Flat Rock Speedway

Richard “Dick” Crup, who drove to victories and top-5 point finishes in ARCA Late Model competition at Flat Rock Speedway in the 1970s, passed away Dec. 31, 2023, at the age of 84 at his home in Hudson Michigan.

Crup drove for car owner John Ramus, who owned an auto parts supply shop specializing in high performance equipment in the Hudson-Hillsdale Michigan area. Ramus fielded distinctive red and gold colored #24 ARCA Late Models for Crup, distinctive for their gold and red colors, which were crew chiefed by Ed Cooper. Dick Crup won 3 features and finished in the top-5 in points at Flat Rock from 1973-1975. When he retired from driving in 1976, Cooper went on to drive the #24 Ramus Automotive car to 8 total ARCA Late Model wins at Flat Rock and Toledo, including the 1976 Glass City 200, and the 1977 Toledo track championship.

Crup drove his first race in 1957 at Butler Speedway and won the first-ever feature race at Manchester Speedway in Michigan in 1962. He drove his first race for John Ramus in 1969, beginning a string of successful seasons and winning nearly 50 late model feature races in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana at Butler, Manchester, Jackson, Flat Rock, Angola, Merritt, Wayne County and Spartan Speedways. He was the 1973 Spartan Speedway ARCA Late Model champion, the 1974 MSPA Carling Circuit of Champions champion and qualified into the 22-car main event out of 120 entries for the inaugural World 100 at Eldora Speedway in 1971. Dick Crup was a 2020 Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee.

Crup, who owned and operated Dick Crup Garage in Hudson, is survived by his wife of over 50 years Betty, sister Judy Crup and many cousins. Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown-Van Hemert Funeral Home in Hudson and he will be interred at Maple Grove Cemetery in Hudson.