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Jerry Stone started his racing life as a champion go-cart racer; then, after graduating from high school in 1967, he and his father Melvin, bought their first supermodified.
Stone quickly progressed through the ranks winning a big supermodified race at the Belleville (Kansas) High Banks in 1970, driving for George Hibbs. In 1974, he won the Five-State Fair at Liberal, Kansas, driving for Jerry Wilson. Next, Stone won his first sprint car race that year at Belleville in Pius Selenke's car. Stone nailed his first NCRA win at the 1976 Hutchinson Nationals, driving for Shot Hampton. Jerry and Jelly Wilhelm combined forces and won a big USAC midget race at the Seattle Kingdome with a Wilson V4-powered car. Driving Wilhelm's supermodified, they won five features at Tulsa Speedway and nailed NCRA victories two years in a row at Wichita in 1977-'78. One of the biggest highlights of the season was winning the second annual Chet Wilson Memorial at 81 Speedway.
In 1980, Stone was named to Lloyd K. Stephens' OFIXCO team and they jelled immediately, winning the 1980 NCRA title. After ceding the title to Herb Copeland in 1981, Stone scored three straight in 1982-'83-'84. Following the 1984 season, Stone headed east to run the tough Central Pennsylvania sprint car circuit. He spent four years racing with the Pennsylvania Posse, and then returned to win his fifth NCRA title in 1991. |