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April 11, 2006
Section: features
Edition: BRADENTON
Page: 32E
RETIREE HONORED FOR 27 YEARS OF DRIVING RACE CARS
Scott Lockwood, Special to The Herald
BRADENTON --- Jack Goodwin has lived a fast life.
You need look no further than his 27 years of driving all sorts of race cars across
the country to see that.
Goodwin was recently honored by the Michigan Automobile Racing Fan Club, when
he was presented with the Eddie Sachs Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award.
Goodwin's racing odyssey began in 1949 at age 19, when he had the fastest street
hot rod in Birmingham, Mich. A neighbor of his told him a group of guys that owned
a gas station in Detroit was looking for a younger driver to put in its roadster.
Choosing Goodwin paid immediate dividends. He won four main events in his first
season.
"They taught me well, and I was hooked for the rest of my life," said Goodwin, now
76 and enjoying retired life in Bradenton with his wife, Eunice. "It felt great to be a
winner."
Goodwin's racing career progressed from the roadsters, in which he set three
world speed records for a 1/4-mile dirt track, to sprint cars, midgets, super
modifieds, super stocks, stock cars --- pretty much anything that went in a circle. It
was obvious early on Goodwin was going to be a force to be reckoned with in
anything he drove, especially if it was on a dirt track.
"I used to do some things, and believe me, I was the dirt king in Michigan, Ohio,
Indiana and all those places," he said. "If it was a dirt track, it was mine. That
doesn't mean that I won every time, but I sure could put on a show."
Bob Moffitt used to do most of the chassis work on Goodwin's race cars. To this
day, he and Goodwin are great friends and still talk about the show Goodwin put
on many years ago.
"I don't think he ever drove a straight line in the dirt," Moffitt said. "He was . . . just a
real terror and a sight to behold."
While Goodwin may not have won all the time, one year he came pretty close. At a
track in Flint, Mich., he won 23 out of 28 main events. By the time that season
ended, most in the crowd were rooting against him.
"The people came sometimes just to see if I'd get beat," Goodwin said. "Then I
would win a race and never touch anybody, but I'd still get booed because who
likes a winner all the time?"
Like most racers of that era, one of Goodwin's main goals was to get to
Indianapolis to compete in the Indy 500. In May 1953, Goodwin was about to go to
Indy to take the rookie test when he was severely injured in an accident at Jackson
Motor Speedway in Michigan.
"He was definitely on his way," Moffitt said of Goodwin's chances of competing and
doing well at Indy.
Even though he didn't get to race at Indy, Goodwin still got to race against some of
the biggest names of NASCAR's early days on the old Daytona Beach race course
and later a couple times on Daytona's superspeedway. He got to lead several laps
in the second running of the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., and also competed
in the Mexican Road Race, which was run in segments that ran the entire length of
Mexico.
Goodwin dedicated the Eddie Sachs award to everyone who helped him during his
career.
"I won many championships, but I couldn't have achieved this without the help of
many beautiful sponsors and owners and the hard work of the mechanics
dedicated to racing," Goodwin said in his acceptance speech. "And also the fans
--- they were what made it so special."
PHOTO/PHOTO PROVIDED
Jack Goodwin had a 27-year racing career, and in one year he took the checkered
flag in 23 of 28 races at a track in Flint, Mich. SCOTT LOCKWOOD/Special to The
Herald
Jack Goodwin was recently honored by the Michigan Automobile Racing Fan Club
with the Eddie Sachs Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award.
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