Jay Cox

The Nesbitt Performance Engines Renegade Eliminator had the usual cast of characters at the top with Jay Cox first, Jamie Chappell second, and John Lassiter third. Eliminations saw Cox defeat Timothy Lawrence in the first round and Way Hawkins in the second. Lassiter defeated Larry Pearce in the first round and Darrell Williams in the second. Finals saw Cox use a 4.15 to defeat Lassiter off pace 10.332 for the win.

Points have Lassiter still in first with Jay Cox second and Jamie Chappell third.
Big Dog Points still have Chris Rini first, with Todd Howard and Ed Hoover separated by 4 points for third. The CV Qualifying Challenge points have Ed Hoover ahead by 2 over Todd Howard.

Hubert Platt (right), a legend that got his start at Piedmont Dragway, with Roy Hill.

September is a busy time in the Carolinas for drag racing. Not only the competitive events, such as NHRA in Charlotte or Big Dog action at Piedmont, but for recognizing the people who made our sport the great sport that it is today. Recently I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Hubert Platt at one of Roy Hill’s drag racing schools (also attended by the Tasca family) and learned that Hubert had not been in a race car in 35 years.
One of my first trips to Piedmont was to watch Hubert in competition with his brother, Huston, in a Chevrolet and Hubert in a Ford. Hubert will be one of the honorees at the upcoming East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame event in October. 

One has only to review the records to realize that Piedmont Dragway has produced many legends of our sport. From beginnings in the 1950s to present day we all have had the privilege to see historic drivers such as Hubert Platt, Huston Platt, Don Carlton, Ronnie Sox, Herb McCandless, and Bill Jenkins. Now we are able to witness new legends in the making. Drivers like Rickie Smith, Todd Tutterow, and a young man from Virginia that happened to be the NHRA Funny Car Champion in 2011, Matt Hagan.