llililllillililililillliltiltfi Theroad to theGrand Nationals isrftshort and it isrltsmooth, but this manwants to makethe trip.

Thompson,CT racing,the 32ndannual Race of July 27, 1983 Championsat Poconolnternational Raceway. The crowdwatches in stunnedsi- Likethe Wranglerjeans lence man, as rescueworkers help nvo JimmySpencer is one tough driverswho have crashed hard into customer the first turn wall. Tothe reliefof Somemen are contentto spendtheir everyonewatching, both drivers exit entireexistence watching from the side- theirvehicles under their own pow- lines.Others never seem to be ableto find er But despiteoutward appear- theirniche in life.Occasionallv there ao- ances,Jimmy Spenceris notOK. pearsthe rareindividual who wouldnev- Spencerbegins having trouble er be contentas just an observef who maintaininghis balance asthey feelshe has a definitemark to leaveon loadup the wreckedcaf andis talk- this world. Jimmy Spencerknew long ago exactlywhere he wantedto be before ing incoherentlyon the tripback - home.Concerned, his crewstops histhirtieth birthday behindthe wheel at the of a stock car on the lucrativeWinston emergencyroom in Hartford, Cup GrandNational circuit. wherehe is diagnosedashaving a Growingup in Berwick,Pennsylvania, seyerebrain concussion. JimmySpencer began his racingcareer Thebad newstravels like wildfire on dirt tracksin the centralregion of the throughoutthe Northeast.The state when he was 19 years old. Be- tradepapers that week all echothe coming Rookie of the Year at the Port samesadsfory . . . "SpencerSeri- RoyalSpeedway in 1976,he went on to ouslylnjured - OutFor ResfOf accumulatemany featurewins over the Season'j next severalyears. However, when 1929 rolledaround, Spencer knew that if his Owego,NY careerwas to advancehe would haveto moveon up to asphaltmodifieds. JimmySpencer August6,1983 Modifiedsare one of the most exotic Racegoersare astonishedtosee classesof race cars in the countrv.With the Spenceroperation pull into the small-carbodies (such as Pintos and pits af Shangri-LaSpeedway. With Cavaliers)resting on custom built tube

BYMICHAEL J.MARRER MnExcitement...

severeheadaches continuously re- frames and powered by unlimiteddis- mindinghim of theneartragedi placementengines, these open-wheeled only 10 daysprevious, Spencer cars are the most popularclass in the looksshaky during the warm-ups. NortheasternUnited States and compete But insistingon stickingit out, his on tracksranging in sizefrom l/sIos/+ of a confidenceand smoothnessgradu- mile.Spencer found the conversionto ally returnduring the evening,and asphaltquite to hisliking, and whilecon- Spenceris able to beatvisiting centratinghis effortstoward Shangri-La Speedway,became GrandNational star Geoff Bocline to its Rookieof the Year the checkers. in'79. Notonly had Spencerbefuddled At the age of 27, after having raced modifiedsfor the previousfour years, the expertsby returningso quickly "1984 afterhis injuries, Spencerdecided would be his last but he alsowent full yearin that division.Io continuehis on to capturethe 1983Shangri-La advancementand to secure additional trackchampionship and the most sponsorshipand exposure,he chosean prestigiousevent in modified almostinsurmountable task - an allout

56 Aqua-Field fimmyspencer to the top divisionsof the sport. assaulton the NationalModified Title Owegofor the trip to Riverside.But way up race under the NASCAR The title holder for the last six years' by the timetheY reach Binghamton, Those who (NationalAssociation of Stock RichieEvans, was notabout to letanyone doubtfulthat sanction NewYork, it aPPears often begin their justwalk uP and takeit. in Car Auto Racing) theycan arrivein Massachusetfs careersin the Modified division' move on time.Spencer decides to chance Eng- Owego,NY to Late Model SPortsmanin New the weather,and makesa U-turn land or the southernstates, and then,if May5,1984 backtoOwego. to the premiereGrand mostof thedaY, lucky,advance tt hasbeen cloudY Evanswins hisevent. Nationaldivision. but Spencerfeels he shouldattend Shangri-Lais rainedout. The JimmySpencer was well aware of how theopening event at Shangri-La gambledoesn't off, and Evans the systemworks. Winning consistently in track PaY 'AA' sincehe is the defending gains180 uncontested Points. what could be consideredthe champion.Evans, meanwhile, has league,Spencer has found, like manY optedfor the 50JaPevent at River' Similarto otherforms of professional othersbefore him, that a verygood living sidePark in Massachusetts.UPon sports,auto racing has its own form of can be made in the modifieddivision. hearingwhere Evans is, the crew farm league system whereby drivers Moreand moreattention is being paidto suchas reloadstheir equipment and leaves honetheir skills as they advance on their theclass, and major corporations

MotorSports 57 R.J.Reynolds and Gatoradeare adding hugesums of moneyto bothpurses and pointfunds. But Jimmyfeels he has al- ready spent enoughtime here,and is itchyto moveup to the nextclass. His self- imposeddeadline of age 30 israpidly ap- proacnrng. In most other sports,representatives fromthe otherdivisions are continuously watchingfor hotnew prospects. However, there are no scoutsscouring the short tracksof Americanlooking for up and comingtalent. You must make your pres- ence knownto the scouts,who in this caseare the car ownersand crewchiefs. Todo so requiresthat you seek them out "turf." andcompete on their Today,major league racing has be- come a high-budgetoperation, with at leasta millionand a halfdollars required to fieldan adequateteam. Attimes, it may be the driverwho can providefinancing thatwill be hiredinstead of anotherdriver withmore talent. No longercan a racerbe contentknowing he isjust a good driver. He mustbe skilledin publicrelations, ac- counting,marketing. In short,he must pursueracing as a business. Jimmy is well awareof what he is get- "Geoff ting into. Bodinetold me thatthe biggest mistakeyou can make is that if Spencerslingshots past Richie Evans in car 61 at Shangri-La. you're not really prepared to go into GrandNational racing with the properfi- 'grease nancingand properteam, you're not go- the betterthey get,and they'renot going and tubes"(hot dogs). One is of- ingto makeit. You're going to makea bad to retire." ten in competitionwith the fliesfor the impressionon guyslike Junior Johnson, With hundredsof driversacross the relishjar. the Wood Brothers, - any- countrycompeting for the same limited In mostother sports, travel is an accept- bodywho couldpossibly pick you up in numberof GN ridesand financing, Jim- ed nuisancethat is madepalatable by the thefuture," he said. my Spencerknows that he has a tough teambeing able to traveltogether. Only in Bodinestarted his climb up the ranks in rowto hoe. racing,where titles are determined by to '70s, the modifiedcircuit. In the late Bo- tal accumulatedpoints, will an athletebe dinewas the most successful driver in the Rochester,NY forcedto competein two separateevents country- one yearwinning 69 percent June 17 in differentparts of the country on the of the raceshe entered.After capturing Spencerwins the firstof two sched- sameday. Splitting up the crew,the driver almost every major event possible in uled 75-lapfeatures. To save time, will havea car readyat bothtracks. After modifiedracing, he movedsouth to furth- track officialsdecide to performin- competingin the afternoonshow he will er his career.At a press conferencein fea- hop a planeto try and makethe evening spectionsonly after the second show.Schedules are usually so tight they Juneof that year, Geoff elaborated on the ture,in which Spencerfinishes sec- processJimmy Spencer must undergo. oftentry to havesomeone else qualify the "Thereare two waysI know of to do it ond.ln teardown,officials deem car. That'swhere Jimmy'sfather comes (get into Grand Nationals).You have to Spencer'scarburetor illegal, one tn. argueshaspassed,n- The patriarchof thefamily, Ed Spencer havemoney in yourfamily or haveaf riend whichJimmy '50s withmoney who willsupport your efforts. spectio n at several tracks prev io u s- beganhis racing career in the early Or you can do it the waythat l did it; go ly and wasnotthe sameone on the and was a frequentwinner at the local tracksin centralPennsylvania. At the start through modifiedsand be successful, car duringthe firstfeature. Never- '60s, get intolate models and be successful, theless,after having beaten Evans of the his sponsorsoffered him the run some superspeedwaYlate model to theline in both events,NASCAR chanceto enterthe biggerleagues, but racesand be successful,and then hope- finishes. he refusedso he could devotemore time sfnpsSpencer of both to his growingfamily. Although no one tully,maybe, you can get a GrandNation- Thepsychological blow is deva- al ride.But nobody is going to comeand has keptcount, Jimmy estimates that his stating.The team returnsto Ben fatherhas won 300 to 400 featuresin his getyou,' he said. '70s, Whatis the biggestproblem in getting wickto regroup. career.In the late after25 yearsin the "lt's onthe GN circui? no bigsecret," con- The racersdiet is a nutritionist'snight- soort.Ed wentinto semi-retirement. "There tinuedBodine, isn'tthe turnover of mare. What with the long days, short Jimmynow has hisfather run one of his drivers.lt's not like basketball, or football, nights,and constanttravel, the crewis of- carsjust for fun,as he neverhad the op- or anyother sporting event. Age isgood. tenforced to violateone ofthe first rules of portunityto runa reallygood asphaltcar Themore experience you have,the better racing- nevereat the trackfood. A typi- before.But it alsogives the teaman add- - driveryou become.Experience is the key cal meal consistsof soggy Frenchfries, ed edge a secondqualified car as a to winning,so the olderthese guys get, warm flat Cokes,charred hamburgers, backupduring the tight points chase.

MotorSports 59 Holland,NY thirds,fourths and fifths. Excitement,"a nicknamethat has stuck, AugustS Jimmy Spencerbegan being known andone of whichhe isextremely proud. Spencerdefeats Evans in the firstof as a driverto be reckonedwith in the Spenceris oftencompared to a young two scheduled50Jap events. On a Northeast. RichieEvans, who 15years ago wasthe cautionflag during the opening Thompson,CT brashnewcomer who daredto challenge lapsof the secondfeature, the left September9 the establishedveterans of the sport. Thelast round of plt sfopshas Now Evansis himselfbeing attackedby rearhub breaks,and Spencer someonewho usedto watchand admire coaststo a stopto awaita towback beencompleted and Jimmy Spen- him from the grandstandsover the past to the pits.He thenclimbs aboard cer is leadingthe Thompson3a0, decade. theother team car beingdriven by with rivalRichie Evans coming up Berwick,PA throughthe field. hisfather.Working the 39thlap, he September18 For last18laps feelsthe left rear hub of thiscar the of therace, Spencerreceives a certifiedletter alsobreak, and slamsinto the wall. Evanstries every trick in thebook to get from NASCARheadquarters in Day- ln a bizarrenote, the car hits100 aroundSpencer. Trying both the tona Beach,Florida. The review yardsfrom where the firsthub insideand outside/anes, Evans ls - boardagrees.with his argument it broke.Damage report $4,000to havinQno luck.Every lap findsthe couldnot be provedthatthe same thecar, and a brokenshoulder carscoming together, with the re- carburetorwas on thecar during bladefor Spencer. sultingsparks holding the fans both featureslast June at Roches- spellbound.Spencer often finds Allathletes at onetime or anotherexpe- teLand reinstatesthe win for the himselfsideways, but each time firstfeature. The disqualification in rienceslumps in their careers.Only in gathersit back in. Withfist clench- racingwill such bad luck actually cost you thesecond feature stands. Spencer ed highin a saluteto both fansand regains190 points. dollarsout of yourown pocketfor repairs. crew,Spencer crosses the finish Infact, no othersport requires such an in- Thechase continues. The Evans line first. dividualoutlay of cashjust to compete.A vs.Spencer battle has become the Soencerhad visions of Evansand him- basicchassis costs $4,000 to $6,000.Ful- "l hottestshow in the Northeast. ly loadedwith the selfhitting the wall head-on in that race. components caralone "l Despitehigh hopesby the crewfor a costs to Enginesstart at was preparedfor it,"he said. made up $10,000 $20,000. strong autumn showrng,the team is andgo up.Tires cost apiece mymind atthetimethat lwasgoing to win $5,000 $150 plaguedby a stringof bad luck.The start- and are usuallygood for only one race. the race.You know, a drivercant wina big er comesloose and goesthrough the oil Andthen theres gas, oil, travel expenses, raceif he doesn'tfeel he can." pan at Pocono.A tiregoes flat while lead- a carhauler, and a completeset of tools. By his own admission,Spencer cate- ingthe Southern Tier 200. An exhausting lf someonewants to startracing, he will gorizeshis drivingstyle as aggressive. all night drive the next day to Oxford probablyneed two to go along Butwith today's race cars being so identi- engines Plainsin Mainedoes reward them with a withthe race hauler.lfyou like cal, oftena driverhas to be slightlyover- carand are fourth-placefinish. By the firstof October, JimmySpencer and are seriousabout Spencerknowsthe title is out of reach. He chasingpoints, you will need two cars, beats Evansin a non-NASCARshow at threeengines, and two haulers. lts notin- the LakeOntario shore track of Oswego, conceivableto spend in a fimmy spencer $100,000 then givesthe crew two weeksoff for a season. is nerv g,ood much needed and deserved rest. lt is There are times when it paysto be a time to concentrateon Martinsville.The maverick.The choosingof equipmentis t|t whdt he does trackwhere he hasled the lasttwo years, notsuch a time.lt paysto go withwhat is but he is rupidly onlyto breakdown at the finish.Jimmy currentlywinning and that means having wantsthis one bad. MaynardTroyer and Ron Hutter build t|ppronchingl

\/nr rr onr rnmani' 'vilL. tvv, vYv'H' his self-imposed Martinsville,VA MaynardTroyer is a formermodified October2S driverwho manufacturesthe mostpopu- deeidline. Havingnottime-trialed among the larasphalt chassis today. From his shops top 10,Spencer is forcedto qualify in Rocheste[New York,Troyer turns out "lf for the Cardinal500 through the over100 chassis a year,plus a compara- aggressiveto gain an advantage. a heats.Running well, the rotor in the ble amountfor the dirttrack circuit. Not driver doesn'tmake that littleedge, he's only are they the stateof the art in race notgoing to makeit," Spencer said. distributorbreaks, knocking him out cars, Troyer'schassis are popular be- It was at the startof the 1983 season of theevent. lt appearsSpencer will cause of the service provided to cus- thatJimmy Spencers style of drivingfirst haveto sitout thefinal event of the tomersin caseof accidents.Hutter is one drewregional attention. Competing in the season. of thetop engrnebuilders in thecountry, SpringSizzler at StaffordSprings, Con- Raceday, however, finds Spencer and suppliesengines for many of the necticut,numerous problems throughout Iinedup at the endof the 32 car country'sbest drivers,including Spen- theweekend forced Spencerto run in the field.Due to hls secondplace cers nemesisRichie Evans. non-qualifiersrace in a last-ditchattempt standingin thenationalpoints race, Spencerspenl 2t/z seasonsrunning to qualify for the main event.Debris he hasbeen added to the fieldas otherbrands of equipmentuntil he real- caused severalflat tires throughoutthe oneof the twoprovisional starters izedthe only wayto beatothers was with race,but each time Spencer charged up theirown equipment.The secondnight throughthe field.Often hanging the car chosenby trackmanagement. At outwith a Troyerchassis gave him hisfirst sidewaysthrough the corners,he eventu- the dropof thegreen, he beginshis asphaltmodified victory in 1981, and the allyfinished second, entering him in the chargeup throughthe field. lt is ex- switchto Hutterengrnes provided consis- main event.The fans loved it, and the tremelyshort Theengine "Mr lived. tent wins insteadof havinoto settlefor track PA. announcerdubbed him overheatsdue to a waterpump

60 Aqua-Field Spencer'screw make quick work of a plt stop. problem.After spending several it. lf he is not devoted,he will not be very are set on the NASCAR Late Model lapsin the pits,Spencer briefly re- successfulat it." Sportsmandivision, which means he will entersthe race only to verifyif any JimmySpencer is very successfulat be spendingmore time south of the damagehas been done to the en- whathe does. But he is rapidly approach- Mason-DixonLine. ing his self-imposeddeadline. He wants Spencergot hisfeetwet in thredSports- gine.The season is over. '85, to drive Grand Nationals,to have his man races in with a fifth at Dover JimmySpencer feels the 1984season name up therewith the likesof Petty,Alli- Downs,Delaware in Septemberhis best providedthe bestclassroom experience son,and Bodine.He feelsthat he has a finish.One car is alreadyhoused in his he couldhave received. The most impor- shotat it,and is followingthe rightpath. shoo.while a secondone is almostcom- tantthing he learnedwas that the secret After all, was the 1974 pleted.Jimmy has found that his ex- to successis oreparation.Even when Shangri-LaModif ied Track Cham pion. pensesin this division have doubled. The runningup to fourshows a week,nothing extrasheet metal work causesit to take canbe neglected.Simple things, such as Epilogue twiceas longto builda Sportsmancom- checkingthe batteryweekly for cracks, The 1985season will be foreverremem- paredto a Modified,and costs approach arethe oneswhich can eithermake you bered as a year of extremesadness for bSu.uuulor a newcar. or breakyou.These stupid littlethings are theworld of racing. The team expectsto competein eight theones which will put you out of a 30-lap RichieEvans had alreadyclinched an LMS showsin 1986,with theirfirst ap- feature,and drop you 70 to 80 points unprecedentedninth National Modified pearancescheduled for Daytonain Feb- behind. Titlewhen he pulledout onto the Martins- ruary.Additional stops at big trackssuch It is in thisarea, rather than track per- villetrack on Thursday,October 24th. as Darlington,Charlotte, and Atlantaare formance,where Spencer feels Evans With no other cars near him, Evans planned.Asthese races are run the same "His beathim. oreoarationis incredible. drovefull speed intothe third turn wall weekends as Grand National events, Heknows when to rideit out when the car during practicelaps. No causefor the thereis the increasedexposure due to isnot upto snuff, while ltryto stretch it a lit- crashwas ever found. Richie Evans, the radio and TV coverage.Although the tlebit," he said. acknowledgedKing of Modifiedracing, modifiedeffort will have to be curtailed, Spenceradmits he is continuingto died a shorttime later. Spencerstill plans to runselected major matureas a driver.He doesn'tfeel he is JimmySpencer began the year by win- shows.Jimmy has a specialplace in his braggingwhen he sayshe isat the top of ning the WorldSeries at Florida'sNew heartfor the modifieds. his leaguenow and a seriousthreat at Smyrna Speedway in February.There Althoughhe hasyet to securea major anytrack he pullsinto. were occasionalother wins throughout sponsor,Spencer feels he cannotwait But it is time to moveup to a greater the year,but Spencerwas not as visible anylonger to moveon. He hasdug deep- challenge.He haspaid his dues; working as he once was,due to a cutback in his ly intohis own pocket in orderto keephis nightafter night until 1 a.m., traveling schedule.His time was spentpreparing dream alive,Each day, each race,finds acrosshundreds of miles of country, for his nextmove. him a littleneare[ but alsoa littlefarther spendingthousands for new partsand Unlikethe waitingone mustendure in fromhis ultimate goal. repairs.He hassacrificed much to realize otherforms of sports,Spencer himself On February15th, the day of the Day- "The hisdream. In hisown words, driver has decidedit is time to makethe ad- tona Sportsmanrace, hasto be reallydevoted, really want to do vancenrentto the AAA' league.Hrs eyes turned29 c

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