Budd Olsen

Purdy “Budd” Olsen was an American national champion stock car and sprint car racing driver from the Thorofare section of West Deptford Township, New Jersey.

Racing career

Olsen made two appearances in the NASCAR Grand National Series, the first of which was in 1949, the inaugural year of the series, where he finished 12th. He otherwise spent the majority of his career racing in the Modified division, and won the 1958 NASCAR Modified Championship.
Olsen competed at the renowned tracks of the northeast, including Nazareth Speedway and Reading Fairgrounds Speedway in Pennsylvania, and Flemington Speedway and Wall Stadium in New Jersey. Olsen was inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and the Modified Hall of Fame| Northeast Dirt Modified] Halls of Fame.

Personal life

Olsen was the brother-in-law of Jackie McLaughlin, who suffered a fatal racing accident in 1964. Olsen was a skilled fabricator and began building race chassis with his son Doug. Their chassis was a dominant player in the racing world for over two decades until Doug's 2019 death.