"Irish" Jack Murphy

Coming to a climax with the headline ‘Hall of Fame Classic 100’ on May 30, the Memorial Day Weekend Super DIRTcar Series showdown on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds is just 3 days away. The historic Weedsport, New York speedway comes to life for the traditional holiday special with the 100-lap Big-Block Modified winner on Sunday waiting to take home a cool $6,000 top prize.

Helping commemorate the past two decades of Hall of Fame happenings at the home of DIRTcar Northeast, highlights from many of the past induction days will be recalled in anticipation of the first big holiday racing event of the season.

Honored for the first time during 2000 induction ceremonies at the HoF, the name ‘Irish’ Jack Murphy will once again echo across the fairgrounds as the local favorite now residing in nearby Central Square, N.Y. will be on site Sunday for a rare autograph session during intermission of Weedsport’s evening race card. The former New York State Fair Modified Champion will be returning home just in time after spending Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut attending an International Supermodified Association (ISMA) event.

From the first time that he watched stock car races in Hawaii while enlisted in the United States Army, Murphy was hooked, not as a fan but as an active participant in a sport that he would remain devoted to the rest of his life. Throughout his racing career his car became one of the most identifiable around the region as the green and white Modified always boasted a shamrock and number six on both sides. This unique combination made the “Wild Irishman” one of Central New York’s premier drivers of the day and a racing legend to be remembered.

When Oswego (NY) Speedway first opened in August of 1951, Murphy quickly made the ‘Steel Palace’ his home, emerging as the dominant force on the dirt while capturing the 1952 track points title. Oswego staged the inaugural International Classic in September ’57, offering an unheard of Sportsman purse of $5,000 in the 100-lap feature event, and Murphy outdistanced Nolan Swift to claim the memorable victory. His “Shamrock 6” also became a fixture at Brewerton, Canandaigua, Dryden and the Monroe County Fairgrounds, eventually finding its way into victory lane at the NYS Fairgrounds in 1959 and 1970. While competing irregularly at Oswego in 1959 and '60, Murphy returned to the proud Port City oval sporting the famous green and white colors, this time on a no. 6 Supermodified in the track’s completely overhauled class. For more than two decades Murphy's presence on the Empire State racing scene was a major contributing factor to the growth of motorsports. His accomplishments are legendary both as a competitor and supporter of auto racing and in 1977 he received the prestigious Kodak Park Auto Racing Booster Club ‘All-Time Great’ Award to further solidify his rank in history.
  . . . written by Tom Skibinski