In the midst of a trying time in everyone‘s life, the story of A.J. Hopkins and Jerry Burton‘s 2020 run brought a smile to many in the racing community.
It‘s a tightknit family affair with Fred Hopkins lending a hand when he can, while his wife Sandy quells her nerves by videoing every lap. It can be a struggle for Morgan to round up the kids and haul them to the track to watch daddy but, like clockwork, when six-year-old Faith hits the grounds she wants to visit her pal Jadon Rogers in the pits.
Then there is the always enthusiastic Burton clan decked out and ready to cheer their car. No, this isn‘t a well-heeled USAC operation festooned with all the fancy bells and whistles. But don‘t be fooled. This is a darn good squad.
Beyond that, this team matters greatly in this part of the country. Those who have followed Hoosier sprint car racing for much of their life understand men like Jerry Burton, and many still deeply miss his son.
Josh Burton‘s image, made of famous Indiana Limestone, sits atop a hill at Bloomington Speedway. And rest assured, he is still an important member of this race team.
“You know he had all of those wrist bands he wore,” A.J. said. “And Jerry still keeps one of them on the fuel shut off on the power steering. It has been on every car I have been in.”
There‘s more.
“We haven‘t changed many things on the car,” Jerry says. “And there are a few pieces, like the mount that holds the steering gears, and there are a couple fuel lines that were on Josh‘s car. We know the pieces that were on his car.”
If the kid with the mismatched socks was able to look down last summer, he likely had a grin from ear to ear. A.J. Hopkins was his kind of racer.
Better yet, that grin is only going to broaden when Hopkins nails down that first USAC win.
Make no mistake, A.J. is more than ready to scratch that item off the to-do list.