Jack Murphy
Weedsport, NY — May 27, 2010 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
Coming to a climax with the headline ‘Hall of Fame Classic 100’ on May 30, the Memorial Day Weekend Super DIRTcar Series showdown on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds is just 3 days away. The historic Weedsport, New York speedway comes to life for the traditional holiday special with the 100-lap Big-Block Modified winner on Sunday waiting to take home a cool $6,000 top prize.
Helping commemorate the past two decades of Hall of Fame happenings at the home of DIRTcar Northeast, highlights from many of the past induction days will be recalled in anticipation of the first big holiday racing event of the season.
Honored for the first time during 2000 induction ceremonies at the HoF, the name ‘Irish’ Jack Murphy will once again echo across the fairgrounds as the local favorite now residing in nearby Central Square, N.Y. will be on site Sunday for a rare autograph session during intermission of Weedsport’s evening race card. The former New York State Fair Modified Champion will be returning home just in time after spending Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut attending an International Supermodified Association (ISMA) event.
From the first time that he watched stock car races in Hawaii while enlisted in the United States Army, Murphy was hooked, not as a fan but as an active participant in a sport that he would remain devoted to the rest of his life. Throughout his racing career his car became one of the most identifiable around the region as the green and white Modified always boasted a shamrock and number six on both sides. This unique combination made the “Wild Irishman” one of Central New York’s premier drivers of the day and a racing legend to be remembered.
When Oswego (NY) Speedway first opened in August of 1951, Murphy quickly made the ‘Steel Palace’ his home, emerging as the dominant force on the dirt while capturing the 1952 track points title. Oswego staged the inaugural International Classic in September ’57, offering an unheard of Sportsman purse of $5,000 in the 100-lap feature event, and Murphy outdistanced Nolan Swift to claim the memorable victory. His ‘Shamrock 6’ also became a fixture at Brewerton, Canandaigua, Dryden and the Monroe County Fairgrounds, eventually finding its way into victory lane at the NYS Fairgrounds in 1959 and ’70. While competing irregularly at Oswego in 1959 and ’60, Murphy returned to the proud Port City oval sporting the famous green and white colors, this time on a no. 6 Supermodified in the track’s completely overhauled class. For more than two decades Murphy’s presence on the Empire State racing scene was a major contributing factor to the growth of motorsports. His accomplishments are legendary both as a competitor and supporter of auto racing and in 1977 he received the prestigious Kodak Park Auto Racing Booster Club ‘All-Time Great’ Award to further solidify his rank in history.
Northeast Modified Hall of Fame Classic Big-Block Modified Winners
2009 – Billy Decker on May 24; 2008 – Dale Planck on May 25; 2007 – Danny Johnson and Tim Fuller on Aug. 19; 2006 – Danny Johnson on May 28; 2005 – Tim Fuller on May 29; 2004 – Gary Tomkins on May 30; 2003 – Alan Johnson on May 25; 2002 – Tim McCreadie on May 26; 2001 – Tim McCreadie on July 5; 2000 – Danny Johnson on May 28; 1999 – Billy Decker on May 30; 1998 – Gary Tomkins on May 24; 1997 – Danny Johnson on May 25; 1996 – Alan Johnson on May 26; 1995 – Rain; 1994 – Bob McCreadie on May 29; 1993 – Dave Lape on April 4; 1992 – Steve Paine on April 12.
The 19th Hall of Fame Classic at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on Sunday, May 30 is round three of the 2010 Super DIRTcar Series. Log into the homepage at www.superdirtcarseries.com to find out more about the nation’s premier Big-Block Modified tour and be sure to sign up as a Super DIRTcar Series follower on Twitter by visiting http://www.twitter.com/SuperDIRTcar. For further track information, access http://www.CayugaCountyFairSpeedway.com or phone 315/834-6606 during the day.
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend in July. DIRTcar Northeast’s crown jewel event —Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse runs annually in October featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Ticket and schedule information is available by contacting the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during the day or logging into www.allstar100weekend.com and www.superdirtweekonline.com anytime.
The Big-Block Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com and VP Racing Fuels www.vpracingfuels.com. Promotional partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and Chizmark & Larson Insurance www.chizmarklarson.com, and contingency sponsors are Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, MSD Ignition www.msdignition.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Vicci Racing Apparel www.vicci.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.
