Cox Hoping To Grow Georgia Roots Into Racing Success

MONROE, Ga. – Nine-year-old Landon Cox is an aspiring racer hoping to carve his path forward from one of the Southeastern hotbeds of motorsports.

Born and raised in East Central Georgia, Cox grew up in the shadows of Atlanta Motor Speedway just 90 minutes south of Dawsonville, the famed home of NASCAR Cup Series champions Bill and Chase Elliott.

It’s an area that cultivated Cox’s love of speed from the very beginning and led him and his family to quarter midget racing shortly after his seventh birthday.

“I think we always knew it was coming,” said Danny Cox, Landon’s father, about his son’s transition into racing at a young age. “He’s grown up as a fan of Chase Elliott and talked about racing quite a bit.

“It’s become a love of his and we want to support that passion as much as we’re able to.”

Cox’s first full season of racing came in 2022, when he debuted in three junior quarter midget classes: Junior Honda, Junior 160, and Junior Animal. During his learning process, he turned laps in several regional divisions – including the .25 Midget Winter Series and Dixie Shootout Regionals – as well as selected national events within the Cook-Out USAC National .25 Series (now the NASCAR Youth Series).

After a highlight reel that included a national quarter midget win at historic Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in 2022, Cox stepped up to run the full nine-race NASCAR Youth Series national schedule last season, also returning to the Dixie Shootout Regionals for a second consecutive year as well.

Steady learning throughout the season on the national side yielded a pair of top-five efforts and 13 total top-10 finishes, resulting in top-10 points rankings in both the Junior Animal and Junior 160 classes.

Though Landon’s season was cut short by a concussion late in the fall, his progression led Danny to a bigger vision for this year, including a big leap into the senior classes in quarter midgets for the first time.

“We felt he was ready for the challenge, and he really showed up quickly,” tipped Danny Cox after his son’s senior class debut at the Columbus (Ohio) Indoor Winter Nationals in late January.

Though it was a new division with stiffer competition, Landon Cox found his footing quickly in the Senior Honda field, running his way from the D-Main to the B-Main in his first outing and missing the feature transfer by a single position in the end. The body of work earned him hard charger honors for the event.

It was a statement showing for the young racer and an eye opener for his family.

“I really enjoyed that one; we passed a lot of good cars that day,” said Landon.

“It was always in the plans for him to advance into a fendered class this year, but his Winter Nationals showing really told us he was ready for that next challenge,” added Danny.

The “next challenge” the elder Cox referenced was a move into Bandolero cars this season, while Landon also continues in four senior quarter midget classes – Senior Honda, Light 160, Senior Animal, and Light World Formula – as well.

Landon’s Bandolero debut came at his home track – Atlanta Motor Speedway – on Feb. 3, where twin features resulted in a pair of top-six finishes during his first time in race conditions with the Bandolero.

He plans to race the Thursday Thunder Series at Atlanta through the summer months, hoping to gain Bandolero experience against some of the toughest competition in the Southern United States in the process.

“I’ve really liked starting to get to race the Bando,” said Landon, enthusiasm evident in his voice. “The speed is a lot of fun and even though using the brakes more is a bit of a challenge … I feel like I’m learning and getting better whenever I get to race in it.”

“I think the biggest thing that we saw was that Landon slowly got faster and became more comfortable each time he drove on the track,” noted Danny. “We knew it was going to be a pretty big adjustment for him from the ‘momentum racing’ of the quarter midgets, but he’s been solid and really focused on learning so far from the limited starts he’s had in the Bandolero.”

Away from the racetrack, Landon has continued his learning as a part of the Race Face Next initiative, a program managed by Race Face Brand Development designed to empower young racers with the skills and tools necessary to pursue a career at the top levels of motorsports.

“We are excited to be a part of Landon’s racing journey since he joined our Race Face Next class two years ago,” said Race Face Brand Development founder and CEO Rod Wortham. “His on-track progress in such a short period of time and desire to continue challenging himself behind the wheel showcases his drive and determination in pursuing his dreams of racing professionally on Sundays [in NASCAR].

“As he gains more experience in Bandolero racing this year, we look forward to witnessing his continued growth and pursuit of success both on and off the racetrack.”

The younger Cox has used some of the branding skills he’s learned already to craft a unique look among grassroots racers, sporting a signature black cowboy hat at many of the races he competes in across the country – akin to a certain seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hall of Famer.

“The cowboy hat actually started with a coworker of mine; it got to the point that whenever he’d wear his own hat, it seemed like Landon would always go out and win that day,” recalled Danny. “Eventually Landon decided that it worked enough that he wanted a hat of his own, and it kind of became his look.

“Richard Petty made it work for a lot of years … so who knows? Maybe a little bit of that magic will find its way around to us as Landon is progressing along.”

Though Landon Cox is also a “typical soon-to-be 10-year-old,” noted his father – playing baseball and video games when he’s not wearing a driving helmet – his main focus is finding his way toward the same road his role model Chase Elliott walked a decade ago.

That path led the Georgian to a Cup Series championship in 2020, something Cox aspires to emulate one day.

“Watching Chase win races in NASCAR … that’s what I want to be able to get [to that level] and do,” affirmed Landon.

“We stay busy racing, and that’s the biggest step,” Danny tipped. “He’s committed and eager, and those are qualities you can’t teach. We’re excited to see what happens next.”

For more information on Landon Cox, visit his website at https://landoncoxracing.com/.