Bill Lutz

by Stan Kalwasinski

            Chicago, Ill.—One of the Chicago area’s stock car racing greats, Bill Lutz, 81, passed away on Tuesday, November 30., 2010.  Lutz, a native of Louisville, Ky., was the late model stock car champion at the old O’Hare Stadium in Schiller Park in 1959 and again in 1964 and was always among the frontrunners at the banked quarter-mile paved oval that once sat in the shadows of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. 

            Lutz, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, began his racing career in and around the Louisville area.  In 1952, he was among the top drivers in the stock car action at the Jeffersonville Sportsdrome in southern Indiana, pretty much right across the Ohio River from Louisville.  He raced against the likes of Andy Hampton, Milt Hartlauf, Tommy Thompson, Justin King and future “Indy 500” racer Pat O’Connor.

            In 1954, Lutz raced full time on the Society of Autosport, Fellowship and Education (SAFE) Circuit of Champions “showroom stock” late model tour, visiting tracks throughout the Midwest and eastern states.  A victory late in the season at Tampa, Fla. and a number of top finishes in his 1953 Hudson Hornet, including those at Chicago’s Soldier Field and Raceway Park, helped Lutz finish in a tie for eighth place in the final SAFE point standings.  A fresh 1955 Ford “V8” No. 3 was Lutz’s ride for the 1955 season, which featured all convertible automobiles for SAFE’s Circuit of Champions “All Stars” tour.  Having time off from the SAFE schedule, Lutz ventured over to the Andy Granatelli-promoted 87th Street Speedway in Chicago in August of 1955 and won the track’s 100-lap season finale.

            When SAFE merged with NASCAR, Lutz was among the drivers who competed on the new NASCAR convertible circuit in 1956.  Driving for Louisville service station proprietor and stock car owner Gene Sauer most of the time, Lutz competed in 30 of NASCAR’s 47 convertible events.  A couple of third place finishes, including one at Soldier Field in his ’56 Ford, highlighted the season.  Lutz made only six starts on the NASCAR convertible tour in 1957, five of those behind the wheel of the Petty Enterprises Oldsmobile No. 88.  A seventh place finish at Manassas, Va. was the best Lutz could do.   

            During his career, Lutz only appeared in four NASCAR Grand National events.  He competed on the Daytona Beach, Fla. road and beach course in February of 1957.  Driving his Petty Enterprises 1957 Oldsmobile No. 43, a teammate to NASCAR champion Lee Petty, Lutz started 27th in the field and came home in sixth place – not bad for a newcomer to beach racing.  He made a start in the Daytona 500 in 1960, driving the Bob Chapman 1960 Ford No. 44, but fell out of the race early and finished 53rd.

            1958 saw Lutz busy commuting between Louisville and Chicago in order for him to race late model stock cars at O’Hare Stadium and at Soldier Field.  Lutz would finish second in the final O’Hare point standings behind champion Fred Lorenzen.  Lutz and his Chapman Automotive/Rupert Safety Belts-sponsored ’56 Chevy would be crowned the overall “Chicago City Champion” after a special three-race, three-track series that pitted drivers from O’Hare, Soldier Field and Raceway Park.  Lorenzen won the events held at O’Hare and Soldier Field and it looked like Lutz would win the finale at Raceway Park only to see Lutz “pop” a right rear tire on the final lap of the 100 lapper with Bill Van Allen grabbing the win.  With Lutz scoring three second-place finishes, the final Chicago City Series point standings were Lutz, Lorenzen, Gene Marmor, Bob Schultz and Kenny Boyer, followed by Whitey Gerken, Bob Williams, Van Allen and Ted Hane.

            The following year (1959) Lutz teamed with mechanic Jack Sullivan and won the late model driving crown at O’Hare, winning 14 feature races and a total of 35 races in his Tom’s Standard Service-sponsored 1957 Chevy.  He was also crowned the overall champion of the Short Track Auto Racers (STAR) circuit, which sanctioned additional events at Midwest speedways.

            Lutz began to make “spotty” appearances on the United States Auto Club (USAC) stock car circuit.  He finished second to reigning USAC titlist Lorenzen on the dirt at Langhorne, Pa. on April 19, 1959.  Lutz’s Skinner Brothers 1958 Pontiac was chasing Lorenzen’s ’58 Ford when the race was called because of rain at 97 of the scheduled 150 laps.  Lutz turned in an impressive performance at the “Milwaukee Mile” on August 16, 1964, finishing third in his Mike Terrafino-owned ’64 Ford in the 150-mile USAC contest behind winner Parnelli Jones and Lloyd Ruby.

            In the 1950’s, Lutz made a number of starts on the Midwest Association for Race Cars (MARC) stock car circuit.  Lutz scored two MARC victories during his career, including a win at Canfield, Ohio on July 30, 1955 and at Flat Rock, Mich. on October 5, 1958.

            From 1962 through 1965, Lutz finished first, second or third at O’Hare in the final points rundown.  He was second in the points in 1962.  The highlight of the season was his winning O’Hare’s American 500 in Terrafino’s ’61 Chevy.  Lutz came home third in the points in 1963, scoring four feature wins in his Grand Car Wash-sponsored blue ’62 Chevy convertible No. 1. 

            Calling Melrose Park home, Lutz garnered track championship honors again at O’Hare in 1964.  He posted 10 feature wins behind the wheel of a ’63 Grand Car Wash Chevy convertible.  One of the victories was another O’Hare American 500 score.  1965 saw Lutz finish second in the points at O’Hare, posting six feature wins.  1966 was pretty much Lutz’s last year of racing with him posting wins at Soldier Field and at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind. in his familiar blue  No. 1, a ’64 Chevy “hardtop.”  In October, Lutz finished second to race winner “Moose” Myers in Illiana’s 100-lap Tony Bettenhausen Memorial, driving Whitey Gerken’s Chevelle convertible No. 54, which he piloted to victory in the four-lap trophy dash earlier in the day.

            Lutz is survived by his wife Jean, who was a former O’Hare Stadium trophy queen, and his children, William, Jr. (Gaye) Lutz, Michael Lutz, Mark (Zhijian) Lutz, Michele Olszewski and grandchildren Lisa (Michael) McConnell, Kyle Olszewski and Ryan Olsaewski, and great grandchildren Austin and Christian McConnell.  Inurnment was at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill.

            Bill Lutz – one of Chicagoland auto racing’s greats!