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 October-November-December 2016 Welcome to the bcra hall of fame newsletter 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) Merry Bcra Staff:Christmas Dave Tyson(Mo) to All Ray and Cunningham(Ks), a Happy BoydNew Adams(Tx), Year……… Bruce Budy(C0),local Gerry driversMiller(Tx), before Tom Davey(Co), he and Wayne son Panter(Tx), Bob went Gary to Wolfe(Ne) Lincoln a nd This year five new inductees were Inducted at Speedway bought a chassis and Ranger motor from Bob Rager. Bob Motors. This addition warranted some changes to the Nelson of Inland Ne and Lloyd Beckman would drive the BCRA Wall while maintaining the appearance. We have #43 roadster. The Bower’s ran the last race at Capital had some nominations for inductees for 2017 (If you have Beach with Frankie Brennfoerder who set a track record. someone to nominate contact us on the web at bcrasprints.com) And reportedly, this was the car little Joe got his first ride which include, in. And….. Fred would begin in the Sprint cars with a stretched midget and driver Bob Nelson around 1955. He also teamed with a young Paul James who was the Driver/owner of the Lloyd Wilander Wayne Chevy. Fred wrenched the team as they ran the UMCA and IMCA in the area. In 1958 James suffered a horrendous wreck at Sedalia Missouri in which he was killed. New son-in-law, Dan Mcown began in the modifieds in 1959 at Wichita Ks while stationed in the Air Force. The Wilander sprinter set in the trees for a couple of years as the family continued racing when Fred went to Lincoln and bought a Modified from Bob Rager and Bob Nelson and Lloyd Beckman would chauffeur the White 5. When a new club came on the horizon in the Midwest, Bowers revived the historic Wilander car and enlisted driver Bob Nelson to engage the Big Car Racing Association. With Nelson’s retirement in 1963, Bower would continue with drivers like Lloyd Beckman, Frank Brennfoerder , Wayne Holz and Tom Root of Colorado. With the purchase of the John Leverance 5x sprinter, Mike Cacak of Lincoln would Fred Bower Chevy and driver Bob Nelson of Inland Ne at Norton Ks 1962 drive from ‘71 to ‘76. Fred Bower Fred later built an Orange #5 Modified that son in law, Fred was born at Fairbury Ne in 1905, worked on the th Dan drove from ‘68-‘72. Fred would retire from racing in family farm and attended school until the 8 grade. He 1977 with the termination of the two premier Sprint clubs was needed on the farm at the time and this began a career in the Midwest. Fred Bower competed for 26 years in hard work, and mechanics. Fred later married Verna running with the Nebraska Racing Assoc, The UMCA, the Gudgel in 1926 and they lived on the farm relishing a new BCRA and IMCA. Fred passed away in 1990 commodity in Electricity in 1934 and living was enhanced with a brand new refrigerator. In 1941 Fred opened his own shop at the corner of Hwy 136 and 15 in Fairbury. His early success yielded a new brick Garage. In 1951 Fairbury started racing Hot Rods and Fred wrenched for and Buddy Taylor and all those guys were running at Speedway Park," Jerry Miller said. "Frank Crosby was promoting it. It was quite a show." After suffering serious injuries in the crash at Manzanita, Miller took a job selling cars at Darwin Buick in Albuquerque "to pay his medical bills," his son said. Thus began a long career in auto sales."He had his own used-car lots here in town, and he had a big one in Roswell," Jerry Miller said. Then he was used-car manager for Wayne Lovelady Dodge and then at Frontier Ford. 1960 Rookie of the year, Bruce Budy#93, Orv Nance 88 and Bob Nelson in the Bower Chev at Norton Ks. Wayne and Jerry Miller Indiana native Wayne Miller's career in racing began as a driver/owner in Indiana in the ‘40s racing Midgets before a move to New Mexico, and ended prematurely in the mid-'50s with an accident at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix. There was no end however to his love for the automobile, or to his influence on auto racing in Albuquerque. Miller stayed active in racing as a car owner with successful drivers like Taylor, Larry Demaree, Harold Brooks, Billy Powell, the Blaney’s and his own son, Jerry, all drove Miller-owned cars. Demaree and Jerry Miller won New Mexico Motor Racing Association titles while driving for Wayne Miller. Sometime in the '70s Miller got behind the wheel at Speedway Park in an old-timers competition. The car didn't have power steering, and his shoulder was bad from the Midget crash at Manzanita. I think he ran third in the main event, and he said he could have won it if his shoulder hadn't given up on him. Away from the track and the auto business, Jerry Miller Wayne Miller in 1952 picture (stdng at Front of his #7) remembers his father as a devoted but firm parent. Jerry and Wayne were regulars on the BCRA and Jerry won a "He was pretty much an icon in the sport," said Richard th Blaney Jr., one of many local drivers who raced in a feature at Belleville in 1967 for Wayne who finished 5 in Miller-owned car as did Blaney's father, Richard Sr. "He Owner points. Jerry also drove for Jerry Hammer in ‘72 raced himself, he owned cars in the Speedway Park days before moving back to Indiana. and won championships." Jerry Miller was born October 12, 1942 at Salem, Indiana Jerry Miller, Wayne's son and himself a former champion and excelled at sprint car racing and made a 3 year foray driver, recalls his father racing stock cars at a track off into Championship Cars. One of the top sprint car racers Wyoming Boulevard and Midgets at Rio Grande Speed in the Midwest, Miller attempted to complete rookie Bowl in the late '40s. In 1952, Wayne Miller became a orientation for the Indianapolis 500 in 1979. Later that New Mexico Motor Racing Association champion while year he competed in his first Champ Car race, a USAC competing at Speedway Park on Eubank Southeast. He event at the Milwaukee Mile, finished 9th and earned him won that title just as the sport in Albuquerque was really 25th place in the USAC National Championship points. In revving up."He was one of the forces in the early '50s 1980 Miller made his only CART start, a 14th place in the during the golden years, when Bobby Unser was racing season-ender at Phoenix International Raceway. In 1981 2 he brought the same Chevrolet powered King chassis back Russ quit driving in the late 70’s and with kids growing to Indianapolis to qualify for the "500" again. up, got involved with academics and sports with a son now a High School football coach. Brother Rich and son Seth are still running sprints at Knoxville. Russ helped them for a time. Russ and wife are retired and living at Wisner Nebraska. As the USAC/CART split continued that year, Miller made two more champ car starts, this time on the dirt oval events that had become a part of the USAC "Gold Crown" Championship, with finishes of 9th and 19th. Mike Cacak in the Fred Bower Chevy Mike Cacak started racing in 1963’ running 6 cyl Modified Stock open wheelers at Fairbury, Beatrice and Lincoln Ne, driving his own creation. By 1968 Mike ran with a new class 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 the year. He also ran at Eagle Raceway and won Rookie of the Year honors with Nebraska Modified Racing Assoc . With the BCRA Cacak went to McCook and ran nearly every race at Erie Co and Belleville Ks, driving for Fred Bowers. In 1972 the team ran IMCA at the Nebraska state fair and Topeka Ks. In 1972 Mike also drove for the Goodrich family at Belleville and ran IMCA at Topeka Ks and State fair at Lincoln Ne. In 1973 Mike was driving the 5X for Bower’s again with BCRA and Neb Mike Cacak in the “Belle” and Jerry Miller Mod assoc and ran Belleville, Ks. “We always ran Belleville” . After that Mike got busy and would pick up a ride on occasion. Russ Brahmer, In 1978 he built a Late Model and went to Beatrice and won Russ Brahmer started racing in High school in 1953 and first time out. He also ran at Lincoln on Pete Liekams N 27th ran at the Wayne County Fairgrounds inWayne, Ne in a Street speedway and at Eagle at first ever late Model race, and jalopy. About ‘55 he drove at the Washington County Cacak won the feature. He sold the car at the end of the Fairgrounds for owner Tom Ronin. He then went to the season. 1981 was the year Lincoln started running sprinters in a service and when he came back, the Columbus track 360 class of competition here Mike drove a sprint car for Dean opened and he got a ride with Harold Potter and the RNM Orth numbered 30D .