DragChamp Racer Spotlight with Cody Graham

Cody Graham is this week’s DragChamp Racer Spotlight! Learn all about this Super Pro driver including his accomplishments as well as his plans for the future.

FORREST CITY, AR – Cody Graham is a very well-known Super Pro racer within the Mid-South. He spends the majority of his weekends terrorizing Memphis International Raceway and Holly Springs Motorsports Park, as well as several “big money” bracket racing events thrown into the mix.

Whether he is at the track or home, Graham makes sure to prioritize spending family time with his three-year-old son Knox, one-year-old son Gannon, and his wife Cricket!

An Assortment of Vehicles

Graham owns a 2009 M & M Dragster with a Snake Power 632 BBC, BTE powerglide transmission and a 10-inch converter that runs 4.60’s in the 1/8^th mile. The dragster seems to be his ride of choice to wheel him out of a slump. This M&M machine made its way to “The Big Split” at the Great American Guaranteed Million in 2020.

Next up is a 2001 Chevy S-10 Extended Cab he’s had since 2012. This vehicle has coined the term “The LongDime”. Cody and his dad, Mike, fabricated the chassis. Under the hood it has a 383 SBC with a 177 Weiand Blower, BTE powerglide transmission, and an 8-inch converter. It runs 5.90’s in the 1/8^th mile with the blower, or 6.70’s without it.

Graham also owns a 1969 Camaro that he has been behind the wheel of since 2014. The powerplant is a 434 SBC, BTE powerglide transmission, and an 8-inch converter. The Camaro typically goes 6.30’s in the 1/8^th mile.

A 1990 S-10 was the most recent addition to the stable in 2019. It also has a 434 SBC, BTE powerglide, and an 8-inch converter. This combo goes 6.50’s in the 1/8^th mile.

As well as these, Graham also has several unfinished project cars including a 1976 Vega Wagon, 1967 Chevy II Nova, 1979 Camaro, and a 1990 S-10.

Goals for the Future

Graham has his eyes set on winning one of the “Millions”. Making the split at the GABR Million in 2020 really fueled that by it being just outside his grasp! As arguably the biggest stages in drag racing, he knows he will have to be on his “A-Game” to outlast everyone else with the same goal in mind.

Cody also has a slightly different set of goals for the future. He states, “I would really like to watch my boys grow up and win races! That would be as good as, or better than myself winning!”. He has instilled the love of motorsports in his two boys since they were born. When playing with his children, he has a unique way of saying, “On your mark, get set, GO!”. Instead, he says, “Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, GREEN” hoping that maybe they will understand the way the tree works at a young age.

Cody is looking forward to involving his boys in the sport the same way his uncle, Wayne McGroom, did himself. Watch out world, there might be another generation of Grahams turning on win lights before long.

Finding Time and Money

“We support my racing through my job at RT Turbines and our newly purchased dental office, Graham Family Dental. Yes, I do have a Sugar Momma! My wife is a dentist! I could not do what I do today without my wife, the help of my parents Mike and Charlene Lester, Rex and Glenda Thompson, Robert and Donna Kenyon, and BTE Racing.

For a living, Cody is a Turbine Engine Mechanic. He builds PT6A turbine airplane engines for crop dusters and small carrier planes at RT Turbines in Marianna, Arkansas. He states, “Rex and Glenda Thompson took me in at age 17. Not only did they give me a lifetime career, but they also helped groom me into the man I am today! I was blessed to have Rex in my life. We both shared the same passion for hotrods and racing! They were and are still a big part of my racing program. We lost Rex in May of 2019, but his legacy at work and on this earth continues!”

The hardest part of drag racing for Graham is keeping everything going while balancing family time. As the majority of people with motorhomes will testify to, he states, “Seems like something always needs to be fixed, especially the motorhome.” Since he’s had kids, his typical maintenance and cleaning program has gone out the window! As long as he is enjoying time with his family, he doesn’t seem to mind though!

Learn more about Cody Graham in the following Q&A:

What is your most embarrassing moment in a race car?

“My most embarrassing moment racing, would be knocking the tires off the bead in the burnout at MIR. In my defense, I ran a set of Little Bubbas for a year on this same wheel and ran a set of BR3 Hoosiers on it, but when I put my Big Bubbas on the same rims, they popped off.”

What are you saying to yourself just before you stage the car?

“As I am staging, I’m going through my mental checklist and telling myself what the car can run wide open. For some reason, I also check to see if it is in low gear 73 times before and while I’m pre-staged.”

Which are you better at, the starting line or finish line?

“I would say I am better at letting go .00 than I am taking .00 run after run.”

Who do you hate to see in the other lane and why?

“Honestly, I do not care who is in the other lane beside me, but if I had to pick someone, it would probably be my wife. It is a lose-lose for me no matter what! Ha!”

What is your daily driver?

“The same truck I have had since I was 18. 2007 Chevy Silverado Classic, crew cab, cammed 6.0L.”

Name one thing people don’t know about you?

“Hershey’s strawberry milk will INSTANTLY put me to sleep. No strawberry milk on race day.”

Who has inspired him the most?

Graham gives all the glory to his wife, Cricket. He states, “She stands behind me on my good runs and on my bad runs. She’s extremely good at breaking down the numbers to tell me what the car should run wide open and how much I killed in the previous run. Plus, she’s always down to go racing.”

In the sport, he would consider Buddy Forreal (Ferrell) and Cliff Hubbard his idols. Every question he had, they were always quick to step in and help.

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If you are not scared to line up beside Cody Graham, you should be! Make sure to slip him some Hershey’s Strawberry milk if you want a chance!

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About the author:

Message Caden at Caden@DragChamp.com or via his Facebook Page.