Big Car Racing Association and Hall of Fame

Big Car Racing Association & Hall of Fame, LLC
BCRA ESTABLISHED 1958, COLORADO SPRINGS CO
(50
th
Anniversary 1958 - 2008 )
BIG CAR RACING CHRONICLES
April May June 2014
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)
The BCRA Hall of Fame for 2014 will be held June 27 th at
the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed, Lincoln
Ne at 6PM. Tours of the museum will be held at 2PM sharp
before the Hall of Fame Induction. Saturday activities will
include Bench Racing and light lunch at Joes Speed shop,
1901 1st St. Host Motel is the Days Inn and Suites on West
“O” st , Telephone 402-477-4488 and ask for the BCRA Hall
of Fame block of rooms to receive the group rate.
Five nominees will be inducted for 2014 and are:
New Mexico’s Don Maxwell graduated from Santa Rosa
High School in 1958 and worked within the families
trucking business.Don began racing in the Sixties in the
Southwest becoming a tough competitor in the Modifieds
and Sprint cars. In 1972 he moved to Lincoln Ne, continued
racing and soon joined Jan Opperman in the fabrication of a
new design in Sprint cars known as the Opperman /Maxwell.
These cars were driven by a host of Midwest drivers in
Lloyd Beckman, Gary Patterson, Don Droud Sr, Ray Lee
Goodwin, Dick Sutcliffe, Doug Wolfgang, CRA’s Jimmie
Oskie, Ed Leavitt, Roger Rager, Ron Shuman, Lonnie
Jensen and Lynn Paxton. The Opperman Maxwell sprint cars
were some of the fastest on track for several years and this
team built cars for top owners in BCRA Owner Champ Bill
Smith, Fred Aden, Al Hamilton, BCRA Owner Champ Larry
Swanson and Lincoln’s Gary Swenson. As a very skilled
driver he won an Eagle Raceway Championship in 1975 and
once outran the field at Knoxville Iowa. In ‘75 the Maxwell
built Speedway 4X won every BCRA race. Maxwell’s
remarkable Engineering skills resulted in the construction of
portable stage assemblies for major Country Western Stars
and he had 15 registered Patents on other mechanical devices
he engineered. Maxwell’s Memorial service was held at
Lincoln’s “Ice Box”hockey arena, providing room for all his
fans and for all to see the giant overhead retractable star of
Maxwell’s design, highlighting the start of the Lincoln Stars
Hockey Games. Driver, Owner, Builder, Innovative
Engineer and 2003 Nebraska Hall of Famer, Don Maxwell
passed away in 2006.Missouri’s
Gene Gennetten began racing Super Modifieds in the early
sixties at Olympic Stadium in Kansas City. Driving Bill
Rhine’s “Batmobile” Gene would win Championships in
1967-’68and 1970 competing with Jon Backlund, Dick
Sutcliffe and RayLee Goodwin. Gene would branch out to
the IMCA, BCRA and won his first IMCA race at Spencer
Iowa in 1972 and finished 12th in points. Gennetten would
finish second in IMCA points in 1973 ahead of top drivers in
Bill Utz, Ray Lee Goodwin and Buzz Rose. Gene would
finish in the top five with IMCA in ‘74 and ’76 before the
demise of the IMCA in 1977. Gennetten would eventually
win five titles in six years at Olympic and his expertise
would carry over to the BCRA as he ran the tough circuit
against Steve Troxell, Don Droud Sr, Ray Lee Goodwin, Jan
Opperman and Larry Clark. During two of the most
competitive season in the clubs history, Gene Gennetten held
his own and would mark a second place finish on the High
Banks at Belleville Kansas. His success at the famous
Kansas oval would continue as the IMCA and BCRA would
curtail competition in 1977 and Gennetten would move to
Midgets and win two SWIMS titles and three titles with
MARA and enjoyed wins with USAC across the country
including Indiana, Illinois and and New York. Gene would
also enjoy three A MAin starts at the Chili Bowl and a top
three finish in 1989. Gene Gennetten would build several
cars for other competitors during his career, most notably for
Ron Shuman, Steve Enlow, Danny Frye Jr, Tom
Corbin.Scott Hatton and Terry Wente. Gene Gennetten
passed away in 2006.
Sammy Swindell was born at Bartlett Tennessee in 1955
and at age 15 began racing in the class B Modifieds and
Sprint cars for his father at Riverside Speedway in West
Memphis Arkansas. From 1972 until 1976 Swindell won 47
Sprint Car and 72 Modified races on his way to becoming
one of the best open wheel drivers in the history of the sport.
In August of 1977 the Big Car Racing Association was
coming to Erie Colorado for the 20 year old clubs Grand
Finale. Heralded as the Roger Mauro “Gold Cup Classic”
drivers from across the Region assembled for the final race
of the BCRA. The program included Midgets and Sprint cars
during a two
day show on a track that the BCRA baptised a dozen years
prior. Bobby Unser Junior and Sammy diced through out the
Feature in a great race to close out BCRA History. During
the two day event Swindell would win the two Sprint
Features and one Midget Feature while finishing 2nd to
Sammy Sauer in the final Midget event. Sammy would go on
to drive for LaVern Nance and during 1981-’82, Swindell
would win 57 Features and two World of Outlaw
Championships. Swindell would win 31 Features in ‘83
while driving his own sprinter and won the Indy of Sprinters
at the Knoxville Nationals. He joined BCRA alumni Jay
Woodside, Thad Dosher, Ray Lee Goodwin, Joe Saldana,
Jan Opperman, Ed Leavitt,Doug Wolfgang and Ron Shuman
in winning this prestigious race. After 15 years Swindell
would return to the top of the WoO standings after winning
200 races from ’82 to 97’. Sammy would win five Chili
Bowls, raced at Indy, the Daytona 500, the NASCAR
Truck series,and has now won over 300 WoO Features to
date.
Wichita native Jerry Stone started his career in Super
Modifieds at age 17 racing Harold Leep, Walt McWhorter,
Grady Wade, Roy Bryant, Frankie Lies,Forest Coleman and
Jerry Everhart, some of the best chauffeurs in the country.
From 1967 to 1972 Jerry ran Supers, driving the family
owned #5 and the Zephyr Transfer#69. The Stone’s then
assaulted the Midget ranks running “Stony’s Pony” first with
a Chevy II and then a Wilson V-4 power plant on the USAC.
During this time Jerry’s competition in the Super Modified
ranks expanded as he drove for top owners in Jelly Wilhelm,
Jerry Wilson and Shot Hampton. Stone would start in the
Sprinters in ‘74 driving for Pius Selenke on the BCRA and
once again found himself in the “Frying Pan”. Driving an 8
yr old Sprinter, Stone hung #43 on the rim at Belleville
Kansas and won his first ever Sprint car race and finished
9th in BCRA points in a season many touted as the most
competitive ever. In 1977 Stone and Wilhelm would build a
new Midget, installed the Wilson V-4 and went to the Seattle
Kingdom to run with the USAC. Stone and Wilhelm would
pull of the upset of the year as he outran Bettenhausen,
Parsons, Kenyon and Tripp to an astounding victory for the
Kansas team. In ’80 Jerry would drive for Lloyd Stephens in
the Offixico dirt car and won his first NCRA Title. From
1982 to 1984 Stone won three consecutive NCRA Titles
before moving East to engage the “Pennsylvania Posse”. On
his return to the Midwest, Stone would run to his fifth and
final NCRA Title in 1991. Jerry Stone is retired and lives at
Bixby Oklahoma.
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retired in Kansas.
The Nance Family. LaVerne Nance was born at Boone,
Oklahoma in1923 and went to work at age 15, wandering the
Southwest as a laborer. He would meet and marry wife
Marvell in Carnegie, Oklahoma. They soon headed for
Wichita Kansas and Beech Aircraft where he became a
foreman and later a plant manager with 800 employees. In
1959 LaVern and Marvell started their own company,
“Nance Machine and Paint Co”and contracted with Beech,
Boeing, Cessna and Gates Lear Jet. LaVern began going to
the races and got to know Harold Leep and Bill Mears.
Nance and DA Clem toured the Midget circuits in Texas,
Oklahoma, and Kansas watching Jud Larson and Lloyd
Ruby. Nance began building Super Modifieds and had top
drivers in Grady Wade, Roy Bryant, Jay Woodside,JD Cox
and with Harold Leep, Nance won 32 Modified Features.
LaVern started Nance Speed Equipment in ‘73. Marvell,
Diane and Charlotte ran the Retail, Allen the Shop and
daughter Sharon the Mail Order and Dwight Diefenbach the
Upholstery. Nance raced the BCRA with Grady Wade and
Roy Bryant with his first Sprint car, built with son Carol.
Nance was now in competition with CAE, Hank Henry,
Grant King, Roger Beck and Bob Trostle. On track, Nance
and driver Sammy Swindell, won 28 out of 71 in the ‘81
WOO title win, repeated in ’82 with 14 wins and 32 top five
finishes, Victories included the Busch Bash,Western World,
Pacific Coast Championship and Syracuse Super Nationals.
Other Nance drivers were Al Unser jr, Jan Opperman, Shane
Carson, Ed Leavitt and Jack Hewitt. LaVern sold the
business in 1993. LaVern passed away in2003,Carol in’09,
Charlotte in ‘75. Marvell, Allen, Diane and Sharon are now
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Bill Rigsby
Dale Reed and the Selenke 43 at El Centro Ca
Gene Gennetten, 1965 at Riverside
Don Maxwell receiving the trophy
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Gene Kruback and Jim Bredenberg
Dale Reed in the Nance #1
Club Business
In 2006 after the first BCRA Hall of Fame induction a
trip was made to Belleville Ks. Upon arrival at the
museum we were informed that there was one marble
bench left to be sold. I immediately took advantage of
the situation and purchased , what was to be last bench
on the ”Winners Circle”. “Put anything you want on it”
was the only instruction at the time. A computer
generated file was created with a tribute to Don Budy
and the BCRA. Also included was a list of BCRA
Champions, top Feature winners and the addition of
BCRA Photographer Leroy Byers. The file was sent to
the vendor and plans were made to create the design on
the beautiful Marble bench only to be snubbed , “You
can’t put those names on the bench as they are not in
the Hall of Fame”. The initial agreement included no
additional charge for completion of the original design
whenever it was completed and we agreed to wait until
the appropriate members were inducted. After waiting
for 7 years the BCRA again approached the powers that
be about getting the bench finished as agreed upon with
the vendor and the response was positive. Once again
the file was double-checked and sent to the contractor
before conflict erupted again, and the completion of the
project abandoned . About four months later we were
notified that another request had been made to alter an
existing bench and at that point the BCRA was
permitted to complete the original design but at a cost
of 200.00. I once again voiced the guidelines of the
original agreement to do the work as agreed upon. A
Swindell setting records in the Bobby Davis Sprinter
BCRA member Doug Wolfgang
Jan Opperman
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call to the vendor in question revealed , “We don’t
know what will happen with that deal”, but the work
had been completed. The minutes of the committee
reported the BCRA owed 250.00 more on the Memorial
Bench which all costs had been paid for, 7 years earlier.
After a pow-wow with the BCRA and HOF officers it
was agreed upon to pay the extraneous and bogus
charges assessed in order to see the project finished for
members to enjoy. Payment was made and reported as
being taken care of by an, “Anonymous Donor”. Even
though the original agreement was not honored by the
businesses involved, the work was completed
satisfactorily, at the cost of 250.00. The issue is
presently closed, as the membership now knows the
circumstances surrounding the local spin on the
transaction.
program at Eagle Raceway that evening followed by the
races at McCool the next evening. Many thanks to this
group for taking the time to visit Lincoln and the
Museum.
Mike Davey, Tom Davey and Gerry Miller
Colorado’s Ralph Brown, Mike Davey, Jim Bredenberg
and Gene Kruback at Speedway Motors and the Lloyd Axel #5 Kurtis
owned by Leroy Byers, on loan to the Smith Collection Museum of
American Speed.
BCRA Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Davey .1959
BCRA Members tour the American Speed Museum
in Lincoln
The opportunities presented over the years as we have
engaged the BCRA Hall of Fame project, continue to
amaze us. Recently four life long fans of open wheel
racing arrived in Lincoln and a tour of the Smith
Collection was arranged. A most interesting afternoon
ensued as each of the above individuals related many of
their experiences while following Midwest Dirt Track
racing for over fifty years. Couldn’t believe the
response as they entered the front door in obvious awe
at how the Museum had changed since their last visit of
several years ago. From the Indy cars to their
Forte,”Dirt Track racing”, the repor was one of grand
excitement tempered with monumental respect for the
sport and for the collection
which will make it possible for enthusiasts to enjoy in
the future. The group attended another great racing
Ralph Blackett. 1964
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venues for many years. From the modifieds in the
Midwest to the World of Outlaws across the nation the
Nance product was hard to beat.
Jerry Stone climbed into a family built and owned
Modified at age 17, learned from the best and became
one one of the best on the NCRA, while winning
multiple Championships. His talents brought success in
the Midgets and Sprint cars as he won multiple top
contests across the country including USAC and
BCRA.
Gene Gennetten enjoyed a four decade career in the
sport as he built and raced Midgets and Sprint Cars
across the country and even found time to build cars for
several top competitors.
Sammy Swindell was another driver who started at an
early age in Tennessee at his home track and would win
the final Championship of the Big Car Racing
Association at Erie Colorado in 1977. Over forty years
of competition has yielded a top driver/owner team.
As you can see, the history of the Big Car Racing
Association included some of the most amazing talent
ever, in the sport of Open wheel racing in the United
States.
The BCRA Hall of Fame is somewhat different than
other Hall of Fames in that the only rule is that you had
to be a member of the original club which raced twenty
consecutive seasons in the Midwest.. Right now we are
approaching a goal of approximately 10 per cent Hall of
Fame participation of the original roster. What we have
found is that we have many deserving individuals still
on the list of nominees. How we honor these
individuals in the future is under consideration as we
realize the expected constraints on room available to
continue.
The selectors have cast their ballots over the last ten
years and the BCRA is represented in fine fashion
within the halls of the Smith Collection Museum of
American Speed. The BCRA and HOF has projected
yearly reunions at Lincoln with bench racing and
historical presentations surrounding this history and
those who made it, in the years to come. We also have a
web site now at bcraSprints.com, feel free to log on and
view the site while contributing with your comments
for the administrator to receive and we will answer any
questions you have concerning the collection and
celebration of this great history GW
BCRA member, Oren Covert
Pappy Noe of Gallup N.M. began racing in the 20’s and here he is
at Pueblo in 1959 with the BCRA. Pappy’s son had to sell the car
on the sly to get him to stop racing in ’65.
2014 BCRA Hall of Fame Induction
With the addition of 5 new inductees to the Big Car
Racing Association Hall of Fame in 2014 we now have
90 members of this elite group representing 20 seasons
of BCRA History. With Don Maxwell, one of the
premier fabricators from New Mexico, we highlight
the talents of an important car builder and driver.
Nothing was outside the perception of Maxwell as the
cars he fabricated with Opperman and Weld were some
of the fastest in the country for a time when Sprint
racing was the fastest in history. Max lived in Lincoln
at the time of his passing. Laverne Nance was another
who’s fabrication efforts led to championships at many
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A tribute to the Morris/Swanson Chevy team is a great photo
Collage of a winning team. Another Swanson Championship car
was recently restored by Joe Haag of Lincoln.
Big Car Racing Association
306 Montrose Ave
Bertrand Ne 68927
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