"Nobody Likes A Thief"- Dirt Racing Icon Makes Desperate $1000 Public Plea For Stolen Race Car

One of dirt racing’s most popular figures, Randle Chupp, is in distress. A dirt late model car belonging to his race team and consulting stable went missing and was reported stolen. With no trace of it found for days, Chupp went public, asking the racing community to help in any way they could.

Chupp, son of the legendary 803-time race winner Gene Chupp, took to Facebook to directly address his fans: “Racing friends, I need some help. I’ll give anyone $1,000.00 for information leading to recovery, and/or prosecution for the theft of this race car stolen in Cleveland, Tennessee…”

The car, which driver Carlton Traweek regularly competed in at the Super Bee Speedway in Louisiana, went missing in the middle of last week. And Chupp urged those viewing his post to share it or pass the message along.

“Nobody likes a thief,” Chupp added in his caption.

Randle Chupp has left a real mark on dirt racing, both as a driver and crew chief. Subscribe for more interesting stories.

He also shared images of the car to help with its recovery. It is a distinctive white Dirt Late Model with the number 15 in bold red and white, outlined by a blue shadow on the side panels. The front nose features a large yellow-and-black “Kepper Equipment Rental” logo, while the sides carry “Cajun Tree Cutters” and “Gordon Hemphill Towing” graphics, making the car easily recognizable to anyone in the racing community.

The dirt racing world is a tight-knit community, so a car like this would be difficult to resell or race openly. With more than 1,000 shares on Facebook already, the message has spread across the dirt racing community.

Even if the thieves try to strip the car and sell the parts separately, that may not be easy. Specialized components such as the custom shocks, crate engine, and branded chassis could be difficult to move without attracting attention on local buy-and-sell forums.

Chupp, known as “The Show Stopper”, did the smart thing by alerting the community about his stolen car, and his popularity could really help solve this case.

Chupp began his racing career in the 1980s, and went on to win eight races on the highly competitive Southern All-Star Dirt Racing Series circuit and won multiple major big-money events. But what truly made him a legend in this world is his work as crew chief.

He has worked with some of the best drivers in dirt racing, including his father, Freddy Smith, Ronnie Johnson, and Jack Boggs. With Johnson, he won two Dirt Track World Championship titles and added another with Boggs.

In NASCAR, he also left his mark as Jeff Green’s foreman during the 2000 O’Reilly Series, then known as the Busch Series. The No. 10 team went on to win the championship by a historic 1,053-point margin.

For now, Chupp is hoping the racing community can do what it does best and come together. With the car still missing, every share, tip, or bit of information could make a difference in getting the No. 15 back where it belongs.

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