Welcome, During the past year we have again assembled

critical history associated with the BCRA. Biographies

were produced and turned over to the selectors who once

again provided a tremendous class of Inductees for the Hall

of Fame at the Collection of American Speed at Speedway

motors. Once again we were all reminded of the

significance of commemorating this most special time in

American Open Wheel racing and how fortunate the

BCRA staff is to have collaborated in the preservation of

this history. The reward came on Friday night as we

rubbed shoulders with some of the greats in BCRA history

at the 2010 BCRA Hall of Fame induction . Many thanks

to Jim Mcniel and the Speedway crew who had the

plaques fabricated and staged in the museum upon arrival

and to Dave Tyson of KC for helping out at the event.

Jack and Jackie Kline of Colorado were the first of the

inductees we encountered along with KC”s Craig

Hitchcock hauling the Gessford Machine black #7. 2010

inductee Dick Sutcliffe and wife Vicky along with BCRA

inaugural inductee Harry Ivers and wife Linda arrived early

at the Motel and once again it was a pleasure to reunite

with this Colorado couple whose efforts in the original

BCRA and their contributions to the BCRA Hall of Fame

have been significant since its inception.

A trip to Joe Haags Speed Shop yielded another group of

BCRA standouts gathered to view the Swanson Chevy

recently acquired by Joe and Larry Swanson for restoration

at the Lincoln Speed Shop.

Swanson Chevy ready for restoration at Joes Speed shop

Back at Speedway Motors and Historian Bob Mays, we

toured the meeting area arranged the pictorial display

absent from last years exhibits and even added new

pictures to the portable units in use. The four panels of the

existing BCRA History Murals were staged on easels at the

entrance for all to view. The overhead display was running

a recently updated CD of BCRA photos and the slideshow

continued throughout the Induction ceremony. All inductees were on hand except Warren Hamilton and

Kenny Slocum who are deceased and BCRA Champ Steve

Troxell who was unable to make the event. Davey Ross of Jetmore Ks left the wheat harvest in Western Ks and arrived in Lincoln nearly at the start to receive his award and delivered a stirring address about his years with the club. Davey wasted little time after the event to return to the wheat fields to beat the rain and bring in the harvest. The Decroce family was present in force to represent Ernie whose contributions to the BCRA and open wheel racing have become near legendary. Accompanying daughters Gina and Christy were Ernie’s wife Bernie and son in law’s Keith Rauch and Joe McCarthy both top Midget and Sprint competitors. Keith Hightshoe of Lincoln had a racing career which spanned five decades and included the BCRA, a most interesting competitor and a fitting inductee. Edd French of Texas won as many features as anyone as he traveled the circuits in the US and even Old Mexico on occasion. Still active in winged racing in Texas Edd will begin the 2011 season in a new ride. Lincoln’s Gary Swenson received his award and remembered the days when Ray Lee piloted the Swenson –Williams Chevy to several Feature wins and Championships in the Midwest. Partner and father-in-law Charlie Williams was a tremendous influence on the success of the team and was honored posthumously at the ceremony. Jack Kline of Denver was the wrench for the only three time BCRA Champ Gordon Herring of Golden Colorado. During the weekend we were able to visit with Kline and learned of the 330 Cu in Offy Gordon had built and installed in the Shiliah built #54. Gordon Woolley once drove the car at Winchester stating,”The motor in that car was STOUT.” He also added that during the race he was cut off by another driver and slid upside down 1056 feet with the paved surface nearly eroding the roll bar in half. It was at Owatonna Mn in the next race that Gordon was killed.

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Bcra Staff: Dave Tyson(Mo) Ray Cunningham(Ks), Boyd Adams(Tx), Bruce Budy(C0), Jerry Miller(Tx), Tom Davey(Co), Wayne Panter(Tx), Gary Wolfe(Ne)

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Dick Sutcliffe was one of the great Kansas City stars in the open wheel ranks and his list of accolades are common to a great champion of the era and it was an honor to have Dick and Vicki on hand at the event. Jon Backlund received for Steve Troxell of Denver the 75 BCRA Champ and being a great open wheel competitor himself who ran with Troxell told of the Slocum Chevy with Troxell at the helm was a time to remember. Harry Ivers received for Warren Hamilton who was still running in the top ten with the club in his late 50s. Warren began racing in the 20’s in Missouri. later finding his way to Colorado where he not only competed but was active as President and as an official for a time. Kansas City’s Dave Tyson received the award for BCRA Car Owner Champ and President Ken Slocum who put together the winning combination during one the most competitive seasons with Steve Troxell and the Slocum Chevy yielding a BCRA Championship. Saturday Morning the group got together at Joe’s Speed shop to bench race and view the cars on hand. A great time was had by all and the air conditioning felt good on this day where the temp reached 105 deg. French , Sutcliffe and Backlund recalled such days gone by as they stood with sweat filled racing shoes ready to run the next race.

The last car Don Maxwell built. Notice the wing shaped hood.

Bill and Joyce Smith were on hand as we looked over the soon to be restored Swanson Chevy and the last Don Maxwell creation ever fabricated. Bill was able to enlighten the small crowd as to BCRAHOF Nominee Don Maxwell’s career. Old friend and BCRA supporter Wayne Panter of Lubbock Tx was on hand for the event having spent the Summer in Belleville and taking in some of the great regional racing. By 4PM we all headed to Eagle Raceway, the nights racing, the Midwest Old Timers reunion and the Vintage on-track. Several of the Lincoln areas Midwest competitors came out and among them were Don Droud Sr and his nearly restored sprinter he competed in the BCRA with.

Don Droud Sr and his nearly restored sprinter at Eagle

It was a pleasure to finally meet up with Don again as it was Paul Tainter of Fremont Nebraska. Paul brought out his old Wyoming Big Car for the event and put her on the track where it competed in fine fashion. It was great to see Paul again. Dick Sutcliffe put the Hitchcock replica on the track and showed his talent at the wheel of the Gessford Machine Sprinter. The engine was missing a little until Dick cleared her throat going down the back chute every other lap or two. The Ivers Chevy performed flawlessly during the event as did the Andre Hemi and the Joe Haag piloted Indy Roadster. Dan Andre was accompanied by son Tim and his wife Sheila at Eagle. Original BCRA competitor Ed Bowes displayed the Haag Model A Speedster on track much to the delight of the fans before an electrical short sidelined the classic speed machine. A Great time was had by all and another Vintage exhibition came off without a hitch. Dave McGown brought the Bob Slater ride to town for the event. Dave and his father Dan acquired the car

BCRAHOF nominee Mike Cecak with his old ride the, McGown 5x

years ago from Grandpa and car owner Fred Bower who’s Racing history goes back decades as does Dan

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McGown’s in the stockers and Modified’s. Dan passed away last year and we’ve all missed his great personality and racing savvy.

A corner in Gary Swenson’s trophy room in Lincoln includes a Knoxville Nationals and IMCA Championship.

The historic Mcgown 5x on display in the Museum. This car had an interesting history with drivers like Slater, Opperman and Cecak.

Dick Sutcliffe and Craig Hitchcock R.Cunningham Dick Sutcliffe was one of the the greatest Sprint Car drivers of his era. Racing primarily in the heartland but also venturing out to the West and East coast. Dick thrilled fans across America in the 1960’s and 70’s with his mash the button style. Dick was a stellar performer in the Super-Modified ranks, winning championships in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. Racing in the BCRA and IMCA ranks in Sprint car racing, he was a contender at every venue. Sutcliffe finished 2nd for the BCRA championship in 1970 and challenged for the IMCA title in 71 and 72, finishing in the top three both years.

This Kansas City driver who towered over the competition in stature and ability(Sutcliffe was built like a defensive lineman and had the height to match)raced against many of the great drivers of the era including Jerry Blundy, Eddie Leavit, Joe Saldana, Lonnie Jenson, Ray Lee Goodwin, Jan Opperman and Jay Woodside. Dick raced for Kansan Gary Hanna in his black #29 Sprinter and R&H Farms famous #40. The combination of Sutcliffe, owner Dave Van Patten and mechanic Bob Trostle with Corn Belt racing in the #19 and #18 sprinters, was one of the best in the early70’s. Based on his accomplishments on the track with some of the best racer’s of the era, with some of the best mechanical minds, Sutcliffe had a favorite car, and mechanic during this time and he hasn’t been mentioned yet. Craig Hitckock owned a beautiful #82 sprint car in the late 60’s with drivers that included BCRAHOF’er Grady Wade and Jay Woodside who raced for the Missouri nice guy. Hitchcock had moderate success with his Sprinter, but was learning the lessons that would make him one of the best sprint car wrenchs in the 1970’s. Craig first worked with Dick when he worked for Gary Hanna on the #29 sprinter in the late 60’s. The race team won several races in the super ranks(with a cage)and several in the Sprint car ranks. This included Dick’s first wins in both BCRA and IMCA during this time. In 1970 Gary sold the #29 to the R&H Farms team out of Colfax Iowa. Both Hitchcock and Sutcliffe went with the winning Sprinter. The only change was the number of the car to #40. After another successful campaign Dick and Craig moved on to other race teams.

Dick Sutcliffe and Craig Hitchcock at Eagle In 1973 Indiana’s Grant King had become one of the hottest builders in Sprint car racing. Craig went to King’s shop and built a Sprinter that would be owned by Bruce Edwards and would race as the Blue Diamond Concrete Sprinter with Engines by Jim Gessford(BCRA

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Hall of Fame Nominee)both of Nebraska. A dispute with the IMCA kept Dick out of the club for the 73’ and 74’ seasons, this was not good luck for the local race tracks. Armed with the new Grant King sprinter Sutcliffe went on a mission to destroy the competition and destroy them he did. Sutcliffe and Hitchcock raced and won wherever they went in in 1973, but it was at Knoxville where they simply could not be beat. During one stretch the Black #7 won seven straight features at the Marion County Fairgrounds on the way to a dominating track championship. In 2008 Craig Hitchcock reproduced the beautiful black sprinter with the Gold Leaf #7. In June mechanic and driver would be reunited at the BCRA Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Lincoln Ne. Afterwards Sutcliffe flat out told me in a style all his own, “ Craig Hitchcock was the best mechanic I ever worked with”, “The black #7 was the best car I ever drove”. Sutcliffe further states, “Craig deserves to be in the BCRA Hall of Fame”. The next evening at Eagle, driver, car and Mechanic were reunited in another way while racing at one of the tracks Sutcliffe raced during his hay days at BCRA Vintage get together during the local Saturday Night show. I would like to say the results were as good as 1973 but they were not as they fought the car to get it to run right. Both the looks on the faces of Sutcliffe(who had not been in race car since 75)and Hitchcock said it all with, “ We were both in our element and …….for a moment it was 1973 all over again!

Aerial view of the Haag Speed shop meeting room

BCRAHOF nominee Mike Cecak and old friend the Mcown Chevy

BCRAHOF nominee Jerry Weld and the Henry built Les King Sprinter

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Denver Colorado

8-16-10

Hi Gary, After talking to you on the phone I will send you

a note about Mearle Holbrook that you might not be aware

of. I have known Mearle since shortly after he and Don

Budy got out of the service. Both were great guys and

really enjoyed auto racing.

Me and Mearle were Oakie’s and of course Mearle was a

long time Pit Steward but he was much more than a pit

steward. Mearle worked with track owners , promoters,

sponsors and anyone else connected with auto racing. He

was responsible for lots of publicity in the auto racing

papers not just of BCRA but with Midgets and the Pikes

Peak Hill Climb.

In about 1965 when BCRA sanctioned a two day show at

Bethany Mo and Mearle was so sick that he couldn’t even

drive a car and should have been in bed but he asked me if

I would drive him back there and we were gone three days

but he was that determined to do his job and the BCRA.

Another funny thing happened there as Jack Hahn was

using his Piles Peak setup in his new Sprint car with a full

Transmission and he cleaned the field with his heavy set-

up.

And any time at any race track when you needed some

help to gather up people or race cars for a photo for a news

paper , Mearle would handle it like the Trophy Queen at

Greeley in 1965 when Lloyd Axel came out of retirement

to win the BCRA Feature. Mearle got the Trophy Queen

Sharon positioned in just the right position for a great

photo.

After a three day BCRA show at Hutchinson Ks I asked

Mearle if he could help me get the three feature winning

cars, drivers and owners together for a group shot for the

front cover of NSSN and he said, “I’ll handle that just give

me a few minutes”, and it was done. Well Mearle was a lot

more than a Pit Steward for BCRA and I would like to

point out just a few of them.

Hutch Ks : Lloyd Beckman, Gordon Woolley and Don Brown

When the BCRA ran a two or three day show at the

Oklahoma State Fair and although Mearle was working his

regular job, he worked the pits for the day show and caught

a plane home and worked his regular nite job and caught a

Plane back in the morning to work the pits during the day.

How many people would of done what Mearle did for auto

racing as he never blew his own horn but auto racing was

better off for Mearle Holbrook.

Another thing, any time a driver was hurt and went to the

hospital Mearle would be there also. And another funny

thing was when Mearle moved back to Oklahoma City

about the time the speed limit on the interstate highways

was 55 mph and Mearle would drive down to Dallas to

visit his sister that lived there. When I asked Mearle about

all of the miles and miles of highways in Texas did the

Texans pay any attention to the 55mph speed limit as it

would take forever to drive across Texas and Mearle said,”

“Any time you saw a Texan driving 55mph he was out

changing a tire.” Well, this is only a note, not a book but I

hope you will find a little more about Mearle Holbrook

that you didn’t know, disregard the spelling but you will

get the drift. Keep up all the good work that you are doing

for the BCRA and auto racing.

Sincerely

Leroy Byers

BCRA Photographer Leroy Byers with Junior Ward and Ms Berl Ward

BCRA Induction ceremony. Speedway Motors. Lincoln Nebraska 2010

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Dick Sutcliffe receiving award

Colorado’s Jack Kline and three time champ Gordon Herring’s wrench

accepting award in Lincoln

Warren Hamilton during his competitive days

Five decade competitor Keith Hightshoe receiving from Ray C

Lincoln’s Gary Swenson receiving for himself and partner Charlie

Williams

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Gentleman Davey Ross accepting award and recalling the good old days on the BCRA

Colorado’s Ernie Decroce was a dedicated car owner and

strong supporter of the open wheels for decades

Charlie Williams and Gary Swenson

Texan Edd French proudly displays his award in Lincoln before

heading back to Justin Tx and a new ride for the upcoming season.

Driver Steve Troxell and Champ owner Ken Slocum

Ray Lee Goodwin and Gary Swenson at Gary’s shop in Lincoln. 5-2005

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Ralph Parkinson Jr, Ralph Parkinson Sr and KC’s Dave Tyson

Eagle Raceway 2010

C.A.R.B reunion Lakeside Spdwy Kansas City Ks Aug 2010

Dick Morris 1976

Tim and Dan Andre with the #16 visiting with Harry Ivers at Eagle

Bill Smith and Joe Haag discuss the last car of Don Maxwell’s

Bench racing at Joes Speed Shop under the air conditioning

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Jack Kline looks over #52 with the Swanson Chevy in the background

#58 Harry Ivers exiting the track at Eagle

Keith Hightshoe, Harry Ivers, Ray Cunningham and Dave Mcown

A young fan takes the seat of the Haag Indy Roadster

Jesse Hockett “The Rocket””

We don’t often write about racers that didn’t race

before 1980, but one driver from the Heartland was a

throwback to the “Good Old Days”. A time when

drivers raced without the “Hog Sheds” above their

heads. When sprint car racing in the BCRA and

IMCA dominated the fair circuits of the Midwest and

tracks like Topeka, Olympic, Knoxville, Eagle and

Marshall raced every week without wings!!

Drivers that included Greg Weld, Carl Williams,

Dick Sutcliffe, Jan Opperman, Lloyd Beckman, Ray

Lee Goodwin, Joe Saldana and a host of others raced

the 60’s and 70’s on the circuits. These drivers raced

and won in the BCRA, IMCA and USAC and they

raced Indy. Yes Indy! And were on the cover of

NSSN and … Hot Rod Magazine. They raced and

won on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

After many years without a great non wing Sprint car

driver in the Heartland a driver rose up from winged

Sprint car racing. Running in the 305,360 and 410

class this driver impressed in winged racing. He won

the WOW circuit, the ASCS and with many local

groups.

In 2006 and 3007 he became a National sensation

racing with the Sprint Bandits Series against top

drivers in Cory Kruseman, Dave Darland, Bud

Kaeding and Damion Gardner. Hockett nicknamed the

“Rocket” from Warsaw Missouri took on the best

non-winged drivers in the country winning back to

back Ron Shuman Classics Ron Shuman Classics at

Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City Kansas while

winning the series title both years\

From there the former High School football star

ventured to the West coast where he won two of the

biggest races of the year for non-winged Sprint cars

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with victories at the Oval Nationals, Perris Ca. and

the Western World Championship at Manzanita in

Arizona in 2008. Hockett also raced in the USAC Dirt Car Series and the

Midget Ranks making back to back Chili Bowl A Feature

starts.

Open wheel champion Jesse Hockett, one of the best ever.

2009 was the greatest season for the six foot driver as

Jesse won 22 Feature events including the Crown

Jewell coming at the Ultimate Challenge Non-Winged

race at Oskaloosa Iowa. This year Hockett was off to

another impressive start winning races in Winged

Sprint cars as well. The last weekend of his career he

won all three races he competed in. The final day of

Jesse’s life was spent preparing his Sprint car team to

race in a Non wing show on Thursday and an ASCS

winged double header over the weekend.

Jesse Hockett was a tough customer and not someone

you would believe would die at a young age unless it

was behind the wheel of a fire breathing Sprint car.

But life doesn’t always make sense and for the fans

friends and loved ones of the Warsaw driver his death

will always be a great tragedy.

Jesse was born in 1983 and was just 26 years old in

May when he lost his life. He was recently married to

wife Tina Marie and had many great years ahead of

him, on and off the race track. “Rest in Peace Rocket”,

you were one hell of a racer and a great person as

well. R. Cunningham

Jon Backlund with Championship Jacket donated to Museum

BCRAHOF nominee Thad Dosher receiving trophy

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BCRAHOF nominee Leo Tucker before BCRA win at Century

21 speedway Denver Co

Arizona’s BCRA Champ and BCRAHOF nominee Larry Clark

Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell at Erie Co 77’. The last BCRA Champion

The Unser Family in BCRA: Little Al &Bobby Jr at Erie 77’

Bobby Sr and Al Sr & flagman Karl Mismach- Pueblo Co

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.

L to R Dave Tyson for Ken Slocum, Harry Ivers for Warren Hamilton, Jon Backlund for Steve Troxell, Keith Hightshoe, Gina McCarthy for Ernie

Decroce, Davey Ross, Gary Swenson for the Swenson/Williams team, Dick Sutcliffe, Edd French and Jack Kline