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Dick Gaines Red Clay Legend

On tap the Friday Night: The Legends 50
Red Clay Legend: Dick Gaines
What is the biggest dirt sprint car race in America? The Knoxville Nationals
What is the biggest pavement sprint car race in America? The Little 500
How many drivers have won both?

1. Dick Gaines

Dick was born on December 26, 1932, to parents Everett and Murl Maree Todd Gaines in Mitchell, Indiana. For years his hometown would be listed as Floyds Knob. He began racing at the ¼ mile track in Carlisle, Indiana in a 1939 Ford and proclaimed that he tore up a lot of equipment. Maybe so, but he was good enough to catch the eye of Dizz Wilson by the early 1960s. In five years with Dizz he is reported to have won 164 times on both dirt and pavement.
In 1970 he began his association with Karl Kinser. What a ride it was. He won boatload of races including the 1973 & 1976 Little 500 and in 1974 he outgunned Jan Opperman on the last lap to win the Knoxville Nationals.

A Red Clay legend? You bet. Career win total? Somewhere between 800 and 1,000.

Dick Gaines is a reason we are prepared to go 50 laps this Friday night
How about this partial Dick Gaines win record at The Historical Bloomington Speedway

9/4/64 100 lap supermodified race
5/28/65 100 laps SCIRA (South Central Indiana Racing Association)
7/16/65 100 laps SCIRA
5/26/72 75 laps
9/1/72 Moose Lodge race 72 laps
7/20/73 50 laps
7/2/76 76 laps (Paul Crockett took the companion 76 lap stock car race)

TALK ABOUT A STEAL
Adult general admission $15
Kids 12 and under free
Pit Pass Adult $30
Kids 12 and under $15

Pit Gates 4
Spectator gates 5
Hot laps 6:30
Racing 7:30

Coolers okay - no glass

John Mahoney photo of Dick Gaines and Bob Kinser wheel to wheel

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