Former Pro Stock, Super Stock Driver Reid Whisnant Passes Away
by Phil Burgess - courtesy NHRA.com
12/31/2005
Reid Whisnant, 1937-2005
Former NHRA Pro Stock and Super Stock standout Reid Whisnant died Dec. 31 of apparent cardiac arrest while in the hospital recovering from surgery for a broken hip. He was 68.
Whisnant, who was one of the more competitive drivers in Division 2 Super Stock competition throughout the 1960s and continued to enjoy similar success after Pro Stock was created in 1970, fell in his shop Dec. 29 and suffered a broken hip. He underwent surgery at Henry Medical Center in his hometown of Stockbridge, Ga., and was recovering but succumbed to cardiac arrest suspected to have been brought on by an allergic reaction, according to daughter in law Gina Whisnant.
Whisnant set his first national records with an SS/EA '67 Coronet in Phenix City, Ala., and began competing in Pro Stock in 1970 with a'68 Dart. By 1972, Whisnant had become a major contender with his new Plymouth Duster, which had set a national speed record of 144.00 mph in Phenix City and an e.t. record of 9.50 in Suffolk, Va. Both marks were set in April of that year, and in May, he increased the speed record to 144.69 mph.
Whisnant later cut back on his racing activities to devote more attention to his plumbing business, but he returned in the early 1980s with a Hemi-powered Dodge Charger 2.2. His final Pro Stock vehicle was a Chevy Beretta that he campaigned until he retired from racing in 1992.
In reflecting on his racing career, Reid Whisnant spoke about the difference between today's cars and the ones that he raced.
"The original Pro Stockers were made from showroom cars," Whisnant said. "We'd stick an engine mount on the front and back of the body, put them up on tall stands, and rotate the frame 90 degrees so that we could burn off the sound deadener and anything else to reduce weight. I remember running in the low nines with a manually shifted four-speed transmission, and that was always a thrill."
Whisnant also was instrumental in the success of his son, Mark, on the quarter-mile. Mark Whisnant competed in Super Gas, where he won the 1998 event in Houston, and in Pro Stock Truck, where he earned a runner-up in 2001 in Columbus, before following his father into the Pro Stock ranks. He finished in the top 10 in 2002 and was runner-up at that year’s events in Topeka and Seattle.
Whisnant is suvived by his wife, Bobbie, sons Mark, Terry, Danny, Joey, and Tommy, and his mother, Katie Whisnant. Funeral arrangements are pending.
GeorgiaDragRacing.com Editors note: Reid Whisnant had just turned 70 on December 26.
12/31/2005
Reid Whisnant, 1937-2005
Former NHRA Pro Stock and Super Stock standout Reid Whisnant died Dec. 31 of apparent cardiac arrest while in the hospital recovering from surgery for a broken hip. He was 68.
Whisnant, who was one of the more competitive drivers in Division 2 Super Stock competition throughout the 1960s and continued to enjoy similar success after Pro Stock was created in 1970, fell in his shop Dec. 29 and suffered a broken hip. He underwent surgery at Henry Medical Center in his hometown of Stockbridge, Ga., and was recovering but succumbed to cardiac arrest suspected to have been brought on by an allergic reaction, according to daughter in law Gina Whisnant.
Whisnant set his first national records with an SS/EA '67 Coronet in Phenix City, Ala., and began competing in Pro Stock in 1970 with a'68 Dart. By 1972, Whisnant had become a major contender with his new Plymouth Duster, which had set a national speed record of 144.00 mph in Phenix City and an e.t. record of 9.50 in Suffolk, Va. Both marks were set in April of that year, and in May, he increased the speed record to 144.69 mph.
Whisnant later cut back on his racing activities to devote more attention to his plumbing business, but he returned in the early 1980s with a Hemi-powered Dodge Charger 2.2. His final Pro Stock vehicle was a Chevy Beretta that he campaigned until he retired from racing in 1992.
In reflecting on his racing career, Reid Whisnant spoke about the difference between today's cars and the ones that he raced.
"The original Pro Stockers were made from showroom cars," Whisnant said. "We'd stick an engine mount on the front and back of the body, put them up on tall stands, and rotate the frame 90 degrees so that we could burn off the sound deadener and anything else to reduce weight. I remember running in the low nines with a manually shifted four-speed transmission, and that was always a thrill."
Whisnant also was instrumental in the success of his son, Mark, on the quarter-mile. Mark Whisnant competed in Super Gas, where he won the 1998 event in Houston, and in Pro Stock Truck, where he earned a runner-up in 2001 in Columbus, before following his father into the Pro Stock ranks. He finished in the top 10 in 2002 and was runner-up at that year’s events in Topeka and Seattle.
Whisnant is suvived by his wife, Bobbie, sons Mark, Terry, Danny, Joey, and Tommy, and his mother, Katie Whisnant. Funeral arrangements are pending.
GeorgiaDragRacing.com Editors note: Reid Whisnant had just turned 70 on December 26.
posted by David @ 12:49 AM
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