Hulman Classic 1976.

YouTube...

That was truly the Glory Days of sprint car racing!

The real days of sprint car racing back when wings were for airplanes

Silly Rabbit, They're still for airplanes

Some of my best early memories were of Jan. late sixties early seventies I used to be a roving pit man at flemington speedway in jersey. Anytime Jan was around I was attracted to him like a magnet. Quite a few of the other drivers didnt like the "hippy" but in my eyes he was the coolest, most fearless sprinter anywhere. We used to have a modified driver we called billy o (osmun), and I started calling Jan, Uh Oh ! He loved it. Back then all the guys even the very best hauled there cars on little homemade trailers with the tail usually hanging off the back so they could bring enough tires. After a few weeks touring without spares or workshops the cars were sometimes rough as in bent up ! That was good life shaping stuff to see as a kid. Theres still great sprintcar racing going on but I miss the Modifieds of back then, bad cars, super light with big ole injecters stickin out of the hoods, when you crashed you graped a torch and hammer not a credit card and phone like you do today. You couldnt pay me enough to watch a modified race now.

Great footage, thank's for posting.

I was there that day and got the only autograph that I ever wanted and to this day the only one I ever asked for. Opperman was my hero.

Thanks for posting the video; it is truly as inspiring today as when I was a young kid from Terre Haute sneaking into the infield. Never got to race with OP but he was and still is a very inspirational person in my life. When I was 8 or 9 years old on a rainy Sunday morning I got caught sneaking into the track, this was witnessed by a long haired jean jacket wearing older guy, remember I was 8 or 9 and if you were past 25,you was considered old. He told me that he could get me in if I would get under the cockpit cover and they would get me in the pits, but I would have to jump the fence to the infield once he got me to that point. When we walked over to the trailer, I realized whose car I was jumping into because of the German cross that was on the front hood. I told this old guy that the driver of this car was my favorite. The long haired man just smiled real big and OH MAN did I jump at the chance to get into that car. Later in the early afternoon; when the drivers put their uniforms on, I realized that long haired, blue jean jacket wearing old man was my hero JAN OPERMAN. I remember the big smile on his face when he saw that I realized just who he was. Jan told me that day to go over to the entrance of turn 3 at the start of his heat race. I remember that car starting middle to back of that heat and he passed a bunch of um down that back stretch and by the time he made it back to the start finish line is was leading. He was truly an amazing and inspiring person. When I got to race myself I remembered that kindness from OP. Whenever a promoter would allow me; after a feature win I would try to get the kids down on the track so they could get their picture taken with the winning driver and his car. Jan was my inspiration for doing this whenever I could. Thank you so much for taking me back to found memories of my childhood at the Action Track.:2: