Frank Luptow

Luptow was born at Markesan, Wisconsin to Frank and Ida Lueptow in 1914 with Dutch heritage.[1] He later dropped the "E" from his last name.[1]

Luptow moved to Detroit, Michigan and won in his first race at Jackson.[1] He raced in several Central States Racing Association (CSRA) races before World War II. During the war, he was a test driver for tanks.[1] After his discharge from the military, he moved back to Detroit and worked for a tank manufacturer.[1] In August 1946, Luptow won his first "big car" (now sprint car) feature at an IMCA event at Davenport Speedway.[1] In 1947, he had 2 Top Ten IMCA finishes at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and finished 20th in season points.[1]

Luptow won 1948 IMCA races at Lebanon, Ohio, Eldon, Iowa, Danville, Illinois, Nashville, Tennessee, Plant Field (Tampa, Florida), Speedway Park (Tampa), and Birmingham, Alabama.[1] He finished third in season points behind Emory Collins and Deb Snyder.[1] After the regular season ended, he kept racing at Tampa-area venues from October to March 1949.[1]

Luptow started the 1949 season by replacing his Hal engine with an Offenhauser and his car began to be known as the "Black Panther."[1] That season he won 33 of 40 features to take the IMCA national championship.[1] Luptow's most dominating season happened in 1950 as he won 35 of 48 features along with 11 second place finishes.[1] He also competed in a NASCAR Grand National (now Cup Series) stock car race, finishing 18th at the season-opening Daytona Beach Road Course.[2] He started the 1951 season by racing in four NASCAR Grand National races, with finishes of 53rd at Daytona, 5th at Charlotte, 11th at Lakewood Speedway, and 30th at Occoneechee Speedway.[2] In 1951, he won 33 features to win his third straight IMCA championship.[1]

In 1952, he switched to racing the American Automobile Association (AAA) big cars, champ cars and stock cars.[1] Luptow switched to stock cars at the behest of his wife, who wanted him to quit entirely because of the danger of open-wheel cockpits.[3] He failed to qualify for four champ car events including the 1952 Indianapolis 500.[2] In the stock car, he won twice in August at the Milwaukee Mile and the Terre Haute Action Track.[1] During the September 21, 1952 AAA stock car race at Lakewood Speedway, Luptow's front axle broke causing the car the flip.[1] He was partially ejected out of the car and died shortly afterward of head injuries after the car rolled on top of him.[3] Luptow had previously planned on racing at Terre Haute that day but traveled down to Lakewood as a favor to AAA, who wanted more star power at the Lakewood event.[4]

Luptow married beauty queen Betty Drake.[1] The couple had a daughter named Susan.[1] Betty later married Bobby Grim and Susan married racer Rocky Hodges.[1]

Luptow was inducted in the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1988.[5] He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995.[1]