racing accident during a race in 1989.

Racing Career Highlights

Grant Adcox began his career in the Winston Cup Series in 1974. He often raced for his father, Herb Adcox, and their family's Chevrolet dealership in Chattanooga, Tennessee, helped with sponsorship.

In 1974, Grant and his father both qualified for the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This was a very important race. During the race, Grant's car hit a slippery spot on the track and crashed into another car. A crew member was injured in the accident. Grant was very upset by this and had to leave the race.

He continued to race in some Winston Cup events over the years. In 1975, he qualified for the Talladega 500. However, his crew chief, Gene Lovell, sadly passed away in the garage. Grant's car was withdrawn, but he found another car to drive. The race was then delayed due to rain, and Grant had to withdraw again. Another driver, Tiny Lund, took his spot and later had an accident during the race.

Grant's best result in the Winston Cup Series was in 1978. With sponsorship from Krystal Restaurants, he finished fifth in the 1978 Winston 500 at Talladega. This was his highest finish in a Winston Cup race.

Grant Adcox often raced with limited money and support. Even so, he showed great skill. In 1979, he was very fast during qualifying for the 1979 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway, starting fourth. However, his car's engine broke down early in the race.

Grant was especially known for being a strong competitor in the ARCA series. This is a stock car series that often uses older cars and has smaller teams. He was very good on the fast, big tracks called superspeedways. In 1986, he won a record four superspeedway races. Overall, he had eight wins on superspeedways in his career, with five of those wins happening at Talladega. Even famous driver Dale Earnhardt once said that if Grant had more money and support, he could be very successful in NASCAR.

In 1989, Grant planned to race in a few Cup events with sponsorship from Bumper to Bumper All Pro Autoparts.

His Final Race and Legacy

Grant Adcox's last race was the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1989. He crashed heavily on lap 202 of the race and sadly passed away due to his injuries.

After the accident, investigators found that his racing seat was not mounted correctly. This problem caused his seat to break away during the severe impact, which led to his death. This tragic event led to important new safety rules for how seats are installed in race cars. These rules were put in place for the 1990 season, making racing safer for all drivers.

To honor Grant Adcox, ARCA created the H.G. Adcox Award for sportsmanship. His father, Herb, presented this award every year until he passed away in 2015. There is also a Grant Adcox Memorial race held annually at North Georgia Speedway, and another event has been held in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Grant Adcox is buried at the Chattanooga Memorial Park in Chattanooga, TN.