John Paul Jr.

[SteveFried]

John Paul Jr. just passed away rip & Gods Speed. I was fortunate to have worked with him and have him share his many wild and REAL stories. He was a down to earth good guy that was FAST! I remember him selling his 911 turbo street car which we transported in our hauler to Florida along with our teams race car. It was beautiful from the top, when we got it up on the upper deck and I saw the bottom of the car I couldn’t believe what I saw, the underpan looked like it was mercilessly beat with a SLEDGE HAMMER, it must have spent almost as much time in the air as on the road!
Out of the drivers seat he was soft spoken with no ego, I was so sorry to hear this news.

https://www.autosport.com/imsa/news/154394/obituary-john-paul-jr-EUR-1960202

Here’s another great article!
https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/20...scar-indy-500/

[Bardahl77]

I'm sorry to hear that. I remember how fast he was in a Lola T-600.

[Michael Rand]

John has been vilified for his part in his fathers adventures .
I offer, who among us, at age 17 or 18, when your father says do this work and you can go racing would have passed ?

I am not at all sure, given the time frame and certainly the current multi-state acceptance of marijuana in many forms, medical or edibles or whatever, that I would have not jumped into an FF or an S2 or assorted Porsches rockets, and have the opportunity to win such races as Daytona 24 or Sebring 12 among so many other classic races would have walked away ?
Remember, he was 17 or 18 with an overbearing dictatorial hair trigger temper father.....

I had become close with John over many years and never saw anything but a fine man who would drive the absolute snot out of whatever he was sitting in.
Like a few of his contemporaries like Kris Kneifel how John wedged himself in Indy and Champ cars is difficult to imagine.

Often called a Gentle Giant, John was indeed a big guy whose later in life bulk caused much aggravation as his inherited Huntingtons Disease progressed.

My favorite Indy 500 viewing of all time was in the early 1990's, I think 1993, I was GM of Lime Rock Park. This was one of the years when IMSA was going through one of it's not uncommon reinventions in that era and John was down to drive Kevin Jeanettes open top Porsche 962. The great Kevin Doran was crew chief and Kevin and John spent the 500 at our house in Lakeville near LRP.

If you ever get the opportunity to watch a major race with two guys who have been there and done that, what a treat. Their insights into the nuances of the drivers and also the crews performances were, to say the very least, fascinating.
The intrepid photographer Sidell Tilghman was also in attendance. Much beer was consumed.

John had run the 500 three or four times already, as recently as 1992. Then again the very next year , 1994.

Listening to these expert and experienced racers made me realize, as racer spectators on TV or even in person, we are only skimming the barest facts.

I will miss John Paul for any number of reasons but most of all for his raging humanity and his astounding right foot.

Mike Rand

[E1pix]

Thank You very much, Mike. I didn’t know him that well but all attempts were met graciously.

I think the first I knew of him was the Runoffs in 1979 — or maybe ‘80. I believe he was on Pole for the first S2000 championship in the States, and ran away like it was nothing. Again, a while back but think he cooked a motor while well ahead. From there he did the same regardless of series or challenge. Fast as hell, and in anything

This is just sad. He wasn’t “innocent” in judicial eyes, just following his dad’s lead as you said — but was regardless. Meanwhile, the old man is enjoying pasta somewhere in Europe, disguised and on the run. Vile.


RIP, John Paul, Jr., this just isn’t right. :-(

[veeten]

Mike

Thanks for the great words about JPJ. I knew him in the IMSA days and saw His dad drag him out of the GTP after he went off at the down hill I thought it was out of his concern of his well being but no. He was screaming and kicking him about wrecking the car!

John survived his Dad and prison.

After his release I saw him in Pit lane at the Meadowlands Indy and he greeted me with a warm hug and handshake. I will always remember that.

Later at Lime Rock around 2003 we worked together at the AMG school where John was to Drift a AMG 55 with passengers. After a few rounds he ask me to take over. Told the boss that I gave a better ride. John confided in me that he had lost feeling in his right foot For many years we partnered up on Jobs. He taught me any skill needed to give him a break.

Thank You JPJ

[SteveFried]

I heard from someone else about one of his street driving exploits. He was arrested in one of the rural cities outside Indy for doing way over a hundred on a curvy two lane road. He went in front of the judge who read his crime and JohnPaul didn’t have much to say, then the judge asks him if he was the one who won the Michigan 500 IndyCar race. He just says yes and the judge says come back to his chambers. It turns out he was a big race fan and asks for some autographs and let’s him off. With all his accomplishments I’d have to ask him about them as he’d never bring them up boasting himself. A true class act!

[Bardahl77]

. Meanwhile, the old man is enjoying pasta somewhere in Europe, disguised and on the run. Vile.

I prefer to believe the old man is the cornerstone of an office building somewhere in Managua

[DaveW]

I didn't know him well, but we got to know each other a bit when we were both (along with other successful FF drivers) invited to a week-long "international" Formula Ford race meet in Venezuela in the mid '80's. As everyone knows, he could drive the wheels off anything. We, as a group, nicknamed him "mad-dog" for his fast, sideways, aggressive driving style. In person, he was one of the nicest, quietest, most sincere, and likeable racecar drivers I've ever met. Sherrie and I instantly liked him very much, and rooted for him any time he was racing.

We are both very sorry to hear of his passing, and wish we had had the opportunity to get to know him better.

RIP, John.

[John LaRue]

Such sad news. JP went to Delta High School with me here in Muncie, Indiana; he was a few years older, but we were in a couple of classes together. Although we both shared a love for racing, we weren't close friends until I had the opportunity to put together and act as principal for Team Pelfrey in the spring of 1998; our objective was to run the Indy 500. We initially had Danny Ongais driving the car, but a broken lower a-arm caused him to crash early in the week and miss the race due to a concussion. JP was out of a ride at PDM and, given our familiarity with each other, he was the obvious replacement.

It took the balance of the week to get the tub repaired and to replace the engine which had a broken block from the crash. Despite a bad news bears crew (this is a neat story within itself) JP jumped in the car for Friday evenings "Happy Hour" and immediately laid down a serious lap. Two or three laps into the run the engine seized. I borrowed an engine from Fred Treadway who was running Arie that year to get us through qualifying. Fred wouldn't take money for it because it was at maximum mileage; he just said if you return it and it is still running don't worry about it. We installed the engine overnight and, without sleep, rolled the car out for pre-qualifying practice on Saturday morning. John again laid down a good lap and parked the car on pit lane. He was the first car in the field that morning, qualifying on the tires he had practiced with, sitting next to eventual winner Eddie Cheever on the grid.

We installed a new Roush Aurora engine for Carb day, but when they changed the clutch over for the race they failed to put in the different slave set up. When John pushed in the clutch to head out onto the track it blew the piston out. Back to the garage, split the car, install the right slave set up, reassemble the car, bleed everything and back to pit lane before Carb day practice is over. NONE of the crew had ever serviced a live Indy car, but we knocked off 5 or 6 stops scrubbing tires without any problems. John never missed a beat.

On race day JP led somewhere near 40 laps after a trip through the grass on the inside of T3 to avoid a crash. He had a genuine shot at the win until he lost a clutch on the final stop and we had to push start the car. He pulled out a 7th place finish and went on to win at Texas later that year driving for Jonathan Byrd. Byrd offered him a ride for the season the day after the race. JP called me asking what he should do. At the time we weren't sure if we would race beyond Texas so I told him to take the deal; we could find someone else. He was genuinely concerned about leaving the team in a spot by taking the full time ride.

The week after he won Texas he was at IRP helping me with my Citation FF. I can assure you we wouldn't have changed the clutch in the Citation before Carb Day was over!

JP was a kind, thoughtful and genuine individual. I met his sister who was afflicted with the disease when she came to my office to prepare an estate plan; I didn't realize who it was until she gave me the names of her siblings; this is a nasty ass disease. John's brother Michael also became one of our friends; he fortunately is not a carrier to my knowledge.

This is a photo that JP gave to my late brother-in-law Mike who was the only guy that cold go anywhere at IMS without a badge! He must have looked like someone!

God Speed my friend!


.

[Phil Creighton]

i ran Junior in 1980 in FF and S2000 at JLP and one of the trophies I still have and treasure is the 1980 SeDiv FF Championship - just a cheap trophy but represented a wild ride all round. Was Crew chief/engineer for his first 935 win at Lime Rock 1980 in IMSA. Probably one of the best raw talents I have ever been involved with in racing.- I went back as a fly in on a number of racesright up to the end of JLP when the old man did a runner. Junior called me a couple of months ago to chat (really difficult to understand) and his mind was still sharp - we rehashed Senior stories, I know he talked to a friend of mine on the 26th before his body finally gave in.

Huntingdons is an awful way to go, I watched his mum go that way and his sister Tonya died of it as well. Junior survived longer than anyone I understand due to the incredible research and treatment he got in California. Probably a good cause to support if one felt inclined.
Phil

[E1pix]

https://connect.uclahealth.org/2010/...-john-paul-jr/

[veeten]

Glad the above video included Darlene Gray. She was always at his side. Much more than a care giver. Darlene and my wife work lots of Mfg. driving schools side by side with JPJ. She signed on for the long haul and stuck by him till the end. A real hero.

[Steve Demeter]

I had the privilege of meeting John in 180 when we were both at a drag racers shop near Mid Ohio in 1980 getting busted parts welded. And again at Indy in 1983. He had not changed one bit despite the success he had in the years in between. Just one heck of a nice guy and great driver.

[John LaRue]

https://racer.com/2021/01/04/miller-...n-wheel-great/

[Robin Oldfield]

I worked for Visionaire and we were a primary sponsor for Jonathan Byrd's IRL effort in 1998. I fondly remember John as a humble guy with a strong Christian faith.


John Paul Jr. and the Byrd-Cunningham team celebrate following their victory in the 1998 Lone Star 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (Texas Motor Speedway)

[Phil Creighton]

Sediv FF - Hard to believe it was over 40 years ago.
Johnny with off the shelf suit and patches - Stimola engines, Van Diemen, Bosch and Goodyear.

[lil_fatboy]

Don’t know why they removed my post. Oh well

[dc]

Don’t know why they removed my post. Oh well

Posts do not get removed from the forums. Nothing was deleted.

[lil_fatboy]

Then where is it. Phil Creighton was replying to my post which is now gone. Someone deleted it.

[lil_fatboy]

RIP