Jim Jorgensen

Car Owner, Engine Builder
CLASS OF 2012

The traveling distance between Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana is a little short of 500 miles. The journey took Jim Jorgensen over two decades with a lot of detours, but also while gaining a formidable education along the way.

The early years at Riverside Park saw the dominance of “The Flying Zero” piloted by Gene Bergin or Buddy Krebs. The years between 1958 and 1962 brought 3 Riverside Park Speedway championships for Jim and car owner Dexter Burnham. In the 1960’s, Jim’s interest shifted to sprint cars and the dirt track circuit of the URC Sprint Club. Using veteran drivers like Joe Csiki and Bill Brown, the team earned a victory in their second outing and for the next three seasons were constant front runners. Together they earned a half-dozen feature wins.

By 1967, Jim had his eye on Indy Car racing. A chance meeting with businessman Buzz Harvey following the death of Joe Csiki in a sprint car crash, started a conversation that resulted in the “Bulldog Stables” – a two-car team named after Harvey’s Mack Truck dealership. They competed in races at several tracks across the country, including Trenton (NJ), Phoenix, Milwaukee and Langhorne (PA) before heading to the big tracks. Choosing USAC veteran Bob Harkey and modified & sprint car star Denny Zimmerman they did very well for a new team scoring several Top 10’s. The next year (1969), the team entered the Indy 500. The story of them being bumped into first alternate position is well documented.

One of New England’s top engine builders for well over 40 years, Jorgensen was always most comfortable with a couple of wrenches and a rag in his back pocket. He passed away on June 18, 2015 at the age of 81.