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I ended up with the 1978-79 Suchy 76 and I have a question.

Bob Lawrences site shows Leep Sr ran 2nd at the Hutch Nats in 1978, in the Suchy 76.

Jan 20, 2013 Leep told me he won Hutch in a Suchy car, and the car I have may have been it. I never even tried to correct him, he is Harold Leep after all.

HERE'S THE TWIST- I was taken aside later by a Leep fan from the 70's. I was then told that Leep had been scored with a 2nd on one occasion at Hutch, and then Leep got angry and visited the NCRA trailer/booth claiming he had actually lapped the car that was stated to have won. The end result was that the other guy got to keep the trophy, and Leep got paid the equivilant of 1st place pay. Nothing else was ever said about it, except that there 'might' have been a scoring error causing the confusion.. A simple honest mistake, that is all.

The fan could not remember what year that happened however.

This is the first time I heard of this.

Was that in 1978?

The car in question

The thing I am after is this- I want to restore the 76 back to the way it was in this picture, just as if it were to run Hutch all over again. Right down to the stickers.

KNOWING it was much closer than I thought to winning Hutch would mean even more, and drive the point home even further to restore it properly.

2nd is great for a Hutch run, but 1st with the exception of a scoring error? That would be even better.

In 1978 Roy Bryant won in the Kenendy Farms 7. I was there and ther ewas not any controversy. I got the yearbook out and it said he took the lead in turn 4 of the first lap and lead all the way. That is what I remembered. He won $2,520. Leep was 2nd in the Suchy 76 $1,967 3rd Walt in his 98 $1,654, 4th Ray Crawford in the Hillenburg 55$ 1,203 I think this is the first time he was in the Stanton car,5th George Armstrong in the 1 $1,192. the yearbook said it was a record purse

I was there as well and remember Bryant winning the deal in the 7 car and won the deal quite easily.

I also believe it was Bob Ewell's first time to run Hutch in the White 18 Stanton car, I believe he got the long haul/tow award/prize that year coming from Dallas and it was a brand new Cobra CB Radio from Speedways Inc. and C. Ray Hall.

It was hot as well, one of those 108 degrees in the shade days.

Sure wish they paid purses like that these days.

J.D.

Thank you

Brian i have gonn through mmy NCRA yearbooks and hear is the info you wanted. Leep won 2 NCRA features in the Suchy car in 1978. Oklahoma City and Muskogee. He had no other top 3 finishes that year but several top tens. Ray Crawford was leading in pionts going into the last race at Devils Bowl. Ray Dropped out after the 2nd lap with a broken rearend and Leep could have won the championship with a good finish. He started 18th and was up to 4th but blew a raditer hose and finished 9th. Ray won the championship by 10 pionts. The bio said that the Suchy team blew 14 engines during the 78 season and that cost him the OKC championship also. The team won the NCRA and OKC chapionship in 1977 they blew 15 engines that year. Leep just drove the Suchy in 2 NCRA races in 1976. Lawton on April 6th. he did not finish the feature. On April 29 he finished 5th after spinning out and starting at the back on the 6th lap. He started driving the lonnie Snowdon 99 after that.

Roy Bryant won $2,500 at hutch in 1978,How much would that be today?

Ray

Ray,

Probably be like winning a WoO show today with about $10,000 in the bank.

Sounds as if Suchy and David were experimenting with engines to have that many let go?

$8,500

Hey I'm stoked to have what I have anyway! Totally!

2nd at Hutch? I'm still glad Leep and the car went there. 2 wins on the trail are icing on the cake too.

Gil Johnson has the 37, I have the 76, maybe one day both could be displayed together somewhere.

I came up with maybe 10 cars the other day, that still exist , that most likely ran the feature-or could have- in 1978.

Bryant 37

Leep 76

Hillenburg 55 Walker

Jelly 24

Parson 67 (Herring 5) by 1978

Eugene Hair (Jigss Founds super today)

Zink Howerton chassis for Emmitt Hahn

Terry Doss Howerton

Sampson Electric #21

Walt McWhorter #98

I'm sure there are more out there.

My understanding is that Pat had a rough few years there in his private life too.

As much as winning gave to Pat and his team, for several years at OkC and the NCRA, it seemed to take away as well.

The old "Win on the road, find hell at home "curse you know.

I see it as "That's Racing", you do it long enough and your gonna have your Up's and Down's and much more of the latter , but it makes the Up's a bit more enjoyable when they do come along.

As I know that many others on here can back up my statement.

J.D.

Leep did finnish 2nd at Hutch, my mistake I will make a list of his finishes at NCRA races in 1978:

Lawton DNF, Dewey 6th, OKC 1st, AmarilloDNF, 81 Speedway DNF, Wichita Falls 7th, Hutch 2nd, Muskogee 1st, Enid 5th in a borrowed car, Tulsa 5th, Devil's Bowl 9th.

At Hutch in 1978 the Hillenburg 55 was a Stanton

Hillenburg was a Stanton, you're right

to bryan26

just saw your post on the Hutch Nationals in 1978--  Roy Bryant drove the Kennedy Farms car # 7 from Scott City, Kansas and led from flag to flag that day.  I see where you have his number as in the 37 he had been in the  # 7 for a couple of years,  Car was owned by Jim and Peg Kennedy.   

Roy Bryant

Roy Bryant