c02.05.06_024_PLO_UNK_0070_1.jpg (81702 bytes)

Photo ID # c02.05.06_024_PLO_UNK_0070_1
Car #: #24
Driver (s) : Stan Ploski
Location: Unknown
Date: 1972?
Photographer: John Grady (we think...)
Photo provided by: Rich Miller
Comments: Definitely a car that for many of us defined a time in our life... (some of you know what I mean...)   Like many, I would have loved to have seen Stan stay in this ride for a few more years.... Stan went on to have some great drives in many other cars (his own #27's, #47and some will add the #76.. #74.. #65.. #$... but I think many of us wonder just how many more wins there were to be had with the powerful Ploski/Ken Brenn Sr. combination...

I think a lot of people think that Stan left the ride to make room for Ken Jr. who was beginning to make his presence known... but I think if you ask those in the know, you'd find that may not have been the case. 

From what I've been told, Ken Sr was in the hospital across the street on the mend on a Saturday night probably within earshot of the speedway,  Unable to see what was happening... and wondering how Stan was doing in the modified #24 (probably the Gremlin at that time, but I'm not sure...) and wondering how young Kenny was doing in the Sportsman division... Ken Sr. waited to get word throughout the night on how the #24's were doing.

Well, keep in mind that this was a good 25+ years before cell phones... and to make a long story short, nobody got word to Ken Sr. 

I'm not sure, but on that particular night, the #24 Modified may have broken in warmups or in the heat and that just flat out never happened to the Brenn prepared #24s.   Stan might even have hopped in another car to finish out the night... Again... I'm not really sure. 

The bottom line is that I don't think Ken Sr. was keep in the loop and whether that was the complete reason for the split between Stan and the #24 or not, things were never the same again.  Good people just seeing a situation a little differently... nothing more... nothing less.

As we all know, in time, Ken Jr. went on to fantastic success behind the wheel of future versions of the yellow #24...  and to even more success in the #74, #71 #1a... and many more... on dirt AND on asphalt.  Absolutely one of the all time best, and to this day, one of the all time favorites - and well deserved!!!

...But I'm sure there's a few of the Vault Visitors out there who like me sometimes find themselves wondering everyone once in a while what might have happened if the "Superteam" of Brenn/Ploski had stayed together for a few more seasons...

We'll never know.

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Comment:

02/06/06 Walter Onora One of the best looking coupes in the seventies!! I believe this particular was built by Budd Olsen. Can someone verify this??
02/07/06 John Armbruster wow...that is a gorgeous picture. I think if you weren't there, it can't be explained.  I hate my kids will never see a race there.
02/08/06 Greg Collins This was Budd Olsen's car that he ran at Harmony Speedway during the time that the Tri-State Owners Association promoted races at that track (1971-1972) . . . as I recall Budd sold the car to Ken Brenn during the 1972 season
09/10/06 Dom Ragno This car was built by Ken Brenn.  It was the sister car to the 24x - both Trevis frames.
     
     

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