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Coleman Roddy
Drag Racing
From a modest initial goal of just wanting to do well enough to have his name printed in the "National Dragster," a publication of the National Hot Rod Association, Port Arthur's Coleman Roddy blazed a path of driving glory that twice took him to the pinnacle of the National Hot Rod Association's drag racing wars. Instead of a mere mention, Roddy wound up featured on its cover, becoming a legend in his own time.
These accolades came about due to his accomplishment of winning back-to-back National Hot Rod Association Winston Competition Eliminator titles in 1983 and 1984, something no other driver had accomplished before, and an achievement that would go unmatched for the next 20 years until Dean Carter pulled it off in 2003-2004. Roddy might have set the bar even higher had he not decided to retire after the 1984 championship to devote more time to the R&R dealerships he operates with his father, Ed.
His meteoric rise onto the national racing spotlight began in 1971 with a '68 Camaro. His first significant Win was in 1976, when he captured Modified honors at the Division 4 Winston Series race at State Capitol Dragway in Baton Rouge. The escalation to the big time came five years later when NHRA did away with the Modified eliminator class, which led him to switch to a '65 Corvette gasser and move into the Competition Eliminator category. There would be another car change after the 1983 title - this time to an '84 Pontiac Firebird - but nothing slowed Coleman Roddy's pursuit of greatness. In addition to the NHRA Winston Competition eliminator titles in '83 and '84, his three-years of domination included twice winning the Winternationals, being named Sportsman Racer of the Year, and earning the Quaker State Sportsman Cup.
This information is courtesy of the Beaumont Enterprise.