Edgar Robert Spencer Sr. (January 5, 1929April 3, 2014) was an American modified and

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

driver. Father of Jimmy Spencer and grandfather of Ed Spencer III, he competed in local competition in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and competed in one

NASCAR Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

race.

Life and career

Spencer was born in

Nanticoke, Pennsylvania Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,628, making it the third largest city in Luzerne County. It occupies 3.5 square miles of land. Nanticoke is part of Northeastern Penns ...

on January 5, 1929. Known as "Fast Eddie", he made his career racing on local tracks in Pennsylvania, winning track championships at

Port Royal Speedway Port Royal Speedway is a half-mile dirt racetrack in Port Royal, Juniata County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was opened on September 10, 1938. History Like all of the tracks in the United States, it closed during the World War II y ...

and

Selinsgrove Speedway Selinsgrove Speedway (nicknamed The Fastest Half-Mile on The East Coast, Auto Racing's Showcase since 1946) is a high-banked clay dirt oval south of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

among other tracks;Edgar Robert Spencer Sr. Obituary
Wilkes-Barre, PA: ''

Times Leader The ''Times Leader'' is a privately owned newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Founding Founded in 1879, it was locally owned until being purchased by Capital Cities in 1978. Early history On November 27, 1907, the ''Wilkes-Barre Times' ...

''. April 7, 2014. Accessed 2014-04-08. he is reported to have won over 500 races in various local racing classes.Creesy, Linda.
Spencer's NASCAR Future Looks Golden With Johnson
. Orlando, FL: ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

''. January 20, 1994. Accessed 2014-04-08. Spencer made a single start in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Grand National Division The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

in 1953 at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, finishing 20th.Oberto, Dino.
Racing patriarch Spencer dies at 85
. Hazleton, PA: ''Standard-Speaker''. April 8, 2014. Accessed 2014-04-08. He received an offer to compete in the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

in the early 1960s, but declined due to family responsibilities. In 2011, Spencer was inducted into Port Royal Speedway's Hall of Fame. He died on April 3, 2014, in

Drums, Pennsylvania Drums is an unincorporated community in Butler Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Located about altitude in the Sugarloaf Valley, it is situated east of Interstate 81 and north of Nescopeck Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. It was ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Ed 1929 births 2014 deaths People from Nanticoke, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Racing drivers from Pennsylvania NASCAR drivers