The Vault
1974 – J.J. SMITH’S COMEBACK SEASON IN N.E. WISCONSIN
Posted on: Monday December 16, 2024
Appleton’s J.J. Smith hugs the bottom groove with his Gene Wheeler-owned, Boyce Trackburner chassis at Seymour Speedway in 1974. (Bob Bergeron photo)
(This story appeared in the 2018 release “The Bird & The Bear.” This book can be purchased at this website by clicking on the “books” tab)
WISCONSIN REVIEW by Pete Vercauteren
Published from Midwest Racing News July 4, 1974
Chilton, WI – J.J. Smith’s comeback this season after a disappointing year last year is a most welcome return for his fans.
Smith is credited with having much to do with making late model stock car racing the success that it is in Northeast Wisconsin.
Back in 1970 he drove an Al Piette-owned 1967 Plymouth at the Brown County Fairgrounds in De Pere one Saturday night. Spectators at the track were used to seeing a few battered, wall-slamming stockers veer around the dirt track every week. When Smith showed up they were just amazed. How could a car go that fast and not hit the wall?
As the year progressed other drivers joined J.J. and racing at Shawano and Seymour was switched from semi-late model to late model. Ever since that time fans have been jamming the stands at all three tracks with Seymour, under new management this year, joining the success list.
In 1971 J.J. was awarded the Wisconsin Short Track Achievement Award joining a group which included Dick Trickle and Miles Melius, not bad company.
In recent years Smith has limited his activity to mainly dirt track racing but in the first race of the “Red, White and Blue” State Championship Series at the Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna two weeks ago he ran against the state’s top paved track drivers and finished fifth.
His performance at WIR was terrific and at one time he had worked his way up to third place. During time trials he turned a 21.95-second lap, his first time under 22 seconds ever at WIR and not far behind Joe Shear’s 21.41 fast time.
J.J. Smith
J.J. was not totally satisfied with the way the car handled and adjustments will be made for the next race in the “Red, White and Blue” series.
Smith was a happy man after his finish in the first race of the series and he certainly proved that drivers who race on dirt can switch to paved tracks and also do well.
The next race in the series on WIR’s half-mile paved oval is planned for Sunday afternoon, July 14 with practice starting at 10 a.m. and racing at 1:30 p.m.
The first race in the series drew a record 67 entries with the feature field timing in from Shear’s 21.41 to Bob Jusola’s 22.28. That’s a tight bunch of 24 of the Midwest’s top stock car drivers.
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A few driver changes have been made among the state’s late model racers. Gary Hemmerling of Beloit, a former mini stock driver at Rockford, Ill. Is driving the former Dan Bellard 1972 Nova.
Milwaukee’s John Burbridge is now behind the wheel of the 1972 Monte Carlo that Jack Brewer drove earlier this year on the Northeast Wisconsin ovals.
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Here’s a big change…..Tom Reffner of Rudolph, a long-time very successful Ford and Mercury driver, will switch over to an AMC Javelin very shortly. In the meantime he’s driving his 1970 Mustang and a 1973 Mustang owned by Steve Burgess.
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Darrell Swartwout of Janesville really made a monkey out of himself at the first race of the “Red, White and Blue” Series at Kaukauna. As announcer Rex Barton was trackside introducing each feature driver Swartwout leaped over the pit guard rail with an ape mask on.
He crawled up to the announcer, scratching under his arms, and Rex said “You know who this is, don’t you?” Who else…..but Darrell Swartwout.
Darrell is well known for the tricks he likes to play around the track.
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At Paul’s Seymour Speedway, Lyle “Pappy” Diemel led the pack around the first turn in the first heat last week. This may not sound so earthshaking since “Pappy” has won many races.
However the fact is that he retired last year and was driving the pace car at the time. Unfortunately the flagman forgot poor “Pappy” was on the track and all those late models went zooming past him down the backstretch.
This book is available for purchase at this website. Simply click on the “books” tab on the upper left corner.