From Tom Schmeh
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (November 26, 2010) – The 1950 American Racing Association (ARA) championship-winning sprint car, then owned by National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Louis Vermeil and driven by Jacques Pacheteau, is on display in the National Sprint Car Museum in Knoxville. The Al Bignotti-built Model A with its original overhead-valve Miller-Schofield engine is currently owned by Louis Vermeil’s son, Super Bowl-winning football coach Dick Vermeil. The immaculately-restored car, known both as “Old Number Seven” and “Black Beauty”, won first-in-class at the prestigious 2009 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
About the restoration that he and D.L. George Coachworks completed, Dick Vermeil recently said, “I did it out of respect for my Dad, because I know how much he loved it. I know how pleased he would be if he could see it. I know he would also tease me because he would not be so pleased by all the shiny nickel-plated metal.”
According to museum curator Tom Schmeh, “We are thrilled to be honoring the late Louis Vermeil of Calistoga, California, by having his old sprinter in our museum. Louis, his wife Alice, and his Owl Garage were legendary amongst the ARA and Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) folks back in the day in northern California. And the connection with his son, football legend Dick Vermeil, is also pretty neat. Most sports fans don’t realize that the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame has close connections to football coach Dick Vermeil (father Louis Vermeil), football coach John Robinson (father-in-law Louis ‘Rusty’ Espinoza) and baseball player Rick Sutcliffe (father Dick Sutcliffe).”
Those seeking more information on the non-profit museum, which is open seven days a week, year-round, can visit www.sprintcarhof.com. Also, the museum can be reached at 641-842-6176 daily.