Joy Fair

[Stevensville Mike]

I know this isn't an open wheel topic, but I just read where local Michigan legend Joy Fair passed away today.  He was 81.  I know a lot of us watched him wheel a race car over the years.

R.I.P.

[Bad Dad 54]

Saw a photo long ago of Joy in what looked like an old 30 X 90 Super Mod, the man had hugh arms. So it's ok to post him here, to me anyways. Saw him race many times at Mt Clemens, he also raced Flat Rock, many time chanp at both. When Joy showed up to race you went & saw what 2nd payed. He was also a clean driver from what I remember. RIP Joy

[Stevensville Mike]

Thanx, 54.

The coolest Joy Fair story I have, and it might be one of the coolest times ever at a track, was back in the early 90s at Toledo Speedway.  They had an ARCA night race.  I took my two girls - they were about 6 and 4 at the time. 

Pre-race it was announced that it was Joy Fair's birthday.  He wasn't running that night, but he was there.  Someone made a birthday cake that was as big as the bed of a full sized pickup truck.  So, naturally, they put it in a truck bed and drove down the front stretch real slow with it as the fans sang "Happy Birthday". 

The cake was described as "school bus yellow" by the track announcer with a big, black "1" on it - Joy's normal colors and number.

After that, they pulled the truck around back of the stands, right onto what is now the marquee, and Miss ARCA got up there with a couple of other girls and everyone in attendance got free birthday cake for quite some time.

Neither of my girls remembered the race, but they remembered the cake.

[Mudclodbob]

When I was much younger and went to Spartan Speedway to watch Super Mods and late models it was always a big deal when Joy Fair showed up to wheel his yellow car around the 1/4 mile.