HOME PRODUCTS COMPANY MOTORSPORTS SHOP $0.00 0 ITEMS HOME MOTORSPORTS MOTORSPORTS HISTORY Motorsports History In the exclusive world of motorsports competition, the name Justice Brothers is well-known around the world. Known for being behind vehicles involved in almost every kind of racing venue, from mid-west dirt tracks to the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the company has developed a reputation for being true supporters of motorsports for more than seven decades. The colorful Justice Brothers logo has adorned some of the most famous racecars to ever hit the track. But it wasn’t always that way. It was their mother that encouraged their curiosity with the then growing world of the automobile. The young Justice Brothers quickly got involved in cars and mechanics. This was in rural Kansas in the 1930′s and hot rodding had yet to catch on nationwide. Still, the brothers got ahold of an old Whippet automobile and proceeded to strip it down, removing the fenders and doing some elementary modifications. They even sent away to Floyd Clymer Publications for mail order plans on how to build a midget race car at home. After a near collision with the mayor of the town, their dreams were put on hold. Instead they were persuaded to open a bicycle rental and repair shop. All of this helped to hone their mechanical skills. Towards the end of the 1930’s, after attending aircraft mechanics school in Kansas City, Ed set out in a 1936 Ford sedan to find employment in California. Ed was hired at Douglas Aircraft building the B-19 bomber and working under Donald Douglas, Jr. the founder’s son. It wasn’t long until Ed was calling his brother Zeke with news that he had found a job for him in California at a racecar shop owned by a multi-millionaire called Joel Thorne. It was at Thorne Engineering that Zeke met his future boss, Frank Kurtis. Zeke joined Frank Kurtis at Kurtis-Kraft as the first employee after the end of World War 2. He helped build the first Kurtis Midget, Indy car, the famous NOVI Indy car, as well as hundreds of the famous Kurtis-Kraft race cars. After the war, Ed fresh back from serving overseas in the Eighth Airforce, joined Zeke at Kurtis-Kraft. To supplement their income, they opened the Justice Brothers Race Car & Fabrication shop in Glendale, California. They would work for Kurtis-Kraft during the day and at their own shop during the night and weekends. Around the clock they were either building new racecars or repairing wrecked ones. While working at Kurtis-Kraft, Ed presented to Zeke the idea to use Dzus fasteners to hold the body panels on ‘Bullet’ Joe Garson’s midget. An idea that had its roots in Ed’s formal training as an aircraft mechanic (AME). This would be the first use of Dzus fasteners on a racecar, which would catch on quickly. As Kurtis’ reputation grew from his involvement with the Indy 500 and championship winning midgets, so too did the Justice Brothers. Seeing what they thought would be a better opportunity for their future they left the world of building racecars to become distributors of a brand new and unknown oil additive. This would take place during the end of the 1940’s and require them to relocate from California to Florida. This move came at a very opportune time in the history of stock car racing. As they were building their oil business and adding customers daily. One customer that shared their love of racing was a fellow named Bill France. Bill was an owner/operator of an Amoco Service Station in Daytona Beach at that time. The brothers had met Bill earlier at Indianapolis when he was connected with the Joel Thorne race team. This early meeting would prove important later when Bill was starting NASCAR. The Justice Brothers who had started sponsoring stock cars prior to NASCAR’s formation would become the first multi-car product sponsor in the sport. The Justice Brothers would end up sponsoring early NASCAR legends like the Flock Brothers; Fonty Bob & Tim, Red Byron, Lee Petty, Buck Baker, Ed Samples, Joe Eubanks, Rex White, Buckshot Morris, Herb Thomas, Johnny Thompson, Frank Mundy, Johnny Mantz, Buddy Shuman, Curtis Turner, Fireball Roberts, Jack Smith, and numerous others. Justice Brothers supported drivers and teams won the first NASCAR race on Daytona Beach, the first 500-mile NASCAR race; the Southern 500, the first NASCAR road race, the first victory by a foreign car in NASCAR and the first NASCAR championship. The winning by Justice Brothers supported teams in NASCAR continues to this day. The company, the Justice Brothers themselves and Ed Justice, Jr. were recently honored to be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. In 1950 they won the Indy 500 with driver Johnny Parsons in a car owned by their former boss, Frank Kurtis. Two years later they collected a second-place finish with Jim Rathmann driving an entry owned by the Granatelli brothers. During their time in Florida they sponsored noted boat racers, legendary motorcycle racers during the Daytona SPEED WEEK and the early Sport Car competitors. They went on to become the first paid sponsors of drag racing legend Don Garlits. No matter the form of racing, Justice Brothers record for unending support is unmatched in the sport. In a world of fabricated history and hype, the Justice Brothers and the company they founded are the real deal. For the complete history, refer to the LEGACY OF JUSTICE book which is available in our store. TERMS OF USE CONTACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS Built by Michael Murray Notice: Warning Cookies are used on this site to provide the best user experience. 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