GORDY
OWEN
An Early Racing Pioneer in Northern Vermont
One of the very earliest regular race drivers in the Champlain Valley was a tall guy named Gordy Owen. He helped pioneer stock car racing, along with the likes of legendary Jackie Paterson. Owen is best known for hooking up with Burlington potato wholesaler Ralph Bushey and driving the early version of Bushey's SPUD 19 cars. Owen was closely allied with the racing efforts of both Ralph Bushey and Bob Bushey, whose relation to Ralph is not clear to me. To show what regard Gordy was held in, he was chosen as the driver of Art Barry's modified cut-down car #909 out of Connecticut when some races were held at the Champlain Valley Exposition in the 1950's.
Owen Family Photo
Owen went on to race his own #31 at places like Colchester-Bayview Speedway [Malletts
Bay], Harvey Moody's informal Colchester Raceway, and Ivanhoe Smith's Green
Mountain Speedway near Essex. It is also thought that, when Bob Pratt brought
Jack DuBrul's Daytona Pontiac Bonneville to the Otter Creek Speedway in 1962, it
was actually Gordy who drove the over-powered, too-heavy monster against
prominent NASCAR sportsman drivers from New York.
 Owen Family Photo Mrs. Ralph Bushey [lft] and Mrs. Gordy Owen ride in the hauler on the way to a race somewhere. |
 Owen Family Photo Ready to roll again. |
 Owen Family Photo By the car in the infield at Smitty's track. |
 Owen Family Photo Gordy Owen 31 on an undetermined track. |
 Owen Family Photo Mrs. Ralph Bushey [lft] and Mrs. Gordy Owen |
 Owen Family Photo Ralph Bushey [rt] and Gordy Owen with Mrs. O. on the roof. |
 Owen Family Photo In the pits somewhere. The car is probably the former Spud 19 of Bob Bushey. |
 Owen Family Photo Getting a push - probably to a race lineup. |
 Studio Jean Photo Owen Family Collection A win at Noel Speedway in Quebec. Ralph Bushey [white shirt and cigar], Bob Pratt [Ralph's left], Gordy [Ralph's right], trophy queen, and Speedway President [White T Shirt] |
Bushey Family Photo
A crewman rides as Rex Shattuck pushes Gordy into the
pit area at Colchester Raceway.
Photo Courtesy of Dooley and Blow Families
Gordy leads Red Dooley at one of the Colchester
tracks.