Shoebox Racing On A Shoestring

Have you heard Martina McBride’s song, “Wild Angels”? The lyrics recall her younger years’ behavior and credit her survival to “wild angels looking over you and me.”

So it was in the summer of 1968, when four Purdue University undergraduates, including me, went stock-car racing at Henry’s Speedway, a 3/8-mile dirt oval 35 miles northwest of Lafayette, Indiana, outside the little hamlet of Chase. The track survives today as Daugherty Speedway.

Co-conspirators included the mastermind, Lee Bregitzer, his roommate, John Moritz, and my friend, Greg Eaton. Today, Greg’s name will be familiar to Ford enthusiasts following The Early Ford V-8 Foundation Museum in Auburn, Indiana, where he has served on the board of directors.

During the spring of 1968, Lee was inspired to build a race car and drive it at Henry’s Speedway that summer. He enlisted the help of his roommate and Greg, who lived across the dormitory hall. Lee’s personality resembled that of fearless NASCAR driver Curtis Turner; indeed, Lee raced hot-air balloons later in life…. read more >