[koolaid89]

I heard bits and pieces of how he was a huge dirt track racing advocate... I figure some of the elder statesman might have some more 'dirt' on the guy...

[Russ]

He was a cool old dude. I've been at races at Eldora where he took cash from his pocket and added to the nights purse or bought tires for a needy racer to keep them racing. I also know he was very fond of Jack Hewitt and Bob Hampshire. He was always hanging around them at the track. I remember one year at the Kings Royal, him and Jack had a table set up signing hero cards outside turn 4. You used to see those JWH strawberry stickers on alot of cars he was helping out.

[Pitstooge]

I've still got one of those strawberries autographed by Jack around here somewhere. I bet a whole lot of folks still have them.

[smith19]

he went from nascar to the dirt tracks. said he had more fun that way...heavily sponsored charlie swartz also.

[Seadog]

I just threw away my JW Hunt racing hat with the strawberry on the front of it just 3 or 4 days ago. It was so deteriorated from dirt, sweat and old age that it actually crumbled in my hand.

JW was a big supporter of our sport, and Hewitt especially.

[cmakin]

He was also big on Brent Kaeding out west. I do believe that he used to put money up for any hot shots (Like BK Sr.) to give up their qualifying position and start a feature from the back.

If I am not mistaken, Billy Puterbaugh still puts a Hunt sticker on the family sprint car.

[motorhead748]

I was at a all star show in KY and he gave all of us in the pits with sprint cars $100.

He was before my time, but when I was a kid I remember seeing him in the pits with Hewitt & Hamp, they'd come hammering in last minute after hustling over from the Duquoin mile to catch the wing action at Tri-State..

The NSCHOF has a nice article about him here.. just scroll down to 1996 and he was inducted them, click on his name..

http://sprintcarhof.com/Pages/Inductees

[CRA91]

JW also did a lot for the team me and my father ran with Lealand McSpadden as the driver in the late 80's and early 90's,after winning a feature at Eldora during the CRA tour,JW gave Lealand a diamond encrusted sprint car ring for winning the race, he took that ring off of his own finger and told Lealand to take it because he was going to get a new one for himself.
Another time we were racing at Chico the night before the GoldCup started in 1991,in our heat race which was the 4th heat Lealand got over a wheel and flipped pretty hard into the front straightaway catch fence which seriously hurt the car,when the car was brought back to the pits we figured we were done,but with help from a lot of people we got it fixed and transfered to the feature. In the time before the feature JW came over and said to Lealand here's 500.00 for the highflyer award and Lealand told him to put the money back into his pocket and that JW could give it to him on the front strech after Lealand won,JW told him that if he did in fact win that he would throw in a little extra money. Lealand did win the feature that night and during the trophy presentation JW gave Lealand the 500 plus an additional 2 grand and then he turned to me and my father and gave us a grand a piece for all the hard work we had done to get the car fixed.
That's the type of man JW was,always helping racers out.
RIP BOSS

[newman1957]

I've never heard a bad word ever spoken about J.W.Hunt. and I've been going to races for the last 35 years. When he was around you could guarantee someone was going to walk away with a little more cash in their pocket and a spring in their step.