Cotton Priddy
Thomas "Cotton" Priddy (August 29, 1928 – June 10, 1956) was a NASCAR Grand National race car driver from Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He was the driver who died at the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway during a race on June 10, 1956. 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. Career. Priddy was posthumously awarded $50 in winnings ($ 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 seventy-three laps of experience. Earning only a grand total of $125 at the time of his death ($ 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.