Ben Snider

Benny Snider started driving super late models in 1964 at Jackson Motor Speedway. His racing career started as a joke when he and some friends were talking about stock cars and they decided to build a car in the middle of the season. They began on a Monday and it took five nights and five cases of beer to build his first stock car.

 

Benny has raced at Manchester, Jackson, Spartan, Owosso, Butler, Crystal, Flat Rock, Lake Odessa, Kalamazoo, Michigan Ideal Speedway, Galesburg, and in Ohio at Toledo, Oakshade, Sandusky and Bryan. He also raced at Avilla, Fort Wayne and Angola Speedways in Indiana and Heidelberg in Pennsylvania.

 

Benny has won numerous Dashes, Heats, Australian Pursuits and Features. Benny and his dad, Fred Snider, and uncles, Henry and Paul Snider owned and maintained the red #3 until Fred’s passing in 1974. He raced against his cousin, Don Snider, at Jackson for two years. For several years he teamed up with Jim Ruppert as a pit crewmember and owner for two years. the other years Benny was the owner with friends being his pit crew. He has been Sportsman of the Year for several years at different racetracks. Benny finished his 30 year racing career at Galesburg Speedway in 1993.

 

On Mother’s Day, May 1971, Benny was coming out of the #3turn at Jackson when his car went up in the air and rolled end over end twice and then rolled to a stop. Helen (Mother) and Irene (wife) Snider were in the stands watching all this action. Irene was taking a movie of the race but quit when the car win in the air. Benny wished Irene would have kept taking the movie so he could have seen what happened.

 

Benny was born October 8, 1937 in Jackson Michigan. He has been married to Irene for 43 years and has two children, Mark and Kristi and six grandchildren. Benny retired from Walker Mfg./Tenneco after 30 years as an automotive engineer.

 

Benny downsized his racing to 1/10 scale radio control cars for a few years. Now he flies radio control airplanes.