Denny Garbers collection
By Chad Meyer
Jack McCorkell, born May 22, 1937 near Redwood Falls, MN, and went on to become one of southern Minnesota’s best to wheel modifieds and later sprint cars.
His first car was a 1957 Ford Coupe. He found success in the modifieds of the 1960’s and 1970’s, earning the Fairmont Raceway track title in 1966. In that same year at Fairmont, he set the track record on June 29th, turning the fast half-mile at 21.6 seconds. McCorkell later scored the modified point championship at the Jackson Speedway in 1977.
McCorkell raced his modified at the Algona track when his schedule permitted and during special events that pitted the best of the Algona regulars versus the best that Jackson Speedway had to offer.
Denny Garbers collection
He returned to the Algona speedway in 1975, racing sprint cars here. These included nights he drove Jim Edgington’s sprint car while Edgington was recovering from a broken leg suffered in a crash at Knoxville Raceway.
McCorkell was a force to be reckoned with in sprint cars, earning back-to-back Jackson Nationals championships in 1980 and 1981. He also qualified for multiple Knoxville Nationals championship features.
He was not afraid to travel either, as he competed in the Western World Championships in Arizona and at Devil’s Bowl Speedway near Dallas, TX.
Racing historian Tom Savage shares a story about the bond he and fellow Kossuth County Racing Hall of Fame inductee had. “One year at the Knoxville Nationals, I was visiting with
Denny Garbers collection
Geldner in the pit area pre-race. I asked him where McCorkell was as the two had been together all week both on and off track. Geldner replied “Oh hell that damn fool is in a poker game and will not leave. I’m having a hard time making him remember we are at Knoxville and we came to race not play poker.”
McCorkell passed away in 2012 at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. He was a 2003 inductee into the Jackson Speedway Hall of Fame.
The late Jack McCorkell join seven others as inductees into the Kossuth County Racing Hall of Fame, located in Algona, IA. More information about the hall of fame is available at www.KossuthMuseum.com.
