Biddle Ridley may be gone, but he is definitely not forgotten ? neither by those who knew him best nor by those who only knew of his legendary skills in the auto racing world.
Ridley, a Chatsworth native who died July 30 after a two-year battle with cancer, was a winning short track driver before having even more success as the crew chief for his brother Jody Ridley, whose achievements included winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award in 1980.
Two upcoming memorials will pay tribute to Biddle Ridley?s talent, passion for auto racing, competitive spirit and friendship, starting with tonight?s Biddle Ridley Memorial 40 at North Georgia Speedway.
NGS promoter Jason Jones, who took over at the Chatsworth dirt track this summer, said he knew all along he wanted to have a big race toward the end of the year. When Ridley died this summer, the choice of what name to attach to the event was an easy one.
Although he didn?t know Ridley personally, Jones said being associated with NGS ? he was previously a flag man before becoming the track?s promoter ? meant hearing tales of the Ridley brothers.
In addition, Jones said relatives of Ridley?s approached him about getting a checkered flag (instead of flowers) to take to him while he was in the hospital, and Jones handed off the flag from NGS.
Jones is glad to be able to run a race honoring Ridley?s memory, and he said it will be an annual event on the track?s schedule.
?It?s tickled me to even be a part of this,? he said. ?Even though it?s at my facility, this is for the family and friends of Biddle Ridley. He was well known in the Chatsworth community, and this is for them. This is their moment. I?m just glad I can be a part of giving something back to them.?
Gates will open at 3:30 p.m. for tonight?s action, which will be highlighted by the $100-to-enter, $4,000-to-win Super Late Model 40-lap feature. Racing is also scheduled for Crate Late Models, Modified Hobby and Econo Hobby.
Jones is excited about another reminder of the race?s namesake that will be at the track tonight.
?(Jody Ridley) raced the No. 98 car for a long time, and that?s the car they won numerous races with,? Jones said. ?We found it over in Alabama, and it?s coming in this weekend to be the pace car for the races.?
Grandstand tickets are $15 and pit passes are $30 for the races.
Another tribute to Ridley will be given by Dalton?s Larry Cope later this month when he drives his No. 11 1985 Buick Somerset in the Savannah Speed Classic, a Historic Sports Car Racing event, on Hutchinson Island. Qualifying is set for Oct. 26, with racing on Oct. 27-28, and Cope?s car will bear a decal on the hood reading ?James ?Biddle? Ridley, 1940-2012, Thanks for the Memories.?
The car will be officially listed as ?Biddle?s Last Ride.?
Cope said Biddle Ridley was his crew chief for 15 years, helping him compete in road races and Legends cars events. That came after Ridley had finished working full-time as crew chief for brother Jody, who retired in the mid-1990s. In 2000, Cope purchased the No. 11 car ? it was one of only 11 of its kind built and competed in International Motor Sports Association and Kelly American Series during its prime ? and ran it on road race courses with success for the past decade.
?Jody retired around ?95, and Biddle went to work for me in ?97,? Cope said. ?I was running Porsches at that time. I?d been running them five or six years. He ran them with me for a year, then we switched over to the Legends car series and ran those in ?98 and ?99 and competed for the national championship ... we had it won with three laps to go, then on the restart we blew an engine and finished fifth.?
The No. 11 car is the last one Ridley ever worked on, Cope said, with 90 percent of the restoration work after Cope wrecked last year at Road Atlanta done by Ridley despite his battle with cancer. Cope and Ridley had plans of completing the car for the Savannah Speed Classic, which was intended to serve as a retirement race for both of them.
Since Ridley?s death, Cope?s help finishing the restoration included Jody Ridley and Brad Roe.
?I think this car is the best prepared car I?ve ever taken to a race track,? Cope said. ?I?m very, very confident in it. That?s a combination of the way he put it back together and the final touches, tweaking it and just finishing it up.?
In the days after Ridley?s death this summer, online racing message boards raved about the crew chief?s skill at preparation and his chemistry with his driver brother, noting how the two made the most of a limited budget and ran fast with the big boys.
Biddle Ridley had previously driven and built cars for George Elliott, the father of former NASCAR star and Dawsonville native Bill Elliott. According to a column in the Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger on Feb. 15, 1989, Bill Elliott kept the No. 9 after driving the car that had previously been wheeled by Bill?s brother Ernie. That car was built by Ernie with help from Biddle Ridley ? who had also raced under No. 9 ? whose background as a driver helped him understand how to adjust a setup based on the racer?s input.
?He was Jody?s crew chief for 30-something years, but he was also a driver himself,? Cope said. ?He drove for himself and he drove for Bill Elliott?s daddy. Biddle won over 200 races himself and was a seven-time NASCAR All-Pro crew chief.?
While Cope and Ridley had a successful partnership in what might be best termed a serious hobby, they had fun on their road trips, socializing when they weren?t at the track. Winning was important to them, but so was enjoying life.
Ridley was ?liked by everybody,? Cope said ? and that certainly included him.
?For the last 15 years, he was my best friend,? Cope said. ?We traveled to the West Coast and all over the country for 10 years. He taught me how to drive a race car, even though I?d been driving for six or seven years. His influence and knowledge stepped my program up considerably.?
The duo?s skill was evident in previous editions of the Savannah Speed Classic. As the race enters its fifth year, Cope-Ridley can lay claim to two victories.
Understandably, talking about Ridley stirs up lots of emotions for Cope, who would prefer to be making his last run with Ridley in the pits. Still, he will do his best to pay tribute to his friend by doing what Ridley would want to do ? win.
?It?s bittersweet,? Cope said of the memories that have been on his mind as the car was finished in recent weeks. ?It?s been kind of touching for all of us.?
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