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| Photo ID # | K02.16.14_024_PLO_FLM_0971_1 |
| Car #: | #24 |
| Driver (s) : | Stan Ploski |
| Location: | Flemington Fair Speedway |
| Date: | September 1971 (Fair Week) |
| Photographer: | Fred Voorhees |
| Photo provided by: | Fred Voorhees |
| Comments: |
Comment: A very significant photo... This could be the
first night out for a combination that would close out the 1971 season in a
dominating way... and would continue that domination into 1972 season and
more.... At some point during the 1971 season, Ken Brenn Sr. decided to get involved in modified racing. Whether it was to lay the ground work for the development of his son Kenny Jr's racing career which would begin in April of 1972, or whether it was because his Mrs. Brenn did not want to see Kenny behind the wheel of an open wheel car... or whether it was because Ken Brenn Sr. wanted to win close to his Warren NJ home, Ken Brenn Sr's entry into modified stock car racing is something that we are still talking about 40+ years later. Ken Sr. bought the coupe that you see above from Budd Olsen. It was a car that didn't have a huge resume of success, but Ken felt that it would be a good car, and didn't waste any time putting his expertise into setting it up and getting it on a winning tract. Right out of the gate the car won with Will Cagle at Williams Grove and with Stan Ploski at Flemington. Stan would go on to be the full time driver and would win even more as the '71 season wound down, quickly causing a buzz in the local modified racing community and whose early dominant performance generated headlines like "Ploski-Brenn Unbeatable Team at Flemington (AARN 9/22/71) and Ploski Wins Two Big Features - Closes Nazareth (AARN 11/18/71.) What makes this photo so unique is that the car is in it's rawest form, with little more than a functional red #24 on each door. This shows just how new this "combination" was! It wasn't long before the car received a more professional lettering job to finish out the 1971 season. Stan would finish out the 1971 season in this car and would see this Olsen Coupe become Ken Brenn Jr.s rookie car to begin the 1972 season. Stan would be behind the wheel of a Floyd Trevis built creation (also a yellow #24 Coupe of which 2 were built.) Stan would go on to have a terrific season in 1972 behind the wheel of the Ken Brenn Sr. owned Trevis built coupe and would claim the East Windsor, Flemington and NJ State Modified Championships. Kenny Brenn Jr. would go on to win the Flemington Rookie Championship in the car pictured above..... Years later... even with all the success that Stan would go on to have in the Trevis built car, he would reminisce about the opportunity to drive the very coupe you see pictured above... and about how well this car handled... and about the run that he had for the last few months of the 1971 season driving for Ken Brenn Sr. It was something to see... and those of us that were fortunate to be around short track racing at that time will be forever grateful that we were there to see it! |