Howard "Jeep" Herbert (April 14, 1927– November 29, 2002) was an American driver of dirt modified stock cars. Herbert picked up his nickname from the comic strip character "Eugene the Jeep" after dropping one side of a customer's car into the service pit at a gas station where he was employed.[2][3]
| Jeep Herbert | |
|---|---|
| Born | Howard Herbert April 14, 1927 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Died | November 29, 2002 (aged 75) |
| Finished last season | 1963 |
| Championship titles | |
| 1956, 1957 NASCAR NY Sportsman Champion[1] | |
Racing career
editJeep Herbert centered his career at the Fonda Speedway NY, where he claimed the track championship in 1959 and had a total of 25 wins. He also competed successful at 40 different speedways including Airborne Park Speedway NY, Burden Lake Speedway NY, Canandaigua Speedway NY, Langhorne Speedway PA, the Monroe County Fairgrounds NY, Pine Bowl Speedway in Snyders Corners NY, State Line Speedway in Bennington VT, the Syracuse Mile NY, Thompson Speedway CT, Trenton Speedway NJ, Utica-Rome Speedway NY, and Victoria Speedway in Dunnsville NY.[1][4][5]
Herbert retired from racing at age 36, having competed on both the sand at Daytona Beach and the tri-oval at Daytona International Speedway.[3][6] He was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified and the New York State Stock Car Association Halls of Fame.[1][7]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Howard "Jeep" Herbert". Sunday Gazette. December 1, 2002. p. B8. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Boyd, Lew (2002). Fonda! An Illustrated and documented history of the legendary Fonda Speedway. Coastal 181. ISBN 0970985428.
- ^ a b Szczerba, Ronald J. (December 8, 2002). "Szczerba NYSSCA and Fonda Speedway lose a part of their history in Jeep Herbert". New York State Stock Car Association. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ "Jeep Herbert cops coveted berth in State Line win". The Times Record. August 29, 1953. p. 11. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
- ^ "Jeep Herbert ready to challenge Holiday". Press-Republican. August 11, 1956. p. 9. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
- ^ Hoefs, Art (February 6, 1960). "Jeep Herbert heads for Daytona stock car event". Schenectady Gazette. p. 19. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hill, John (May 28, 1999). "Early dirt racers get HOF honor". The Post-Standard. p. D10. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.