Restoring A Legend

Wise in the #77 and the "One Armed Bandit", Chuck Armate from Illinois, drove the first two J&J Racing sprints ever built. This photo was taken at Anderson, Indiana during the "Little 500".

Dave’s trip south had netted him two sprint cars – one complete and one in pieces for $150. With the help of several people, the Hill Engineering car was restored.

Russ Rupert of Dover, PA, who helped Dick Tobias when Toby first started, running USAC sprinters, did the mechanical restoration in his backyard shop. His is not an ordinary backyard shop as Russ is somewhat of a stickler for details. He has been around racing for over three decades, has built midgets, sprinters, and Dirt Champ cars built and maintained engines for several teams, and nowadays rebuilds old airplanes as a hobby. With this kind of experience and success, Dave knew Russ was the man to restore Herman’s ‘Hill’ car.

Russ had his work cut out for him as three of the main frame rails had been “borrowed” for another “project” of Johnny’s. Using a photo furnished by Herman, the car was completed. Carl Beamer, a professor of Art in Bloomsburg, PA, did the paint and lettering to finish off the job. Carl had done the original lettering on the car some twenty years before when Herman raced in Central PA.

The car was finished in time to go back to Anderson, IN for the twenty-year anniversary of Herman’s win of the Little 500. Dave met Herman and his wife in Indiana before the Little 500 in 1991, and a great weekend was had by all. Herman presented Dave with the trophy awarded in 1971 so it could be displayed with the car at the speedway during the race.