He was known as The General, and when he led, the field followed. 

A Mountain Motor Pro Stock legend, "General" Lee Edwards, passed away unexpectedly on October 12, 2024. He was 85, and would have turned 86 on October 16. 

Edwards won two series championships while racing in the IHRA and is credited with the first two championships [1977, 1978] when the Bristol, Tenn.-based organization converted to a Mountain Motor Pro Stock format. 

Those who knew Edwards knew him as a fierce competitor. In his approach to drag racing, he was very similar to pro stock legend Bob Glidden. 

Dave McGee, a noted drag racing historian and author, was instrumental in documenting Edwards' success as editor of IHRA's Drag Review publication. 

"He, indeed, was a lot like Bob Glidden," McGee said. "Very determined, very focused. When he came to the racetrack, it wasn't to hang out. It wasn't to party. It was to make the car go fast and win races.

"He won a lot. He was fast. Everybody knew he was going to be fast. He spent a lot of time and energy on his combination. When IHRA came with a mountain motor program in '77, he was the one who saw down the road, and saw what it could become. So he experimented a lot, and he didn't have a lot of success early on, but once he got the combination dialed in, he was all but unbeatable."

Unbeatable seems inadequate of a word, as Edwards won 11 national event titles in 17 finals rounds during his three years of racing this format. 

Bear in mind that when Edwards pulled off this massive domination, it was against the likes of Ronnie Sox, Don Carlton, Roy Hill, and Warren Johnson. 

The Mountain Motor format played right into Edwards's wheelhouse. 

"I don't think anybody was really pushing the limits as far as how big can we go?" McGee noted. "His stuff [engine displacement] wasn't that big, but he was approaching 500 before it was fashionable. He had an aluminum block and called and asked if the engine was legal. And whoever he talked to on the phone said, 'Yeah, bring it." 

"And so he went to Union Grove, and they told him the car was not legal. He appealed, and it was a part-number block. It was just one of those oddities, and once the block was legal, once they said, 'Your engine is legal, you can run,' then he came back and had a second half of the season where he was all but unbeatable."

Past IHRA champion Robert Patrick had his engines built by Edwards in his heyday of running the class. Not only did Edwards provide him with winning horsepower, but he also taught the young driver many racing and life lessons. 

"I can't believe he's gone," Patrick said. "He taught me just about everything I know about racing. I don't think I could have accomplished hardly anything of what I did if it hadn't been for him. I learned about all aspects of how a race car is supposed to run. I will always remember him and be thankful for my time with him."

Edwards's approach was so iconic that he was inducted into the International Drag Racing and North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame. He was also named to CompetitionPlus.com's all-time Top 20 Mountain Motor Pro Stocker, only behind Rickie Smith, the winningest driver in the series. 

Smith started his Pro Stock career in 1979, as Edwards was winding down his. The rookie took note of the legend's approach to winning. 

"I got a chance to run against him a few times, and some of that was at Budds Creek when we used to have those Wednesday night big match races," Smith recalled, who was racing a 1978 Mustang II who was at the time sponsored by the Oak Ridge Boys. "They'd have a Mountain Motor deal up there on Wednesday nights and stuff. And Lee and Warren, they were the daddy rabbits at that time.

"Lee, in the few times I interacted with him, was very respectable, even to a rookie like me. He didn't smack talk. He just raced and was a hard-nosed racer, and he didn't aggravate you. He didn't talk s*** to you. He raced you hard."

In 1980, Edwards retired from driving but continued to build some of the most competitive engines available for drag racing and the popular truck puller classes. 

McGee summed up the kind of racer Edwards was, and one that didn't always put him in the racing cliques but one who used talent and skill to get to the front of the pack. 

"He was a very cerebral racer," McGee surmised.

Edwards is survived by his wife; Patricia 'Tish' Edwards, his daughters; Brenda E. Rich, and her husband; Roy, Becky E. Embrey, and her husband; Todd, five grandchildren - Christopher White, Kateland Rich Flinn (Zack), Zachary Rich (Katie), Jeffrey Lee Embrey (Amanda), John Embrey, and six great grandchildren - Paxton White, Stella Rich, Greyson Embrey, Brooks Flinn, Sloane Rich, Ashby Flinn, and his sisters; Patricia Bettis (Duane), Betty Edwards, and Mary Deal.

Please join the family & friends of 'General' Lee Edwards on Saturday, October 19 from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. at 5209 Chase Lane, Midland, VA 22728 to Celebration of a Life Well Lived.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you donate to the non-profit organization Drag Racing Association of Women (DRAW) that provides financial and emotional support to qualified individuals involved in drag racing accidents. http://www.drawfasthelp.org/donate.html