Big Car Racing Association & Hall of Fame, LLC BCRA ESTABLISHED 1958, COLORADO SPRINGS CO th (50 Anniversary 1958 - 2008 ) BIG CAR RACING CHRONICLES January February March 2010 Bcra Staff: Ray Cunningham(Ks), Dave Tyson (Mo), Boyd Adams(Tx), Bruce Budy(C0), Jerry Miller(Tx), Tom Davey(Co), Wayne Panter(Tx), Gary Wolfe(Ne) way while amassing nearly 500 Feature wins in the Mid and Welcome, Southern US. Steve Troxell of Denver won three RMMRA Good friend Dave Bermingham passed away in Cody championships and scorched the BCRA ovals in the Ken Wyoming January 24th after a long illness. Midget and Slocum Chevy winning three features and a BCRA Sprint racer in New Jersey in the 50’s turned artist after Championship during one of the most competitive seasons moving to Cody Wyoming. Dave was great help on the Big in club history. Ernie Dicroce was one of the most beloved Car history in the East and a selector for the BCRAHOF.. of the BCRA car owners and his host of drivers came from Many requests for Jacket patches have yielded a superb the four corners of the racing world. Gary Swenson and reproduction of the Original at 10.00 per patch, if interested Charlie Williams were one of the top car owner teams for in a patch please Email at [email protected] or a number of years in the Midwest winning at Knoxville and call 308-325-5455 . Spectacular BCRA calendars will also on the BCRA. Ken Slocum was a car owner champ and be available by mail or for sale at the Hall of Fame served as BCRA president. Ken and son Casey ran the weekend in Lincoln at 10.00 ea and they are a beautiful RMMRA with great success. Ken passed away a few years tribute. This years calendar will contain history of the club ago but his legacy lives on. Dick Sutcliffe never won a plus pictures of the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees. championship but won five feature events during his tenure Thanks to Judy Payton and Jack Kline for the original with the BCRA as the Kansas City Champion had a most BCRA documents they recently forwarded and… Vintage successful career driving for several including the RH Oval magazine remains the only true vintage publication in Farms sprinter. Gentleman Davey Ross of Kansas was a the country, if you have a car or parts to sell remember the fan favorite on the BCRA driving for Pius Selenke and…. magazine for your advertisements and call 800-818-5624. Lincoln’s Keith Hightshoe spent decades on the Midwest Joe and LB Taylor of Amarillo Texas have been located tracks running in the stockers, Sprinters, Supers and with the help of JD Cormack(National Sprint Car Hall of Winged Sprinters. Individual bios to follow in the Apr- Fame). Joe is alive and well at 93, LB passed away May-June Newsletter sometime ago with brother Monroe passing at 98 yrs old The 2010 National Sprint Hall of Fame inductees are just a couple of years ago. These boys had an interesting ready for induction and includes Bob Adamson, Hank career with the United Motor Contest Association, IMCA Arnold, Fred Kinder. Frank Riddle, Hal Robson, Herman and BCRA with AJ Shepherd, Ralph Parkinson Sr and Schurch,Clyde Adams, Casey Luna.Don Sheperd, George Bernie Shires as drivers. More to come on Taylor racing. Bentel, Fred Brownfield, Ben Krasner. One name Missing THE VOTES HAVE BEEN CAST and the 2010 class of again this year is Leroy Neumayer. One guy nearly Inductees in the BCRA Hall of Fame make up a Stellar forgotten in racing started in the early 20’s in New Mexico group with Old Timer Warren Hamilton born in Shelby and later ran with the BCRA until about 61’ when his son Hill Missouri in 1908 and began racing in 1927 with AAA sold his car out from under him to get him off the track…. and his path along the race circuits of the day led him to Colorado where he performed well in the Midgets and the Big Cars while also serving as President of the BCRA after the departure of Art Myers . Warren would serve the club Table of Contents Page 1………………………………………….. Welcome in many capacities for nearly two decades and 37 years Page 2……………………………. ”Pappy Noe”by Bill Noe after his first start Hamilton, 56 years old at the time, would Page 3……………………………… BCRA History Lesson finish 5th in driver points with the BCRA. Page 4……………………………… .CARB, Pics and Clips Colorado’s Jack Kline would wrench some of the best cars Page5…………………. C&T Automotive by R. Cunningham on the BCRA and RMMRA during his career including the Page 6……………….............................Wes Farrand Obituary Page 7……… Opperman Exhibit at NSCHOF and CARB Herring Offy’s. Few drivers in the country won more races Inductees By Dave Tyson than Edd French of Justin Texas during a career lasting over forty five years. He won a BCRA Championship along the T. C. (Pappy) Noe …….Bill Noe 6 cylinder engine was actually made from a truck axle. was born in Ft. Madison Iowa in 1900. His family The axle was sent to Vic Edelbrock, and custom moved to Gallup, NM when his father got a job with ground to his specification. He made many of his own the railroad. He began working on race cars in 1922. parts, and his son Robert (Bob) did most of the His first tinkering with an engine was a 4 cylinder welding on the body, (Bob also flagged races in the flathead in a car capable of going 100 mph. He Southwest). He had a severe crash in 1948, when he married Katie Winders in 1924, and made a promise to went through a fence and flipped the car when the rear her that he would not drive a racecar.This promise was axle hooked a light pole. He sustained a skull fracture, kept until 1947 when she told him that his driver and the broken helmet is still in the trophy case. By wasn’t driving the car right, and that she could drive 1951 he had collected 31 trophies. His 6 cylinder better than that. It turned out to be the opening he Sprint car set a track record in Aztec, NM that was needed to get into the racecars he had worked on for held long after his retirement in 1961, when Bob sold years. his car out from under him. He passed away 30 years He began driving a racecar in 1947, and was given the after his retirement. nickname Pappy by another driver in Flagstaff, AZ. He was a member of: Most car owners at 47 years of age were in the stands, New Mexico Motor Racing Association not behind the wheel. The name stuck with him, and Southwestern Auto Racing Club, Inc he won his first trophy dash later that year in Artesia, California Racing Association, Inc NM, August 14. He returned to Flagstaff 2 weeks Aztec Racing Association after that and won the trophy dash there as well. UMCA (United Motor Contest Association) He traveled all over the SouthWest, racing in towns The Big Car Racing Assoc such as Flagstaff, AZ, Holbrook, AZ, Artesia, NM, His other notable vehicles would have to include his Aztec, NM, Albuquerque, NM, and of course Gallup, 1954 Oldsmobile pickup, built by he and Bob in the NM. Durango, CO, Pueblo, CO, Hutchinson Ks , winter of 1955. The car is still running, owned by his Belleville Ks. grand-daughter Kathe Noe of Belen, NM. His first streetable roadster was a 1929, powered by a Corvette 327, featuring a manual 4 speed, and a torsion bar equipped rear axle, now owned by his Grand-son Bill Noe of Gallup, NM. His other streetable roadster was not completed before his passing, and is also owned by his Grand-son Bill. Pappy Noe in the 52 Wayne Chevy at Hutch Kansas UMCA race in 58’ He collected many trophies from all of these locations, and traveled to other places as well. In 1955, he was awarded the Season Sportsmanship Trophy by the UMCA in Enid, OK. In 1956, he received the UMCA Season Owner trophy for both Owner and Driver by placing 8th overall in the UMCA. In 1958 he received the SARC Outstanding Car Owner award. Pappy Noe and son Bob on the UMCA in the late 50’s In the Ray Koch story author Bruce Budy mentioned During his career, racing was much different than it is the generosity of Ray as he handed the keys over to a today. A custom ground camshaft for his GMC inline 2 valued employee of some 40 years but couldn t recall In 69’ only Joe Saldana , Jan Opperman and Lonnie the name of this employee and if the story was even Jensen were Feature winners. 1970 was the year true. In a recent phone call with Leroy Byers he Lonnie Jensen would win his first championship mentioned Ray Koch and how he turned over the keys winning at Belleville with feature winners in Goodwin, to the business to Fred Neuschwanger who had been Brahmer, Sutcliffe and Bryant. Jon Backlund went on with Koch since he got out of High School and the to win four Features in 71 and the championship as well established business reportedly turned a Billy Powell, Parkinson Sr, Beckman, Buddy Taylor, consistent and impressive profit. Keith Hightshoe and Lonnie Jensen also won Features. In 72’ Leo Tucker surprised them all at Century 21 in BCRA History Lessson Denver as did Colorado’s Billy Ager while In the first season of the BCRA Wyomings Jack Sutcliffe(2),Davey Ross(2),Taylor, Beckman and Hahn won the first race at Canyon City Colorado.