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Los Angeles, CA. - The 13th annual California
Roadster Association reunion/luncheon took place Saturday, January
13 from 11 am to 3 pm at Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel in Buena
Park. About 150 persons attended according to event organizers Walt
and Dottie James. Emcee Walt James, 83, introduced participants and
the 2007 honoree-Jack Brunner, 82, who spoke briefly about his auto
racing involvement and driving career. "I started racing in
1946 and was a commercial fisherman for three or four years. I raced
into the 1960s." Brunner spoke about laying out and building
famous Ascot Park Raceway as a copy of the closed Carrell Speedway,
which was located at Artesia Blvd and Vermont Ave., two blocks north
of Ascot Park in Gardena, CA. Ascot, opened in June 1957 as Bill
McKay's Los Angeles Speedway. Brunner had construction equipment and
McKay hired
him to layout and build a half-mile clay track. "It was built
on a closed garbage dump next to the Dominquez Channel beyond the
third turn and that is why the north turn (turns 3-4) was tighter
than the south turn (1-2)," he added.
Brunner, who has not been seen at races for many years, attended the
October 21, 2006 Legends of Ascot event at Perris Auto Speedway as
one of the Ascot legends honored during that annual luncheon
held before a USAC/CRA sprint car race that evening. During
1946 Brunner raced a CRA roadster (the No. 29 Tony Gonzales car
pictured on the CRA reunion admission ticket). When California
Roadster Assn became the California Racing Assn in 1957 Jack raced
sprint cars and became the 1961 CRA driving champion. He drove the
No. 14 Durr Bros. Chevy owned by the Ascot Park concessionaires Ken
and Bob Durr, and later Clarence "Pop" Miller's car during
his championship season. He won two features for the Durrs including
a 25-lap main event at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix on May 27 and a
100-lap main at Ascot on May 30. One of the Durr brothers died
and the car was parked. Jack won another 100-lap Ascot main on July
1 in his new ride, the "Pop" Miller No. 8 Chevy. His
career-year was remarkable for his consistent top finishes. Jack
bought the Durr Chevy from Durr survivors and made a tour of the
IMCA circuit in the Midwest with Jim Bartosh as his crewman. Jack
also served as a respected member of the CRA board of directors.
Jack, who raced out of Gardena, has lived in Vista (San Diego
County) for decades. He still operates a big crusher as
owner/foreman of a firm that crushes slabs of concrete into base
material for construction/repair of highways.
The 12 prior CRA Reunion driver honorees were: Dick Vineyard (1995),
Troy Ruttman ('96), Jim Rathmann ('97), Chuck Leighton ('98), Don
Freeland ('99), Ken Stansberry ('00), Rosie Roussel ('01), Dick
McClung ('02), Dick Hughes ('03), Howard & Jack Gardner ('04),
Gene Ellis ('05) and Chuck Hulse ('06). Ruttman, Rathmann, Freeland
and Hulse are Indianapolis 500 veteran drivers. Ruttman (1952) amd
Rathmann (1960) are Indianapolis 500 winners. Past CRA Reunion
honorees Stansberry, Roussel, McClung, Hughes, the Gardner brothers,
Ellis and Hulse attended the 2007 CRA Reunion.
The second presentation of the Walt and Dottie James perpetual
trophy again went to three persons. Honorees were Louie Senter, Hila
Sweet and Don Weaver. Their names will be placed on plaques along
with Ed Justice, Wilda Kindoll and Evelyn Pratt, the initial
honorees at the 2006 CRA Reunion. The James perpetual trophy is kept
on permanent display at the Justice Brothers Car Care Products
headquarters/race car museum on Huntington Drive in Duarte.
CRA Reunion attendees were introduced by emcee James.
Alphabetically, they included DRIVERS: Bob Behrens, Chuck Conrad,
Billy Cruce, Bob Edmison, Gene Ellis, Howard & Jack Gardner,
Bill Gerard, Skip Hedrich, Bob Hogle (1963 & 68 CRA champion and
a SDRA modified champion), Steve Howard, Jerry Hudson, Dick Hughes,
Chuck Hulse, Dee Jones, Dick McClung, Ray Miscevich, Jim Murphy,
Jimmy Oskie (1969,74, 76, 77 and 79 CRA champion), Rosie Roussel,
Ken Stansberry, Don Thomas (1966 CRA champion, Fred Thomson, Ed Van
Eyk, Don Weaver, Billy Wolfe and Jim Wood. CAR OWNERS: Jack &
Jim Badger, Ralph Baiza, Greg Cunningham, George Glover, Tony
Gonzales, Milt Green, Marshall Hansen, Bob Kappmeyer, Chet Knox, Jim
Ruth and Louie Senter. OFFICIALS: Rusty Espinoza, Ed Hudson, Bob
Falcon, Richard Parks, Don Read, Neil Sachs, Ron Schwarze, Dr. Sid
Senter (track doctor), Ray Vodden, plus Dave & Lois Ward.
MANUFACTURERS: Nick Arias, Andy Casale and Ed Iskenderian. MEDIA:
Jim Chini, Scott Daloisio, Ralph Foster, 92, Chris Holt, Tim Kennedy
and Jeff Sharpe. WIDOWS: Louise (Jim) Culbert, Joyce (Tony) Farr,
Ginnie (Johnny) Moorhouse, LaVerne (Louie) Unser, Gussie (Don) Urgo
and Manon (Dempsey) Wilson. Numerous fans also attended, including
long-time Jimmy Oskie pit man Tad Kitano, 91. Usual CRA Reunion
attendees unable to attend this year because of health reasons
included Ed Justice, Wilda Kindoll and sprint car/midget driver Tony
Simon, the 1972 Turkey Night Grand Prix winner. Midget race driving
great/1945 Turkey Night Grand Prix winner Danny Oakes, 96, died in a
rest home on January 13, the day of the CRA Reunion. Racing
official
Mark Dearth, 101, also succumbed since the 2006 reunion.
Prior to the CRA Reunion conclusion Hila Sweet spoke about the 15th
California Racers Reunion on Sunday, May 6, 2007 from 11 am to 3 pm.
The site again will be Joe's Garage, 36 Auto Center Drive, Tustin,
CA. The Joe McPherson-owned racing car museum is one of the best
race car museums in the area and contains 40 to 50 Indy cars,
sprints and midgets. Honorees at the May 6 reunion will be sprint
car driver Bob McCoy, of San Diego, author Joe Scalzo, photographer
Greg Sharpe and racing artist Joe Henning. Tickets ($30) are
available from Hila at 20701 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach 92648 or
by calling (714)374-7672.
Chet Knox, owner of the Magic Muffler sprint car raced by Nick
Valenta and Roy Prosser to three CRA championships, also spoke. Knox
said he is planning to write a book about personable Walt James from
his days as a race driver to his 21 years as CRA president (1950-70)
and president of Western Racing Assn vintage car association
(1982-85). Walt still drives his No. 15 CAE-built sprint car in WRA
vintage events at numerous tracks. Walt built the Whiteman Speedway
race track in Pacoima, CA in the 1960s, and more recently he also
built the Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway in Blythe, CA. The dirt track at
Willow Springs in Rosamond is another of his projects and is named
for him. It is the site of the annual vintage car gathering and
"play days" every Thanksgiving weekend. Knox, owner of
Autobooks/Aerobooks on Magnolia Blvd (east of Hollywood Way) in
Burbank, requested stories about Walt to include in his book.
CRA Reunion attendees also browsed tables of racing books, artwork,
CRA scrapbooks, racing photos and memorabilia on tables in the room.
They also read through historic racing programs from various now
gone race tracks, such as Carrell Speedway (1949), Huntington Beach
Speedway (1940s), Riverside International Raceway (1950s), and more
recent tracks such as Ascot. A table also had for sale tee-shirts
listing past CRA Reunion honorees and some are still available from
the James'. Bench racing and talk about past racing memories
continued well after ceremonies concluded at 2:45 pm.
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