SILVER CROWN TEAM OWNER JUNIOR KURTZ PASSES

Ray "Junior" Kurtz of Clinton, Montana, whose Transportation Computer Systems/Plastic Express Silver Crown cars captured nine feature victories between 1982 and 1991, and won the 1989 Silver Crown car owner championship, passed away yesterday at the age of 73 after a bout with cancer. 

Kurtz fielded Silver Crown cars for 14 years from 1977-1986 and 1989-1992, before returning to the series as a car owner in 2015 for driver Brian Tyler.  As an owner, Kurtz made his debut in the series under the Kurtz-DiGeronimo Brothers, Inc. banner at the 1977 Hoosier Hundred with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford behind the wheel.

Livermore, California’s Chuck Gurney accounted for all of Kurtz's wins, which all came on one-mile dirt ovals.  Among the victories was the “Hoosier Hundred” in 1982 and 1983 and the 1983 "Hulman Hundred" at the Indiana State Fairgrounds’ dirt mile.  In 1989, Kurtz and Gurney won the "Ted Horn 100" at the Du Quoin (Ill) State Fairgrounds mile while also scoring an astonishing five wins in an eight-year span in the "Tony Bettenhausen 100" at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the location of Kurtz’s final USAC win in 1991.

USAC SILVER CROWN VICTORIES BY JUNIOR KURTZ-OWNED CARS

9/11/1982: Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

5/27/1983: Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

9/10/1983: Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

8/18/1984: Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

8/17/1985: Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

8/19/1989: Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

9/4/1989: Du Quoin, IL - Du Quoin State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

8/18/1990: Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)

8/17/1991: Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fairgrounds (WINNER: CHUCK GURNEY)