Oswego Speedway Legend “Irish Jack” Murphy Passes at 85
Jack Murphy’s career in auto racing actually began when the Liverpool, N.Y. native returned from the service. He teamed up with Fred Sass and built a sportsman stock car to compete at nearby Brewerton and Lafayette N.Y. race tracks in 1949.
Jack was at home in a Modified or Supermodified, on Dirt or Asphalt.
Throughout his racing career Jack’s car was easy to distinguish while in competition as it was green and white, boasting a shamrock and number six on both sides. This unique combination made the “Wild Irishman” one of Central New York’s premier drivers of the day and a racing legend to be remembered.
In August of 1951 a new racetrack opened in Oswego, New York. Murphy ventured there with his ‘Shamrock 6’ and quickly made Oswego Speedway his home. During the 1951 and ’52 racing seasons Jack was the dominant force on the dirt in Oswego and in 1952 he captured the track points title.
During the mid-1950s Murphy aboard his popular ‘Shamrock 6′ was a fixture at Brewerton, Canandaigua, Dryden, Oswego and the Monroe County Fairgrounds. His adaptability to racing on both dirt and asphalt made him one of the finest chauffeurs on the Northeastern Coast.
Jack took the checkered flag first in the annual New York State Fairgrounds’ Labor Day Championship in Syracuse in 1959 and ’70.
Oswego staged the inaugural International Classic in September ’57, offering an unheard of sportsman purse of $5,000 in the 100-lap feature event. Jack outdistanced Nolan Swift to claim the memorable victory.
Jack finished second to Bobby Malzahn in the big 100-mile NASCAR Sportsman/Modified Championship held at the Trenton Int’l Speedway in New Jersey.
Murphy and his famous ‘Shamrock 6’ came out of semi-retirement in 1970 for a ‘last hurrah’ effort. Entering the same car he flipped on the front chute the previous year at Syracuse, he steered his 427 Chevy coupe to a convincing victory in the 30-mile NYS Labor Day Championship; leading all 30 laps to win convincingly ahead of Merv Treichler, Guy Chartrand and Jim Shampine. He also ran the same car on asphalt, placing eighth in the ’70 Langhorne Race Of Champions Finale.
OBITUARY
John J. “Irish Jack” Murphy, 85, of Central Square, passed away on Thursday May 2, 2013 at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Jack was a Navy Veteran. He retired from Local 545 as a heavy equipment operator and master mechanic, and was a member of Pathfinder Rod and Gun Club, past president and official of I S M A, an avid hunter and trap shooter, a race car driver winning the first Oswego International Classic and winning the New York State Labor Day race at the fairgrounds 3 times, and setting the world’s record for fastest time in Trenton, NJ. He was an outstanding father, husband, friend and Papa.
Surviving are his wife Delores, Sons, Edward (Joe-Anna) of Baldwinsville, John (Sharon) Murphy of Cleveland, NY, daughter Lauri Murphy of Hastings, brothers Robert (Chris) Murphy of Liverpool and Patrick (Betty) Murphy of Phoenix, NY, eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10:30 am Monday in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 3494 Rt. 31, Baldwinsville.
Calling hours are 1 to 4 pm Sunday at the Maurer Funeral Home Moyers Corners, 3541 Rt. 31, Baldwinsville.
Sources: Tom Ormsby/SpeedwayLineReport.com