Attention all Sprint car and race fans, Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln Il will be honoring a racing Legend from central Il. On Friday May 11 2012 Graue Inc. Presents Dean Shirley Night featuring the 410 winged sprints.
Great news! I remember those great battles he and Ronnie Milton had at Little Springfield. I really look forward to this. Many thanks to whoever is responsible for this. We seem to have forgotten the drivers of the past. It is good to see Lincoln Speedway have this.
Wow those battles between Dean and Ronnie were some of the best I have ever watched. Joes was the place to be on sunday night. Throw in Pennell, Amati, Standridge which ever one you want, Phil Howe and a Beechler or a Weyent you got a pretty good heat race from the late 70's or early 80's. I could back eariler when Ronnie was drivving the 3m but i don't want to show my age.
Dean sometimes raced at Fairbury, IL back in the mid to late 1960's. Always put on a show.
I too was wondering if Dean and Brian Shirley are relatives.
Silver Crown Championship Dirt Cars properly driven on a one mile dirt track are classic poetry in motion. Using that analogy, Jack Hewitt is one of the greatest poets of all time.
I think I remember someone years ago saying that Dean and Brian weren't related, but my memory might be incorrect. Let's not forget the Moughans at Springfield either. The list could go on and on and on and then Super Weekend raised it to a whole new level, especially when they raced Friday and Saturday at Little Springfield and Sunday on the mile.
I didnt forget the Moughan's but around that time they were running a lot of LM the 66 and the 666 both of Sr and Jr. but ya throw them in the mix to, both of them legends of little springfield. Super weekend was great. We could on all day those days were priceless.
Also throw in Bubby Jones and guys like Hershel Jenkins. Dean Shirley made it look easy sometimes against all of them. I think he got third in an Outlaw race there in the early 80's. The guy was really talented, and it is nice to see him honored.
Wow! You start tossin' names around and it could go on forever. LOL!
I know when I was a snot nosed kid my Dad took us to Fairbury, IL pretty often and little did we know that we were watching a couple of guys who would eventually race in the Indy 500. And that was when it was head and shoulders above any other race in the world in exposure and prestige.
Ol' Bub and Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon were at Fairbury every week.
It was a real treat when we'd get to go to Little Springfield. I remember runnin' around The Torsion Bar after the races buggin' the drivers for autographs, etc.
Silver Crown Championship Dirt Cars properly driven on a one mile dirt track are classic poetry in motion. Using that analogy, Jack Hewitt is one of the greatest poets of all time.
