Big Car Racing Association & Hall of Fame, LLC BCRA ESTABLISHED 1958, COLORADO SPRINGS CO th (50 Anniversary 1958 - 2008 ) BIG CAR RACING CHRONICLES April May June 2014 Bcra Staff: Dave Tyson(Mo) Ray Cunningham(Ks), Boyd Adams(Tx), Bruce Budy(C0), Gerry Miller(Tx), Tom Davey(Co), Wayne Panter(Tx), Gary Wolfe(Ne) The BCRA Hall of Fame for 2014 will be held June 27th at remarkable Engineering skills resulted in the construction of the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed, Lincoln portable stage assemblies for major Country Western Stars Ne at 6PM. Tours of the museum will be held at 2PM sharp and he had 15 registered Patents on other mechanical devices before the Hall of Fame Induction. Saturday activities will he engineered. Maxwell’s Memorial service was held at include Bench Racing and light lunch at Joes Speed shop, Lincoln’s “Ice Box”hockey arena, providing room for all his 1901 1st St. Host Motel is the Days Inn and Suites on West fans and for all to see the giant overhead retractable star of “O” st , Telephone 402-477-4488 and ask for the BCRA Hall Maxwell’s design, highlighting the start of the Lincoln Stars of Fame block of rooms to receive the group rate. Hockey Games. Driver, Owner, Builder, Innovative Five nominees will be inducted for 2014 and are: Engineer and 2003 Nebraska Hall of Famer, Don Maxwell passed away in 2006.Missouri’s Gene Gennetten began racing Super Modifieds in the early sixties at Olympic Stadium in Kansas City. Driving Bill New Mexico’s Don Maxwell graduated from Santa Rosa Rhine’s “Batmobile” Gene would win Championships in High School in 1958 and worked within the families 1967-’68and 1970 competing with Jon Backlund, Dick trucking business.Don began racing in the Sixties in the Sutcliffe and RayLee Goodwin. Gene would branch out to Southwest becoming a tough competitor in the Modifieds the IMCA, BCRA and won his first IMCA race at Spencer and Sprint cars. In 1972 he moved to Lincoln Ne, continued Iowa in 1972 and finished 12th in points. Gennetten would racing and soon joined Jan Opperman in the fabrication of a finish second in IMCA points in 1973 ahead of top drivers in new design in Sprint cars known as the Opperman /Maxwell. Bill Utz, Ray Lee Goodwin and Buzz Rose. Gene would These cars were driven by a host of Midwest drivers in finish in the top five with IMCA in ‘74 and ’76 before the Lloyd Beckman, Gary Patterson, Don Droud Sr, Ray Lee demise of the IMCA in 1977. Gennetten would eventually Goodwin, Dick Sutcliffe, Doug Wolfgang, CRA’s Jimmie win five titles in six years at Olympic and his expertise Oskie, Ed Leavitt, Roger Rager, Ron Shuman, Lonnie would carry over to the BCRA as he ran the tough circuit Jensen and Lynn Paxton. The Opperman Maxwell sprint cars against Steve Troxell, Don Droud Sr, Ray Lee Goodwin, Jan were some of the fastest on track for several years and this Opperman and Larry Clark. During two of the most team built cars for top owners in BCRA Owner Champ Bill competitive season in the clubs history, Gene Gennetten held Smith, Fred Aden, Al Hamilton, BCRA Owner Champ Larry his own and would mark a second place finish on the High Swanson and Lincoln’s Gary Swenson. As a very skilled Banks at Belleville Kansas. His success at the famous driver he won an Eagle Raceway Championship in 1975 and Kansas oval would continue as the IMCA and BCRA would once outran the field at Knoxville Iowa. In ‘75 the Maxwell curtail competition in 1977 and Gennetten would move to built Speedway 4X won every BCRA race. Maxwell’s Midgets and win two SWIMS titles and three titles with MARA and enjoyed wins with USAC across the country including Indiana, Illinois and and New York. Gene would also enjoy three A MAin starts at the Chili Bowl and a top three finish in 1989. Gene Gennetten would build several cars for other competitors during his career, most notably for Ron Shuman, Steve Enlow, Danny Frye Jr, Tom Corbin.Scott Hatton and Terry Wente. Gene Gennetten passed away in 2006. Sammy Swindell was born at Bartlett Tennessee in 1955 and at age 15 began racing in the class B Modifieds and Sprint cars for his father at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis Arkansas. From 1972 until 1976 Swindell won 47 Sprint Car and 72 Modified races on his way to becoming one of the best open wheel drivers in the history of the sport. In August of 1977 the Big Car Racing Association was Wichita native Jerry Stone started his career in Super coming to Erie Colorado for the 20 year old clubs Grand Modifieds at age 17 racing Harold Leep, Walt McWhorter, Finale. Heralded as the Roger Mauro “Gold Cup Classic” Grady Wade, Roy Bryant, Frankie Lies,Forest Coleman and drivers from across the Region assembled for the final race Jerry Everhart, some of the best chauffeurs in the country. of the BCRA. The program included Midgets and Sprint cars From 1967 to 1972 Jerry ran Supers, driving the family during a two owned #5 and the Zephyr Transfer#69. The Stone’s then day show on a track that the BCRA baptised a dozen years assaulted the Midget ranks running “Stony’s Pony” first with prior. Bobby Unser Junior and Sammy diced through out the a Chevy II and then a Wilson V-4 power plant on the USAC. Feature in a great race to close out BCRA History. During During this time Jerry’s competition in the Super Modified the two day event Swindell would win the two Sprint ranks expanded as he drove for top owners in Jelly Wilhelm, Features and one Midget Feature while finishing 2nd to Jerry Wilson and Shot Hampton. Stone would start in the Sammy Sauer in the final Midget event. Sammy would go on Sprinters in ‘74 driving for Pius Selenke on the BCRA and to drive for LaVern Nance and during 1981-’82, Swindell once again found himself in the “Frying Pan”. Driving an 8 would win 57 Features and two World of Outlaw yr old Sprinter, Stone hung #43 on the rim at Belleville Championships. Swindell would win 31 Features in ‘83 Kansas and won his first ever Sprint car race and finished while driving his own sprinter and won the Indy of Sprinters 9th in BCRA points in a season many touted as the most at the Knoxville Nationals. He joined BCRA alumni Jay competitive ever. In 1977 Stone and Wilhelm would build a Woodside, Thad Dosher, Ray Lee Goodwin, Joe Saldana, new Midget, installed the Wilson V-4 and went to the Seattle Jan Opperman, Ed Leavitt,Doug Wolfgang and Ron Shuman Kingdom to run with the USAC. Stone and Wilhelm would in winning this prestigious race. After 15 years Swindell pull of the upset of the year as he outran Bettenhausen, would return to the top of the WoO standings after winning Parsons, Kenyon and Tripp to an astounding victory for the 200 races from ’82 to 97’. Sammy would win five Chili Kansas team. In ’80 Jerry would drive for Lloyd Stephens in Bowls, raced at Indy, the Daytona 500, the NASCAR the Offixico dirt car and won his first NCRA Title. From Truck series,and has now won over 300 WoO Features to 1982 to 1984 Stone won three consecutive NCRA Titles date. before moving East to engage the “Pennsylvania Posse”. On his return to the Midwest, Stone would run to his fifth and final NCRA Title in 1991. Jerry Stone is retired and lives at Bixby Oklahoma. 2 retired in Kansas. The Nance Family. LaVerne Nance was born at Boone, Oklahoma in1923 and went to work at age 15, wandering the Southwest as a laborer. He would meet and marry wife Marvell in Carnegie, Oklahoma. They soon headed for Wichita Kansas and Beech Aircraft where he became a foreman and later a plant manager with 800 employees. In 1959 LaVern and Marvell started their own company, “Nance Machine and Paint Co”and contracted with Beech, Boeing, Cessna and Gates Lear Jet. LaVern began going to the races and got to know Harold Leep and Bill Mears. Nance and DA Clem toured the Midget circuits in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas watching Jud Larson and Lloyd Ruby. Nance began building Super Modifieds and had top drivers in Grady Wade, Roy Bryant, Jay Woodside,JD Cox and with Harold Leep, Nance won 32 Modified Features. LaVern started Nance Speed Equipment in ‘73. Marvell, Diane and Charlotte ran the Retail, Allen the Shop and daughter Sharon the Mail Order and Dwight Diefenbach the Upholstery. Nance raced the BCRA with Grady Wade and Roy Bryant with his first Sprint car, built with son Carol. Nance was now in competition with CAE, Hank Henry, Grant King, Roger Beck and Bob Trostle. On track, Nance and driver Sammy Swindell, won 28 out of 71 in the ‘81 WOO title win, repeated in ’82 with 14 wins and 32 top five finishes, Victories included the Busch Bash,Western World, Pacific Coast Championship and Syracuse Super Nationals. Other Nance drivers were Al Unser jr, Jan Opperman, Shane Carson, Ed Leavitt and Jack Hewitt. LaVern sold the business in 1993. LaVern passed away in2003,Carol in’09, Charlotte in ‘75. Marvell, Allen, Diane and Sharon are now 3 Bill Rigsby Dale Reed and the Selenke 43 at El Centro Ca Don Maxwell receiving the trophy Gene Gennetten, 1965 at Riverside 4 Gene Kruback and Jim Bredenberg Dale Reed in the Nance #1 Club Business In 2006 after the first BCRA Hall of Fame induction a trip was made to Belleville Ks.