Grant Adcox

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American racecar driver (1950-1989)

title: "Grant Adcox" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1950-births", "1989-deaths", "sportspeople-from-chattanooga,-tennessee", "racing-drivers-from-tennessee", "nascar-drivers", "arca-menards-series-drivers", "racing-drivers-who-died-while-racing", "sports-deaths-in-georgia-(u.s.-state)", "road-incident-deaths-in-georgia-(u.s.-state)", "filmed-deaths-in-motorsport", "daytona-500-drivers", "coca-cola-600-drivers", "20th-century-american-sportsmen", "southern-500-drivers"] description: "American racecar driver (1950-1989)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Adcox" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American racecar driver (1950-1989) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox NASCAR driver"]

FieldValue
nameGrant Adcox
imageGrant Adcox with a trophy.jpg
birth_placeChattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
birth_date
death_date
death_placeHampton, Georgia, U.S.
death_causeRacing accident
height
weight170 lb
awards1987, 1988 ARCA Racing Series Bill France Four Crown
Total_Cup_Races60
Years_In_Cup11
Best_Cup_Pos29th (1978)
First_Cup_Race1974 Carolina 500 (Rockingham)
Last_Cup_Race1989 Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta)
Cup_Wins0
Cup_Top_Tens6
Cup_Poles0
Total_Busch_Races1
Years_In_Busch1
Best_Busch_Pos80th (1989)
First_Busch_Race1989 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham)
Last_Busch_Race1989 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham)
Busch_Wins0
Busch_Top_Tens0
Busch_Poles0
updatedDecember 18, 2012
::

|name = Grant Adcox |image = Grant Adcox with a trophy.jpg |birth_place = Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |birth_date = |death_date = |death_place = Hampton, Georgia, U.S. |death_cause = Racing accident |height = |weight = 170 lb |achievements = |awards = 1987, 1988 ARCA Racing Series Bill France Four Crown |Total_Cup_Races = 60 |Years_In_Cup = 11 |Best_Cup_Pos = 29th (1978) |First_Cup_Race = 1974 Carolina 500 (Rockingham) |Last_Cup_Race = 1989 Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta) |Cup_Wins = 0 |Cup_Top_Tens = 6 |Cup_Poles = 0 |Total_Busch_Races = 1 |Years_In_Busch = 1 |Best_Busch_Pos = 80th (1989) |First_Busch_Race = 1989 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham) |Last_Busch_Race = 1989 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham) |Busch_Wins = 0 |Busch_Top_Tens = 0 |Busch_Poles = 0 |updated = December 18, 2012 Herbert Grant Adcox (January 2, 1950 – November 19, 1989) was an American stock car driver who died in a single-car accident in the 1989 Atlanta Journal 500 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

Career

Adcox's Winston Cup Series career started in 1974, running a handful of races for his 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 top events in 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 period came out as Donnie Allison's clutch burned out and David Sisco's motor blew up. Gary Bettenhausen, who had pitted a lap after the leaders, was up on jacks as Adcox came down for service. Adcox's car hit an oil and water patch and slammed straight into Bettenhausen's Matador, crushing catch-can man Don Miller between the cars. A young crew member of the Nord Krauskopf team who was nearby, Buddy Parrott, came rushing down to help, while Penske crew members John Woodward and John Watson were also injured. Miller was taken to a 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 Winston Cup races over the years. He 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 fifth in his career best Winston Cup finish.

Adcox's racing career was consistently underfunded. 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 stockcar series that uses older Winston Cup cars and more grassroots-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. Dale Earnhardt, in an interview before a 1989 race at North Carolina Motor Speedway, remarked about how well Adcox had done in ARCA and said that if he had the monetary backing that other teams had, he might become a success in NASCAR.

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 Winston Cup events.

Death

In the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Adcox crashed heavily on lap 202 of the event and died of major chest and head injuries, also suffering a heart attack as result of the crash. Upon investigation, the severe impact was determined to have 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.

ARCA's sportsmanship award, the H.G. Adcox Award, is named in Adcox's honor, and was awarded annually by his father Herb until his death in 2015. 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.

Adcox is interred at the Chattanooga Memorial Park in Chattanooga, TN.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

::data[format=table]

NASCAR Winston Cup Series resultsYearTeamNo.Make12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031NWCCPtsRef1974Adcox Racing41Chevy54th16.6197533rd1020Tom Williams38Chevy1976Adcox Racing41Chevy31st1163197750th413197829th1467197936th560OldsBuick1983Adcox Racing29Chevy95th55198491st43198571st1401986101st85198724NA-1989Adcox Racing22Chevy51st282Olds
RSDDAY
DNQRCHCAR
18BRIATL
25DARNWSMARTAL
38NSVDOVCLTRSDMCHDAYBRINSVATLPOCTALMCHDARRCHDOVNWSMARCLT
18CARONT
RSDDAY
37RCHCARBRIATL
21NWSDARMARTAL
7NSVDOVCLTRSDMCH
29DAY
36NSV
27POCMCH
14DAR
13DOVNWSMARCLT
16RCHCARBRI
25ATLONT
TAL
34
RSDDAY
DNQCAR
7RCHBRIATL
12NWSDAR
7MARTAL
19NSVDOVCLT
12RSDMCHDAY
30NSVPOCTAL
18MCHBRIDAR
13RCHDOVMARNWSCLT
14CAR
12ATL
20ONT
RSDDAY
34RCHCARATLNWSDARBRIMARTAL
37NSVDOVCLTRSDMCHDAY
26NSV
25POCTAL
15MCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARNWSCLTCARATL
22ONT
RSDDAY
14RCHCAR
30ATL
7BRIDAR
25NWSMARTAL
5DOVCLT
11NSV
6RSDMCH
22DAY
22NSV
11POCTAL
22MCHBRIDAR
31RCHDOVMARNWSCLT
33CARATL
38ONT
RSDDAY
23CARRCHATL
28NWSBRIDARMARTALNSVDOV
CLT
11TWSRSDMCHDAY
33NSVPOCTAL
19MCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARCLTNWSCAR
ATL
27ONT
DAYRCHCARATLDARNWSMARTALNSVDOVBRICLTRSDPOCMCHDAYNSVPOCTAL
36MCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARNWSCLTCARATLRSD
DAY
QL†RCHCARATLBRINWSDARMARTALNSVDOVCLTRSDPOCMCHDAYNSVPOCTAL
40MCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARCLTNWSCARATLRSD
DAYRCHCARATLBRIDARNWSMARTALDOVCLTRSDPOCMCHDAY
22POCTAL
40MCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARNWSCLTCARATLRSD
DAY
DNQRCHCARATLBRIDARNWSMARTALDOVCLTRSDPOCMCHDAY
26POCTAL
DNQGLNMCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARNWSCLTCARATL
DNQRSD
DAY
DNQCARRCHATLDARNWSBRIMARTALCLTDOVPOCRSDMCHDAYPOCTALGLNMCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARNWSCLTCARRSDATL
DAYCARATLRCHDARBRINWSMARTAL
24CLTDOVSONPOCMCHDAY
13POCTALGLNMCHBRIDARRCHDOVMARCLTNWSCARPHO
ATL
32
† - Qualified but replaced by Connie Saylor
::
Daytona 500

::data[format=table]

YearTeamManufacturerStartFinish
1974Adcox RacingChevroletDNQ
19752537
1976DNQ
19771434
19781314
19792123
1984Adcox RacingChevroletQL†
1986Adcox RacingChevroletDNQ
1987DNQ
† - Qualified but replaced by Connie Saylor
::

Busch Series

::data[format=table]

NASCAR Busch Series resultsYearTeamNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829NBSCPtsRef1989Adcox Racing21Olds80th109
DAYCARMARHCYDARBRINZHSBOLANNSVCLTDOVROULVLVOLMYBSBOHCYDUBIRPROUBRIDARRCHDOVMARCLTCAR
18MAR
::

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) ::data[format=table]

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series resultsYearTeamNo.Make12345678910111213141516171819APSCPtsRef1975Adcox Racing41ChevyNA01976NA01977NA01978NA01985Adcox Racing29Chevy35th-1986220th-19874th3450Olds19883rd3980Chevy198926th-Olds
SLMDAYSLMTAL
24QCSNSVTOLSLMAVSFMSJEFTOLAND
SLMDAY
27QCSFMSTAL
21QCSAVSSLMFRSTOLNSVTOLSLM
TOLDAYQCSBFSNSVFRSTOLSLMAVSTAL
4TOLSNDSLM
DAY
18QCSAVSNSVIMSLORFRSTAL
13FRSCMSJEF
ATL
2DAYATLTAL
10ATL
3SSPIRPCSPFRSIRPOEFISFDSFTOL
ATL
5DAY
1ATL
26*TAL
1*SIRSSPFRSKILCSPTAL
1BLNISF
11DSFTOL
5MCSATL
1
DAY
9ATL
4TAL
1*DEL
2ACS
3TOL
13ROC
7POC
24FRS
23KIL
12FRS
4ISF
21INF
6DSF
20SLM
18
TAL
1*ATL
20
DAY
21TAL
2
ATL
1FRS
2PCS
6ROC
10POC
5WIN
3KIL
3ACS
4SLM
24POC
6TAL
1*DEL
15FRS
4ISF
36DSF
39SLM
14ATL
20
DAY
34ATL
7KILTAL
27FRSPOCKILHAGPOCTAL
28DEL
24FRS
1*ISFTOL
22DSFSLM
ATL
27
Results before 1985 may be incomplete.
::

References

References

  1. (July 3, 1979). "Grant Adcox newest Firecracker 400 star". Bangor Daily News.
  2. Biddle, Joe. (July 4, 1979). "Adcox Joins Life In The Fast Lane". Daytona Beach Sunday-News Journal.
  3. "Grant Adcox – 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  4. "Grant Adcox – 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  5. "Grant Adcox – 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  6. "Grant Adcox – 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  7. "Grant Adcox – 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  8. "Grant Adcox – 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  9. "Grant Adcox – 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  10. "Grant Adcox – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  11. "Grant Adcox – 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  12. "Grant Adcox – 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  13. "Grant Adcox – 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  14. "Grant Adcox – 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
  15. "Grant Adcox – 1989 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference.
  16. "Grant Adcox – 1975 Season Results ARCA Racing Series". TheThirdTurn.
  17. "Grant Adcox – 1976 Season Results ARCA Racing Series". TheThirdTurn.
  18. "Grant Adcox – 1977 Season Results ARCA Racing Series". TheThirdTurn.
  19. "Grant Adcox – 1978 Season Results ARCA Racing Series". TheThirdTurn.
  20. "Grant Adcox – 1985 ARCA Talladega SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference.
  21. "Grant Adcox – 1986 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference.
  22. "Grant Adcox – 1987 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference.
  23. "Grant Adcox – 1988 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference.
  24. "Grant Adcox – 1989 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1950-births1989-deathssportspeople-from-chattanooga,-tennesseeracing-drivers-from-tennesseenascar-driversarca-menards-series-driversracing-drivers-who-died-while-racingsports-deaths-in-georgia-(u.s.-state)road-incident-deaths-in-georgia-(u.s.-state)filmed-deaths-in-motorsportdaytona-500-driverscoca-cola-600-drivers20th-century-american-sportsmensouthern-500-drivers