No one, or so it seemed, loved the United States Auto Club more than the late Dick Jordan. Over the course of his long and distinguished career Jordan served as USAC’s dependable defender, and biggest cheerleader.
Depending on where one stood, that alone was cause for celebration or ridicule. Through it all he remained undaunted and defiant. Jordan was proud of USAC’s history and the accomplishments and character of the key participants.
Like many in his position he developed his own set of standards and codes that in his mind were sacrosanct. There was a right way to do things, and the records one kept must be accurate to the final degree. In his mind this was a serious enterprise, and he would not rest easily until he was certain that the right person was prepared to continue the work that was so dear to him. At the time of his passing, Jordan knew Richie Murray was the right man for the job.
Today few individuals are as important to USAC as Murray. While his name appears on bylines every single day, he is rarely in the limelight and to some in the industry he remains an enigma. There is a reason for this. He is innately shy and introverted, although he has worked hard to break out of his shell. Given the sheer number of series and races contested under the USAC banner, nearly every work day for Murray is long. His exacting style and sense of responsibility to USAC and racing history precludes any thought of taking the easy way out. It wasn’t the Dick Jordan way, nor will it be his.
As a young man he felt Jordan had a dream job, and while it is still sometimes difficult for him to grasp, this is a case where a dream really did come true.
Born in 1986, he knows he was present at the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds that same year.
“There are also lots of photos of me in 1987 and 1988 at Putnamville (Lincoln Park Speedway),” he says, “and I can remember rolling down the hill there and at Paragon when I was really little. My earliest clear memory of racing was being at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a practice day in 1991 and seeing Rick Mears in the Pennzoil car.”
It was apparent early on that Murray took racing a bit more seriously than his like-age peers.
“Even when I was 11 years old I was USAC’s staunchest defender,” he said with a laugh. “I would hear people complaining in the stands and I would point out that there was a reason they do things. I could also figure out the lineups before they were announced, and people were amazed by that. I could name every trailer that pulled into the track, even those that were all white. I paid close attention to these things, and it became kind of a bar trick.”
His first hero was Jack Hewitt, and he was captivated for life when he watched fearless Californian Cary Faas attack the Terre Haute Action Track.
After high school, Murray attended Ball State University and received a double major in physical education and health. Upon graduation he began working as a substitute teacher while hoping for a full-time P.E. job to open. He also worked one on one with a special needs child.
Racing was still a passion, but he felt that his chance of finding a job in the industry was slipping away. Then in 2014 he saw a plea on a racing message board looking for a public relations intern.
The request came from Joe Kirkeeng of the Short Track Auto Racing Series, a midget organization that called the Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill., home.
“I thought about it for about five minutes and I thought ‘I am 27 years old, and this might be my last chance to work in racing.’”
To his surprise he got an immediate response and was asked to report the following Saturday. “They offered me $100 a week and I was expected to do social media work during the week and a post-race recap. I went completely over the top and added all of their stats to their website and other additional things which surprised them. I was making a seven-hour round trip in a 1996 Ford Winstar van that leaked oil. So, for my 100 bucks I was spending $90 on gas and $10 at Wendy’s.”
At the time, USAC still sanctioned pavement midget series and had a series of co-sanctioned events with STARS. Spying an upcoming race on the schedule Murray contacted Dick Jordan for information. Jordan was pleasantly surprised, and because he was always concerned about receiving results in a timely fashion, he added the Grundy County race to his schedule. It was the potential break Murray was looking for.
When the big day arrived, it appeared that all of his well-laid plans were for naught. Because one of the STARS officials could not make the date, Murray was asked to work in the push-off chute trackside. He was crushed. Then fate shined on him. A replacement was found and Murray quickly scrambled back to the booth.
Finding a seat next to Jordan, Murray began sharing every stat and tidbit he could in an attempt to impress the living legend. After the night ended, Murray inquired about an opening with USAC. During this conversation Jordan learned Murray lived in the Indianapolis area, and while he admitted there were no immediate openings, he told Murray they might be able to work something out.
The following Monday Murray was back in the classroom when he received a message from Jordan asking if he could be at the USAC office on Tuesday.
A meeting with President Kevin Miller, and official Kirk Spridgeon followed, and in the end he was offered a job that paid $10,000. He was going to barely scrape by, but he had a job in the sport. Joe Kirkeeng of STARS was delighted for him, and Murray found a no-frills room in a house situated off of turn four of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In truth, he essentially lived at the USAC office. His first job was digitizing the massive film library on hand. He branched out by assisting Jordan with the entry lists before events. Then, when someone needed to take charge of the script and run of show for annual banquet, he stepped up.
There was one essential reason all of this came to fruition as quickly as it did. Dick Jordan trusted him.
“I would say by 2016, Dick finally felt that he found someone who would be the caretaker of all his work,” Murray said. “He wanted someone to care about USAC, and who would commit to being around for a while. This meant a lot to me and him. He started to let go of some things and he began managing more of the regional series tasks and let me focus on the national tours. We also worked together to get all of the records right and when we accomplished this he began to let go of his grip.”
Jordan was also facing some serious health issues, but it was a great comfort to him knowing Murray was in place. In a great irony, exactly five years to the day that Murray and Jordan met for the first time, Jordan died.
There was symmetry in this transition. The media landscape was changing rapidly and as a younger person Murray was in a better position to adapt to these changes and steer USAC media relations into fresh territory.
As he reflects on how his job has changed in his time at USAC, Murray said, “The biggest thing is the video component and the quickness of everything. Even in 2015 and 2016 the first thing people would see was the recap story. We would get highlights up the next day. Then livestreaming arrived and that changed everything. Highlights came up instantaneously and there is a constant flow of information and something to report on. Social media has become an animal for better or worse. If you wait too long suddenly what you have is old news.”
There is also an insatiable demand for information among a vocal group of hardcore fans. To this end, Murray constantly sees negative comments about USAC’s marketing strategy no matter how much material is shared. It’s understandably frustrating.
Few understand the demands and complexity of this job. No one wanted this life more, but in a telling statement Murray does note that “nightmares are a part of dreams as well.” During major tours like Indiana Sprint Week or Eastern Storm he estimates he gets a maximum of four to five hours of sleep a night.
“There is so much to do, and it all has to be correct” he said. “Then it is day six of Indiana Sprint Week and it is 95 degrees. You are trying to write stories, and you are dead tired. You are traveling on bumpy roads in the middle of God’s country trying to use your laptop and it is dark, and the Wi-Fi is spotty at best.”
With more than 100 national events, regional races, and other USAC sponsored initiatives it is hard to keep all of the balls in the air. At times it is overwhelming, and Murray says, “When you are in a grind of 40 races in 47 nights you begin thinking, ‘Man, I need a break.’” What sustains him at these times is an enduring passion for USAC racing and a profound respect for the competitors. To get the information and stories he needed to do his job effectively demanded that he step outside his comfort zone.
“Because I am introverted at first just talking to the drivers was nerve-wracking for me,” he said. “But you find out along the way that most drivers appreciate what you do and understand that you are there to help them. You aren’t just badgering them for a story. I have had very few issues. The thing I found out quickly is that most people in the sport are just so open. They aren’t guarded at all like you might find in other series.”
There is also a dark side to this job that few mention. The only real preparation is experience. It is a dangerous sport. People can and do get hurt and worse. Like many, the loss of Bryan Clauson hit Murray hard.
“The Bryan deal was the worse of them all,” he said. “You saw him as a participant and as a friend. Your experience is very different than what a fans sees. You are on the inside. You see these people all the time and talk to them. It has a whole different meaning. I might not feel that way if I hadn’t gone through it.
“In Bryan’s case you knew right away it was bad, but you didn’t want to believe it. You think surely everything will be fine, but it turns out sometimes things aren’t alright. Just being in that room with everybody – his family, all his crew and his friends. Then in the middle of the night we got the official word from the doctors that he wasn’t going to recover and everybody was distraught.
“I had my time but then I had to sit down and write a press release. There I was writing through tears in the lobby of the hospital after everyone had dispersed to grieve. It was surreal. And we had to go on and it became clear when I got emails saying that the Salem Silver Crown race is next weekend. Yeah, we had to go back to work.”
Murray realized anew how different his experience can be when he was back in Belleville, Kan., where Clauson’s fatal crash occurred, watching a thrilling Silver Crown duel between Justin Grant and Brady Bacon.
“You almost cover your eyes,” he admits. “You see the fans out there cheering because it was an unbelievable show, and I am in the booth holding my head and hyperventilating. When you really know these people it is different.”
On the flipside he tabs Kaylee Bryson’s Silver Crown victory at the same venue as the most thrilling moment he has witnessed in his tenure at USAC.
There is little time to catch his breath. What little off-season is available is devoted to other racing projects, such as the next USAC history book, preparing for the upcoming season, and making sure his records are updated. He spearheaded a rework of the USAC website but that in itself is a never-ending process. His is a job that can be physically and emotionally draining. Yet, he is right where he wants to be.
Murray has been honored four times as the National Media Member of the Year for traditional sprint cars by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Other honors surely await. His race recaps are legendary and will be a boon to historians for decades to follow.
The most important reward of all is one that is less tangible but far more meaningful. When he was near the checkered flag, Dick Jordan knew he had passed the torch to the right man, and he made sure Richie Murray understood just how he felt.
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