Carl Murdick: 49 and Counting …
by Brian Spaid

April 25, 2008 

   Over the last several years, racers in their teens and twenties have entered motorsports with a vengeance. Even at Tri-City Speedway, teenage drivers now grace the pit area each weekend. Seeking glory on the local tracks and hoping for a chance at the big time, these racers are vibrant and daring in many ways.

   Carl Murdick of Butler may not be a young gun, but he is still a strong challenger. At 70, Murdick earned his racing stripes long ago. While some may think a senior citizen racer should be retired to pasture, Murdick dismisses those thoughts.

  “I feel most of the drivers out there respect me as a racer,” said Murdick hard at work this week in his garage getting his DIRTcar Big Block Modified ready for competition. “There’s probably a few that think I ought to move aside and give them a chance. I beat them, so they’d like to see me quit because I make them look bad.”

   This season will be Murdick’s 49^th behind the wheel of a race car. In 2009, he will complete 50 years of racing on tracks throughout western Pennsylvania, and his family is already planning a season-long celebration to honor him. There’s still another season to go, however, and Murdick is looking forward to it.

   “I can’t quit,” said Murdick. “If I didn’t race, I don’t know what I’d do. I’m still competitive. I haven’t won a feature in a long time, but I’ve finished second and won heat races. The other racers don’t outdrive me, they outdollar me.”

   Murdick’s always been a low buck racer. And he’s made a success of it since he started racing cars known as Hardtops in 1960. Those six-cylinder racers eventually evolved into the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds of today.

   “I raced all over in the 1960s,” recalls Murdick. “Butler, Mercer, Hickory, Tri-City, North Hills, Blanket Hill. Those were just a few of the tracks. Back then, you could race several times a week.”

   Over the years, Murdick raced at 47 different tracks in the northeastern United States and Canada. He also collected 56 feature wins and many awards. He was a champion at Lernerville Speedway in 1970. He also raced Late Models for nearly a decade earning numerous wins. In 2005, he won Tri-City’s Lifetime Achievement Award for five decades of love and dedication to racing.

   Murdick’s even raced and talked shop with icons in American motorsports. He met famed mechanic Smokey Yunick and racing legend Richard Petty, who are two of his admired heroes in racing. He also competed on the track against current and former NASCAR stars like Bill Elliott, Tony Stewart, Dave Blaney, Neil Bonnett and Bobby Allison.

   “There are a lot of memories, that’s for sure,” noted Murdick. “One of the toughest racers was Lou Blaney. He was always strong and you accomplished something when you beat him. Lou and I raced each other for years. I’m actually surprised that I outlasted him.”

   When he finally hangs up the helmet, Murdick will also leave a legacy. His son, Dave Murdick, is a top notch DIRTcar Big Block Modified racer in his own right winning two Lernerville titles and the 2001 BRP Modified Tour championship. Daughter Sheila Rankin and her husband, Gary, compete in the Super Sprints with a low dollar operation. Even Murdick’s granddaughter, Jo Rankin, is making a name for herself. The former Miss Tri-City Speedway was recently named Ms. DIRT Motorsports 2008.

   “The years have passed by fast,” added Murdick. “I have no regrets. The only thing that gets me is the cost of everything. It’s really hard to keep a car going with the small sponsors that I have. The cost of racing gasoline is $7 a gallon and the racing purses have not been able to keep up with costs. But racers all race because we love it.”

   Racing his No. 6 Troyer DIRTcar Big Block Modified built in 2000, Murdick cuts corners where he needs to in order to field car weekly at Lernerville and Tri-City. While some race teams buy the newest products yearly, Murdick learned to save money and work hard on car preparation.

   “There are a lot of better handling cars out there that were made in 2007 and 2008.  My car’s ancient.  I’m still capable of getting in there though. The tough thing is my starting positions. Usually, I’m not up front, and any more it’s the car that starts up front that wins. There’s not more racing anymore, it’s chasing.”

   Retirement is the furthest thing from Murdick’s mind for now. This weekend, the veteran leadfoot will be in action once again as he closes in on 50 years of racing. Forget the young guns, the old six-shooters are ready, willing and able to do battle too.  And Murdick is leading the charge.

   Murdick’s car is sponsored by Murdick’s Auto Parts and Miano’s Welding of Butler.