Nick Trgovich

by Stan Kalwasinski

Nick Trgovich raced stock cars on area dirt tracks for a number of years in the early 1950’s, winning his fair share of races along the way.

During Trgovich’s race driving career, the cars for the most part were 1939-40 Fords with little safety equipment as the sped around tracks like Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, the 87th Street Speedway in Chicago and the old Savage Speedway in Gary, Ind., which was located near Clark Road not far from today’s Gary/Chicago International Airport.

Trgovich had success at the Savage track, a quarter-mile dirt oval with large telephone poles laid down to act as protective walls between race cars and race fans. Trgovich won the Labor Day Special at the track in 1950 and, a year later, won the Season Championship race in his Warren Bracken Motors-sponsored 1940 Ford. He also scored wins in 1950 at Illiana when the track was known as the Schererville Speedway.

Trgovich was among the front-runners at Illiana in 1952 and was featured in the speedway’s souvenir program the following year being named one of the track’s“Big Seven.” He also wheeled his Ford No. 11 to a feature win on the dirt surface at 87th Street Speedway in 1952.

“It (the car) didn’t have too much safety equipment, although I had what could be considered an early version of a roll cage,” reminisced Trgovich years later. “I had an aluminum seat out of an airplane and a lap (safety) belt. I worked at Knoerzer Cadillac (in Hammond ) and spent most of my time and money on my race car. I didn’t have too much time to run around. It was just work at Knoerzer and work on my race car.”

Trgovich raced into mid 1950’s with his friend Marion Lowry sometimes handling the driving chores. Trgovich quit racing to pursue his business interests and to raise a family. Some 50 years later, Trgovich was back in racing at Illiana as a car owner.

Purchasing a used late model car, Trgovich entered the limited late model ranks at Illiana in 2004 with Dyer’s Jack Kalwasinski as his driver. The Trgovich Racing black No. 11 Ford with Kalwasinski behind the wheel won the Schepel Performance Limited Late Model championship at Illiana in 2006. The team scored seven feature races at the paved half-mile raceway during the season.

During his late model car owner days, Trgovich was very active as far as working on the car went, even pulling the transmission out several times to figure out a clutch problem or two. Slowed down in recent years by age and failing health, he let the “younger guys” handle the work, but still kept an eye on things.

A resident of Highland Ind., Trgovich, a native of East Chicago and a U.S. Army veteran, passed away on January 12, 2010 at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia, and children, Robert, Lisa and Nicky, in addition to grandchildren and great grandchildren.

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Nick Trgovich poses next to his car before action begins at Chicago's 87th Street Speedway in 1953.
(Stan Kalwasinski Photo Collection)