Fuzzy Sprinkle
Anchorage Racing Legend

by Michael R Dougherty
(California)

“It’s these kinds of fine and evocative stories that make this Anchorage Memories website so wonderful.” Robert

Are you a fan of Anchorage car or snowmobile racing in Anchorage?

Anchorage Memories caught up with Anchorage racing legend David “Fuzzy” Sprinkle and this is his story.


Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


When did you first come to Alaska?



"Fuzzy” Sprinkle:


I came to Alaska in January 1964. We drove up the Alcan. It was me, my wife, four kids and a dog. We drove up in a 1960 Ford Galaxy.




Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


What was your first job in Alaska?




"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:


I was a janitor at the Westward Hotel. I was making $2.10 an hour and that was good money at that time.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


When did you get involved in trucking? Tell us about your trucking business.



"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:


I started trucking when my dad bought a 1949 Dodge ton in half truck. We used to haul cedar fence posts with it.

Ever since I was young, I thought about owning a fleet of trucks and managing them from a pickup.

I worked for Bob Ford at Alaska Excavating for seven years. In 1971, his wife got sick with cancer and passed away. Bob decided to sell out, I thought, what am I going to do now. I had a hard time finding a used truck that a bank would finance for me.

I finally went to an International truck dealer in Anchorage, Alaska and spoke with Warren Poloski. He had three dump trucks on the lot that were ordered for the North Slope and were not taken once they arrived. Warren said the situation you are in you don't have much money or credit. I can set you up on a lease to purchase for a truck. We made a deal on one truck. The price was $35,000.00 my payments were going to be $600.00 a month.

My wife Delight told me we were never going to be able to afford that monthly payment, so I explained to her that the truck should make the payment. At that time, you couldn't run a truck in Alaska without a permit or leasing under someone else's permit.

(After some time) we finally got approved to buy a permit.

Now we were in business with our permit and one truck.

A friend of mine bought one of the other trucks that was for sale and another friend bought the other truck and leased under my permit. We now had a fleet of 3. In the meantime, I talked to my old friend Jon Buck at Alaska Sales. He had a used Astro truck for sale. I bought this used Astro and my other friend bought one as well. So, we now had a fleet of 5. At this point, my kids were at the age of graduating. When they did graduate, we bought them a truck, and they started driving.

Fuzzy's trucking from day one was always a teamster's employer union local 959. We ended up with 83 trucks running on the road in the mid-80s.

For Fuzzy trucking, nothing would have been possible without my wife Delight. She was the brains. She did payroll, figured out the tonnage for estimates, taxes… she did everything.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


We have to ask… What is your full name, and how did you get the nickname “Fuzzy”?




"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:


David Lee Sprinkle is my full legal name. My nickname “Fuzzy” came from when I was little (and) my hair stood straight up on end and my dad started calling my “Fuzzy” and it stuck. I used to get my checks for racing and everything else, and they were made out to Fuzzy Sprinkle.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


When did you first become interested in racing?



"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:


I first became interested in racing when I was little. I went to Spokane once and watched midget car races and I thought then that is something I would like to do.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


What was the very first thing you raced, and where was that race?



"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:


The first thing I raced was a stock car, a 1937 Ford #00 we called it double – ought. I raced it in Sand Point, Idaho. My first race that was in 1954.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


What got you interested in the idea of racing snow machines?



"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:


Gary Kincaid, a friend of mine (and he) knew I raced cars, and we drove school buses together.

He worked at Penny Trailer sales that sold the Ski Daddler machines. This was in 1965, and they were racing them and they were not doing any good.

Gary asked me, “Fuzzy why don't you come race this snow machine for us”. I said, “Gary I haven't even seen one before”. He said, come over to the shop and I will show you one.

There was a church next door on 36th and Spenard road. I went over and looked at the snowmobile, got on it and rode it around the church.

Gary asked “OK you want to race it on Sunday?” I said, “well, I guess I'll give it a try.”

On Sunday, we went out to the Anchorage Drag strip, and somehow I ended up in second place. Bob Penny, the owner of Penny Trail Sales, thought that was a great and wanted to know if I would race it for the rest of the season for them. So, I ended up racing it the rest of the season and got the high point driver award. And from there, Bob talked to the factory at AMF, who made Ski Daddlers, about sponsoring me. So, I became a sponsored racer for the state of Alaska.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


Tell us about your snow machine racing crew.



"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:

When they started the Talkeetna race, my crew was my kids.

They had gas stops, but we were not required to stop there. Therefore, we by-passed them and the kids would run out in the middle of the trail and fill my gas when I got out of the congested parts.

My son and his friend would run out and gas me and my other son would run out with a bottle of Blackberry Brandy and give me a drink when my snowmobile was being filled up.

They would broadcast the race on the radio. And when they would announce who was stopping for gas, they would always say “here comes Fuzzy he is not stopping for gas again.” And a few miles down the road I would make my pit stop with the kid's help.

About this time, I took on a pit crew. John Metcalf was my right-hand man. I would have never made it as good as I did in racing if it wasn't for John.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


How did you end up drag racing snow machines? Was that on a regular drag strip?



"Fuzzy Sprinkle:


We didn't race them regular, but we decided one day in the summer we wanted to. So, we went to the Polar Drag Way in Palmer, and we were the first ones to run snow machines on the asphalt in the summer.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


When did you start racing cars in Anchorage? What was your car number?



"Fuzzy Sprinkle:


I started racing cars in Anchorage in 1966. I was car number 4.

The next year, Ken Davis and Chrysler in Anchorage took a 1966 Dodge Charger off the showroom floor, sponsored that and $1,000.00 worth of parts for the year for me. And the teamsters local, yellow, cab, and union 76 oil sponsored me.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


What other drivers do you remember from when you raced on oval tracks in Anchorage?



"Fuzzy Sprinkle:

John Scott, Bud Borders, Daryl Smith, Don Howell, Earl Bennett, There's a bunch more, but my memory isn't what it used to be.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


How do you feel about being an Anchorage Pioneer when it comes to Anchorage racing history?



"Fuzzy" Sprinkle:

I am very proud to be one. I made it to the archives for trucking, and I'm in the Hall of Fame for the Alaska Motor Mushers Club. It makes me very proud.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:


Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?



"Fuzzy Sprinkle:

I really appreciate all my fans, they made it all worth it.

Hearing them cheer me on and to get comments on my Facebook page telling me they watched me years ago makes me feel so happy to be a part of the racing family.



Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:

Our thanks and gratitude to “Fuzzy” for taking the time to speak with us and share his memories with all his fans here on Anchorage Memories… Until next time, it's a checkered flag for “Fuzzy” all the way.

Yours Free

Memories, Pioneers, and Alaska History

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