1961 Kurtis Kraft Bell Lines Silnes Champ Car

This Dirt Track Racer was built for Fred Sclavi of Charleston, West Virginia, who owned Belt Lines Trucking. It was built by Wally Menkowski and Joe Silnes, and was known as the 'Silnes Chassis.' While Sclavi owned the car, it was driven by A.J. Shepherd, Roger McLuskey, Bobby Grim, and Johnny Rutherford. Rutherford took his 1st Championship ride (the Hoosier 100) at the Indiana State Fairground in September 1962, starting 18th and finishing 15th. In 1963 George Walther, owner of Dayton Foundry of Dayton, Ohio, bought the car and ran it on 'Dayton Steel Wheel Special.' He had driven such as Johnny Rutherford, Parnell Jones, Bud Ingestad, Lloyd Ruby, Arnie Knepper, Joe Leonard, Billy Foster, George Snider, and Bill Puterbaugh. One of Geoge's sons, Scott Wather, It failed to qualify for what turned out to be this car's last race at the Indiana Fairgrounds in September 1968. It sat idle until 2002 when it became part of the current owner's collection.