Jim Roper
Encyclopedia
Christian David "Jim" Roper (August 13, 1916 – June 23, 2000) was a NASCAR
driver. He lived in Halstead
, Kansas
. He is most known as the winner of the first NASCAR Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup) race. He was the father of Dean Roper and grandfather of the late Tony Roper
.
Pontiac
car dealership and gave a 1930 Chevy to Roper. Roper said "I raced that thing seven nights a week, even in the middle of winter, on a figure-eight
dirt track, the kind you pass in the middle both ways. I could get that Chevy up to speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour."
Roper purchased a midget car
in 1944. He was first able to use the car after World War II
, since all racing was halted in the United States during the war. He drove numerous types of cars after the war. He won the Beacon Championship at CeJay Speedway in Wichita, Kansas
in 1947 in a track roadster. He also raced on the International Motor Contest Association
(IMCA) circuit in Kansas, Iowa
, Nebraska
, Oklahoma
, and Missouri
.
He was nicknamed "Alfalfa Jim" after he drove through a wooden fence into an alfalfa
field, turned around, and finished the race with a car full of alfalfa.
by reading a note about it in Zack Mosley
's The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
comic strip in his local newspaper. Roper convinced local car dealer Millard Clothier to drive two of Clothier's Lincoln
cars more than 1000 miles to Charlotte to compete on June 19, 1949. Roper finished in second to winner Glenn Dunnaway
, completing 197 of 200 laps. Chief NASCAR inspector Al Crisler disqualified Dunnaway's car because car owner Hubert Westmoreland had shored up the chassis by spreading the rear springs, a favorite bootlegger trick to improve traction and handling http://www.dailypress.com/sports/motorracing/dp-68984sy0mar17,0,4238057.story?coll=dp-auto-utility. Roper was credited with the win in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock race. Westmoreland sued NASCAR, and the judge threw out the case. NASCAR tore down Roper's motor after the race, so he had to get a replacement motor to drive back to Kansas. Clothier kept the winner's trophy.
He used the same car to finish fifteenth in NASCAR's third race in his only other NASCAR start. He finished sixteenth in the 1949 final points standings.
accident in Davenport, Iowa
in 1955. He decided to retire after his injuries healed. "It was over for me then," he said, "so I flipped a half-dollar (coin) to decide whether to raise horses in Texas
or Washington. Texas won." He later became a professional flagman and built racecars. He died on June 23, 2000 from heart and liver complications related to cancer.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver. He lived in Halstead
Halstead, Kansas
Halstead is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. Halstead was named in honor of Murat Halstead, a respected Civil War correspondent and newspaper editor. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,085.-History:...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He is most known as the winner of the first NASCAR Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup) race. He was the father of Dean Roper and grandfather of the late Tony Roper
Tony Roper
Anthony Dean "Tony" Roper was a NASCAR driver. He was born in Springfield, Missouri, to Dean Roper and Shirley Medley. Growing up his family was heavily involved in auto racing. Roper started racing in 1986. For the next six years Tony raced in IMCA Modifieds and late models on Midwest dirt and...
.
Racing career
Roper lived at his grandfather's horse farm in Halstead. Roper was interested in playing basketball until his grandfather purchased a ChevroletChevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
car dealership and gave a 1930 Chevy to Roper. Roper said "I raced that thing seven nights a week, even in the middle of winter, on a figure-eight
Figure 8 racing
Figure 8 racing is a form of racing that combines elements of oval racing, demolition derby, and road racing.-Track:Racing is done on a track shaped like an 8. The cars cross paths at the center of the 8, which is known as the "crossover". Because of this layout, crashes are inevitable...
dirt track, the kind you pass in the middle both ways. I could get that Chevy up to speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour."
Roper purchased a midget car
Midget car racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
in 1944. He was first able to use the car after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, since all racing was halted in the United States during the war. He drove numerous types of cars after the war. He won the Beacon Championship at CeJay Speedway in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
in 1947 in a track roadster. He also raced on the International Motor Contest Association
International Motor Contest Association
The International Motor Contest Association was organized in 1915 by J. Alex Sloan, and is currently the oldest active auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. IMCA is currently headquartered in Vinton, Iowa, and features several classes and divisions of weekly racing in six geographical...
(IMCA) circuit in Kansas, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
He was nicknamed "Alfalfa Jim" after he drove through a wooden fence into an alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
field, turned around, and finished the race with a car full of alfalfa.
NASCAR career
Roper heard about the first race at a three-quarter mile dirt track in Charlotte, NCCharlotte Speedway
For the current NASCAR track in Charlotte, North Carolina, see Charlotte Motor Speedway.Charlotte Speedway was the site of NASCAR's first Strictly Stock series race on June 19, 1949. The Daytona Beach Road Course held the first race sanctioned by NASCAR in 1948...
by reading a note about it in Zack Mosley
Zack Mosley
Zack Terrell Mosley was an American comic strip artist best known for the aviation adventures in his long-running The Adventures of Smilin' Jack which ran in more than 300 newspapers from 1933 to 1973....
's The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
The Adventures of Smilin' Jack was an aviation comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933 in the Chicago Tribune and ended April 1, 1973....
comic strip in his local newspaper. Roper convinced local car dealer Millard Clothier to drive two of Clothier's Lincoln
Lincoln (automobile)
Lincoln is an American luxury vehicle brand of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln vehicles are sold mostly in North America.-History:The company was founded in August 1915 by Henry M. Leland, one of the founders of Cadillac . During World War I, he left Cadillac which was sold to General Motors...
cars more than 1000 miles to Charlotte to compete on June 19, 1949. Roper finished in second to winner Glenn Dunnaway
Glenn Dunnaway
Henry Glenn Dunaway was an American auto racer noted for initially winning, and then being disqualified from, what is today recognized as NASCAR's first-ever race. He lived in Gastonia, North Carolina.-1949:...
, completing 197 of 200 laps. Chief NASCAR inspector Al Crisler disqualified Dunnaway's car because car owner Hubert Westmoreland had shored up the chassis by spreading the rear springs, a favorite bootlegger trick to improve traction and handling http://www.dailypress.com/sports/motorracing/dp-68984sy0mar17,0,4238057.story?coll=dp-auto-utility. Roper was credited with the win in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock race. Westmoreland sued NASCAR, and the judge threw out the case. NASCAR tore down Roper's motor after the race, so he had to get a replacement motor to drive back to Kansas. Clothier kept the winner's trophy.
He used the same car to finish fifteenth in NASCAR's third race in his only other NASCAR start. He finished sixteenth in the 1949 final points standings.
Injury and end of racing career
He continued racing in midgets in Kansas until he broke a vertebra in a sprint carSprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
accident in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
in 1955. He decided to retire after his injuries healed. "It was over for me then," he said, "so I flipped a half-dollar (coin) to decide whether to raise horses in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
or Washington. Texas won." He later became a professional flagman and built racecars. He died on June 23, 2000 from heart and liver complications related to cancer.