RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens

From the Eldora Speedway Facebook page.


https://i.imgur.com/msD8XXi.jpg

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

I was going to say, He wasn't what you would call OLD (Don't anyone take that wrong) He was a big guy like me though and I know people who are in charge are under a huge amount of stress trying to please everyone, get the bills paid, Satisfy the owner. getting the right people in the right places.

Just reminds you, none of us go out on our feet.

Never heard a bad word about him enjoyed my one trip to GC under him and the Eldora shows.

Thanks for the memories. Rest In peace Jerry. Condolence to the family.

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

Promoted at Terre Haute too. Nice guy, sad news.

What a shocker. How sad. Jerry seemed like an old school promoter, learning so much about the business with his Speedway Motorsports years. I remember him at Gas City regularly taking the microphone during intermissions and having trivia and thanking the fans. I walked up to him at Eldora and thanked him for his Gas City and Eldora days. I thanked him at an Eldora HARF night and he was honored that fans were using the discount. He told me he wanted to have more family nights at Eldora, not just special event races. He didn't know me, but he sure found time to talk racing. He'll be missed. Godspeed Gentleman Jerry. 🏁

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

Its hard to turn the page when you know someone wont be in the next chapter but the story must go on.. Thank you Jerry. Condolences to your family and friends.:9:

RIP Jerry, such a great guy and great promoter. We ran there pretty consistently in 2021 and Tyler ended up winning his first sprint car feature there at the end of the year. [ and we almost won the track championship]. Jerry was as excited about him winning it as we were. I know for a fact that he put a few extra dollars in some racers pockets that had a rough night. You sure don’t find that much if at all anymore.

Truly one of the best guys you’d ever meet. He revived gas city from the dead and had it thriving. He made time for everyone and treated you like he knew you for years. A true throwback. He cared about every fan and every competitor he will be missed.

Class act who cared about the fans and racers alike. After an open practice and weekend race he called the following week to ask what we liked and if we had suggestions on how to make things better for the racer. I hated to see him leave GC but you can’t realistically turn down a spot at the big E. Hopefully some others learned from him and can carry on his ways, he was an example to behold.

Jerry was a great guy, promoter and race fan. When we would get to GC a day before we would invite Jerry to our camp for Pizza King pizza. Jerry always showed up and had some great stores. I stop at Eldora office in March to see how he was doing and had a nice chat. He will be missed by all.

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

I had the pleasure of getting to know Jerry when he was working at National Speed Sport News when I was shooting for the paper. When the paper was still in Ridgewood, New Jersey I would meet up with Jerry, Mike Kirschner and Keith Waltz and travel to races, usually NASCAR Mods at Thompson or Stafford Springs. Most of the time the conservation would be about sprint cars and the three Indiana guys talking about the midwest drivers and I would bring up the AAA and USAC guys I saw at "The Grove," Reading and Allentown when I was a youngster. Eventually Jerry and I would talk high school and college wrestling as we both were former wrestlers and I was a coach. Makes me sad I never got to Gas City. Godspeed Jerry, Rest In Peace my friend.

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

Back in 2019, I prepared for my annual RV trip from Mesa, AZ to ISW. The plan that year was to arrive at Gas City on Tuesday and set up the RV, then do a quick round trip with a friend by car, to Eldora for the Wednesday make-up date for the USAC/WoO race. After getting everything set up at Gas City, a car pulled up across from us and a gentleman got out and walked over to us. I fully expected it would a track employee who would tell us that we couldn't set up shop on Tuesday for a Thursday race. Instead, he introduced himself as Jerry Gappens, the promoter, and welcomed us to Gas City. He also presented me with a beautiful 60" X 34" I-69 Gas City Speedway flag, in recognition of us being the first RV there. He took a photo of us holding up the flag, which he later posted on Facebook, and later on returned with a speedway t-shirt for my friend. Over the next couple of day, he stopped by a few more times to see how we were doing, and to share racing stories.

That was one of the highlights of ISW for me that year, and I will not forget it. I was saddened to read about his passing yesterday. Until I read the obituary on Eldora's site yesterday, I had no idea of his illustrious career in motorsports over the years. My condolences to Jerry's family, co-workers and friends on their loss.

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

Jerry was a class act and one of the nicest guys ever!

First time I met him, I was thinking "what now?" I seen pictures of what he looked like so I knew it was him. This was the first time we raced at Gas City, I've been there multiple times before then, but haven't raced their yet. To get through the gate was already a giant struggle with getting screamed at and threatened with arrest by a power hungry police officer at the gate. Officer was screaming and yelling us about out trailer. Screaming "Jerry doesn't want this POS in his pits!" He wouldn't let us in, even though we showed him there was a race car in the trailer. Finally after about 5-10 minutes of this officer going crazy, one of the gas city workers came over and let us in. You see here, our trailer was not a normal enclosed trailer. I was always super low budget so we had more creative ways for getting to the track. Our trailer was an old camper we converted into an enclosed trailer. So it was very stealthy, unless you seen inside it, you'd never expect a race car in it. So we understood that, but we showed the cop that and still wasn't having it.

About 30 minutes rolls by, car is unloaded, we're getting it ready. That's when I see Jerry walking directly to us, there was pretty much no one parked near us. So that's when I was thinking "what now?" I was fully expecting to get screamed at again over our trailer.

So glad to mention that did not happen. He came over profusely apologized, saying he absolutely loved the trailer. Gave us his personal number so if we did come back and had a problem just call him and it will be taken care of. He also said he understands if we never come back, due to what happened. A little while later right before hot laps, we was about to do our routine of praying over the car for a good and safe night. Right before we started, Jerry rolls up and ask if he can pray with us and he led the prayer. That meant a lot us.

Every time we went to Gas City when he was promoting it after that. Within 20-30 minutes of us getting there he'd stop by see how we are and everything see if we had any problems getting in.

Year or so later I flipped a couple times down the front stretch, car was pretty messed up and I had a concussion. The ambulance gave me a ride back to the trailer. One of the first ones to meet me as I was stepping out of the ambulance was Jerry.

I talked to him him a few times since he started promoting Eldora and congratulated him on being able to promote Eldora.

Here is a picture of the hauler in question on that day. It was taken maybe 5 minutes before I met Jerry.

I'm not one to get emotional, but seeing Jerry had passed messed me up pretty good for a while. There's not a ton of guys out there like Jerry and will be truly missed.

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens
 

First met Jerry in the 90's when I worked at Kokomo Speedway with his parents. A really good guy. Just talked to him at Eldora earlier in the month. My thoughts are with his family and friends. RIP friend.

Jerry was such a nice friendly guy and a real people person. He'll definitely be missed by tons in the racing world. RIP Jerry and God
bless his family.

Jerry was a great guy. Always liked to kid him when he was sweeping water off the concrete or knocking mud off the fencing & say, "Aw, the glamorous life of a promoter". RIP, Jerry!! You will be sorely missed.

Re: RIP Former Eldora & Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens