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 July August September 2016 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 once again to the BCRA and HOF Newsletter. The Summer is almost over and the Dirt Tracks will soon lay dormant again. An interesting Summer indeed with the colossal USAC Midget races at Beloit and Belleville in Kansas and Fairbury in Nebraska. The voting for the BCRA Hall of Fame for 2016 has been completed and the Inductees for this year include Founders, Officials and Drivers and all competed actively at one time or another down through the decades starting in the late 40’s. There were 14 finalist as of August 1st with the Colorado’s Mike Davey and New Mexico’s Jon Backlund. Fairbury Ne selectors completing their final ballots on the 16th, and we want to thank everyone for their diligence in selecting another fine class of inductees for 2016. Frank Brennfoerder and Don Droud of Lincoln, Ne, Gene Pastor of Denver Co, Jim Gessford of Hastings Ne and Ted Hall of Kansas City are the BCRA Hall of Fame inductees. Jim passed away in 2004. And all of the other inductees are still involved in racing to some degree as you will read here, Congratulations to each and everyone of these great competitors who will be honored at Lincoln Ne at the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed on September 8th at 6PM. 2016 High Banks Hall of Famers Jerry Stone and Chuck Gurney “WHO,who who Who, Let the dogs out!”.L to R “Clean”Gene,Kruback “Top Row Jim” Bredenberg(Not today),”Crotch Rocket” Ralph Brown, Orig “Bville Cub”,Midget Mike Davey. Jon B in Bckgrnd. Rated Best photo of the Fairbury Midgets taken by “Racin Ray” Salute to Gerry Miller and Jack Petty at High Banks Museum Keith Hightshoe, Ray Lee Goodwin and Jon Backlund. Bville 2016 This Outlaw group took over the Bellevilla Restaurant, a surly bunch indeed. But I hear most Tipped rather well. Who is this guy? Looks familiar……… Keenan Elliot. Ralph Brown, Mike Davey, Gerry Miller’s nephew Dallas, Niece Theresa and Boyd Adams, celebrating Keenan’s new find in a BCRA T-Shirt, that may or may not, of been worn by Lou Holland at the 2006 BCRA vintage show at Eagle. Good To see Shelby Steenson, a 2016 High Banks Hall of Fame Inductee 2 With the potent Chevy Six power plant Brennfoerder was tough competition against the Sprinters once finishing 5th in the Feature at Oxford Ne against AJ Shepherd, Dale Reed, Harold Leep, Red Forshee and Lee Crass. In 1957 Frank won his first Sprint Feature at Benkelman Ne driving the Ralph Hoffman Horning/Fisher GMY . In 1963 Brennfoerder built a Super-Mod he raced and also drove for Bob Trostle. In1966 he raced a Ben Cook Frame Sprinter while also driving for other owners with Joe Saldana, Lonnie Jensen, Edd French, Keith Hightshoe driving the Brennfoerder/Star Chevy. Frank finished 3rd in owner points with BCRA during the 1969 season and Frank Brennfoerder in 1950. Jack Skinner Roadster Brennfoerder drove for Rosso-Alexander-Phillips at Mid-Continent Raceway and the #26 of Pikes Peak and More on 2016 BCRA Hall of Famer’s….. BCRA competitor, Wes Vandervoort. Many remember the “Brennfoerder/Star Chevy”, a combined effort of Frank and Race Photographer, Duane Star of Lincoln Ne. Frank quit driving in 1974 but has never really quit racing entirely. He raced in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Frankie Brennfoerder Born at Ruskin Ne in 1929 and began racing in the roadsters in 1949 at the Nuckolls County Fair, Nelson Ne. He continued to run the Nebraska Hot Rod Association at the tracks in Hastings, Deshler, Seward, Fairbury, York and Belleville in Kansas. While stationed at St Louis in 1950 he ran at Mt Vernon Ill, driving for Al Knith of Mascoutah Illnois. Brennfoerder once drove the Francis Shultz rear engine car and managed a great showing at York Ne. while besting the Don Droud Sr Started racing motorcycles in 1957 and his circuit of competition included South Dakota, Illinois, Texas Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and went to Florida for the AMA Nationals at Daytona. By 1964 Droud was driving Modifieds driving a Buick powered car for Dick Shotz at Midwest Speedway and Eagle. In 1970 Don drove the Jim Mahoney roadster and ran at Eagle Goodrich team and finished second in the Feature. In and Knoxville . By 1971 Droud bought a CAE Sprinter 1954 Frank drove for Art Stueben at Lincoln Speedway and ran at Midwest Speedway, Knoxville Iowa, and from 1954 to ‘55 he took the seat in a variety of Doniphan Ne, Belleville Ks and Nebraska state fair. th Roadsters, Sprint cars and coupes but remembers the The ’72 season yielded an 8 place finish in points with Jack Skinner Roadster he drove with great success. the BCRA. In 1975 Droud built and raced a Late Model 3 at Midwest, Doniphan, Knoxville and Erie Co and won the Championship at Midwest . He later bought a Sanger Chassis and won the point Championship at Eagle. In 1980 Droud purchased the Don Brown Sprinter from Jim Goetsch in Grand Island Ne and raced the #88 at Midwest, Belleville , Knoxville, Dennison and State Fair at Lincoln, he ran the car about three years and then bought a four bar car from Bob Cunningham and ran Eagle, Knoxville(nearly every week) and into Oklahoma. The car didn’t work well and he sold it after two years. He later bought a Ted Hall Gambler chassis he competed with for a couple of years and in ‘84 drove for Pete Leikam for a year and won the In 1966 Ted Hall was the hottest owner/mechanic in championship at Midwest Speedway . Droud was one sprint car racing in the Heartland. Teamed with Jay who engaged a Truck racing competition at Eagle for a Woodside, the Kansas City area racers dominated that season but the class never truly evolved so in 1988 Don summer wherever they went. It all started in the late quit competitive driving. He would later buy a Sprinter 1940's when Ted Hall hung around midget racer Ed for vintage shows and the beautiful Red #2 made its McVays shop. Young Ted was there observing and debut at the BCRA&HOF on-track at Eagle in 2012. helping his father who was the chief mechanic of Ed's midget. As a teenager he further learned by helping Jerry Weld as a stooge when he raced at Riverside Stadium and Ted later joined forces with Jerry's younger brother Greg. In 1963 this combination won the Knoxville Nationals. This was especially impressive considering Weld was 19 and Hall only 23 at the time. Two years later Weld bought a used sprint car and the team would lose the USAC Sprint title in 1965 by a mere 2.5 points to Johnny Rutherford. In 1966 Hall would build his own sprint car #9 , and with Jay Woodside win the BCRA title and the Knoxville Nationals. Hall would later built a sprint car for Swenson and Wiliams of Lincoln, Nebraska and teamed with Ray Lee Goodwin they would win the 1968 Knoxville Nationals. After following Weld to Indy and the Champ cars, Beautiful “Droud Special” at Eagle. 2013 Needless to say Don’s sons Don Droud Jr, and Rodney Hall got a job working for Grant King. From 1970-75 have enjoyed successful careers in racing. Don Jr Hall would build nine Indy cars. He also served as a started in late models at Midwest and worked up crew member or chief mechanic for drivers that through the Sprinters, Midgets and now races across the included Weld, Carl Williams, Art Pollard, and Lloyd Midwest having driven for Terry Klatt, Gary Swensen Ruby. In 1975 Hall won the Hoosier Hundred with and the Smith”Good Times Racing” team. Tulsa native Jackie Howerton, besting Mario Andretti, and Al Unser for the victory. 4 region. A true testament to a racing genius, who is still going strong, racing with his grand kids 50 years after that epic 1966 season. Ray Cunningham Hall built Swensen/Williams Chevy with Ray Lee at the wheel. Three time IMCA Champ, Bill Utz on the outside. After returning to Kansas City in the mid 1970's Hall worked for Greg Weld and was track manager at I-70 Speedway. Over the years Hall continued in racing as a owner and mechanic, while being inducted into the Knoxville Raceway and CARB Hall Of Fames in 2015. The last decade and half, Hall has been racing first (Byers) with his grandson Cody Baker, and later his Colorado’s Gene Pastor granddaughter Casey Baker Tribble, when she joined Gene Pastor was Born in 1936. Pastor grew up in her brother on the dirt tracks around KC. By the end of North Denver and started attending races at Lakeside the decade Ted had moved Cody into a 305 winged Speedway in 1946. Gene raced in his first midget race sprinter winning the Ozark Speedway title in 2010 for at Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1952 running in a DMRC owner Dave Long. During this time Cody's sister, show. After a few years which included running a 3/4 Casey Baker became Cody's teammate and advanced to midget for Don Simrock, Gene received his first break the 360 sprint cars, both winged and non winged.