Dell Crill

Delbert Crill was a pioneering American driver of dirt modified stock cars. Known for driving car number "10 pins" with 10 lit bowling pins on the roof, he was always a favorite of the younger race fans.

Racing career

Dell Crill began racing in 1956 in a 1939 Ford campaigned by Malcolm and Willard Ryder from Chaumont, New York. He was barely 17, but his mother signed a form falsifying his age so Crill could race.
Crill was one of the first to wear a shoulder harness as a winning advantage, finding that he would not need to expend as much energy holding himself in his seat on the turns. He dominated the 1960 season at Watertown Speedway, winning 8 feature events including a streak of 4 in a row which was halted by a flat tire the fifth week. Crill was also crowned the 1960 track champion.
After the 1960 season ended, Crill fractured his pelvis in a work related injury and left the driver’s seat to raise a family and eventually become road supervisor for the village of Boonville, New York. The Ryder brothers put Paul Shirley behind the wheel the following year prior to exiting the sport.