Hubert Platt, circa 1966. Images courtesy Ford Motorsports.
People tend to think of drag racing as largely a California phenomenon. Of course, it isn't. The straight-line sport is big in the Midwest, and although it may be overlooked at times, it's equally huge in the South. One of that region's most famous and accomplished names, Hubert Platt, died last weekend at a Georgia hospice of cancer. He was 83.
Platt was long ago cemented in drag folklore for a series of cars, mainly Fords, that he called the Georgia Shaker. A South Carolina native, Platt cut his teeth in the Stock and Super Stock ranks, elevating himself to the F/X classes when the Super Stocks began morphing into the wild blown, nitro-burning Funny Cars. He became an instant crowd favorite for his sky-grabbing wheelstands as he came off the line. He was a contemporary of such other Dixie legends as Dyno Don Nicholson, Phil Bonner, his brother Huston Platt and the ageless Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, among many others.
At the 1967 Winternationals.
He owned several big NHRA victories, including two triumphs at the Winternationals in doorslammer classes, and also raced on the short-lived NASCAR drag circuit during the 1960s, when he staged up against the likes of Richard Petty. But Platt's fandom was based firmly on his continuous competition on the Southern match-race circuit. The Shaker was a truly memorable character and will be missed.
from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1FHYf2j
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