Jan Opperman passed away 14 years ago on 9-4-97
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 14 years since Opp passed away. Even harder to believe that it’s been 30 years since his crash in a sprint car at Jennerstown, Pa. in 1981. He had a bad wreck in a dirt champ car in 1976 at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds mile and was just getting back into good racing form when he had the crash at Jennerstown.
Here’s an interesting story about him:
I rember when they did a update on him every week at eastbay on the pa. back then that wes the only way you could get info . Well there was racing news sold at the tracks. Sure miss Dickie and Jack anouncing.
way to old
don62
I only got to see Jan drive one time, and ironically, was in a Modified rather than a Sprint car.
At Syracuse, he was in Will Cagles back up car #124. this was after his first big crash, but before the 2nd one. He never really got up to speed, and didn’t make the big race. Still, I was glad to have seen a legend drive even just once.
The racing community supported the Opperman family from day one after the Jennerstown crash. To give you an idea how loved that Jan was, people kept donating to support his parents long after his death. They had taken care of Jan during his long struggle, and the fans wanted them to be taken care of too.
He was one of a kind, and every racing Hall of Fame knows it.
I saw him win at Tampa Fairgrounds in 1974, daytime race, my 1st time at a dirt track. I think Larry Brazil was in it.
Opperman…
I was there too, Gary, at the old Tampa Fairgrounds for the IMCA races. I even got his autograph and what I remember the most is he actually took the time to talk with me for a few minutes and to show me some stuff about his sprinter. I believe he was driving the 4x for Speedy Bill then…he was one of my first real heroes that I looked up to. What a sad and tragic end for such a beautiful person’s career.
There were a lot of big names that would show up for the IMCA races at the state fair back then. I can remember going the last two years that they raced at the old fairgrounds track downtown. I saved the programs with all the autographs I had gotten, walking around the pits with my dad, for years. Chuck Amati, Paul Pitzer, Dub May, Bob and Sheldon Kinser, Kenny Weld, Roger Rager, Bill Runyon, Gary Bettenhausen, Cliff Cockrum (whose car burnt to the ground a few feet from where we were sitting) and a ton more…
…and I won a “Snoopy” stuffed dog for throwing a football through a swinging tire on the first try. Yep…a pretty fun day.
Cool story OJ. Bet you had no idea at the time how lucky you were.
[QUOTE=Frasson118;85390]I only got to see Jan drive one time, and ironically, was in a Modified rather than a Sprint car.
At Syracuse, he was in Will Cagles back up car #124. this was after his first big crash, but before the 2nd one. He never really got up to speed, and didn’t make the big race. Still, I was glad to have seen a legend drive even just once.
The racing community supported the Opperman family from day one after the Jennerstown crash. To give you an idea how loved that Jan was, people kept donating to support his parents long after his death. They had taken care of Jan during his long struggle, and the fans wanted them to be taken care of too.
He was one of a kind, and every racing Hall of Fame knows it.[/QUOTE]
Cherish your memory I last saw him at Wewahitchka speedway at a fund raiser. It is never easy to see your heros reduced to helplessness. As you said the crowd was highly supportive. His alst years were spent in nearby Fountain Fl.
I too first met Jan in '74 at Plant Field (Sprint Car heaven in February - EVERYBODY who was ANYBODY in Sprint Car racing was there). He was a very nice man with a great fun personality and tons of God-given natural ability. The one race I was at where he and Kenny Weld battled back and forth before Jan took the win was nothing short of incredible…
Some old photos of Jan Opperman:
