DO NOT PRINT, POST OR PUBLISH IMAGES APPEARING IN THE VAULT WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM PHOTOGRAPHER/PHOTOGRAPHER'S FAMILY OR PROVIDER
Photo ID # H01.02.10_024_013_FLM_0070_1
Car #: #24 & 13
Driver (s) : Whip Mulligan and Joe Kelly
Location: Flemington, NJ
Date: 1970
Photographer: Dave Innes
Photo provided by: Jim Hill
Comments: Comment from Jim:  Photo purchased @ Flemington Speedway '70 or 71?  -  Dave Innes Photos

A great photo of Joe Kelly, one of the best drivers anywhere, anytime. Also, one of the nicest guys. Most Saturday nights after the races, my mom, step-father with 8 year-old me in tow would stop by his car. Regardless of the night he had, he'd take the time to talk with my folks until the lights went dark while I got to climb in the car on the trailer and pretend I was chasing down Ploski, Beavers & Havens.

Jim Hill
Visitor's Comments To add your comments about THIS PHOTO
 Click Here
Date: Visitor's  Name:

Comment:

01.03.11 3Wide Thanks for providing this photo Jim.  It's a great shot of Joe wheelin' the #13, and your comment provided with the photo brings it all back to all of us.
01.03.11 George Gwynn You're right Jim. Joe was a very, very talented racer who, in my humble opinion,
should be considered as one of the all time great race drivers.

Remember that Joe not only had a sterling career at Flemington, Windsor, Reading and Middletown, but was also a standout asphalt racer who won many, many races on the hardtop back in the day. Only the truly great race drivers had the ability to run the dirt and blacktop and win on both with regularity. If memory serves me correctly, Kelly was not one to tear up equipment....he was very smooth and sneaky fast. It's very unfortunate that
his career was cut so very short in a very dramatic way.

George Gwynn
Frederick, MD
01.03.11 Thomas Oliver Great picture Jim, thanks for posting it here!
01.03.11 Jack Kromer Thanks for posting- I always like seeing Whip Mulligan pics. Joe Kelly was quite a racer. I remember one of my mom's hair customers (way back) telling us about a race car driver that she used help when she volunteered in a nursing home, named David Haupt. She never went to the races and I told her I never heard of Haupt. I thought (as a kid) she didn't know what she was talking about. Turns out she knew more than me. She then described the accident and told me it happened at Flemington. I told her about Joe Kelly's crash and she said" that's the name he raced under I guess", but she couldn't remember it 'cause she only knew him as David Haupt.
01.07.11 Glenn Grafton Great picture of two talented drivers. Brings back a lot of memories of Flemington when it was the place to be on Saturday nights. Note the full bleachers probably between the first and second turns.
01.10.11 George P You see Dave in the dirt part of his time as a driver. If you knew him back when he drove for Don House and Al Gerhaum then you know the REST OF THE STORY.

He was the person to beat at Old Bridge Period in the XL-1. They owned that place back in the day. Then in the Dick Barney #14 at Wall. Remember that Dave started as a AAA Sprint car driver and took the name Joe Kelly because back in the day you could not run with another group when yours was running.

So when he first got with Don House who lived in "KELLY STREET" you have the name that was also tagged as GENTLEMEN JOE KELLY since he NEVER punted anybody to get a win.

Talking with him many times the respect he had for open wheels and the sprint car carried over to the Stock Cars where you just did not beat on people or someone got hurt. He grew up the way I did with the rules engraved in your brain that you were RESPONSIBLE for the person on your outside and should give him room to race and not take him up to the fence to keep him from passing. If that rule he lived by was used that night at Flemington then that wreck would have never happened.

RIP Dave "Joe Kelly" Haupt

Take Care
LRP Motorsports LLC
George P
Z-8 Modified
04.09.11 3Wide I have heard different explanations for the cause of the accident.  One is that there was a failure on the right rear wheel which caused the car to dig in and began flipping.  That account is from someone who was in the same race. 

In addition to the above "explanation", I've also heard that Joe was trying to overtake another competitor coming out of turn 4 and to avoid hitting the other car, the #13 made contact with the wooden fence which is what caused the car to flip, which has been described by those who were there as a racing accident. 

The one thing I do know is that nobody had a better reputation for being a clean driver than Dave "Joe Kelly" Haupt.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Back