KNOXVILLE, IA: Most people in Sprint Car circles think of Richard Marshall as someone who loves the sport and is eager to show his support by fielding cars and sponsoring other teams.
Marshall has, certainly, done his share. But his affection for Sprint Car racing goes much deeper than being a fan. It’s in his blood.
When Marshall was a kid, he traveled with his cousin, Bobby Marshall, and the Blue Max Sprint Car team. One of his fondest memories is of his cousin finishing second to Steve Kinser in the 1980 Knoxville Nationals.
That moment has stuck with Marshall for the last 40 years. And now, he gets a chance to honor his family and a team that was part of his childhood and is close to his heart.
Marshall has teamed with car-owner Bernie Stuebgen and driver Shane Stewart for the upcoming three-day “One and Only” Capitani Classic at Knoxville Raceway. The team will fly the familiar Blue Max No. 19 colors that Bobby Marshal made popular in the early 80s.
“It’s already brought out — between me, Bobby, and the rest of my family — a lot of memories and some tears,” Richard Marshall said. “It’s just very nostalgic. The throwback paint scheme created an opportunity for that. Unfortunately, the Nationals didn’t come through, but it wasn’t hard for me to decide which throwback to do this weekend.
“Bobby is with his wife, who is battling cancer. His little brother and my cousin, Terry, is with us [at Knoxville], and he was one of the crew, along with me, on the car. I think it will sink in when we see the car … we’ve only seen pictures of it.”
The main players in this deal just fit. They have been intertwined in some way since the 2016 Knoxville Nationals.
Stewart was friends with Jason Johnson. Marshall was a big part of Jason Johnson Racing when the team won the 2016 Knoxville Nationals over Donny Schatz in a thrilling 50-lap slugfest that will long be remembered.
The first driver in Victory Lane to congratulate Johnson on the historic win: Shane Stewart. And Marshall has never forgotten it.
“When we won the Nationals in 2016, Jason and Shane were really good friends, and Jason was really struggling,” Marshall said. “I went and bought a motor that we thought would run a lot better with our big-track program.
“I will never forget race day. Jason came back to me at 11 in the morning after talking to Shane for a couple of hours. He said, ‘He gave me a lot of pointers and how to race Donny,’ and who would’ve thought it would come down to Jason and Donny.
“I look up in Victory Lane, and Shane is the first one piling on with everybody. I will never forget that. It’s a good payback.”
Stuebgen and Marshall got together before last year’s Knoxville Nationals, when they put Tyler Courtney in the seat of an Indy Race Parts entry. As for Stewart, he didn’t enter the No. 71 camp until this year.
Stewart had a rocky 2019 season, which led to him being released by the CJB Motorsports team. The Indiana resident was left without a ride and hooked up with Jason Sides Motorsports for the February DIRTCar Nationals at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park.
“Shane and I were talking at Volusia this year, and it’s the first time I learned he didn’t have a ride for the year,” Marshall said. “I just thought it was a shame that we were not only losing one of our most experienced drivers on the [World of Outlaws] tour, but one of the most talented, as well.
“So, I thought the least we could do is make something happen for Knoxville this year. In the meantime, COVID hit, and the world changed. Shane was able to piece together some rides with Bernie, but Bernie is the guy I had in mind all along.”
Stewart started driving select shows for Stuebgen when the World of Outlaws restarted the season on May 8. So, when Marshall decided to do a throwback scheme for this weekend, Stuebgen and Stewart were the obvious choice.
“Basically, Richard just reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in doing a retro of the Bobby Marshall Blue Max car,” Stuebgen said. “I said I would be interested. Shane and I talked about it, and I’m standing next to it. We just finished putting the wing on and bodying it up.
“This thing is bad ass. I’ve told everybody, ‘It’s going to take a little while to actually adjust once we go on the racetrack, because I will be looking for the 71.’ I will be thinking, ‘We must have broken, and I have to go back to the pits.”
Stewart has been eager to represent the Marshall family. When this deal came to fruition, he gathered more information on Bobby Marshall and all of his accomplishments.
“Obviously, there is a history and family tradition with Bobby Marshall and the Marshalls almost winning the [Knoxville Nationals] in 1980 and then Bobby racing around Texas,” Stewart said. “I did a little research, and he was a hell of a racer.
“I started following him on Twitter, and he posts some really good pictures, old school stuff of Jan Opperman and Doug Wolfgang and the history of Blue Max. I knew it more for the drag racing team, and I didn’t realize there was a Blue Max Sprint Car team.”
While the paint scheme has changed for this week, the equipment and chemistry Stewart and Stuebgen have built remains the same. That bodes well for this week’s trip to Knoxville Raceway.
Stewart and Stuebgen have run 26 races together, recording 12 top-five finishes and 16 top 10s. The lone win was impressive, as Stewart parked the familiar Indy Race Parts entry on the frontstretch during the Summer Nationals weekend at Williams Grove Speedway.
Saturday’s event at Knoxville Raceway carries more meaning. Not only does it pay $50,000 to the winner, it’s a chance for Stewart to honor Bobby Marshall and the Marshall family.
“There isn’t more pressure … not anymore than I already put on myself,” Stewart said. “Bernie and I have a pretty good package, and we feel we have a good shot at winning $50,000. Going into the race, we have some confidence and had good car speed a couple of weeks ago with the All Stars.
“We had a good run at Pevely last week, and hopefully, we have a good run and the momentum keeps going. I’m excited to be associated with Richard Marshall and the Blue Max paint scheme, and I know Bernie is, too.”