ASA Family Saddened By Passing of Larry Nuber
15 June 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
The ASA community revived sad and tragic news on Thursday, June 8, as Wynns Motorsports manager Larry Nuber of Indianapolis was found deceased in his home by local police. They were called in by relatives concerned because they had not heard from him in s everal days
For the past several years Nuber had managed every aspect of the Wynns Racing Program. His involvement with the ASA ACDelco Series began in the early 1990s serving as an anchor with the television productions on TNN. He was the driving force behind Wynns involvement with ASA as an official category, event, team and special award sponsorships. A highlight for Nuber and Wynns in ASA was the 1998 ASA ACDelco Series championship won by Gary St. Amant.
The 51 year old Nuber was a native of Maumee, Ohio, a Toledo suburb, and a graduate of The Ohio State University. He also spent some time in the U.S. Army. By the late 1970s Nuber was an advertising account executive for Indianapolis television WTHR Channel 13. It was during his stay with Channel 13 that Nuber met sportscaster Paul Page. Through that connection, Nuber began his career as an on-air broadcaster.
In 1979 Nuber joined Bob Jenkins as the announcers on the first-ever motorsports event telecast on ESPN. It was a USAC race from Salem, Indiana. In 1984, Nuber, Bob Jenkins, Mike Wells and Terry Lingner formed Sport of Indiana, an entity which served to develop SpeedWeek, a show that became one of the most popular motorsports television programs of the 1980s. SpeedWeek went on the air in April of 1984 and Larry served as its co-host until 1989.
During his television career, Nuber literally broadcast hundreds of races including CART, NASCAR, USAC, ASA and Formula One. He often said one of his most memorable calls was Bill Elliots Winston Million victory at the 1985 Labor Day Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina.
The biggest thing about Larry was the innovation he brought to motorsports coverage on television both through the highlight shows and through live coverage, said longtime friend and motorsports author/broadcaster Dave Argabright. Tony Stewart told me Larry was a fan that understood the business aspect of the sport of racing. Nuber was a mentor for numerous open wheel racers in Indiana including eventual 3-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon.
Larrys input and participation with the television broadcasts in the early 1990s was instrumental in ASAs growth in that regard, said ASA founder and president Rex Robbins. He was later one of our best supporters with the Wynns sponsorship programs. I considered him a true friend and he will be missed.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2 p.m. at Faith Community United Church of Christ located at 1201 South Byrne Rd., Toledo, Ohio 43614.
A memorial will be held in Indianapolis on Wednesday, June 21, 4 p.m. at the Speedway Christian Church 5710 W. 14th in Speedway, Indiana.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Rich Vogler Scholarship Fund, Adopt-A-Pet Foundation, Alzheimers Foundation, or the Faith Community Church of Christ.
Text provided by Jeremy Troiano
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