Peachtree City’s Phil White Brings Homebuilt Hot Rod to Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Friday Night Drags Presented by ACDelco
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marcy Scott
Trey Sanders
HAMPTON, Ga. (June 4, 2008) – The license plate reads “VENNOM” but perhaps “ANTI-VENOM” would be more appropriate. Phil White’s 1965 Shelby Cobra replica is his antidote for speed and he can be seen this summer prowling Atlanta Motor Speedway’s drag strip during Friday Night Drags presented by ACDelco.
“Bitten” by a yellow 1965 Cobra at a young age, White knew eventually he would have to own one.
“I remember when I was about 5-years-old, living in Florida, I saw a yellow Shelby Cobra that was yellow with black stripes,” White explained. “I fell in love with it. That is one of those memories, seeing that car, that I will never forget no matter how old I am.”
Fast forward 35 years and White was ready to make the purchase he had dreamed about since he was a kid. He just had to convince his wife the car would be fun for the entire family.
“My wife is a certified car nut… her first car was a 1968 Camaro SS,” White, an air traffic controller of 22 years said. “I sold my wife on building the car just to cruise around and not to race. She believed me and shortly after we got it built I started racing it. She eventually figured me out and realized my intentions all along, but it was too late.”
In November of 2002, White started constructing his dream car and with the help of his three sons and daughter, finished the final assembly just six months later. The running gear was donated from a Mustang GT and White assembled every nut and bolt on the car himself, only sending the car away to be painted.
“I had the car completely assembled and drivable in just three months, but you have to take the whole thing back apart to get it painted,” White said. “I was so proud when I finished the initial assembly and drove the car in the gel coat that I didn’t want to take it apart to get it painted.
“I really enjoy the fact that I can get out and drive and sometimes race a car that I built myself. I assembled everything on that car so if it breaks, it is my fault, but I am not scared to push that car to the absolute limits because I know it was put together correctly.”
One of White’s fondest memories to date was in June, 2003 when the Formula One racing series visited Indianapolis, Ind.
“My wife and I were cruising the streets of downtown and the place was packed with people from other countries in town for the race,” White remembered. “Every time we saw a police officer, they told us to do a burnout. We rode around the whole night doing burnouts and setting off car alarms.”
Not only does White drag race and show the Cobra at AMS, he also races it in autocross competitions as well as Sports Car Club of America events.
“I love to race it competitively every chance I get and the Friday Night Drags at AMS allow me to do that for a very reasonable price without the fear of getting a ticket or in trouble with the law,” White said. “The entertainment value you get at AMS is second to none. For $20 I can race for an entire night against some incredible competition.”
A three-year veteran of the 101st Air Born Division, White has not planned any drastic changes for the Cobra in the immediate future. However, he eventually would like a little more power under the hood of the 2100-pound rocket. “I am tough to beat off the line during the drags,” White said. “I just need a little more motor to get me across the stripe. Eventually I will look into a bigger engine to put under the hood. I need a little more top-end speed.”
Phil White and his yellow Shelby Cobra can be seen at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Friday Night Drags presented by ACDelco this Friday, June 6 and every Friday night from June 20 to August 22. More information can be obtained by calling 770-946-4211 or by visiting http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/
CONTACT: Marcy Scott
Trey Sanders
HAMPTON, Ga. (June 4, 2008) – The license plate reads “VENNOM” but perhaps “ANTI-VENOM” would be more appropriate. Phil White’s 1965 Shelby Cobra replica is his antidote for speed and he can be seen this summer prowling Atlanta Motor Speedway’s drag strip during Friday Night Drags presented by ACDelco.
“Bitten” by a yellow 1965 Cobra at a young age, White knew eventually he would have to own one.
“I remember when I was about 5-years-old, living in Florida, I saw a yellow Shelby Cobra that was yellow with black stripes,” White explained. “I fell in love with it. That is one of those memories, seeing that car, that I will never forget no matter how old I am.”
Fast forward 35 years and White was ready to make the purchase he had dreamed about since he was a kid. He just had to convince his wife the car would be fun for the entire family.
“My wife is a certified car nut… her first car was a 1968 Camaro SS,” White, an air traffic controller of 22 years said. “I sold my wife on building the car just to cruise around and not to race. She believed me and shortly after we got it built I started racing it. She eventually figured me out and realized my intentions all along, but it was too late.”
In November of 2002, White started constructing his dream car and with the help of his three sons and daughter, finished the final assembly just six months later. The running gear was donated from a Mustang GT and White assembled every nut and bolt on the car himself, only sending the car away to be painted.
“I had the car completely assembled and drivable in just three months, but you have to take the whole thing back apart to get it painted,” White said. “I was so proud when I finished the initial assembly and drove the car in the gel coat that I didn’t want to take it apart to get it painted.
“I really enjoy the fact that I can get out and drive and sometimes race a car that I built myself. I assembled everything on that car so if it breaks, it is my fault, but I am not scared to push that car to the absolute limits because I know it was put together correctly.”
One of White’s fondest memories to date was in June, 2003 when the Formula One racing series visited Indianapolis, Ind.
“My wife and I were cruising the streets of downtown and the place was packed with people from other countries in town for the race,” White remembered. “Every time we saw a police officer, they told us to do a burnout. We rode around the whole night doing burnouts and setting off car alarms.”
Not only does White drag race and show the Cobra at AMS, he also races it in autocross competitions as well as Sports Car Club of America events.
“I love to race it competitively every chance I get and the Friday Night Drags at AMS allow me to do that for a very reasonable price without the fear of getting a ticket or in trouble with the law,” White said. “The entertainment value you get at AMS is second to none. For $20 I can race for an entire night against some incredible competition.”
A three-year veteran of the 101st Air Born Division, White has not planned any drastic changes for the Cobra in the immediate future. However, he eventually would like a little more power under the hood of the 2100-pound rocket. “I am tough to beat off the line during the drags,” White said. “I just need a little more motor to get me across the stripe. Eventually I will look into a bigger engine to put under the hood. I need a little more top-end speed.”
Phil White and his yellow Shelby Cobra can be seen at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Friday Night Drags presented by ACDelco this Friday, June 6 and every Friday night from June 20 to August 22. More information can be obtained by calling 770-946-4211 or by visiting http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/
posted by David @ 8:30 PM
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