Since July 1, six members of the racing community in Florida have passed away, and it’s a bit unsettling.
Johnny Krantz, a long time garage-owner and engine-builder, lost a two-year battle with cancer on July 1. He and his wife, Sandy, had moved from Hollywood to Palm Bay to retire and enjoy life, but it was not to be. An Ohio native, Krantz had been a South Florida fixture since the early 1960s and was responsible for many of the stout Mopar engines in cars owned by his good friend, Tom Schenk. He was a thinker and a tinkerer who loved to try different things to make his engines more powerful and more reliable. Most of all, we’ll miss Johnny’s great sense of humor and practical jokes.
Just eight days later, Cecil Williams, who was the pace-truck driver at Columbia Motorsports Park in Lake City, died in his sleep. Williams, the father of current late-model runner Patrick Williams, had been involved in many aspects of the sport for years — from driving to building cars and engines and who knows what else. A resident of Archer, Cecil was 74.
On Aug. 17, former driver Bobby Lupton of Naples passed away due to heart failure at only 50 years of age. Raised on the ovals of Hialeah and Palm Beach, Lupton cut his teeth in the hobby-car ranks in the 1970s, then moved up to the limited late models. Heart problems had slowed Lupton in recent years, and he had a pacemaker installed. But his heart finally gave up, and he left us too early. Bobby always had sharp cars and he found victory lane often.
Long-time friend Bert Ashleman suffered a massive stroke while visiting his former track, Columbia Motorsports Park, on Aug. 18. He was airlifted to Shands Hospital in Jacksonville — the best stroke center in the area — but the damage proved fatal and he passed away three days later. In addition to owning and operating Columbia for 15 years, Bert also founded and operated the Florida Pro Series late model tour in the state. When he sold the speedway in 2004, he also shut down the series as politics and the ever-changing climate of late-model racing saw race dates more difficult to arrange. Bert and this writer go back 35 years, and it will seem very strange to not have him around. He was 63.
Only last week — Sept. 13 — came word that Billie Harvey had left us at age 57. A complication stemming from a medical procedure was the apparent cause. Harvey blasted onto the scene with the Performer Racing Team, and later, his Fast Lane Ltd. team in the late 1970s with a pair of top-shelf late models. He drove one, and Bill Elswick piloted the other. Harvey later ran several ARCA events and sat on the pole at Talladega for the 1980 event at 200.642 miles per hour — a record for its time in all of stock-car racing. He scored a pair of victories while racing with the Michigan-based group. A close friendship with open-wheel car owner Grant King saw Harvey run a single CART race at The Milwaukee Mile in June of 1980, where he finished 19th. Out of racing for several years, Harvey managed a trendy nightspot in downtown Ft. Lauderdale at the time of his passing.
Lastly — but certainly not least — was former NASCAR short-track ace Larry Flynn of Holly Hill, who died on Sept. 14. Flynn was a coupe guy back in the 1950s, where he chased NASCAR Sportsman points for many years. During the mid-50s, he spent his summers in the Myrtle Beach, S.C. area to be closer to the weekly action at many Carolina ovals where he was very successful. He also was a top-runner at the old Jacksonville (Fla.) Speedway Park and he made the successful transition from the coupes to the steel-bodied late models in the 60s and 70s and ran well at both Volusia and Gainesville. Health problems in recent years had slowed Larry a great deal, and complications due to diabetes finally spelled the end.
Our sport will miss each one of these guys. All enjoyed success in one form or another, and, as we all get older, it’s only natural that some of the old guard falls by the wayside.
It’s certainly not a pleasant thought, but reality nonetheless.
On a happier note, we’re elated to see that the TBARA sprints will run a rare 50-lap feature in memory of the late Frank Riddle at DeSoto Super Speedway on Sept. 29. Frank, who passed away in March at age 78, was a credit to our sport. It’s good to see that the open-wheel group he enjoyed will honor him this way.
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