That's a great story. Though I never got to meet George Poteet... I've always admired his racing efforts and his car collection.
The highlighted statement above speaks volumes about his character and generosity, also about his enthusiasm for hot rodding and racing. I suspect many here aren't familiar with the name George Poteet but it must be said that his passing will have quite an effect on those that personally know him or knew of his various endeavors. Much has been written about him, every time I would see a magazine article about him and his cars I wished I might cross paths with him at one of the events I've attended over the years just to see one of them in the flesh and maybe have a chat with him. In particular, the cars that George commissioned Dave Lane to build were pure perfection in completed form but it was the many little custom details that were so subtle you wanted to look for more, true gearhead eye candy. RIP George.
RIP... sad news to hear.. My sincere condolences to his family and friends... big loss for the car hobby.
Here are a few pictures from when we brought the Blowfish out to Bonneville for the 1st time in 2006. I am proud to have been on the build team at Rad Rides in building the Blowfish for George. I had many conversations with George over the years when working at Rad Rides about cars and more importantly about life in general, he was very genuine. So when out at Bonneville, and after all the dust settled with the Blowfish, George asked me if I wanted to go get my license when I was there, and after he pretty much wouldn't take no for an answer, he proceeded to get me set up with all his own personal gear and set me up to drive his '61 Starliner down the short course. I'll never forget that day, what that rush of adrenaline and excitement felt like in having the chance to experience that, all thanks to George. Thank you George, May you Rest in Peace ...
Big loss. Saw him several times. One year at the Oklahoma City NSRA event he drove his primered F1 and slept in it at the fairgrounds one night. He came to the NSRA Springfield MO event each year and would be parked well away from the hot shots. You would see him visiting with folks about whichever neat car he brought. Pretty sure many had no idea who he was. When the Americruise was held there and it was a very rainy day, George was parked about four cars away and sat next to his stretched rpu with the six cylinder motor with a tent over him just watching the rain as we were. Just one hell of a good man.
Bonneville Speedweek 2019. This was my first time bringing the wife & kids out to Bonneville. This year due to a rain delay everybody was hanging out in the pits. As we’re touring the pits we come upon George Poteet’s pit. Instantly George greets us showing the kids the cars and having them sit in his car, the Blowfish. Meanwhile I’m sure my wife and kids are just thinking that this is just somebodies grandpa & not the fastest man on earth, & not the king of Bonneville. While we’re there he gave the kids drinks, animal cookies, & offered them bologna sandwiches. He proceeded to take time out of his day & sit down with the kids & chat with them like they were old pals or his own grandkids. Once we had to be on our way the kids gave him hugs. A memory I know I’ll cherish. Salt of the earth. Godspeed Mr. Poteet.
I once saw him give a waitress a $100 tip for breakfast for 4 or 5 of us. In 2010 I took a friend of mine to Speed Week for his first time. We towedmy tent trailer there and were staying at the KOA. Saw George the next day and he asked ne where we were staying. He reaches into his pocket and pulled out a stack of motel key cards. Shuffeles through them and hands one to me. "Here, use this. If ther give you any trouble, have them call me." Not the first time he had done that.
I had brief visits with George over the years. He was very good to me. His car with Danny Burrows at the wheel beat our record at Bonneville. I looked up to both of these men. George did something very special for a friend of mine who was terminally ill with cancer. I will never forget what he did for my friend. To me it was more important than any car he owned and any record he set. He was a man of character.
Meet him one time at Nats , I wear Bibs always when tinkering , welding , etc. . A gentleman walks up sees a Ford in my Ford , says I knew it would be right when I saw you wearing your tuxedo ! Such a true , good person . I always say a true hot rodder will never be a sour wise ass . George was a true hot rodder , and share a smile and laugh with anyone he meet . I’m so sorry to hear this , God Speed him to hot rod heaven . We have lost a leading legend .
George was such an ambassador for all things Hot Rodding . He was approachable and always took the time to visit with me. My brother-in-law’s grandson married George’s grandaughter. Here’s a shot of us at the reception on the grounds of a southern mansion in Mississippi
As much as he had an effect on hot rodders and go-fasters, you've got to believe there are an equal number of lives he touched in his business career. He downplayed that, but it must have been a very fulfilling life for him and those he dealt with. Class act all the way! R.I.P.
I got to make a few sets of wheels for him. He was great to work with and a pleasure to talk on the phone with.
I remember waking up early one morning and hitting the salt before sunrise. I watched an SCTA truck cruise by dragging the track and it was being driven by Mr. Poteet. It left a very humbling impression on me. RIP
WOW what a sad day when I read the post from Bonneville Salt Flats Racing. I consider myself very liucky to have gotten to know George through my photo shoots on the salt and as a racer. ALWAYS willing to visit and share a laugh. Once we were both in the start line area, he was suited up, I was straped in getting ready to run and he walked over and wished me luck, to run fast and to be safe. That was George. Speed Week will not be the same. However George's spirt will be making many, many passes with all of us in the LSR family. When you hear thunder now, it's just George laying down another 450+mph run. God Speed George.
R.I.P. George. Many super neat cars in his collection. Inspired me to build my 25 Lakester. MantuaJohn
@ZerroHalfcup just finished watching the video you posted for me, who had never heard of Mr Poteet before this thread What a great Hotrod persona, he literally did it all to the highest levels and with a sweet down to earth fashion Thank you for posting a hotrod 101 lesson
I had heard of George in the '90s through car magazine features of his cars, but had never met him. In 2001 we were racing our roadster at Bonneville at the September event. A gentleman pulled up to our pits in a 48 Ford coupe. It was George. He had just driven it from Tennessee to check out the racing. Introductions were made and he asked us a lot of questions about our racing adventures. Fast forward to the next year and he showed up with a flathead powered modified roadster. He went 113 mph or so. The next year he came out with that roadster and (2) '32 roadsters. He was having one built but didn't think it would be done in time so he bought another one. Either that year or the following year, he was complaining that he couldn't get the car to pull in any of the higher gears. After consulting with the folks back east who had set up the gearing he determined they had geared it way too high, so he decided to run it in 1st gear only. The next pass he ran 208 mph in 1st gear! My young son thought that was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. We'd chat with him most years and he'd always ask why we were still running that roadster. He told us he was afraid of spinning when he drove his roadster. George is a wonderful person who will be missed. RIP George
Obituary Holly Springs Funeral Home - Obituary (hsfuneralhome.com) George Roundal Poteet, Senior, may have appeared to most as a quiet, southern, simple spoken man, but those who knew him understood (and were awed by) his superhero repeated speed deeds combined with his laser beam focused observational skills that allowed him to keep track of those he loved his entire life. Born at home on February 22, 1948, the son of the late James Alfred (Sambo) and Annie Lue (Walker) Poteet in Mantachie, Mississippi, he stopped the clocks of his earthly race and tender influence on July 16, 2024, leaving brokenhearted beloved sister Betty Diane (Poteet) Howard, treasured wife of 33 years Cathy and precious children George Roundal Poteet, Jr. (Amy), Kimberly Diane Harbert (Brent), Stephanie McOlgan (Jason), Bethina Lopez (Bobby) together with niece Kathryn Howard. Poteet unflinchingly cherished his grandchildren: Lauren Knight, Sarah Dempsey, Grant Poteet, Abbey, Allison and Anna Harbert, Georgia Grace and Graham McOlgan, Tony, Lily, and Alivia Lopez, as well as great grandchildren Jameson Poteet and Daphne Dempsey. A remarkably balanced man, Poteet was as dedicated to his community as he was to his speed craft. He was a faithful and constant supporter of Central Church in Collierville, TN and several other charities. Whether dressed in fireproof Nomex and a helmet and strapped into his thundering 481MPH streamliner, or in overalls and a cap astride his tractor grooming the grass in Holly Springs, he lived a life overflowing with gentle generosity. Poteet extracted great joy by participating in the Holly Springs, Mississippi community that meant just as much as his repeated earned honors given to him in the car culture for building jaw-dropping street rods that mirrored rolling jewelry. From his humble beginnings in rural Itawamba County, his life progressed toward the greatness he is known for. As a teenager he confirmed his faith by being baptized at Lakeland Baptist Church. He began driving a school bus at age 15, then became a high school football star, worked through junior college while starting a family, then began his career in finance that progressed through the decades until retiring in 2020 as Executive Partner from Juice Plus/NSA. Never a bombastic big- shot, Poteet was ever mindful that his soul was the only wealth worth seeking daily. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36 So many who knew him would agree that George Poteet was a most uncommon “lightning rod of calm” imbuing others with thoughts of leaping beyond their self- imposed limits, or worth. The 76 year-old passed onward holding a 471MPH World Record in the Speed Demon, his prized mechanical speed steed, as well as great esteem from the Memphis Street Rods Car Club and many other clubs and organizations where he was a long-time member. Consider this from the racing community: “The Speed Demon Racing Team members are completely crushed at the news of George crossing his final finish line; he gave us the ability to be better than we ever thought we could be,” said Team Manager Steve Watt. Along with Steve Watt and previous Manager Ron Main the team battled nearly 20 years for National and World Speed Records. “It wasn’t about the racing as much as how we conducted ourselves, and by giving back to the sport we all loved. We improved ourselves in so many ways that allow us to go forward trying to continue what George ignited in each of us.” Poteet’s dignified creativity and integrity saw him inducted into the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame. He enhanced the status of the entire hot rod trade inspiring the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance to acknowledge him on its world stage. Poteet’s trophies, records and contributions — personal and financial are extensive. Poteet strove his entire life, with unbridled mortal humility, to build a legacy for his family to remember -- something that lasts, that was meaningful. He did so with few words, but countless actions. We should all be as humble to do likewise. Please show your love and appreciation with a contribution that will provide lasting help. Choose either: Itawamba Historical Society for the George Poteet History Center Post Office Box 7, Mantachie, MS 38855 Central Church 2005 E Winchester Blvd Collierville TN 38017
Yes, Thanks and to all that told of your encounters with him. The World of Hot Rodding lost a true friend.
I never had an opportunity to meet the man, but admired how he supported the hobby we all love. Immensely successful on his own, I always got the feeling he took great pleasure in helping others reach their dreams. I’d bet the many young builders who received the boost they needed by the patronage of George Poteet commissioning a build, likely benefitted as much from his business advice and tutelage, as they did from the revenue and publicity of the relationship. A good man.
Sorry to hear of his passing. I was reading an older Hot Rod magazine that I had and was reading about the camel toe racing Barracuda. It was on my nightstand when I drove to Detroit for the Autorama. I'm walking around and I see the car I was reading about a couple nights before and I'm instantly dragging Mrs Ratdoggy over to it. I'm like a kid in a candy store at this point. So as I'm explaining stuff on the car to Mrs. Ratdoggy, a gentleman walks over and starts talking to me about the car. Finally I ask him if he is George and he is of course. He tells me to climb in and check it out I said I don't want to scratch anything climbing in and out and he laughed. Very nice man, RIP Mr. Poteet. Mrs. Ratdoggy still can't figure out how to take a good picture with a phone. That's me in the car and George explaining things
I never met the man but I remember his name to be always associated with some of the nicest cars I have ever seen.
Here's some of George's "HAMB-friendly" Hot Rods: built by FastLane Rod Shop built by Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop built by Stinger's Hot Rod Shop built by Roy Brizio Street Rods built by Johnson's Hot Rod Shop built by Moal Coachbuilders built by East Coast Hot Rod Garage
The Jalopy Journal
