Sprint Car USAC HOF Legend Norman ‘Bubby’ Jones Dead At 78

SPEEDWAY, IN. (THECOUNT) — Norman “Bubby“ Jones, a 27-time winner in USAC National competition during his National Sprint Car Hall of Fame career, died Saturday, according to reports. He was 78.

Nicknamed Ol’ Bub, the racing barber who originally who hailed from Danville, Illinois, established himself as an “outlaw” racer around the country, winning from coast-to-coast until notching his first career USAC victory, in a Silver Crown car, in 1976 at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds for car owner Roger Beck, reports USARacing.

Jones concluded the 1976 season with his first career USAC National Midget victory in the prestigious Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif. for car owner Doug Caruthers.

Jones won twice in 1978 in the USAC Sprint division at Eldora and Terre Haute, but 1979 would prove to be his breakout year with the series, winning on 11 occasions in one of the prolific years in the history of the division: four at Terre Haute, thrice at New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway, twice at Eldora and once each at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and at Santa Fe Speedway in Illinois.

A cause of death was not provided as of Sunday.

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Geo quick facts: Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,812 at the 2010 census. Speedway is home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; it is an enclave of Indianapolis – Wikipedia.