John “Johnny” Pedigo Bryant, of Fieldale, who thrilled race fans in the 70’s in a modified AMC Gremlin, passed away on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, after a lengthy illness.
Bryant will be remembered for winning the Winston Modified portion of the 1985 Winn-Dixie 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 27, 1985.
It was the same race week where Richie Evans, who won 12 of the first 28 races to clinch his ninth NASCAR modified title, died during a practice run just three days before the race when a stuck throttle sent him into the turn-three wall.
The Tour raced on that weekend, with Bryant collecting his only career Tour win. Bryant was driving for North Carolina car owner David Riggs, and they are the last southern car owner and driver combination to win a Modified race at Martinsville.
“I still remember that win,” Bryant told the Martinsville Bulletin in 2014. “We had a good car that day and I got some breaks and was able to win a race here.”
“The NASCAR Modified races at Martinsville were always huge events due to the fact that the races pitted the best in the northern modified world against the boys in the south,” Riggs Racing posted on their Facebook page on the 30th anniversary of the race on Oct. 26, 2015. “Even former Riggs driver Junior Miller will tell you, the last true southern boy to win at Martinsville was Johnny Bryant in 1985, in a machine prepared by David Riggs.” Riggs passed away in 2014 following a battle with cancer.
“Johnny Bryant won it for us, and it tickled me to death,” said Miller, who won more than 200 career races and who was inducted into the Caraway Speedway Wall of Fame in 2023. “Back in the ’70s and ’80s, the northern boys had a lot better car and a lot better motor, but the boys in the south have stepped it up a notch or two and we are a lot more competitive with than we used to be…a team of good ole’ southern boys beat those guys from the north when David and Johnny won.”
Funeral arrangements and obituary were not available at press time. Online condolences at www.collinsmckeestonebassett.com.
