Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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I also really enjoyed the Hall of Fame while I was at Knoxville. I had one question and was curious if someone could answer it. They had an old car that Kenny Gritz had driven that had a bolt on roll cage. I was curious if this was the same car that he was killed in?

Yes, it's the same car.

Tony Moro of Tony Moro Auto Body in DM painted the restored car and did a marvelous job.

The first time I saw the restoration I was so impressed. It was exactly the way I remembered it being when Kenny was racing it. In fact, Tony said they found some of the metal flake that was used in the original paint on the car when Kenny was driving it. The metal flake was pretty large and I forget how many coats of clear coat Tony said it took to cover it and smooth it out, but it was a bunch.

I get a lump in my throat everytime I see that car in the museum.

Thanks Blundy. The car was very impressive. I remember reading the story of how he won the Nationals and then IMCA made him take the cage off to run with them a couple of weeks later. At least I think I remember that right. When I saw his name and saw the bolt on cage I remembered the story. If I have that correct, I can't fathom what logic IMCA would be using by making him take the cage off.

This is my recollection of the times, although it's been quite a few years ago.

IMCA wasn't particularly enamored with Knoxville and the supermodifieds of the time. They (IMCA) basically thought the cars looked better without the roll cages and they also didn't want their sprint cars confused with Knoxville's super's.

After Gritz's fatal NE crash I personally wrote a letter to the secretary of the IMCA at the time, Bill Hitz, and complained loud and long about the unnecessary loss of one of sprint car racings brightest rising stars. I then circulated this letter among family, friends, and acquaintances and got almost 100 signatures to the letter asking that IMCA immediately make roll cages mandatory safety equipment.

I don't know if it was in any way a result of this letter or not (although I would like to think it helped push things along) but a short time later IMCA mandated roll cages.

I was there the night Kenny won. Tiger Bob Williams and Jan Opperman went side by side for the lead the better part of the race and Kenny slipped by them both with about 4 laps to go. One of the saddest racing stories that I've heard.

Yes it's the same car.

That car was really brilliant a super-modified car on that time and Kenny Gritz is one of the best car racer of the world no question about it. Just curious where's that car now?

Mitsubishi car stereo gps

Kenny's car at K'ville on 8/2/69

As somebody previously mentioned, the car is currently on display in the NSCHOF.

Here are a couple of photos from that display: