10 replies to this topic

[Dan Axelsson]

Trying to assist a dear friend I wonder if someone here could help with some biodatas about two well-known Indy chief mechanics:

Harry Stephens and Joe Scopa.

Many thanks for your help.

[raceannouncer2003]

Harry Stephens - mechanic at Indy for:
winner Johnnie Parsons - 1950
Rodger Ward - 1956
Mickey Thompson - 1962

Joe Scopa - mechanic at Indy for:
Billy Devore - 1950 (Scopa chassis?)
Frank Armi - 1951 (Scopa chassis?)
Cliff Griffith - 1957
Eddie Johnson - 1958, 1959
Dempsey Wilson - 1960
John Chalik (owner) Kurtis - 1963
entered car in 1965, stock block

Also mechanic for Hank Rogers and others - 1949 and previous elsewhere.

Vince H.

[ReWind]

Joseph Scopa from Princeton, New Jersey, was born on 14 January 1908 and died on 17 December 1980 at the age of 72.
Source 1, Source 2

[Dan Axelsson]

Excellent infos! Many thanks!

Someone who has the birth- and death (assuming he has passed away) data for Harry Stephens?

[ReWind]

Problem with Harry Stephens is that his is such a usual name. You need to know something specific to have a chance to pick the right one.

In Bloomington, Indiana, since 1939 there was a Studebaker dealership called “Harry Stephens & Co”. Maybe this was where the Indy mechanic earned his living. But that is just a guess.

On 27 January 1966 a certain Harry Stephens, Jr., who was born on 12 May 1914, died in Bloomington at the age of 51. Was this man the car dealer? Or was he the Indy mechanic? Or someone else? I don’t know.

EDITED because the following posts show that my suggestions are unlikely.

Edited by ReWind, 27 February 2012 - 18:50.

[Michael Ferner]

Harry Stephens was from California, he owned Sprint Cars and Midgets there in the thirties and forties. His hometown was given as Los Angeles in 1935. From pictures, I'd say he was much older than born in 1914 - maybe ten, fifteen or even twenty years.

[Michael Ferner]

Harry Stephens - mechanic at Indy for:
winner Johnnie Parsons - 1950
Rodger Ward - 1956
Mickey Thompson - 1962

Joe Scopa - mechanic at Indy for:
Billy Devore - 1950 (Scopa chassis?)
Frank Armi - 1951 (Scopa chassis?)
Cliff Griffith - 1957
Eddie Johnson - 1958, 1959
Dempsey Wilson - 1960
John Chalik (owner) Kurtis - 1963
entered car in 1965, stock block

Also mechanic for Hank Rogers and others - 1949 and previous elsewhere.

Vince H.

To expand on this, Stephens owned (and probably built) a Sprint Car in the thirties, mainly driven by George Connor at Ascot, then had an extensive career as a Midget owner for many years, and with many top drivers. I would be very surprised if he isn't in any Midget racing Hall of Fame, try a web search "Harry Stephens + midget".

At Indy, he was chief mechanic for the Ed Walsh/Kurtis-Kraft "works" team of Missouri in 1950-56, drivers including Indy winner Johnnie Parsons and National Champion Sam Hanks as well as Bill Holland, Jim Rathmann, Pat Flaherty and Rodger Ward. He was with Bill Ansted's team of Indiana in 1957/8.

Scopa began owning Sprint Cars in the late thirties, possibly earlier. He gained prominence by running an ex-Lucky Teter car for Hank Rogers, Bob Sall and Tommy Hinnershitz in 1940. After the war, he continued running Sprint Cars, mainly for Rogers again, and also occasionally Champ Cars. The so-called "Scopa chassis" was actually built by Jimmy Chai of Illinois*, former Sig Haugdahl mechanic; Scopa bought it from Chai in the summer of 1949. He was later chief mechanic for Lee Glessner of West Virginia (1956), guiding Eddie Sachs to his first Champ Car win, and Duke Donaldson of New York (1957-60), then had a stint with John Chalik of Indiana in 1963 in between trying to run his own car again - incidentally, this was the 1957/8 Indy winner. He last entered a rear-engined car in 1965 with a Chevy stock block engine, but it never appeared.

* this from the late Bill Castle, a personal acquaintance of Chai at the time

Edited by Michael Ferner, 27 February 2012 - 17:55.

[Dan Axelsson]

Some searching in Ancestry and old newspapers during the holidays resulted in:

 

Harry Stephens obituary in The Arizona Republic from 1981.

"Show Low. Harry Stephens, 77, of Show Low, a former racing car mechanic, died July 11, 1981, at Navapache Hospital.

Mr. Stephens was selected mechanic of the year in 1950 when his racing team won the Indianapolis 500. He was a native of Fargo, Okla., and came to Arizona in 1971."

 

Ancestry gives a Harry Stephens born in Fargo, Oklahoma, April 11, 1904.

[rateus]

Joe Scopa was actually First On Track at Indy in 1959, giving a shakedown run to the #10 Dean Van Lines Spl before sophomore A.J. Foyt took over.

 

The "Scopa chassis" (per Michael's post) also seems to have had a last run-out at Indy in 1952 as the #84 B&M Malamud entry for Ottis Stine - usually listed as 'Did not arrive' but Stine's hometown newspaper, the York Daily Record, reported that Stine was on track and had completed the first 3 stages of his rookie test before the transmission broke during the 120 mph phase (24 May, p18).

[Collombin]

Joe Scopa was actually First On Track at Indy in 1959, giving a shakedown run to the #10 Dean Van Lines Spl before sophomore A.J. Foyt took over.

And I think Harry Stephens was first on track several times, it seemed to be a mini tradition.

[rateus]

The "Scopa chassis" (per Michael's post) also seems to have had a last run-out at Indy in 1952 as the #84 B&M Malamud entry for Ottis Stine - usually listed as 'Did not arrive' but Stine's hometown newspaper, the York Daily Record, reported that Stine was on track and had completed the first 3 stages of his rookie test before the transmission broke during the 120 mph phase (24 May, p18).

 

And now visual evidence that the Scopa did make it to Indy in 1952, it's clearly visible behind Johnny Mauro's Ferrari in this pit-lane photo

https://i.pinimg.com...c4dcdff6c66.jpg