Sport Figure. He was an American race car driver nicknamed the "King of the Supermodifieds." Tapia was involved in a street fight as a teenager in 1942 and left town to avoid prosecution. While Tapia was away, his wife gave birth to a son in Memphis, Tennessee, but the baby was stolen by the Georgia Tann baby theft ring before either parent saw him. Tapia returned to Mobile in 1943, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and saw combat action with the Third Marine Division at Guadalcanal, Guam, and Iwo Jima. After World War II ended, Tapia began racing to get past the "battle stress" that he suffered since the war. He started racing in NASCAR, winning the Florida and Mississippi state titles but left NASCAR because he wanted to race five nights per week instead of one night. Donnie Allison said "Tapia was right up there with the best, he could have made it real good in NASCAR, if he had chosen. But I think his regard for his family and the desire to race more frequently is what kept him closer to home." Tapia won the 1968 and 1969 World 300 Supermodified race at Mobile International Speedway, and was inducted into the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers Hall of Fame in 1999. In 1990, Tapia was reunited with his son, who was living in Missouri, and had been told his parents had died in an automobile accident.
Sport Figure. He was an American race car driver nicknamed the "King of the Supermodifieds." Tapia was involved in a street fight as a teenager in 1942 and left town to avoid prosecution. While Tapia was away, his wife gave birth to a son in Memphis, Tennessee, but the baby was stolen by the Georgia Tann baby theft ring before either parent saw him. Tapia returned to Mobile in 1943, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and saw combat action with the Third Marine Division at Guadalcanal, Guam, and Iwo Jima. After World War II ended, Tapia began racing to get past the "battle stress" that he suffered since the war. He started racing in NASCAR, winning the Florida and Mississippi state titles but left NASCAR because he wanted to race five nights per week instead of one night. Donnie Allison said "Tapia was right up there with the best, he could have made it real good in NASCAR, if he had chosen. But I think his regard for his family and the desire to race more frequently is what kept him closer to home." Tapia won the 1968 and 1969 World 300 Supermodified race at Mobile International Speedway, and was inducted into the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers Hall of Fame in 1999. In 1990, Tapia was reunited with his son, who was living in Missouri, and had been told his parents had died in an automobile accident.
Bio by: Eireannach
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