Rocky Fisher--Angola Ind. Speedway--

[AB195]

His Grand Re-Opening of Steuben County Speedway/Angola Motor Speedway--a shuttered Speedway, and opening up once again under His promotions;has HOSS Sprints, and support classes for tonight.
Just like old times from 30 plus years ago, has plugged advertising about WHOM is going to be there for the Grand Re-Opening------------
--Tanner Swanson---from California--
--Ryan Litt---from Canada--
--and Jaques Roos--- from Africa--

A Promoter with old-style, old-school advertising, and big-name sprint-car drivers to pull it off.......hopefully to a big crowd. We'll see how it goes.

[Don Nerone]

Is he the same guy that came down here from the north in the late 70s and left with the money and didnt pay the drivers..
Might have the wrong guy . Same name i think. He ran the last race at Desoto and was to pay the drivers there and didnt show up and went back north..


Don 62

[AB195]

Yesireeee-----

That is our famous Rockey Fisher, Florida Race promoter from the the late 1970's, who had sanctioned several Florida Speedways in the late 1970's to promote the Florida 500, and along with that, several other winter National-Events.
If you are going to pry/get ugly about this---here is the truth, and the media got ahold of this shit long before He could tell his side;
Orlando Speedworld was to hold a Rocky Fisher Sprint Car Show--1977/78?
On a Sunday Afternoon-----big rains were comming in, big tornados, black sky's. BAD-BAD Skys.
This is before cell-phones. Rocky showed up early at 7'30 AM, for races at 2'00 PM---- the owner of the track would not come to the Raceway to unlock the gates. Blacker the skies were, and impending doom. Amongst several calls, to the owner down at the gas-station phone booth, the owner would still not come over to unlock the gates.. Than the big storm hit. Massive storms. The Gates were never locked to OSW for the Big Show.
Sprint Car racers, and Stock Car racers showed up anyways, normal.
Rocky had no other chance than to make a make-shift sign--indicating where to, and call for their money to be returned safely. He left to Indiana, don't blame him a bit.
Here's what happened after that storm----almost 90% percent had been returned. For those that mailed of the money collected had been mailed back in envelops, cash. I was there, so was my Father.We rememember that as a promotional disaster. My Father backed him---lost a ton of dough.
Yes, that is the Rocky Fisher you are referring to. And to this day, I will stand with him, have his back.
He is a good man. Just got caught in a bad rain-storm in Florida--' that's all.
Most everybody got their money back, save a few---but the bad press tackled him in a bad way----even to this day.

[Don Nerone]

That is our famous Rockey Fisher, Florida Race promoter from the the late 1970's, who had sanctioned several Florida Speedways in the late 1970's to promote the Florida 500, and along with that, several other winter National-Events.
If you are going to pry/get ugly about this---here is the truth, and the media got ahold of this shit long before He could tell his side;
Orlando Speedworld was to hold a Rocky Fisher Sprint Car Show--1977/78?
On a Sunday Afternoon-----big rains were comming in, big tornados, black sky's. BAD-BAD Skys.
This is before cell-phones. Rocky showed up early at 7'30 AM, for races at 2'00 PM---- the owner of the track would not come to the Raceway to unlock the gates. Blacker the skies were, and impending doom. Amongst several calls, to the owner down at the gas-station phone booth, the owner would still not come over to unlock the gates.. Than the big storm hit. Massive storms. The Gates were never locked to OSW for the Big Show.
Sprint Car racers, and Stock Car racers showed up anyways, normal.
Rocky had no other chance than to make a make-shift sign--indicating where to, and call for their money to be returned safely. He left to Indiana, don't blame him a bit.
Here's what happened after that storm----almost 90% percent had been returned. For those that mailed of the money collected had been mailed back in envelops, cash. I was there, so was my Father.We rememember that as a promotional disaster. My Father backed him---lost a ton of dough.
Yes, that is the Rocky Fisher you are referring to. And to this day, I will stand with him, have his back.
He is a good man. Just got caught in a bad rain-storm in Florida--' that's all.
Most everybody got their money back, save a few---but the bad press tackled him in a bad way----even to this day.

easy now i was just telling the story from the side of the florida racer and i never read this in the press.
A verry good friend and still sprint racer told me the story the day it happend and he was there racing.
Mr Fisher was to give them there payoff from the last race at the next race witch was at Desoto and Rocky didnt show and went back north.
Dont know if they ever got paid or no
Now I hope so and that some of the racers from back then will clear this up for us..
I am glad that you stand behind your friends and i would also.
Don62

[ancrdave]

Rocky's shows were always a blast to run... He promoted the first two Florida 500's at Golden Gate and they were a huge success... Would run several shows in February both on dirt and asphalt... Lake City, OSW, Volusia, East Bay, Golden Gate and a few others... For two straight years, over 100 cars competed... Sammy Swindell won the only (so far) paved track Sprint Car race of his career at OSW in a Fischer-promoted show... There were a ton of dirt track guys running there that night including Rick Ferkel, Steve Kinser, Brad Doty and a buncha others... Good memories...
I was at the mess in '78 at OSW... Fischer just got put in a bad position by Herndon... Don knows ALL ABOUT Herndon... But, as far as I know, most of the drivers got their entry fee back...

[William J. Grasberger]

Rocky Fisher

I know a Rocky Fisher in Fort Wayne who was a sprint car driver. I saw him run at Bremen, Ohio in the1968 period. I worked with him from 1973 thru 1980 and saw him virtually every day. He still is in Fort Wayne and appears on a public access tv show dealing with old Fort Wayne racing. I don't know if he is the "Rocky Fisher" in Angola but I know he is not the person in all the follow-up messages to the Angola news message. Someone is confusing him with someone else who sounds very undesireable. Very irresponsible.

Bill Grasberger
Fort Wayne, Indiana.

[Don Nerone]

Rocky's shows were always a blast to run... He promoted the first two Florida 500's at Golden Gate and they were a huge success... Would run several shows in February both on dirt and asphalt... Lake City, OSW, Volusia, East Bay, Golden Gate and a few others... For two straight years, over 100 cars competed... Sammy Swindell won the only (so far) paved track Sprint Car race of his career at OSW in a Fischer-promoted show... There were a ton of dirt track guys running there that night including Rick Ferkel, Steve Kinser, Brad Doty and a buncha others... Good memories...
I was at the mess in '78 at OSW... Fischer just got put in a bad position by Herndon... Don knows ALL ABOUT Herndon... But, as far as I know, most of the drivers got their entry fee back...

O yea i rember Billy Herndon. I was going buy what i rembered and i hope i was wrong and it all got worked out..Just for the heck of it ill ask and see what the driver friend says...

don62

[AB195]

william(bill)grassberger---

my dad worked with him in those times---at Industra, inc, and---at Pioneer Engineering, Inc---- behind the Airport, across the way from Baer Field Raceways, at the time.
My Dad was a mechanical draftsman/engineer---Rocky was a welder down below on the floor at that time. Rocky was the biggest promoter of racing at that time. My dad turned me onto local short track at that time, with Rocky in charge, of that Raceway.

My father told me he was was the best welder around-----he was a welder that fabricated my Dads' ideas, and designes. Was the best, he told me.
(c.1977-80)