We cannot fully appreciate the racing accomplishments of Bob Elbin. Bob passed away early on the morning of September 28, 2021, but not before squeezing every bit of life that his 88 year old body could muster. A career that began in the late 1950’s with wins at tracks such as the Huntingdon fairgrounds, it spanned an amazing eight decades with yet another SLM Championship at Bedford as car owner of Jeff Rine’s 92. However, the early 1960 results are hard to come by so we may never know Bob’s complete career record. The majority of those tracks were closed by the end of that decade and records were limited. But then again he was all about the next race and competing whether it be in an open wheel car or full bodied late-model.
Bob was not intimidating in body stature, but under that B O B on his uniform beat the heart of a competitive giant. The passion Bob displayed over these many years exemplifies all that is good about racing, and individuals like Bob that have excelled in the sport.
Pictured below is Bob in the South Penn Speedway pits in 1962. Also, some of his early rides, winning races before the tracks evidently knew how to spell his name correctly.
