Jody Ridley (born May 19, 1942) is a former
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
driver. He won the 1980
NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award and one race at
Dover International Speedway
Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per year ...
the next year, the only Cup victory for
Donlavey Racing.
His career statistics include 140 career starts, one win, seven top fives, 56 top tens, and two top ten points finishes (fifth in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
, and seventh in
1980).
In the
1989 Daytona 500
The 1989 Daytona 500, the 31st running of the event, was held February 19, 1989, at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Darrell Waltrip won the race after Ken Schrader won the pole for the second time in a row.
Background ...
, Ridley took over for an injured
Bill Elliott
William Clyde Elliott (born October 8, 1955), also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, Million Dollar Bill, or Wild Bill is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Raci ...
, but he would have a hard crash later in the race.
He now resides in
Chatsworth, Georgia
Chatsworth is a city in Murray County, Georgia, United States, specifically in the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 4,874 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Murray County and the site of the coldes ...
. He was inducted in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in 2007.
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
=Daytona 500
=
Busch Series
References
External links
*
Biography at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame(PDF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridley, Jody
Living people
1942 births
People from Chatsworth, Georgia
Racing drivers from Georgia (U.S. state)
NASCAR drivers
American Speed Association drivers
Dale Earnhardt Inc. drivers