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 2008 Bcra Staff: Ray Cunningham(Ks), Boyd Adams(Tx), Bruce Budy(C0), Jerry Miller(Tx), Tom Davey(Co), Wayne Panter(Tx), Gary Wolfe(Ne) WELCOME… Sunday breakfast was enjoyed by all before we parted company with Bruce Budy and myself heading to It has been nearly forty years since the last Open Belleville. First stop was the much heralded High Cockpit sprinters have taken the track.. Today when Banks oval as Budy reminisced his rookie season with these cars are static or on track I hear,”they used to race the BCRA before moving on to the old Goodrich shop these cars”? Yes indeed they “raced these cars” and what and the High Banks Museum. Here we were greeted by a time it was. After another exciting selection process, curator Bob Blazek. After a tour of the exhibits on hand the votes have been cast. Bruce headed back to Colorado via Norton Kansas and a The 2008 inductees include some of the best ever in night of racing. open wheel competition in the country and thanks to the During the Winter months BCRA History was selectors for their diligence at the process. assembled on four Murals each measuring 2ft by 4ft, At present there are over one hundred nominees for with nearly three hundred pictures and presented to the induction. If you have information on someone you Belleville High Banks Museum where they are now would like to submit for consideration please forward to being displayed. The format of the Pictorials are Ray Cunningham, [email protected] or myself, (1)1957-65’ & (2)1966-77’ photos of drivers and cars, [email protected] or (3) social events, banquets etc,(4) cars on various tracks. [email protected]. Copies of this set of murals, or individual panels, are Welcome to new member Willard King of Gardner soon to be available to club members. Kansas who will be at Beatrice with his Sprinter. This The Goodrich garage got a partial facelift with new ex-Sports car driver knows Speed and Safety while in paint and lettering now adorning this historic garage. It the seat and is an excellent addition to the BCRA. has been proposed to add logos of all clubs that ran the Mike Rausch from Phoenix recently moved to Hays High Banks be painted , in chronological order, on the Kansas bringing along the Hank Henry built Chuck front of the building. Picture on page 7 includes this Allen sprinter. Lot of history here and we are looking temporary layout of the logos. This project was devised forward to meeting Mike and the Henry in the near by BCRA members to potentially provide additional future. room for High Banks Museum expansion into this Many thanks to Lincoln host Joe Haag who held a historical location. Negotiations for an opportunity at reception for the BCRA at his museum and shop on Interior restoration is pending. Folsom street. Thirty guests enjoyed Lunch and tours of A stunning granite bench (pg 8) commemorating the Joe’s collection with a Model A racer, New Mexico clubs history is also on display on the “Winners Circle” sprinter along with his Foyt replica roadster and the at the entrance to the High Banks Museum. More names Denny Oltman Sprinter. In addition, the Auto racing will be added in the near future and we are soliciting pictorials and engine displays that adorned the shop donations to pay for this timeless monument to Big Car provided an interesting afternoon for the enthusiasts on History on the High Banks. At a cost of 1000.00 hand. contributions, whether 5.00 or 500.00, can be sent to the We all headed to Beatrice Speedway for the static return address on your newsletter to support the effort. display and on track at 3PM and we were greeted by the great Beatrice crew and the fans. Pictures were taken and Table of Contents all enjoyed a great lunch before we moved the cars to the Pg 1. Welcome pits. The cars were warmed up and staged for on track Pg 2. Tom and Jerry, Bumpus prt 3 Pg 3.Bumpus & Letter to the Ed by Bruce Budy exhibition as a wicked thunderstorm rolled out of the Pg 4 2008 BCRA Hall of Fame West inundating the area with rain and canceling the Pg 5. Photo Gallery Pg 6.photos, pg 7 photos, pg 8 photos races. We returned to Lincoln and the Red Fox and Pg 9. Emory Collins, Ray Cunningham closed out the evening with a great round of Bench Pg 10. Emory con’t, Greg Weld by Ray Cunningham racing, bringing another HOF weekend to an end. PG 11.Weld, and Belleville 2008(R. Cunningham) pg 12. Photos, pg 13 photos, pg 14. photos Work in Wyoming was interrupted with an unplanned Tom’s recollection of Al’s reaction. “Very nervous” is trip to Jackson Hole to visit Jack Hahn in the hospital Tom’s recollection of his reaction. followed by a trip to Idaho Falls and Atomic Id, for For years he badgered and begged and cajoled trying to some great modified racing. Pitting for Chris Clark and get a ride up the Peak…wearing out his helmet bag, and Rich Mueller of Jackson proved a great experience and his shoes until one day it happened! He hooked up with what super racing(in its third year in the region) at both a ride in one of Dick Frenzel’s monster Lincolns but, facilities. Jack was soon released and is back home before he could even turn a lap in practice, along came a dealing BJ fits. You know BJ had to pay for dinner on “hot dog” from Indy named Eddie Sachs, and bumped their first date when Jack forgot his wallet and he has him out of it. On race day Sachs got as far as, some say, tried to repay her for decades, but BJ refuses to Brown Bush and then hung the car in a tree. ( As Tom relinquish her leverage… what a great Lady. said, “Hell, I could have done that much!”) The legend Despite the criticism we have weathered from various has it that the last that was seen of the “Clown Prince” critics over the years we have maintained a strong focus he was walking off into the forest primeval…never again on the history of the Golden Years of the sport and will to be seen on Zeb’s mountain. continue to do so. The BCRA&HOF Club members We met in about 1959 or so and for many years we made have been busy as you can see and we will remain on the the trip to the Peak every year. There should be some leading edge of documenting and organizing Big Car stories about those days I think. We’ll speak of the day History and making it available to members, and …We Tom set an altitude record, and other hope all members will take ownership in this project. Harrowing adventures, so stay tuned. Once again, donations for the BCRA Memorial bench Some of you may remember that Mobil was a major can be forwarded to the address listed on your newsletter sponsor of the Hill Climb. Did you know that the Flying and thanks for your support. Also…It recently came to Red Horse was originally the trade- mark of the light that the BCRA ran more races on the High Banks Magnolia Oil Co. of Dallas? than any other Sprint club in its History. Unfinished Business….Sammy Swindell won races at the “Roger Mauro Gold Cup Classic” at Erie Colorado in 1977, the last in the clubs history. He never received a Championship trophy for that season so we are looking for a trophy of that vintage and caliber to award the last Champion. Last but not least….. Thanks to Texan Jerry Miller for the great BCRA decals of Super quality now available. Get well Jon Baklund, Been “Kickin any Pigs lately” .GW They merged with the old Socony-Vacuum Oil co. and that eventually became Mobil. Some years ago the Tom and Jerry (Continued) Magnolia bldg. was being renovated and the old horse (This is the column that, after Tom’s retirement, was was found, along with the machinery that made him picked up by Bill Hill and re-named Hill On Wheels.) rotate on top of the tower. Sadly he was too far gone in In later years, starting in the early 1980’s, he traded his decay to be rebuilt but…an artisan was found that knew pen for a camera and for the next 20 years or so he how to make those ancient signs and he made a new one provided NSSN with pictures of the event…and met a that is a dead copy of the original. So there he is, back in whole new cast of characters that we’ll talk about in his rightful place…and, wind and weather permitting, he these pages as time goes on. still gets around. But it was as an official with USAC that he had his most T&J (Thanks again to Tom Davey and Jerry Miller for this memorable day on the Hill. As the newest, and lowest timeless contribution to our newsletter). ranking, member of the officiating team he was given the unenviable task of telling Al Unser (Sr.) that he had “Bumpy” Bumpus Prt III (continued) been dis-qualified… because he was three months shy of Through the wartime years Bumpus was employed as being old enough to compete! “Very understanding” is A Machinist at the Charleston, Mass Navy shipyard.