Honors
Nebraska Region, SCCA Annual Banquet
January 16, 2016
The History Team was awarded the Wilson Memorial Sponsor's Cup for 2015. Left to Right: Candy Gerber, Ellen Zitzlsperger, Patt Buell, Dave Zitzlsperger. Not Pictured: Mark Ross (who was called into work at the last minute).
The History Team was awarded the Woody Dunn Trophy (Outstanding contribution to Nebraska Region SCCA for 2003). Left to Right: Ellen Zitzlsperger, Patt Buell, Dave Zitzlsperger. Not Pictured: Mark Ross (who was called into work at the last minute).
International Recognition
In 2013 the History Team gained international recognition when two books were published and sold worldwide . . .
"Runways & Racers: Sports Car Races held on Military Airfields in America 1952-1954" by Terry O'Neil (England). In the acknowledgement section he says: "It would be remiss not to mention the assistance I received from the Offutt Air Force Base and from Patt Buell, historian of the SCCA Nebraska Region."
There are mentions throughout the book thanking Nebraska Region SCCA (the History Team) for information and news clips we sent copies of (from the Omaha Public Library).
Also Terry O'Neil wrote the book "Northeast American Sports Car Races 1950-1959" which mentions some of the NRSCCA early race car drivers.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Rocky's Road
Midwest Division
by Rocky Entriken
Published in SportsCar December 2003
The territories of Kansas and Nebraska were created May 30, 1854, when President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act into law. It led to regional conflicts, especially in "Bleeding Kansas," as a precursor to the Civil War.
Ninety-nine years later, the Kansas and Nebraska Regions were created, happily to far less fractious consequences. Both celebrate their 50th anniversaries this year.
Lunch at the Library
Kansas Region kicked off its golden anniversary with a special program, display and car show at the Topeka Public Library, with racer/journalist Denise McCluggage - born and schooled in Topeka - and author Burt Levy keynoting the event.
Both shared stories of their days behind the wheel. McCluggage regaled the crowd with tales of racing with the likes of Stirling Moss, Juan Fangio and Briggs Cunningham in a day when female racers were a rarity. Levy shared stories from his latest book, The Fabulous Trashwagon. Each was presented an honorary membership in Kansas Region.
Recommended books by Burt Levy:
The Last Open Road —
Montezuma's Ferrari —
The Fabulous Trashwagon —
Toly's Ghost,
The 200mph Steamroller: Red Reign —
The 200mph Steamroller Book Two: The Italian Job
A car show outside the library put about 30 cars on display, from a number of Spec Racer Fords brought in under police escort, to exotics including a Ferrari Testarossa and Lamgorghini Diablo, Mini Coopers old and new, Detroit Iron in the presence of a Mustang, and Kent Prather's five-time National Champion G Production MGA.
LeMay was a Local Guy
At a time in the early '50s when SCCA had few places to race, Gen. Curtis LeMay, commanding officer of the Strategic Air Command, stepped up and provided the runways of several SAC bases for use as temporary SCCA racetracks.
Of course, Offutt AFB at Omaha, Neb., SAC Headquarters, was among them and was the site of two SCCA weekends in 1953 and 1954. The birth of Nebraska Region - perhaps inspired by the '53 race (where LeMay himself threw the green flag) - took place four months before the '54 renewal.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary this year, Nebraska Region has created a Web site - www.nrsccahistory.com - containing tidbits and excerpts from the "Exhaust Notes" newsletter and other sources telling about five decades of SCCA motorsports in the Cornhusker State.
The editors of the Web site are Patt Buell, Mark Ross, and Dave and Ellen Zitzlsperger. Included are comprehensive reports of those two Offutt AFB races with vintage photographs, lists of award winners and regional executives, photo montages of Nebraska racers, autocrossers and rallyists, members' remembrances, and other information.