JACKIE

Anyone who knows - or ever knew - Jackie Peterson has to agree on two things: he's a hell of a nice guy and he simply wasn't afraid enough to keep himself out of hospitals as a young race car driver and heavy equipment operator. Remarkable, at around 84 years old, Jackie hops on a bike and pedals over a mile to have coffee every day, and he makes almost every race at Airborne Speedway. He has lived his last several years, having almost no mementos of his long racing career until, just recently, he found two albums stuffed full of photos. Some of these are the only shots of tracks like Green Mountain Speedway in Sheldon, VT and the rare car races at Montreal's Richelieu Park horse track.
Jackie's career spanned the late 1940's and went into the 1960's. He was never limited by extremely serious hearing challenges, but his but racing career having begun at a later age than many of his peers did serve to limit the number of years he drove. Here's to you, Jackie - thanks for the memories. These are not every shot of him I have; they are HIS photos.

Williamson Photo Jackie takes his #16 through its paces - possibly at Green Mt. Speedway in Sheldon, VT- around 1948.	Williamson Photo Jackie runs 3rd, behind Art Prairie and another car. He said he won this race at Sheldon, Vt.	Photographer Unknown Jackie spent much time in sprint pit areas just like this one he photographed.	Photographer Unknown This is likely Jackie, at speed on the Richelieu Park horse track in Montreal.	Photographer Unknown One of Jackie's competitors at Elwin Swinton's Champlain Speedway in Ticonderoga. That's Jackie's 16 at right.
Peterson Collection Jackie drove one of P. A. Soper's DO Hal cars for a while when he drove log trucks for the Sopers.	Peterson Photograph The 16 sprint car is sitting at Dad's Diamond T Truck dealership on Williston Road.	Peterson Photograph Jackie poses at Dad's Diamond T Truck dealership on Williston Road.	Peterson Collection The 16 sprint car is sitting in a lineup at Richelieu Park. Notice the odds board for the horse betting.	Peterson Photograph Salesmen and mechanics at Dad's Diamond T Truck dealership on Williston Road.
Peterson Collection This is likely Jackie, with a slightly different sprinter. This looks like Sheldon.	Peterson Collection Jackie, at Richelieu Park with crewman.	Peterson Collection Working on the sprinter at Richelieu Park.	Peterson Photo Jackie was always interested in other people's cars.	Peterson Collection Jackie looks like one of those old Indy drivers in this shot.
Peterson Collection The 16 sprint car at an unknown venue. It looks a little like Smitty's Colchester Raceway, but I doubt they had sprinters there at any time.	Peterson Collection The 16 sprint car is worked on at Richelieu Park. Notice the odds board for the horse betting.	Peterson Collection The 16 sprint car is sitting in a lineup at Richelieu Park.	Peterson Collection Looking at Jackie's 16 through the fence at an unknown track.	Peterson Collection The cockpit of someone's sprint car - not Jackie's.

Peterson Collection
A feature win at Saranac Lake Speedway, in the Shirley Wallace 1 NY with starter and former sprint car rival Art Prairie.

Peterson Collection Some of the entourage pushing the 24 car at the same track as its other photos.	Peterson Collection Enjoying a post - race beer with a crewman - maybe in Canada. I don't recognize the 1937 Ford behind them.	Peterson Collection A good shot of an early '50's track. I assume Jackie is one of those cars in action.	Peterson Collection A dressed - up Jackie, holding the Vt. State Championship trophy he won at Northfield. One of the others in car owner Eddie Reynolds.	Peterson Collection Jackie, leading a race at Colchester - Bayview, in Ernie Barcomb's 71.
Peterson Collection At the Heil Northeast garage in So. Burlington. This is Royce Tucker's 1st 7VT, of which Jackie was the 1st driver.	Peterson Collection At the Heil Northeast garage in So. Burlington. This is Royce Tucker's 1st 7VT, of which Jackie was the 1st driver.	Peterson Collection At the Heil Northeast garage in So. Burlington. This is Jackie with Jim LeClaire.	Peterson Collection At the Heil Northeast garage in So. Burlington. This is Royce Tucker's 1st 7VT, of which Jackie was the 1st driver.	Peterson Collection Leaving the Heil Northeast garage in So. Burlington. This might have been the first race. Dutch Reed later drove the car.
Peterson Collection An early V1 car, winning in Canada at LaPrairie.	Peterson Collection The Dutcher Construction D8 team car, in winter.	Peterson Collection The Dutcher Construction D8 team car, at Airborne.

Burlington Free Press September 19,1958. Jackie was in the midst of a hot streak at Fort Covington Speedway when he and Corliss were in a highway accident.	Source Unknown These point standings were around the time of the aforementioned hot streak.	Source Unknown This article is around the time of the aforementioned hot streak.	Peterson Collection This is an early1951 article about the somewaht chaotic race Ken Squier promoted at the Orleans County fair. Jackie recalls it clearly.	Peterson Collection A 1949 clipping about the Champlain Speedway that ran up to around 1950. It is now under water.
Peterson Collection An article on an unknown sprint car race in which he finished among aome of the biggest names in the sport at the time.	Peterson Collection Another article on sprint car racing at Ticonderoga's Champlain Speedway. .	Peterson Collection A third article on sprint car racing at Ticonderoga's Champlain Speedway.	Caledonian Record A September, 1951 portion of an article on the Barton fair race that mentions Jackie.	Burlington Free Press May 19, 1952 Jackie wins the final race of the day at the track best known in Colchester. The track was called Bayview, then Colchester-Bayview, then Malletts Bay Raceway, and finally Malletts Bay Speedway. Jack raced at all of them.
Burlington Free Press Jackie's great friend Billy McDonald, photographed after a crash at the Champlain Valley Expo fairgrounds in 1956.	Montpelier Evening Argus Jackie is featured in a 1952 ad from the then - called Colchester-Bayview track. He would race his open wheel car and try to lap the stock cars.	Burlington Free Press May 13, 1952 ad that mentions him as a featured star.	Burlington Free Press May, 1953 ad still a star.	Rutland Daily Herald 1950. Jackie achieves notoriety as one of Ivanhoe Smth's "Colchester Four", who protested the stock car ban and were subsequently arrested.
Barre Daily Times October, 1951. Jackie identified as the 1950 VT State Champion.	Burlington Free Press July 14 1952 ad. It mentions him along with some amazing driver nicknames.	Burlington Free Press May, 1952 ad for the season opener. More crazy nicknames.	Burlington Free Press The big October, 1951 championship race. Jackie involved with a driver from Newport's Veterans' Park track.	Burlington Free Press September 14,1950 adv. This 19 was an early car which was likely sold to Gordy Owen or Rex Shattuck.
Burlington Free Press July 1952. Jackie slated to run in the fateful race in which spectator Art Bessette was killed. Fortunately, he wasn't involved.	Burlington Free Press August 31, 1951. Jackie first takes on the big boys with his home made sprinter.	Burlington Free Press August, 1952. Jackie again takes on the big boys with his home made sprinter.	Montpelier Evening Argus July 4 1952. Jackie raced in both big races that day.	Rutland Herald 1952. Jackie injured at the VT State Fair in Rutland.
Rutland Herald Aldo Merusi Photo 1952. Jackie injured at the sprint car races in Rutland. He gets his photo taken with wife, Corliss.	Rutland Herald Aldo Merusi Photo 1952. Jackie injured at the sprint car races in Rutland.	Burlington Free Press July 22, 1950. Jackie is mentioned on the same ad as Wes Menard. Wes told me he alsp promoted racing at that track in Sheldon Junction in 1950. Jackie actually referred to "Wild Wes Menard" in a conversation around 2011.	Burlington Free Press May 27, 1950. Jackie is at Northfield's Dog River Speedway with his sprint car.	Montpelier Evening Argus Oct 13,1949. The article gets his name wrong but he is there with his earliest stock car.
Montpelier Evening Argus Oct 6, 1949. The article gets his name wrong again but he is there with his sprint car.	Barre Daily Times Oct 23, 1950. Jackie apparently liked the Northfield track. He won this and the state championship race a week later..	Barre Daily Times Oct 23, 1950. Jackie with the trophy from the Oct. 23 race.	Barre Daily Times Sept 29, 1950. Jackie ran with most of these guys every week at the track in Ticonderoga, NY.	St. Albans Daily Messenger July 6, 1950. Jackie races at Enosburg Speedway. He says the track was too short for the faster cars and the locals were very rough.
Burlington Free Press April 30, 1951. Green MT Raceway in Colchester opens.	Burlington Free Press Oct. 10, 1959. Jackie is mentioned in this Malletts Bay Raceway ad. That year, he concentrated more on Canadian tracks and on Fort Covington Speedway.	Newport Daily Express Sept. 20, 1958. Jackie is included in an ad for a championship race. I think I may have been there [for my one time at the place].	Burlington Free Press Oct. 10, 1960. The name was now actually Ma. Bay Speedway. I think they were hoping he would show at this event.	Burlington Free Press May 13, 1963. Royce Tucker, car builder, poses at Otter Creek Speedway with a car Jackie once drove and helped to construct. It is unclear if he ever drove the car at Otter Creek.