Jan Opperman

Jan Opperman (February 9, 1939 - September 4, 1997), was an American racecar driver. He won the 1971 Knoxville Nationals, the premiere event in sprint car racing.

Born in Long Beach, California, Opperman died in Fountain, Florida, 16 years after suffering critical injuries from a crash during a race in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania. Known primarily as a sprint car driver, he also drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1974 and 1976 seasons. He had 9 champ car starts, including the 1974 and 1976 Indianapolis 500 with 3 top ten finishes.

Early in his career, Opperman was known as a hippie and part of the drug culture. He later became a dynamic Christian, who, until his catastrophic accident, was working toward creating a ranch in western Montana for troubled youth.

Awards

*Opperman was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in the first class in 1990.

Indy 500 results

External links

* [http://www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/JMiller/janopp.html Reflections on Auto Racing's Original Outlaw] , Johnson County Daily Journal, September 13, 1997