Steve Stapp

Steve “The Bopper” Stapp always said, “There were talkers and there were doers,” and Steve was a doer. “The Bopper” 80, passed away peacefully in his sleep at home in Brownsburg, Indiana on April 23, 2021. Bones Bourcier recently wrote “He passed away in his sleep and that’s the only thing he ever did quietly!” He was born to the late, world renowned race car driver, Elbert “Babe” and his wife Mary Louise Stapp in Glendale, California.When Steve was 12 years old he worked the scoreboard for J.C. Agajanian at Ascot Speedway. At age 14, Johnnie Parsons Sr. gave him his first midget frame and it went from there. He not only wasn’t old enough to drive the midget; he wasn’t old enough to transport it to the track. He would have to hire drivers who had a vehicle to haul it also. He began driving in 1957, at age 17 in a midget at Western Springs Speedway in Gardena, CA. He quickly moved out of midgets into sprint cars and was still too young, legally, but that didn’t stop him. In 1960, he was racing at the only ever dirt race at Indianapolis Raceway Park, but after hotlaps, was not able to continue as he was only 20 years old, and USAC rules required drivers to be 21. He then had to hire a driver to run the rest of the event. He continued to drive sprint cars until 1966, when he retired and began building race cars full time and fielding rides for other drivers, such as AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, George “Ziggy” Snyder, Tony Stewart and Pancho Carter. In 1971, he and the family left California to move to Brownsburg, IN to put down roots and to establish his chassis building business in a little shop he built at 108 North Jefferson Street, where he still has race cars today.Pancho first drove for Steve at Knoxville Raceway in 1973. Thereafter, they made history together winning 40 USAC races together from 1973 to 1980, along with 2 USAC National Sprint Car Championships in 1974 and 1976. He has now restored those two Championship winning cars to their beautiful, former glory!Steve first worked at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 1959 Indy 500 with the team headed by AJ Watson. Watson had taught Steve most of his car building skills while out in California. Through the years at Indy, he worked for AJ Foyt, George Bignotti, Johnny Paulson, Roger Penske and others. He was a Chief Mechanic in 1965 for owner Wally Weir and driver Chuck Rodee, and again in 1966 for the Michner Petroleum Car with drivers Larry Dickson and Sammy Sessions.Steve has been married to Rosemary for 57 years after meeting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They have a son, Andy and a daughter, Susannah. Steve’s son Andy carried on the racing tradition, running go-karts first and then moving up into sprint cars. Andy began running sprint cars in 1983 with his first race at Paragon Speedway. Andy raced local tracks, USAC, ALLSTARS and World of Outlaw races throughout his career, driving for his father. Steve’s grandsons, Sammy and Joey, became fourth generation racers by racing motocross, go karts, and outlaw karts. Susannah also works in the racing industry for Hoosier Tire Midwest and his granddaughter, Courtney, is carrying on his racing influences by helping her mom during the summers sell racing tires at Hoosier. Bopper was a storyteller, with a sense of humor as big as the semi’s he drove. He made everyone laugh and everyone has a favorite story about him! In a world where common sense seems to be lacking, he had so much, it oozed from him. You could always go to him with a problem and he would find you a solution, that you would never have thought of. He liked to say he leaned heavily on his friends because “You have to use your friends because you couldn’t get close to your enemies.” He told people never had the down payment on a “free lunch,” but he was a great friend and would give his last dollar to help any one of them in a time of need. He always had a soft spot for dogs and children, even when one of his dogs, Jake, ate a rental car in Phoenix! Everyone knows that he was late for everything. He called it, being on “Stapp Time.” He was late so often to the races that USAC had to make a rule about qualifying, so he couldn’t roll in just in time to get the car out and roll up to qualify dead last, which helped them to know exactly who they needed to beat! He was an innovator and a trendsetter. He engineered a special pedal for Pancho after his Indy Car crash where he damaged his ankle so badly that it didn’t pivot properly, so he could still work the throttle in the sprint car. He had no formal engineering degree but again, he saw a problem that he needed a fix for and figured it out. One day when he hooked up one of his Peterbilt trucks to one of his semi-trailers to haul his race cars, AJ Watson told him racing would never be the same, that he had started a trend. Now, EVERYBODY does it. On December 13, 2011 Bopper shut down his entire hometown of Brownsburg when he met up with a CSX train on the tracks right next to his shop while he was in his motorhome. The windshield popped out, and so did he! The RV went on down the tracks for a half a mile on the front of the train. He went 75 feet off to the left and landed in the grass. We always say he won that battle, because they had to ship that train back to West Virginia to be fixed. As he always said, “If you can’t win the race, always be spectacular!” Three months later he was back at the shop, picking up right where he left off. As that 6 o’clock train came through one night, smartass “Chuy” said to him, “Hey Bopper, your ride is here!”The Bopper was rarely ever seen not wearing his bibbed overalls, there is even a pair in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame! He was racing over east and his driver, Johnny Rutherford crashed. When he jumped off the pit wall on the front stretch his pants fell down. He pulled them up, waved to the fans, and ran to the accident scene. From that point on, he always wore his bibs. Steve is a member of The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa, a distinction he shares with his father, Babe. He is also a member of the United State Auto Club (USAC) Hall of Fame, the Hoosier Auto Race Fans Hall of Fame and the National Association of Racing Fan Clubs Hall of Fame.Steve is survived by his wife of 57 years, Rosemary Stapp, two children, Andy (Sandy) Stapp, and Susannah (James “Chuy” Sandberg) Stapp, three grandchildren, Sammy and Joey Stapp, Courtney StappSandberg, and his four-legged grandchildren, Beaudry, Zoey, Findley, Offy, and Sprocket. Although he was an only child, he leaves behind his brothers, Hall of Fame driver, Pancho Carter, Buzzy Dobbins, and Tom McIntosh. They were as close, if not closer than blood. He is also survived by his partner in crime in restoring race cars, Kenneth Nichols. Steve is preceded in death by his parents, and his pets, Puggy, Tiger, and Jake. He is also now reunited in Heaven with his brother from another mother, Floyd “Buster” Melchi.The Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, May 2nd at the USAC Headquarters, 4910 W. 16th Street Speedway, Indiana from 3:00pm to 8:00pm. Please come throughout the day to visit with family and share your favorite Bopper stories! Food and drink will be provided by Tacos and Tequila.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum, P.O. Box 542 Knoxville, Iowa, 50138.Arrangements have been entrusted to Simplicity Funeral & Cremation Care, Avon Chapel.