Cotton Perry

[fluidfloyd]

Mike,

Don't know if you remember Cotton Perry but I happen to see this short article on him in the Sunday papers magazine "American Profile." I remember him quite well as he was a constant subject of discussion around the R&M shop in the day. Hope this link will work.

George

http://americanprofile.com/articles/acts-of-kindness-2013/

 

[Mike]

Yes, George, I remember Cotton well. After he drove the Pocket Rocket for Jim Headrick, he drove Browell's inline dragster for a couple years. Jim did the inline engines for the dragster, down at his shop in Rossville, GA, Race Engine Design. A good friend, Ronnie Willkomm, took over that shop when Jim passed away. They were good at pretty much everything, but wow, did Jim ever know his way around an inline Chevy! That car was cantankerous to run, but it was sure fast.

To show you how far out of the loop I am, I wasn't aware Cotton had lost his shop to the tornado. I've not talked with Brian in a month of Sundays.

When Brian teamed up with Jim and Cotton, they brought in some sponsorship help from Honest Charley's and from Cochran's Union 76 truck stop, there in Ringgold. Several years later, Brian and I were on our way to Gainesville and got huckled by the Tennessee authorities in a weigh station (only in Tennessee ). The next morning, we stopped at Cochran's for fuel and decided to run the rig over the scales, to see where we were on weight. Now this was some 8 - 10 years after the sponsorship had ended, and we were running a dualie and a white T&E trailer with no markings of any kind. We walked inside to pay for everything and an attractive young lady at the register stared at Brian for a few secondss. She finally asked if he was Brian Browell and introduced herself as Cotton's sister! Small world.

Brian crashed the car, hard, at Ohio Valley, one year. It was an Ed Weddle chassis, but since Murf McKinney was local, he did a new front half and back half on the car, and did a new body. That was the pink and orange car -

Very early, the next year, we took the car to Bowling Green, to test. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but it was still cold. We unloaded the car and started warming the oil, charging the battery, etc. Headrick knew we were going to be there, so he drove up to see us. He pulled into the pit area, parked his car and got out. His eyes were as big as saucers and he walked around the car for the best part of 5 minutes, never uttering a sound. Finally, he looked over at Brian, and said, "Uhm, excuse me, but is that PINK?!?" I was puirless. Jim was a helluva guy, one I was very lucky to know, and I pray God's eternal light shines upon him.

 

[Neshkoro]

Years ago there was a picture of a T Bucket, yellow if I remember, in one of the magazines that had the name " COTTON" printed across the upper section of the radiator shell.
Same guy?

 

[Mike]

Not to my knowledge.

 

[old round fart]

There was a real low Arden powered yellow T built by Cotton Werksman with "Rich" across the grill shell. Could that be what you remember?

http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/thehistoryof/84344/photo_20.html

 

[jmr122848]

It originaly said "Cotton", but he sold it and the new owner changed the lettering.