Jack Hart/Walt Lyons

“Walt Lyons’ Racing Accomplishments with Drivers Jackie Hart and Vince Conrad and Car Owners Joe and John Duffy” 

        by Bill Skinner, Mullica Hill, NJ 08062

   Driver Jackie Hart and Car Owner Walt Lyons, both of Boothwyn, Pa, began their joint venture into stock car racing in 1953 at such places as the Philadelphia Municipal Stadium and Alcyon Speedway in Pitman, NJ. After racing for two years independently, they joined NASCAR in 1955. Concentrating on Wall Stadium (Belmar, NJ), New Egypt Speedway, and Alcyon Speedway, Hart drove their red and black #580 (a 1937 Ford) to the New Jersey State Championship. En-route to the title, Jackie posted 5 wins, 17 seconds, and 19 third place finishes (as noted in Walter T. Chernokal’s article in the 11/26/80 issue of Area Auto Racing News which was published a couple days after Hart’s passing at the age of 56).

   In 1955, Jackie Hart collected 1156 NASCAR Sportsman points at Wall where he finished second in that speedway’s seasonal point chase. He collected 748 points at New Egypt where he also finished second in Sportsman points for the season, and he finished third in Sportsman points at Alcyon with 938. These tallies added up to Jackie’s total of 2842 NASCAR National Sportsman Points for that year.

   In 1956 Hart and Lyons decided to go after the NASCAR National Sportsman title. They gave it a gallant effort and won their second consecutive New Jersey State Sportsman title plus the Old Bridge, NJ and Wall Stadium track titles. Competing against the best in the business, Hart pulled a major upset by finishing third nationally behind Ralph Earnhardt and Ned Jarrett. Jackie garnered 1284 points at Wall, 958 points at Old Bridge, and 752 points at Alcyon where he finished second in Sportsman points at that track. These 2994 points plus another 40 points he picked up at another New Jersey track accounted for Jackie’s 3034 NASCAR Sportsman points collected in New Jersey during the 1956 season.

   The year 1957 was the last of the Hart and Lyons joint venture to win the NASCAR National Sportsman crown. Locally, a second place at Alcyon (842 points) and a third at Wall (584 points) were the high spots. Old Bridge brought a disappointing 18th place finish with just 90 points. These 1516 points placed Jackie Hart fifth in the state of New Jersey for the 1957 season. Jackie also earned 396 points for his third place finish at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia and 444 elsewhere for a total of 2142 which was good enough for an 8th place finish nationally.

   Prior to the 1958 racing season, Jackie Hart decided to go full-time racing in order to again pursue the NASCAR National Sportsman title. He bought Walt Lyons’ interest in their racing team and began the season in his famous blue #1 sportsman coupes. When the final 1958 national sportsman points were announced in Daytona Beach, only Ned Jarrett had accumulated more than Jackie’s 4162 points. Hart finished 4th in Sportsman points in the state of New Jersey where he finished 2nd at New Egypt with 330 points, 4th at Alcyon with 920, 5th at Wall (262 points), and 7th at Old Bridge with 332 points for a total of 1844. He also finished 2nd in points at Mason Dixon with 182 points, 3rd in points at Delmar with 526, and 16th at Harrington with 38. Plus he had another 1572 points for that year including his 25th place finish in the Daytona Sportsman-Modified Race on 2/21/58.

   In 1958, Walt Lyons teamed up with brothers Joe and John Duffy of Marcus Hook, Pa., and, with Vince Conrad driving their potent #57 Sportsman, they won the 1958 New Jersey Sportsman title and finished 4th in the nation behind only Ned Jarrett, Jackie Hart, and Ralph Earnhardt with 3696 points. In accumulating his 2438 points in New Jersey, Vince finished 3rd at Alcyon with 934 points, 3rd at New Egypt with 326, 4th at Flemington with 572, and 5th at Old Bridge with 474. He also earned 82 points at Mason Dixon and 74 points at Delmar.

   In 1959, the team of Vince Conrad, Joe and John Duffy, and Walt Lyons finished 2nd in NASCAR National Sportsman Points while winning the New Jersey State title again. Vince finished 1st at  Flemington with 954 points, 2nd at Alcyon with 740, 4th in Atco’s very brief foray into NASCAR racing with 42, 9th at Richmond’s Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds with 80, 9th at the Polo Grounds with 78, 11th at Georgetown with 168, 13th at Islip, NY with 292 points, and 15th at Richmond’s Southside Speedway with 88.

  Vince won the NASCAR New Jersey State Sportsman title again in 1960, and he finished 5th in NASCAR National Sportsman Points in 1960 and 4th in 1961 driving the maroon and white #9 racer out of the Lee Koger stable.