Conference oass::racers

86.0. "RIP J.W. Hunt" by CRASHR::JILLY (COSROCS -- In Thrust We Trust) Tue Jan 11 1994 09:46

Took the following from the Internet.  Racing needs more J.W. Hunts :*(

From: [email protected] (Chuck Fry)
Subject: J. W. Hunt, 1919-1994
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 17:50:55 GMT
Lines: 31

One of the great patrons of motorsports is gone.  J. W. Hunt, a Florida
strawberry farmer by profession, passed away last week.  I first heard
the news last evening while watching the sprint car races on TNN.

Hunt's familiar strawberry logo adorned many a circle track car, but his
real passion was sprint cars.  Many sprint car racers have benefited
from Hunt's largesse.  Brent Kaeding and Jack Hewitt, both agressive and
versatile dirt track racers, were just two of the big names to carry the
strawberry logo.

At Chico, CA's Silver Dollar Speedway in 1991, I watched a typical Hunt
scenario play out.  The CRA wingless sprinters were in town, and J. W.
Hunt was there to watch.  Leland McSpadden had set quick time on a
tackier-than-usual surface (and at Chico, that's *really* sticky).  But
McSpadden flipped in his heat, seriously damaging the car and ringing
his bell pretty severely.  Hunt stepped up and announced to the fans
that if McSpadden were to win the main event, Hunt would personally
pitch in an extra $1000.  This was a substantial increase to the $2500
winner's share of the purse.  McSpadden took his still-wobbly car to the
B main and won it going away, then made some more repairs and won the
feature race from his 8th place start!  Sure enough, Hunt paid off as
promised, in full view of the fans.

TNN's commentators said that Hunt had spent enough money on sprint car
racing to fund a first class team, but instead had spread it around to
everyone's benefit.  The dirt track racing community will miss him.

 -- Chuck
-- 
		      Chuck Fry  [email protected]
	R.I.P.: J. W. Hunt, the sprint car racer's best friend.