9 replies to this topic

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

I just got the news from a close friend that Joe Hutton of Gran Prix Raceway fame in Mt. Lookout, OH, has passed away.

 

He was truly an artist with paint and his Pepsi 500 races were legendary. If any of you remember Black Max tires and other products, he was the man behind them. Not sure how long he and Tim Soudrette were partners but they were quite a team.

 

RIP.

[MSwiss]

Very sad to hear.

 

The Pepsi 500s were always quite memorable.

 

Joe, along with being a terrific slot car body painter, was a renowned model car builder. I recall seeing one of his winning cars in a model car magazine. He was very talented at hand lettering.

 

Joe was the USRA president for at least one year.

 

Aa a sidebar, I recently had an ex-Cincinnati racer come in and mentioned Tim Soudrette got quite involved in buying up old Hemi-powered cars.

[MG Brown]

Joe was also a past Tri-State USRA and USRA National Director.

 

As Mike said, Joe was a fabulous body painter and also Tri-State Gr 27 series Champion.

[Pappy]

Joe and Tim are the reason I race slot cars today.

 

I quit slot racing in about 1967-68. Over the years I thought slot car racing was history. In 1988, I heard about a slot car raceway still in business in Mt. Lookout. I searched it out; it wasn’t easy to find because it was in the basement of an old bowling alley, I think. So I went over there, down the steps to what appeared to be an old dungeon. LOL. There were three tracks and a drag strip there. I bought a Flexi 1, a controller, and I was hooked on slot car racing again. 

 

I believe Joe and Tim were very instrumental in making slot car drag racing popular. They hooked up with a guy who was very good in electronics and together they perfected probably the first drag racing timing system just like the real thing. I remember Tim would build the drag chassis and Joe would paint the bodies.

 

Rest in peace, Joe; you earned it.

[Mr. M]

I went to several Pepsi 500s in the middle 1980s and they were always the highlight of the year. For me better than the Nats. It always was a fun event and everyone was there. I still have a building jig bought there. Every time I was there I would buy a big bag of Black Max braid. Good times.

 

Joe ran a good facility, even with the bowling lanes you had to walk over in part of the building.

 

RIP, Joe.

[Mike Patterson]

... it was in the basement of an old bowling alley, I think. So I went over there, down the steps...

 
I ran a Tri-State series event there in 1984, I think. One of the memories I have of that race is the toilet being plugged up, and providing a waterfall as it overflowed down the steps. Not a pleasant sight...
 
Rest in peace, Joe.

[Steve Deiters]

When it was originally Del's Raceway (Bob Haines' father,) I worked with him helping to convert the bowling alley to the slot racing center. This was done during my tenure at REH. Hard work, but I was young. Had to be the only slot racing center with solid maple floors that ran the length of the room. LOL.

 

Supposedly the American yellow track is still in the basement there.

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

The yellow was extended to almost twice the length. I remember one day we were playing with a 1/12 scale slot car and wedged it under the bridge. Oops.

[Dan Ebert]

Grand Prix was the place where I first discovered slot drag cars. We got hooked on them in the late '80s while racing USRA Tri-State at places like Grand Prix, Harmon's Hobby, and R-Geo. 

 

RIP, Joe...

[rampoffroad]

Hello, My name is Scott I just happened across this forum while looking for some old photos of the Gran Prix Joe was my uncle. Here are some old original flyers and Black Max drawings he did.