 A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Trantham was a veteran of short-track racing in the southern Appalachians, and made his debut in the NASCAR Grand National Series in the 1968 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.He finished 34th in the event, and went on to run four more Grand National races that year, posting a best finish of tenth at Martinsville Speedway.Following his racing career Trantam moved first to the United States Virgin Islands, then to Palm City, Florida, where following a battle with leukemia he died on March 17, 2014.