HISTORICAL FEATURE: THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF INDY IN TRI-CITY'S HISTORY
by Brian Spaid

May 26, 2006 

   Imagine if one of the Super Sprint teams purchased an Indy Racing League (IRL) Indy Car after it runs in this Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 in order to race that same car at Tri-City Speedway.

   The low-slung race cars that compete nowadays in the IRL are a far cry from the roadsters of yesteryear. But in the 1950s and early 1960s, it was possible to race a roadster at The Brickyard and compete with that same car on the dirt tracks of America.

   During his ongoing research about local auto racing history, Oil City historian George Stroupe happened upon an interesting story that involves the Indy 500, an Oil City man and Tri-City.

   “I found out about this race car and thought it was a neat story,” said Stroupe. “It just goes to show how far the race cars have come.”

   Dick Cotterman of Oil City was a well-known racer at the Route 417 quarter-mile oval. Competing in the Stock Car class throughout the 1950s, Cotterman developed a reputation as a hard-nosed driver and race winner. He battled with the likes of Henry Jacoby, Cal Hull, George Eakin, Andy Phillips and Jack Smith.

   In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the forerunner of today’s Super Sprints was called the Super Modified. Without wings, they looked more like sleek race cars than the stock-bodied cars that normally raced at Tri-City. At one point, three Ohio drivers, Lou Blaney, Dale Johnson and Gib Orr, combined forces in identical all-white, lightweight racers with fuel injection called Sprint Cars. Known as “The Three White Mice,” the trio dominated local competition in the Super Modifieds, and began the transition to today’s winged warriors.

   In 1963, Cotterman decided to venture into the fuel injection ranks with his own car. He shopped around and discovered a race car for sale in Cleveland owned by Pete Salemi. Powered by an Offenhauser engine, Salemi’s Kuzma chassis No. 81 attracted Cotterman when he saw it. He purchased the chassis only, and returned home to engineer the car to work on the local short tracks.

   Although Cotterman was told the car raced at Indy, he was unaware of its lineage. Stroupe chased it down in recent years.

   “I talked to former race mechanic Joe Vedda and Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Don Davison,” noted Stroupe. “Between them, I was able to follow the history of this car right to Tri-City.”

   Built in 1953, the Kuzma chassis was first acquired by famed California car owner J.C. Agajanian. Chuck Stevenson qualified 16^th with the car, but dropped out after 42 laps with a fuel leak finishing 29^th. The following year, Stevenson qualified fifth and finished 12^th in the same car. In 1955, Duane Carter qualified the steed 18^th and finished 11^th.

   Agajanian sold the Kuzma racer to Salemi before the 1956 Indy 500. The Ohio car owner decided to put Eddie Johnson behind the wheel. After he qualified a dismal 32^nd, Johnson drove the car to a consistent 15^th place finish. It was the final appearance of the car at Indy.

   “The car continued on the USAC Champ Car circuit for years,” noted Stroupe. “It had several drivers and Salemi’s team captured a number of wins. In 1958, driver Art Bisch was killed in the car after a wreck in Atlanta. Another time, Salemi had a chance to put a rookie named Mario Andretti in the car, but he refused because he wanted a more experienced driver.”

   After one season on the local circuit, in 1964, Cotterman downsized the chassis from a 98-inch wheelbase by cutting ten inches from the center of the frame. With the smaller size, Cotterman was able to find better handling on shorter dirt tracks and he also captured several wins. Eventually, the car was sold to another team and Cotterman retired in 1972. The memories of the car are etched in the minds of oldtimers like Stroupe.

   “It’s just incredible to think how interchangeable race cars used to be compared to today,” said Stroupe. “Back then, you could race a car on asphalt, and the next day you’d have it at a dirt track.”

   With today’s sophisticated Indy Cars, race fans at Tri-City will never again see a car from the Indy 500 compete at the half-mile track. Many oldtimers claim that the race lost its luster over time when short track fans could no longer relate to the cars and drivers.

   “NASCAR really blossomed once the modern day Indy Car started to take over the open wheel ranks,” noted Stroupe. “With NASCAR, fans can relate to the drivers and cars.”

   It would be neat though to see modern day heroes like Bob Felmlee or Rod George at Indy. For now, however, we have the memories of cars like Cotterman’s Kuzma to tell the tale.