Art “Fireball” Fehrman has Retired from Competition as a Stock Car Driver

It was announced today that Art “Fireball” Fehrman has retired from competition as a stock car driver. As the duties associated with being president and founder of Illinois Vintage Racing (IVR) and board member of the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame (HOF) expands, Art wants all of his effort to focus on those organizations’ success. Earlier this month IVR announced a series sponsorship for 2012 with Tibor Machine Products. With Tibor Machine Products partnered with IVR, Art has decided to forgo driving offers and opportunities and thus enter retirement.



Art leaves behind a driving career that began as an 8 year old driving quarter midgets at old Mance Park formerly in Hodgkins, Illinois . In 1968 he purchased a sportsman car at Santa Fe Speedway and drove to victory in the trophy dash at his second outing. That same year Uncle Sam called Art to the United States Air Force. That did not slow Art’s driving career as he was able to still race weekends capturing his first feature event in Kankakee, Illinois, followed by four Santa Fe Speedway features. Finally the military put a temporary stop to speedway action by sending Art to South East Asia through 1971. Art finished ’71 and ’72 with a blast of 22 feature wins and a Figure 8 championship. 1973 brought his first taste of Late Model action with a second place finish in a Santa Fe 100 lapper and Rookie of the Year honors at both Santa Fe and Kankakee. A 1978 season finale 200 lap second place finish led to a stout 1979 season which was highlighted by three more features victories and a 50 lap win at Sycamore Speedway. Although semi-retired by the late 80’s and early 90’s Art still managed victories at Hales Corners Speedway outside Milwaukee, the Springfield mile, Waukegan and Boswell speedways. In his final Santa Fe appearance in l992 Art was able to win his last feature.



By 2007 most of the driving was behind Art, but he raced in special appearances winning an Illinois Vintage Race in August at Sycamore and finishing fourth at a vintage race on the Milwaukee Mile. Perhaps Arts greatest thrill came in 2009 when he competed in a vintage stock car festival driving a Fred Lorenzen tribute Ford at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.



Art will now focus full time promoting the 2012 Tibor Machine Products Vintage Series which opens its season April 15, 2012 at Rockford Speedway, the day after the inaugural Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame induction at Forest Hills Lodge in Rockford, Illinois.

Illinois Vintage Racing Announces Title Sponsor

Art Fehrman, President and founder of Illinois Vintage Racing is proud to announce that the Vintage Racing series has partnered with Tibor Machine Products, an Illinois based contract machining company. As Illinois Vintage Racing enters their seventh season of racing, Tibor Machine Products will become the title sponsor for the highly regarded racing series.

Tibor is located in Bridgeview and Rock Island and is one of the Midwest’s largest machining companies. The company, no stranger to stock car racing, handles machining needs from prototype to production. The principals at Tibor have long been associated with Illinois racing from the grandstands to the pit area.

Coming off it’s best season in 2011, Illinois Vintage Racing will now have the opportunity to expand programs for drivers and car owners by enhancing series awards plus developing new contingencies and excitement at each event. New cars are already being developed for 2012 including tribute cars once driven by Illinois Racing Stars of the past.

The Tibor Machine Products Vintage Racing Series will kickoff 2012 on April 15, 2012. The opening event will be hosted by Rockford Speedway in conjunction with the inaugural Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame induction weekend.

The 2012 schedule and new incentive programs for the Tibor Machine Products Vintage Series will be announced soon!

Visiting Fred Lorenzen

What an absolute honor it was for us to bring our Fred Lorenzen ’64 Ford Fast Back to Bensenville for the man himself to inspect. It was a beautiful summer day and Fred took his time enjoying the car and reading the displays which were a tribute to his long eventful and exciting career.



The last time I saw Fred was in 1977. I stopped by his Real Estate office and he gave John Kennedy & myself encouragement about a car we had entered in the Atlanta 500. It was a pleasure again to be in his presence and to witness his trip down memory lane reliving his Glory Days.



Also present was Eddie Patrone who owned Freds’ Ohare short track car and his USAC Championship ’58 Ford. Close friend Jim Miene was there to recall the fun trips they had together on the traveling circuit. Bill Knippenberg of “Bill’s Speed Shop”, the builder of this awesome tribute car was there to show Fred every detail of the car and explain every aspect of the hand lettering from the Holman/Moody logo down to the “Think” sign on the dash board.



Fred’s smiles were priceless. Each time he looked at a different angle & side of the car he said “This is unbelievable”. He recalled that the ’64 Ford was his favorite car to drive at Charlotte when he won the World 600. He said the car handled so good it just glided through the turns.



Writer Bernie Biernacki and photographer Cathy Best were there to document this extraordinary visit. As a Boy, I remember watching the Wild World of Sports in ’63 & ’64 marveling at the incredible driving talent of Fred Lorenzen who was winning everything there was to win. At that time, the coverage consisted of about 10 minutes in the beginning of the program and maybe 10 more at the end.



I never could have dreamed that 48 years later I would have the opportunity to show case Fred’s tribute car at our 2011 events and help preserve his Racing Legacy for years to come. This has been possible due to the tireless dedication of his daughter Amanda, the skill of the fabricators, mechanics and painters at Bills Speed Shop along with the talent of the Brushmasters who hand lettered the car.



It has been announced that Fred Lorenzen is a nominee representing the North West Region of Illinois for induction into the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame during it’s inaugural ceremony on April 14, 2011. To find out how to join the Hall of Fame and cast your vote for the nominees, go to the Hall of Fame tab on the Illinois vintage racing website or call me at 708-254-5196.



Fred would love to hear from his many fans. You can send your best wishes to him at:

Bridgeway Christian Village
Unit E
Attn: Fred Lorenzen
111 E. Washington Street
Bensenville, IL 60106-2674
Or log onto his Fred Lorenzen facebook page.

Art Fehrman

“Legends Under The Lights” at Peoria Speedway Featuring Illinois Vintage Racing

The Illinois Vintage Racing series will be taking fans on a trip down Memory lane when they make their 1st appearance at the Peoria Speedway Sat Aug 20th 2011. Organizer Art “Fireball” Fehrman stated “Our field of Vintage cars from the 50’s & 60’s are ready to race, and race they will bringing many legends to the Peoria area.

Curt Mottaz new owner of the speedway and Art Fehrman of Illinois Vintage Racing are excited for the Fans to enjoy the Vintage racing events. They will run a Trophy Dash, Heat race and a special on track introduction of each Legend starting the 20 lap Feature.

All the Vintage Cars and Legends will be on display under the Grandstand in the early evening. We encourage the fans to come out early and see and meet the legends of Yesteryear. Bring out your old photos for autographs , enjoy the cars up close !

Here are some of the expected entries for this special night of Legends. Former Track Champion Herb Shannon and his son Herb Jr with their #15 1971 Chevelle, former Peoria driver Butch Dunn driving his 1955 Ford #K-2 Dale Earnhardt Tribute car, 2 time Santa Fe champ Bill Knippenberg Sr. driving his 62 impala convertible,. “Wild Bill’ & Brian Stevenson , Bill won our very 1st Vintage race 6 yrs. ago and he’s still driving the same 57 chevy. Brian is wheeling the families 72 Camaro. He is a former IHRA champion. 2 time Sycamore Speedway champ Gary Koering, driving the #05 Bob Kelly Tribute 68 chevelle, Former 10 time champ Lil John Provenzano Driving Larry Robb’s his fast 59 Oldsmobile. Mike Marden will race his USAC 72 Plymouth Volarie Tribute car and Mike Fratt will be driving his beautiful 70 Chevelle. This car will take you back to the old days, the way racing used to be. Ron Wilsons 57 Chevy & John Olivers 49 Ford of Pekin are also entered There are many more legends entered to fill the field. Mark your calendar Sat Aug 20th.2011. Hot Laps 530 p.m. Racing @ 6p.m. for more info: peoriaspeedway.com


Art Fehrman
Illinois Vintage racing

DAVE THOMPSON

We are saddened to announce that Champion Demolition and Stock Car Driver, 84yr old Dave Thompson has passed away at his home in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was a pioneer of Demolition Racing in the early 50’s at 87th Street Speedway and Raceway Park in Blue Island with his close friend Swede Peterson and Hank Baker.



Dave was a member of the “Guys & Dolls” race team that competed at Mance Park after it was paved. He drove a very potent Red & White #21 Hudson Hornet that was tough to beat. His teammates were Lee Powers and Jim Osborne. They had many wins together. After Mance Park closed they continued their success at Santa Fe Speedway.



The team switched to ’54 Buicks splitting their driving time between Demos and Sportsman winning countless Demo Championships. Dave won the 1960 Sportsman Championship. They created the pattern for what team Demos are today.



In the late 60’s Dave had a super fast ’57 Chevy sponsored by longtime competitor and friend Ronnie Jessup of Jessup’s Automotive. This car won many Holiday ½ mile shows. During the 60’s and 70’s Dave operated a radiator shop in Naperville and he always took care of the Racers in need. In the late 70’s he moved his family to Massachusetts and set up his radiator shop. Upon his retirement he moved to Daytona to be near his true love “Auto Racing”.



On a Personal Note: Dave and I were close friends and we kept in touch through the years. I remember my first year in 1968. I was just out of high school with no job and struggling to race competitively. By Mid Season I blew my motor. I was broke, dejected, disappointed and done for the year as far as driving but I continued to show up in the pit area as a fan. On Friday nights a big Sportsman Feature would be ran between the Demolition Derby races. One night Dave was seriously injured during the 2nd Elimination race. As they loaded him on the stretcher to take him to the ambulance he told his car owner Ron Jessup to put Fireball in the car for the feature. I didn’t know it at the time but my top 5 finish lead to my first full time ride in 1969. I will forever be grateful for Dave’s faith in my abilities.



I have fond memories of going to Daytona Beach for the 500 and seeing Dave at the Tuesday Vintage Car Parade driving down the beach during Speed Week. We would catch up on all the news and of course share old racing stories. I’ll miss you buddy.

R.I.P. Dave
Your friend
Art “Fireball” Fehrman