BCRA of the 50's and 60's

[JRKracer]

1958 kicked off the first race of the BCRA at Arapahoe Co. Fair Grounds. Earl Kouba won the first race in his first time in a "Big Car". Jimmy and I went to Lincoln this summer as the Vintage BCRA inducted him into the Hall of Fame at Speedy Bills. It was a fun time as we took Earls offy out to Eagle and Jimmy lapped her a few times. It brought back alot of memories to visit with Jack Hahn, Ray Lee Goodwin, Burtie Blanote and and the rest. Thinking of some of the drivers I used to watch. Curley Dogget was always fast, Jerry Shumacker and Dale Reed, Gordan Herring, Bernie Shiers, Roy Walker Harold Leep always were fast. I remember like yesterday dad beating Gordan at Canyon City and then at Pueblo in the #36 car and Gordan fired him over it. Curly Doggett running up litterly on the fence on the front chute at Pueblo in the "Purple People Eater" #5. Harold Leep killing the Offys in Chet Wilson's #25 Chevy at Belville. I have had great memories racing. Through 57 years now the BCRA was truly special and I am glad I was there for part of it.:checker:

[Mitch G.]

Hey Joe, check out this BCRA program from the early 70's, this was 1971 I think, not sure it does not say in the program. But look at the time trials, outside of a USAC race you seldom get that many legends of the sport at one place on any given race night. Roger "Radar" Rager, Ray Lee Goodwin, Dale Reed, "Little" Joe Saldana, Roy Bryant, Jay Woodside, Lonnie Jensen, Eddie "Sideways" Leavitt, Dick Sutcliff, Buddy Taylor, Herb Copeland, Dub May, holy smokes!! These were some of the first sprint car races I ever attended, and by the 70's there just wasn't a Denver driver with enough dirt experience to run with these guys. I felt sorry for our midget guys, few tried, and the ones that did just could not run a sprint car like these guys. Usually by June the mid-west sprint car guys already had raced since February in Florida, and then on to California. Our Denver guys usually started racing in late May. Joe Saldana had quick time in Roger Becks sprint car, this is the night Roger Rager put on a dirt driving clinic, I posted it earlier on this site, nearly 3 times in one main event he went from last to first, finally finishing in the top 5.
http://www.autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=24&pictureid=1084
Here's the time in, entry page.
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=24&pictureid=1085
These are some of the best racing memories I have, having spent my whole race attending life at Lakeside, and Englewood, and maybe a track in Colorado Springs. Then to go to a 1/2 mile dirt track and see some of the best sprint car drivers of the era, it truly blew my mind!