Reggie Burnette Sr., the family patriarch of the Burnette Racing family that was a familiar and welcome sight at NMRA and other all-Ford drag racing events across the nation passed away this morning in his hometown of Rougemont, N.C. at the age of 59.
Burnette Sr., a father of three, was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1983 and served as Chaplain for Racers For Christ’s Southwest region from 2000 until his passing. He operated Burnette’s Plumbing and Pipe, Inc. and was instrumental in creating the second generation of racing Burnette’s when got his son, Reggie Jr., involved in the sport in the late 1990’s.
Reggie Sr. himself competed throughout the last decade alongside his son in Open Comp, Modular Muscle, Brackets, and other categories in the NMRA. A surgical operation in early 2011 sidelined him for the season, but he remained a visible and popular figure as he cheered on his son and continued his Pastoral role at NMRA events.
They say the measure of a man after he leaves the earth isn’t how he died, but how he he lived; not what did he gain, but what did he give?
By these measurements, Reggie Burnette Sr. was a giant of a man. Burnette was a friend to everyone, and his presence in the racing community will be sorely missed.
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