Big Car Racing Association and Hall of Fame
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Big Car Racing Association & Hall of Fame, LLC BCRA ESTABLISHED 1958, COLORADO SPRINGS CO th (50 Anniversary 1958 - 2008 ) BIG CAR RACING CHRONICLES December 2014-February 2015 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) Welcome to the Big Car Racing Association and Hall of Colorado National Speedway and ran a few races. In 1966 Fame. At this time the date for the BCRA HOF reunion at they raced a full season with the idea of making racing Lincoln will be the last weekend in June(26 and 27) as usual possible for anybody that wanted to participate. The track with tours of the museum and bench racing at Joe Haags had four foot retaining walls for the safety of spectators and Speed Shop and On Track at Eagle Raceway. The Model T they continued to make improvements both on and off the Speedster group will have their reunion at Speedway, their track. During the years they added Motorcycles, Sprint Cars Hall of Fame and Hill Climb along with other activities. The and Midgets to their racing program. The Heffleys sold Red Devils Car Group will have their annual Car Show at Colorado National in 1972 to George Butland and later the Pioneers Park. The BCRA Hall of Fame salutes the track was sold to Jim Opperman and paved. Gene Heffely following teams and individuals. was a 2009 Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee. GENE AND GERDA HEFFLEY(CO Hall of Fame Bio) Gene moved to Denver from Missouri Valley Iowa in 1957 after serving five years in the military. In 1951, he met and married his wife Gerda. They started a trucking company and had two daughters Helen and Patti. By 1960 this couple was operating four trucks. A year later he began to operate a salvage business in the Denver metropolitan area and sold parts to two individuals that were building race cars. When one could not pay for the parts, they ended up with the race car. With some help from some friends Harry McCool and Bart Manley, They ran the #70 car at Lakeside Speedway. That is when Gene really got hooked. In 1964 one of their Jack Hahn(1925-2015) at Erie Co.Byers Photo drivers was Hall of Famer, Sam Sauer. Later that year they *While nearing completion of Erie, two time Big Car all went to a big race at Hanford, California. It was the first Racing Association Champion Jack Hahn of Wyoming, was time they had seen a real Late Model race and he and Gerda requested to take a test run on the track. A famous photo decided to build a speedway designed for Late Models. taken by Hall of Fame Photographer Leroy Byers and published in several racing publications, caught the historic That was just part of the story….. moment as Hahn traveled at speed on two wheels near In 1965, using the money from their trucking company they Byers . The BCRA would run 10 races on the oval with the purchased an 80 acre parcel of farmland. On that site at Erie last event taking place in 1977 at the Roger Mauro Gold Cup Colorado, they designed and built a speedway, calling it Classic. This was also the last sanctioned race of the BCRA with Sammy Swindell winning the Sprint event and the final Iowa. Thad also finished in the top five eleven times, including a incredible run at Tampa, where in the five race championship of the club. Interesting to note that Bob And winter series, Thad finished second twice, and a third, over Al Unser ran the BCRA in the early years and Bob Jr and Al drivers that included Jan Opperman, Kenny Weld, and Rick Ferkel. At the end of the IMCA campaign, Thad would take Jr were present in ‘ 77 at the final event. the title over Gene Gennetten, Bill Utz, Ray Lee Goodwin, and Buzz Rose. In 1975 the R&H Farms team would win at R and H Farms* Three farmers from Iowa bought one of the Knoxville Nationals, with Eddie Leavitt behind the the top sprint cars from the era, and in 1970 they went racing wheel. With a new coil over sprinter built and designed by across the heartland, becoming one of the greatest sprint car House, the black #40 race team would have a outstanding teams of the decade. season in 1977 as well. With Arizona's Ron Shuman at the In the 1960's the team of Gary Hanna and Dick Sutcliffe controls, the R&H Farms team would win the Western would win in the BCRA, IMCA and two track titles in 1968 World at Manzy, and the Pacific title at Ascot Park! at Topeka and Knoxville. In 1970 Hanna would sell his In the 1970's whether racing in outlaw races,BCRA, IMCA, black #29 sprint car to 3 Colifax, Iowa, farmers, John Ricke, CRA, WOO, or USAC among others, the R&H Farms team and brothers, Stan, and Tom Hill, Dick Sutcliffe would be was a force to be reckoned with. RC the driver . In 1970, the race team raced on dirt, and pavement, in BCRA, IMCA, and the super modified circuits Dick Morris, originally of Sioux City, Iowa and now in the car now known as the R&H Farms sprinter, #40. The residing in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, started racing at a team would race in BCRA competition at Belleville, and young age at Raceway Park in South Sioux City, Nebraska, would win at Erie, Colorado. Sutcliffe, and the R&H team in the middle Sixties, where he won several main events and would finish 2nd place in the final BCRA standings, behind was annually in the ‘top five’ in the point standings. 1968 Champion Lonnie Jensen. In IMCA, the Iowa race team won saw Dick move to the ranks of modified stock car racers at a pavement race at I-70, and finishing 4th in the final the Collins Field in Lemars, Iowa. He won the track standings. championship there and also at the Interstate Speedway in By 1972 Sutcliffe had moved on to the Cornbelt racing team Jefferson, South Dakota, in 1970. Then, in 1973, he and his . the R&H team would hire Thad Dosher, and mechanical pit crew decided it was time to move on to the super- genius Wayne House as chief mechanic. A list of some of modified division at the Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, the greatest sprint car pilots of the time would race different South Dakota. He won ten feature events in 1974, but lost versions of their black beauty over the years, including the track championship on the last night following an Rager, Thad Dosher, Eddie Leavitt, Bob Williams, and Ron accident on the final lap of the main event. In September of Shuman. 1974, he had a chance to partner with well-known car owner Larry Swanson. Dick was ‘Rookie of the Year’ at Knoxville Raceway in 1975. He also won races throughout the Midwest, including at the South Dakota State Fair at Huron, South Dakota; the Midwest Speedway in Lincoln, Nebraska; and the Jackson The R&H Farms car, with a Roger Beck Chassis would win Speedway in Minnesota. Dick also won the 1975 ‘Cheaters the IMCA title in 1973 with Dosher behind the wheel. Thad Day’ race at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, would also race at Belleville, and Wakeeney in BCRA South Dakota. Dick's race car career was cut short by a competition, winning at Wakeeney over BCRA Hall Of serious sprint car accident at Knoxville just before the 1976 Famer Grady Wade. Their IMCA campaign included wins at Nationals. He had several quick times that year at Knoxville 81-Speedway in Wichita, Lincoln Nebraska, and Spencer and he had won features throughout the Midwest, including 2 at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia and Belleville Ks. Dick 2008 Gordy Shuck Sportsmanship Award thru Neb Hall. No Morris is now retired and living with his wife Marilyn at the longer driving Mike became the Sprint car tech inspector at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. He and his long-time pit Midwest Speedway until it closed and then moved to Eagle crew (Larry Swanson, Larry Nelson, Gerry Lemoine, Gale Raceway in the same capacity. An Accident in pits modified Murkle and Joe Orth) have restored the Don Maxwell-built Mike’s duties at Eagle when he was hit by an IMCA number 49 sprint car to its 1976 condition. RC Modified and spent 3 and a half months in the hospital. Mike Cecak started racing in 1963’ running 6 cyl Modified Mike still helps out at Eagle Raceway where you are likely Stock open wheelers at Fairbury, Beatrice and Lincoln Ne, to see him on race nights. RC driving his own creation. By 1968 Mike ran with a new class LEROY BYERS(Bio from Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame) of V-8 modified s and won a feature at Belleville Ks. 1971 was his first full year in Sprinters and was BCRA rookie of Born in Oklahoma, his love for racing began when he the year. He also ran at Eagle Raceway and won Rookie of attended a sprint car race at the Oklahoma State fair. Moving the Year honors with Nebraska Modified Racing Assoc . With the BCRA Cecak , went to McCook and ran nearly to Aurora, he struck up acquaintances with several of the every race at Erie Co and Belleville Ks driving for Fred midget drivers, climbing over the track fences into the pits Bowers.