Murphy Jody Ridley[1] (born May 19, 1942) is a former NASCAR driver. He won the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award and one race at Dover International Speedway 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, and seventh in 1980).
He now resides in Chatsworth, Georgia. He was inducted in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in 2007.[2]
Early life
Born in Chatsworth, Georgia, and raised in Dalton, Ridley was a fan of cars from a young age. In 1967, he purchased Joe Lee Johnson's 1963 Ford Mustang at the age of 25. At that time, he had only been racing and affiliated with NASCAR for a year, joining the professional leagues in 1966.[3] 1967 would be the beginning of Ridley's career, participating in many NASCAR races throughout Georgia, such as in Lakewood, Trenton, and Byron.[4][5]
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
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Donlavey Racing | Mercury | 27 | 10 |
| 1981 | Ford | 27 | 7 | |
| 1982 | 23 | 9 | ||
| 1983 | Robert McEntyre Racing | Buick | 18 | 10 |
| 1984 | Chevrolet | 33 | 10 | |
| 1985 | Helen Rae Motorsports | Chevrolet | DNQ | |
| 1986 | RahMoc Enterprises | Ford | 33 | 12 |
| 1989 | Melling Racing | Ford | RL† | |
Busch Series
| NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | NBSC | Pts | Ref | ||||||
| 1982 | 98 | Pontiac | DAY 2 |
RCH | BRI | MAR | DAR 2 |
HCY | SBO | CRW | RCH | LGY | DOV | HCY | CLT | ASH | HCY | SBO | CAR | CRW | SBO | HCY | LGY | IRP | BRI | HCY | RCH | MAR | CLT | HCY | MAR | 75th | 340 | [18] | |||||||
| 1985 | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 8 | Pontiac | DAY | CAR | HCY | BRI | MAR | DAR | SBO | LGY | DOV | CLT 29 |
SBO | HCY | ROU | IRP | SBO | LGY | HCY | MLW | BRI | DAR | RCH | NWS | ROU | CLT | HCY | CAR | MAR | 86th | 76 | [19] | ||||||||
References
- ^ "Murphy J Ridley from Chatsworth, GA". Radaris.com. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Inductees". Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- ^ Krueger, John; King, J.D. (26 Jun 1967). "Ridley is Victorious in Perry 200 Race". The Macon Telegraph. p. 6. Retrieved 8 Jun 2023.
- ^ Zier, Pat (28 Jun 1967). "Big Curtis Heads Field at Lakewood". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 34. Retrieved 8 Jun 2023.
- ^ Krueger, John (4 Jul 1967). "Johnson, Ridley to Duel in '200'". The Macon Telegraph. p. 18. Retrieved 8 Jun 2023.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1982 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jody Ridley – 1985 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
External links
- Jody Ridley driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Biography at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame (PDF)