Ken Wright (auto racing mechanic)
Encyclopedia
Kenneth W. Wright was born in 1940 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
and was a race car driver and mechanic for, among other teams, Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR), the first African American auto racing team to acquire national sponsorship in the United States.
would visit his community in a 1940 Ford hot rod convertible. Riding in the car, and watching the advanced modifications made to the motor, sparked Wright's interest in becoming a full-time automotive technician after graduating from Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. He took every auto class offered in the school.
In 1956, Wright co-founded the Black Hawk Auto Club, with Horace “Buddy” Sparrow and other African American youth living in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Wayne, Pennsylvania
. In 1957, a trip with the club to the York Dragway in York, Pennsylvania
piqued his interest in becoming a drag racer.
After high school, he began his apprenticeship training at Sharpless Auto Body in Devon, Pennsylvania, where he learned all aspects of automotive collision repair. After learning the basics, he attended the Spring Garden Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, along with Dexter Miller. He graduated in 1962. After graduation he was employed at Horsiey’s Automotive Service Center in Narberth, Pennsylvania
.
In the midst of the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War
, Wright’s skills were extremely rare among African Americans. He was one of only a few to hold jobs in the auto body trade at a mainstream facility in one of the wealthiest regions of America. Citizens in the community, including African Americans, would note Wright’s capacity at every pass.
, where he taught automotive collision repair to adults aged 18–35 at the John F. Kennedy Center for Vocational Education. While employed by the district, he obtained a B.S. in education from Temple University
in 1979. He retired from the district in 2002.
(NHRA) 1955 Chevrolet
station wagon to dozens of track victories for Miller Brothers Racing at Atco Dragway in Atco, New Jersey
, Englishtown Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey
, McGuire Air Force Base
drag strip in Burlington County, New Jersey
, and the Maple Grove Raceway
in Mohnton, Pennsylvania
.
(BARA) in 1972, Wright became a charter member. Through this unique group, which comprised 5,000 African American auto racers from coast to coast and encompassed drag racing teams, mechanics, car collectors, and participants in Sports Car Club of America
(SCCA) sports car competition, Wright met Ron Hines
, a founding member of BARA, and African American NASCAR
legend Wendell Scott
.
in Formula Super Vee
(FSV) road racing on circuits such as Pocono Raceway
, Lime Rock Park
, Watkins Glen International
, and Road Atlanta
.
Ken Wright’s broad base of other technical skills, including painting, welding, tuning motors, rebuilding transmissions and rear ends, and complete suspension work, transferred readily to BAR’s initiatives. Wright prepared the Lola T-324 and T-620. He became a loyalist of the team and was critical to its extraordinary milestones through the 1970s - a period some call “the last decade of the golden era of American road racing.”
Wright remained on the BAR team after Viceroy’s unmatched sponsorship expired in late 1975. He was a VIP guest for Benny Scott’s and Leonard W. Miller’s induction into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame at the New York Hilton in Manhattan
in 1976. The event’s master of ceremonies was actor Bill Cosby
. Celebrities among the more than 1000 attendees at the formal extravaganza included African American female track star Wilma Rudolph
, legendary soul singer James Brown
, boxing promoter Don King, ABC television sports commentator Howard Cosell
, and boxing legend Jersey Joe Walcott
.
Leonard W. Miller started an independent effort in FSV racing after African American driver Tommy Thompson persuaded him to continue the BAR concept in 1977. Ken Wright was a critical component of that team, helping it advance to an SCCA Northeast Championship at Pocono Raceway
in Pennsylvania
.
The team, including Ken Wright, traveled to the Milwaukee Mile
to race on the famed one-mile oval. FSV racing transitioned into the Mini-Indy series, where select races were paired with Indy Car events held on popular oval courses under the United States Auto Club (USAC). Wright also traveled to Texas World Speedway
in College Station, Texas
and other FSV races around the country that BAR entered.
At a Mini-Indy event on September 27, 1978, Tommy Thompson was killed in a crash coming off the fourth turn at the 1.5-mile kidney bean-shaped Trenton Speedway
, when a competitor abruptly stopped in front of him, due to a catastrophic mechanical failure.
.
For two years BAR did not compete in auto racing, then it started afresh in grassroots competition under other names. Ken Wright remained a booster for the team, but Ron Hines emerged from retirement in 1980 to catapult BAR into several dirt track victories with his superior engine knowledge at the Flemington Speedway
in Flemington, New Jersey
with 19-year-old African American driver Bruce Driver.
In later years Miller Racing Group, Inc. became the solid outgrowth of BAR, recruiting African American grassroots stock car drivers for NASCAR
competition in the Southeast and a Jamaican driver for Formula BMW Americas from 1990 to the present. Leonard W. Miller’s son, Leonard T. Miller, has been a significant element in those efforts.
Ken Wright, Ron Hines, and Leonard W. Miller remain in close contact, attending and entering classic car shows and competitions around the United States.
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
and was a race car driver and mechanic for, among other teams, Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR), the first African American auto racing team to acquire national sponsorship in the United States.
Early years
Wright's friendship with the Miller brothers - Dexter G. and Leonard W. - began at age five. His love of hot rods and race cars began in earnest at age 13, when Leonard W. MillerLeonard W. Miller
Leonard W. Miller is one of two black motor racing pioneers living in the United States.- Early life :Miller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in its suburbs. His lifelong love of automobiles began at age five in 1939, and he began secretly tinkering with his family’s 1937 Ford in...
would visit his community in a 1940 Ford hot rod convertible. Riding in the car, and watching the advanced modifications made to the motor, sparked Wright's interest in becoming a full-time automotive technician after graduating from Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. He took every auto class offered in the school.
In 1956, Wright co-founded the Black Hawk Auto Club, with Horace “Buddy” Sparrow and other African American youth living in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Wayne, Pennsylvania
Wayne, Pennsylvania
Wayne is an unincorporated community located on the Main Line, centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. While the center of Wayne is in Radnor Township, Wayne extends into both Tredyffrin Township in Chester County and Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County...
. In 1957, a trip with the club to the York Dragway in York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
piqued his interest in becoming a drag racer.
After high school, he began his apprenticeship training at Sharpless Auto Body in Devon, Pennsylvania, where he learned all aspects of automotive collision repair. After learning the basics, he attended the Spring Garden Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, along with Dexter Miller. He graduated in 1962. After graduation he was employed at Horsiey’s Automotive Service Center in Narberth, Pennsylvania
Narberth, Pennsylvania
Narberth is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,282 at the 2010 census.-History:Narberth is located on a parcel of land originally deeded to Edward Rees , who arrived from Wales in 1682. A portion of this original tract became the farm of Edward R...
.
In the midst of the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Wright’s skills were extremely rare among African Americans. He was one of only a few to hold jobs in the auto body trade at a mainstream facility in one of the wealthiest regions of America. Citizens in the community, including African Americans, would note Wright’s capacity at every pass.
Educator
In 1966 Wright joined the School District of PhiladelphiaSchool District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia is a school district based in the School District of Philadelphia Education Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that includes all public schools in the city of Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the eighth largest school district in the nation.The School...
, where he taught automotive collision repair to adults aged 18–35 at the John F. Kennedy Center for Vocational Education. While employed by the district, he obtained a B.S. in education from Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in 1979. He retired from the district in 2002.
Race car driver
In 1969-70, Wright drove a National Hot Rod AssociationNational Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and host events all over the United States and Canada...
(NHRA) 1955 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
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...
station wagon to dozens of track victories for Miller Brothers Racing at Atco Dragway in Atco, New Jersey
Atco, New Jersey
Atco is an unincorporated area in Waterford Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, in the Philadelphia-Camden metropolitan area, located 16 miles southeast of Camden. The town is at the western edge of Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Atco is the home of the Atco Raceway,...
, Englishtown Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey
Englishtown, New Jersey
Englishtown is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,847....
, McGuire Air Force Base
McGuire Air Force Base
JB MDL McGuire is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the USAF Air Mobility Command...
drag strip in Burlington County, New Jersey
Burlington County, New Jersey
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
, and the Maple Grove Raceway
Maple Grove Raceway
Maple Grove Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip located near Mohnton, Pennsylvania, just outside Reading. It opened in 1962 as a 1/5-mile dragstrip. It was eventually lengthened to its current quarter-mile length in 1964. The track has been sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association for most of...
in Mohnton, Pennsylvania
Mohnton, Pennsylvania
Mohnton is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,963 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mohnton is located at ....
.
Black American Racers Association (BARA)
When Leonard W. Miller helped launch the Black American Racers AssociationBlack American Racers Association
The Black American Racers Association was founded in August 1972 in Trenton, New Jersey by Leonard W. Miller, Ron Hines, Eugene Gadson, and Charles Singleton. BARA was formed to give recognition to black racing drivers, crews, mechanics, car owners, and other members of the auto racing community...
(BARA) in 1972, Wright became a charter member. Through this unique group, which comprised 5,000 African American auto racers from coast to coast and encompassed drag racing teams, mechanics, car collectors, and participants in Sports Car Club of America
Sports Car Club of America
The Sports Car Club of America is a club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional racers.-History:...
(SCCA) sports car competition, Wright met Ron Hines
Ron Hines
Ron Hines was the first black Ivy League-educated auto racing engineer on America’s road racing circuits. He was an engineer for Black American Racers, Inc. , the first black auto racing team to attain national sponsorship in America, in the 1970s.-Early years:Ron Hines was raised in New...
, a founding member of BARA, and African American NASCAR
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...
legend Wendell Scott
Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the only black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville...
.
Road racing mechanic
In 1973, Wright and Hines joined forces with Miller’s Brown & Williamson Tobacco (Viceroy Cigarettes)-sponsored Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR) team that fielded second-generation African American driver Benny ScottBenny Scott
Benny Scott , was a second-generation African American race car driver, a rarity in the motor racing industry...
in Formula Super Vee
Formula Super Vee
Formula Super Vee was a type of open-wheel motor created to act as a platform for the promotion of VW products, playing much the same role in the 1970s as formulae such as Formula Renault play today. The idea for Formula Super Vee is generally attributed to Josef Hopen, who worked as the Special...
(FSV) road racing on circuits such as Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
, Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lime Rock, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut, in the state’s northwest corner...
, Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
, and Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, USA. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams...
.
Ken Wright’s broad base of other technical skills, including painting, welding, tuning motors, rebuilding transmissions and rear ends, and complete suspension work, transferred readily to BAR’s initiatives. Wright prepared the Lola T-324 and T-620. He became a loyalist of the team and was critical to its extraordinary milestones through the 1970s - a period some call “the last decade of the golden era of American road racing.”
Wright remained on the BAR team after Viceroy’s unmatched sponsorship expired in late 1975. He was a VIP guest for Benny Scott’s and Leonard W. Miller’s induction into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame at the New York Hilton in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in 1976. The event’s master of ceremonies was actor Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
. Celebrities among the more than 1000 attendees at the formal extravaganza included African American female track star Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Glodean Rudolph was an American athlete. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960....
, legendary soul singer James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, boxing promoter Don King, ABC television sports commentator Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
, and boxing legend Jersey Joe Walcott
Jersey Joe Walcott
Arnold Raymond Cream , better known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He broke the world's record for the oldest man to win the world's Heavyweight title when he earned it at the age of , a record that would be broken on November 5, 1994, by George Foreman, who...
.
Leonard W. Miller started an independent effort in FSV racing after African American driver Tommy Thompson persuaded him to continue the BAR concept in 1977. Ken Wright was a critical component of that team, helping it advance to an SCCA Northeast Championship at Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
The team, including Ken Wright, traveled to the Milwaukee Mile
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
to race on the famed one-mile oval. FSV racing transitioned into the Mini-Indy series, where select races were paired with Indy Car events held on popular oval courses under the United States Auto Club (USAC). Wright also traveled to Texas World Speedway
Texas World Speedway
Texas World Speedway was built in 1969 and is one of only seven superspeedways of two miles or greater in the United States, the others being Indianapolis, Daytona, Pocono, Talladega, Auto Club, and Michigan. TWS is located on approximately 600 acres on State Highway 6 in College Station, Texas....
in College Station, Texas
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
and other FSV races around the country that BAR entered.
At a Mini-Indy event on September 27, 1978, Tommy Thompson was killed in a crash coming off the fourth turn at the 1.5-mile kidney bean-shaped Trenton Speedway
Trenton Speedway
Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway.-Racing history:...
, when a competitor abruptly stopped in front of him, due to a catastrophic mechanical failure.
Retirement
Ken Wright retired from hands-on mechanical race car preparation after Thompson’s death, working instead with recreational motor boats and restoring his 1961 Chevrolet CorvetteChevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
.
For two years BAR did not compete in auto racing, then it started afresh in grassroots competition under other names. Ken Wright remained a booster for the team, but Ron Hines emerged from retirement in 1980 to catapult BAR into several dirt track victories with his superior engine knowledge at the Flemington Speedway
Flemington Speedway
Flemington Speedway was a motor racing circuit in Flemington, New Jersey which operated from 1915 to 2002. The track is most known for hosting four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races and its pioneering use of foam blocks used to lessen the impact of crashes, which led to the adoption of the SAFER...
in Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
with 19-year-old African American driver Bruce Driver.
In later years Miller Racing Group, Inc. became the solid outgrowth of BAR, recruiting African American grassroots stock car drivers for NASCAR
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...
competition in the Southeast and a Jamaican driver for Formula BMW Americas from 1990 to the present. Leonard W. Miller’s son, Leonard T. Miller, has been a significant element in those efforts.
Ken Wright, Ron Hines, and Leonard W. Miller remain in close contact, attending and entering classic car shows and competitions around the United States.