In 1992 Lou Heller Sr. was inducted into the Erie County Fair Hall of Fame (pictured front center) For his efforts over the years providing family entertainment in the form of the Demolition Derby. It was Lou Heller's Sr. efforts that brought the 1/4midget sport to PA and it is what it is today.
Article by Michael Ferner; "During the height of the so-called "Midget craze" immediately after WW2, Californian Frank Kurtis was making a brisk business of selling lightweight tube-frame miniature racing cars with torsion bar suspension, a world removed from the ancient concept of the rail-frame Sprint Car with transverse leaf springs that was still the norm all over the US. With a "hot" 105 cubic inch Offy under the hood, many of the "mighty" Kurtis Midgets compared very favourably with all but the fastest Offy Sprinters; and scared to death by the thought of sharing the bill (and purse!) with those "toy racers", the Sprint car fraternity banded together and signed a petition to prevent the meeting from happening! Luckily - for Richwine, who had already started promoting this event - it rained in Mechanicsburg on April 25 and, quick as a flash, Richwine arranged to sell his sanction, instead of postponing the races! The hapless buyers, former racers Lou Heller and Red Crise, scheduled the meeting for the following Saturday, May 1, at the Allentown Fairgrounds in Central Pennsylvania, and true to their word, all but one of the Sprint Car owners ignored the event. The only exception was George Marshman, a URC member from nearby Collegeville (and the father of future USAC star Bobby Marshman), who broke a con-rod during the heat races, leaving the main event entirely to the small cars - not a single championship point was won during the day! The irony of it all was that the eventual winner, Bill Randall of Massachusetts, who had switched to the Midgets in the hope of finding the success that had eluded him with the Big Cars so far, ended up with a couple of track records and a somewhat hollow win in the Sprint Car division that he couldn't repeat in later years, except for an overall win in a USAC "Twin 50" programme at Langhorne in 1957, when he finished second and third in the two legs of the race. In fact, he would win the 1957 Eastern Circuit Sprint Car Championship without ever taking the chequered flag first in a "proper" Sprint Car race!
Ron Smoker USAC Midget Champion
Ken Brenn's Offy Midget Race Car known as " Phyllis "
which was 1 of 4 cars built by Floyd Trevis in 1965,
and had a sprint car suspension.
USAC Sprint Car Champion Larry Dickson drove " Phyllis "
7 times, and won 7 times !!! Indy 500 Winner Rodger Ward
won the " Hut Hundred " in Terra Haute Indiana, and
ARDC Champion Len Duncan won many features
driving Phyllis.
Ken Brenn's Offy Midget Race Car known as " Phyllis "
which was 1 of 4 cars built by Floyd Trevis in 1965,
and had a sprint car suspension.
USAC Sprint Car Champion Larry Dickson drove " Phyllis "
7 times, and won 7 times !!! Indy 500 Winner Rodger Ward
won the " Hut Hundred " in Terra Haute Indiana, and
ARDC Champion Len Duncan won many features
driving Phyllis.
The Dr. Ward Dunseth Sprint Car built by Paul Leffler in
the early 70's, and driven by USAC Sprint Car Champ
Larry Dickson to many victories. The Sprinter was
restored by Doug Post of New Hampshire.
the early 70's, and driven by USAC Sprint Car Champ
Larry Dickson to many victories. The Sprinter was
restored by Doug Post of New Hampshire.
Tony Stewart & Lou 1994 at Indianapolis State Fairgrounds Hoosier Hundred
Lou & Brian Tyler Nazareth Speedway
Lou & Brian Tyler Indy State Fair Grounds
Lou & Tracy Hines Nazareth Speedway
Bobby & Suz taking in the last race at Nazareth Speedway.
Levi Jones - Tony Stewart Team racing
Hoosier 100 Start
