Jan ready to battle. Thats Jan's hand painted Cross on his helmet. Jan was an avid, exuberant Christian. He came up through the ranks of Outlaw non sanctioned Sprint Car racing. True Sprint Car racing means no wings, 90% driver, 10% car. His meteoritic rise to fame made him the Man, the Myth, the Legend. He was a household name, revered nationwide
Jan doing his dirty work at Terra Haute, Ind
Smooth, fast and fearless
The car he drew national attention in.
Jovial Jan
A lot of things stood out about Opperman and one was this cowboy hat that became his trademark.
It was actually his brothers hat and Jan started wearing it after his brother was killed in a Sprint Car wreck. With Jan's winning ways came attention from the big dogs. Parnelli Jones and A.J. Foyt both put him in first class equipment in Indy Cars and USAC Champ Dirt Cars. He had three top ten finishes at Indy and was winning in the big dirt cars but wrecked while battling for the lead and that accident ended his story book run. He died sixteen years later of his injuries. He was sixty years old. His memory will always live on by the legions of racing fans who loved the guy and his dirt track prowess.
