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It was a sad day for me as I awoke to the news of Jack Flannery's passing yesterday. He was only 57 years old. A true pioneer in the sport of off road racing. If it wasn't for him and Walker Evans battling it out on the short courses of the Midwest, I doubt there would even be off road racing in the Midwest.

Most of you probably don't know him but he Is the reason I now race off road trucks. Seeing him and a pack of 20 other trucks barreling into turn one at Crandon did something to me as a kid. From a very young age this is all I wanted to do! Jack was a man that started with nothing and worked his way to the top. Here is a copy/paste of his obituary in this morning's news paper:

Jack Flannery, 57, passed away April 6, after a courageous battle with cancer. Born the third child to Melvin and the late Dorothy (Spencer) Flannery, Jack's childhood as one of eight was filled with love, laughter, and never a dull moment. Living life to the fullest, nothing seemed out of reach for him. Jack's fearless spirit and need for adventure took him from coast to coast. His love for the outdoors led him from the timber filled lands of Wisconsin, to the highest mountains in Colorado, to the glacier filled waters of Alaska, to the most beautiful lakes in Montana. His natural ability to make lifelong friends wherever he "hung his hat" was one of his best attributes.

Growing up in "Riggsville," some of Jack's fondest memories were made with his brothers and sisters and neighborhood friends. Whether sliding down the "big hill" or playing air guitar with the Hoenig, Stamper and Brooks clan — laughter was always sure to fill the air. As years passed, his need for speed landed him in the drivers seat of a bright yellow Superbird co-piloted by best friend, Bob Houle. Cruising "main drag" he spotted the love of his life and decided to trade the "bird" for a family car when he married Connie Fraley Flannery on July 17, of 1971. Their union together brought two adventurous boys, Jed James and Jamey John. From humble beginnings they formed a family business and a racing legacy that forever surpassed expectations, as well as formed an unbreakable family bond.Securing a factory funded race program was his lifelong dream made possible with the help of the Parson's family, his lifelong friends. This partnership between the GM Race shop, his dedicated race team, parents, Melvin and Dorothy (as well as many others) lead to a three decade career and a multitude of wins, series titles and championships. Jack's unanimous induction into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in August of 2009 was his final curtain call.

Returning to his roots, Jack spent his final days living with his sister, Carol and brother-in-law Randy, surrounded by "nurses" Cheri and Peggy and brothers, Cliff and Mel. He loved visits, stories, and phone calls from his sons, Connie, nieces, nephews, friends and father, Melvin. Jack's final wish was granted when he became a grandfather for the first time in February to a precious baby boy, Jackson.

Jack is survived by his sons, Jed and Jamey; grandson, Jackson Paul Flannery; former wife, Connie Fraley Flannery; father, Melvin; brothers, Clifford (Kathy), Melvin Jr. (Kathy); sisters, Peggy (Russ) Packard, Carol (Randy) Rychlock, Cheri (Mark) Fraley; 12 nieces and nephews, eight great-nieces and nephews and beloved dog, Chevy. He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy; sister, Mary; brother, Timothy; and brother-in-law, Richard Anderson.

Visitation will be held on Friday, April 9, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Praise Chapel Community Church, Crandon. Funeral Service will follow at 4 p.m. with Pastor Bill Farr officiating. Interment will be in the Crandon Lakeside Cemetery. A dinner and fellowship at the Crandon Community Building will follow the services. Weber-Hill Funeral Home, Crandon is assisting the family with the arrangements. Online condolences at www.weberhillfuneralhome.com.




Thanks for the many memories Jack, you will be sadly missed by the entire racing community. RIP buddy!

Wow, I hadn't heard. Jumpin' Jack will be missed!

For sure!

I gotta quote what his son Jamie said at a big race last year, These might not be his exact words so I guess its not really a quote

He said along the line of: In the the old days when my dad raced it was the drivers with the most talent that won races, now it seems to be the drivers with the most money and very little talent winning races.

I will never forget that! How true it is!

I remember watching these trucks on T.V. racing in stadiums (stadium trucks!) and a portion of one track sticks out in my mind. They would go through a narrow tunnel that would immediately have a long 45° drop off at the other end. I just thought that was the coolest thing seeing them blasting through it.

Guess what color this truck (my truck) will be next year?


I'll give ya a hint,


I can't begin to tell you what a sad day it has been for me and the whole local offroad brother hood.

We will never forget you Jack RIP!

Lowgear wrote:I remember watching these trucks on T.V. racing in stadiums (stadium trucks!) and a portion of one track sticks out in my mind. They would go through a narrow tunnel that would immediately have a long 45° drop off at the other end. I just thought that was the coolest thing seeing them blasting through it.

Are you talking about the Mickey Thompson races when they would race at Anaheim Stadium? It was my most favorite event in the entire series.

Holy crap thats it!! I haven't seen an image of it in what I'm guessing is 13-16 years? I remember watching it in my friends basement by myself when he would have sleepovers. I'm glad I brought it up as I've had no idea what to even search for.

Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot on the Internet about it. I did find this though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqtIL98li_Q&playnext_from=TL&videos=_1vgIrpB-6U

That's the Los Angeles Coliseum the Toyota is jumping into

Yep! That's right now that you mention it.

I'm sorry to hear of Jack's passing. I was just looking at one of the "Brush Run 101" posters the other day and thought of Jack.

Dirtdiver wrote:I'm sorry to hear of Jack's passing. I was just looking at one of the "Brush Run 101" posters the other day and thought of Jack.

I would LOVE to see that poster! Can you scan it or take a pic or something?
How old is it?

RIP JACK
I remember a terrible crash at the LAC quite a long time ago,at the pilons.
did ya see the COOR race where ,can't remember his name but he drilled another driver then ran the truck over landing on top of it gas to the floor. they shoulda flagged HIM Johnny

The poster is of the 1992 Crandon Track advertising the "Brush Run 101" with the dates. It is a birds eye view of part of the track (section closest to the deck/bar). I think there are also a couple of photo inserts showing a truck in the air, maybe a buggy and a street stock.

I didn't find the poster Jack autographed for me but I did find a poster of another 4wd truck (White GMC with a bearded driver from Appleton, WI??). Everything is stashed away at my parents house in NY. I even have photos of the event but the store that developed them screwed up and the colors were off (sky was slightly purple). I've got a couple pics of Jack's truck, Walker Evan's Dodge (Barbary Coast Truck), Rodger Mear's Nissan and a couple of the street stock class. I should probably get new pics developed from the negatives.

I'm headed back to the parents house in a couple of weeks. I'll see if I have any extras (PM me). I was going to give Jerry Bundy a poster as he lives near me and was an original Baja driver (when the Baja was a real man's race). Jerry was a low dollar racer from the East Coast who always drove a Jeep Pickup truck. I saw Jerry race at Unadilla a couple of years ago. He was still going strong at 67 yrs old.