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     MILLER: Saying Goodbye To Larry Rice
      Written by: Robin Miller   
        05/20/2009 - 09:01 PM
        Indianapolis, IN       
        The usual formula for success as a race driver is a mix of aggression, selfishness, no fear, some ruthlessness, a healthy ego and an unfailing belief that nobody is better.
       
         <http://assets.speedtv.com/images/article_assets/101/1011780/1011780_article_img_large1.jpg>
        Larry Rice's perennial smile accompanied him in 2008 when he went back to Australia to visit his old friends. (Photo courtesy of Robin Miller) » More Photos <http://speedtv.com/gallery/>
               
        But let me tell you about a guy who didn’t fit that template.
       
        He was as clean on the track as he was off it. He always seemed thankful for the opportunity to earn a living as a race driver. He admitted when a car or a track scared him. He respected his competition as well as the people who helped him get going. He was smooth, smart and seldom crashed. He never bragged about his wins or ever ragged about his luck.
       
        To my knowledge, and I lived, raced, dined and laughed with him on and off for 40 years, he was liked by everyone and that’s not rare in racing -- it’s unheard of.
       
        Most of us became a Larry Rice fan the first time you met him and that perpetual smile and infectious laugh made friends from Williams Grove to Ascot Park all the way to Perth.
       
        He went from a farm boy in Linden, Ind. to USAC champion to rookie of the year at the Indianapolis 500 to the television booth and his demeanor never changed.
       
        He was always a prince of a person.
       
        Rice, who died Wednesday in his Brownsburg home of cancer at age 63, packed that pleasant attitude along with his helmet from 1968-91 and it almost masked the fact he excelled as a racer in the rough and tumble midget and sprint circuits of USAC’s heydays.
       
        “He was the most quiet, unassuming bad ass race driver who ever sat in a car,” said Steve Chassey, who battled with Rice all through the 1970s and 1980s.
       
        It’s almost hard to believe that such a nice guy could capture the 1973 USAC midget title, be a two-time USAC Silver Crown champion (1977-1981) and win 23 times (15 midgets, 5 dirt, 3 sprint) during his career.
       
        Make no mistake, Larry’s likeable nature vanished when he strapped in and nobody was more focused or any grittier behind the wheel. He was fair and clean but he was tough.
       
        Pancho Carter, as fierce and as fast as anybody who ever sat in a sprinter or midget, isn’t in the habit of throwing around compliments but always respected his Brownsburg neighbor.
       
        “Larry was a tough competitor, in everything, and I’d rank him right up there with the guys who I thought were tough, (Tom) Bigelow, (Larry) Dickson and (Gary) Bettenhausen,” said Carter, a four-time USAC champ in a recent issue of Sprint Car & Midget Magazine. “He was always right there in the top five, no matter what we were running.
       
        “And he was a good, clean race driver who respected the fact you could get hurt in these things. I think that’s one of the reasons we got along
        so well.”
       
        Starting out in his dad’s midget (named ‘Ol Blue) in the late ‘60s, Larry quickly caught on and was hooked up with legendary owner Bob Higman’s by 1972. They towed and worked on that midget all over the country as Carter clipped them for the USAC title but Rice came back to win the championship in 1973.
       
        A Ball State grad, Larry was teaching school in Crawfordsville while learning the ropes of racing and had to make a decision: stay in the real world and be a weekend warrior or try to make it as a professional race driver.
       
        Obviously, he opted for the latter and upon that decision, moved to Indianapolis where he bought a home about a mile east of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That’s where his generous side really surfaced.
       
        I rented me one of the bedrooms. Soon to be USAC star Chuck Gurney came back from California and occupied the basement. Indy driver Larry McCoy nested upstairs and aspiring racer Mark Alderson lived in the driveway in his motor home.
       
        As you might imagine, we didn’t lack for fun and 1917 Goodlet became a combination of a YMCA, poker club, speed shop, tavern and nightly stop for the racing crowd. Our first May party drew 400 people, singer Marty Robbins, two blocks of unhappy neighbors and the Indianapolis Police Department.
       
        Larry The Landlord only had one rule: no working on engines in the basement but his house was always open and sometimes he wasn’t even sure who that was sleeping on his floor. When Gurney stepped out with a married woman and was tailed home by her rather large and angry husband, Rice put up signs pointing to Larry’s Room, Robin’s Room and Chuck’s Room so he and I wouldn’t get shot.
       
         <http://assets.speedtv.com/images/article_assets/101/1011780/1011780_article_img_large2.jpg>
        Larry (center) and Jerry Sneva (right) accept their checks for the The Last Row Party from author Miller in 1978. (Courtesy of Robin Miller) » More Photos <http://speedtv.com/gallery/>
               
        Rice’s first date with a pretty redhead (Bev) who would become his wife was at Eldora Speedway but that almost seemed romantic compared to the first time she saw his living conditions.
       
        His initial Indy car ride in 1974 didn’t show up (thankfully) in time for him to take his rookie test and he finally returned to IMS in 1978, where he qualified an older car, ran all day, finished 11th and shared rookie honors with some guy named Mears. He also made the show in 1979.
       
        In both of those Mays, Larry had no teammate, no backup car and nothing approaching a budget so he proceeded with care. He’d run a couple corners hard to feel out his chassis and, if it hinted at stepping out, he’d bring it right into the pits.
       
        In 1979, after blowing an engine on the morning of the final day of qualifying, owner Pat Santello mortgaged the farm for another motor and Rice, with no practice laps, went out and stuck it in the show during the closing minutes.
       
        Despite his prowess, that was Rice’s last hurrah at Indy but naturally he never voiced any bitterness about being a three-time USAC champ and not being able to get a ride without bringing money. He always seemed to appreciate the fact he got hired to run there twice.
       
         <http://assets.speedtv.com/images/article_assets/101/1011780/1011780_article_img_large3.jpg>
        Larry finished 11th for owner Pat Santello in 1978 and was voted co-rookie-of-the-year with Rick Mears. (IMS) » More Photos <http://speedtv.com/gallery/>
               
        Some of his most memorable and enjoyable times were the winters he spent racing midgets in Australia and New Zealand. He and Gary Patterson barnstormed those countries with the moniker “The Teacher and The Preacher” and GP nearly got them killed on several occasions. Like the time Patterson suggested Australia needed handles at each end of the country because it was the biggest garbage can in the world. They needed a police escort out of that track.
       
        Larry’s driving days were over by 1991 and that’s when he embarked on a new career in television. Now if you’d have told his friends from the ‘70s this soft-spoken guy who never promoted himself or raised his voice would become an animated color analyst on ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder, we’d have laughed you out of Indiana.
       
        But Rice came out of his shell and blossomed into a fine compliment to Gary Lee and Dave Despain. And then he landed in the ABC booth calling the Indy 500. Once again, the old teacher had given us an education.
       
        After ESPN dropped Thunder, he stayed in racing by going into the track insurance business and helping oldest son, Robbie, get into sprint cars <http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif> . Youngest son Zach opted for politics.
       
        A tongue cancer scare in 2000 went into remission but then he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005. Typical Rice, he told very few people and instructed his family to always give the party line he was feeling fine.
       
        The past year he took as many
        radiation and chemo treatments as any human could stomach but he never complained and never volunteered any information at our bi-weekly lunches at Charlie Brown’s.
       
        Just two weeks ago, in between coughing fits, he was laughing and telling stories with Bill Vukovich, Johnny Parsons, Lee Kunzman, Bubby Jones, Jerry Sneva, Gary Irvin and Chassey. He’d confided to Vuky and Pancho about his condition but none of the rest of us had a clue how bad things were until he went in the hospital a week ago.
       
        And that’s just how he wanted it. Larry said he didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for him and he’ll have a wake but no funeral. He lived life to the fullest and faced death with amazing courage and dignity.
       
        Now I just spent 1,400 words trying to describe his impact on us but my story can’t do him justice. You had to know Larry Rice to realize how special he was and how lucky you were.
    

 

 

View Jeff Gordon's Acceptance Speech as he get inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

Video

Danny Kladis, whose auto racing career dated back to the pre-World War II days of dusty race tracks and little driver safety equipment, passed away on April 26, at the age of 92. Kladis competed in the 1946 Indianapolis 500 and, prior to this death, was believed to be the oldest surviving “500” veteran.

 

Born in Crystal City, Mo., on February 10, 1917, Kladis had become a Chicago area resident when he got behind the wheel of a midget racing car for the first time around 1935. Kladis’ debut took place at Chicago ’s 124th Field Artillery Armory—a hot bed of indoor racing during the pre-war years. With some 30-plus years of racing experience, Kladis’

career included his “500” participation, countless wins and championships in midgets, “big car” and sprint car battles and some stock car racing during that sport’s infancy in the Chicago area.

 

A 29-year-old Kladis drove for Andy Granatelli in the ’46 “500” classic, wheeling Granatelli’s rather old Grancor V8 Miller/Ford, but only completing 46 laps. Kladis was credited with a 21st place finish after starting in last place (33rd). Kladis’ first and only start in the “500”

was a rather brief one as he was disqualified after the car was towed after it had stalled on the track. A quick inspection by his crew found that the fuel valve had been simply turned off.

 

Kladis returned to Indianapolis on and off for a period of about 10 years, but never made the starting field again. He did drive relief for Travis “Spider” Webb in 1954, but the team could do no better than a 30th place finish in Webb’s Advance Muffler entry. In 1957, Kladis made a qualifying attempt in the Morgan Engineering Special Maserati, but his time of 124.412 miles per hour was much too slow to make the race.

 

Earlier in his career, Kladis wheeled “big cars” on the old Central States Racing Association circuit in 1939 and 1940 and the following year tried his luck in AAA big cars. Competing in IMCA’s annual season-opening sprint car events in Tampa , Fla. in February of 1963, Kladis flipped and suffered a broken arm, a broken collarbone and a concussion. It was Kladis’ most serious injury since suffering a broken arm in an indoor crash at Chicago ’s International Amphitheatre and a broken back in a midget spill at Chicago ’s Raceway Park .

 

Most of Kladis’ success in racing came behind the wheel of a midget racing car. During the early part of his career, Kladis would just about drive anything, always looking to improve as far as equipment went. He teamed with Springfield ’s Joe Shaheen and won his first midget feature race, piloting Shaheen’s Offenhauser-powered midget to the victory at Greenup , Ill. in 1940.

 

After World War II, Kladis joined forces with Wisconsin car owner Eric Lund and the combo enjoyed great success throughout the Midwest, especially in Iowa . Lund had both a Ford V8-powered midget and an Offy midget with Kladis often using the Ford V8 to beat some of the country’s best Offy-powered cars. The Kladis/Lund team garnered numerous wins and track championships. Kladis was named the Mississippi Valley Midget Racing Association champion in 1946, 1947 and again in 1948.

 

Raceway Park , located in the south suburbs of Chicago , was a short trek from Kladis’ home. On September 27, Kladis, behind the wheel of the Lund Offy, whistled around the speedway’s short quarter mile clay and brick dust surface in 14.40 seconds to set a new qualifying track record.

 

During the late 40’s, Kladis entertained crowds at Raceway Park by putting on an exhibition of driving blindfolded around the racing oval.

Kladis would tape silver dollars to his eyes and then cover them with a blindfold. Kladis would then power around the track at speeds just shy of a pure racing effort. Racing into the 1970’s, Kladis was the United Auto Racing Association (UARA) driving champion in 1962. Wheeling Bob Lockard’s rapid-running Ford Falcon-powered mount, Kladis won 11 or so features racing during the ’62 season and defeated former UARA champion Ray Elliott and newcomer Henry Pens in the final standings. During the year, the UARA tour visited a number of Chicago area tracks with weekly Saturday night action taking place at the Joliet Memorial Stadium.

Kladis captured the 100-lap UARA season finale on the dirt at Joliet in September of his title-winning year.

 

With the introduction of short track stock car racing taking place in Chicago in 1948, Kladis won the first-ever 300-lap stock car race at Raceway Park in late October. “Borrowing” a military Jeep from a local recruiting station, Kladis used the Jeep’s “four-wheel-drive” option to get the job done.

 

In addition to his racing career, Kladis also takes credit for “fine tuning” the engines for maverick billionaire and eccentric extraordinaire Howard Hughes’ famed “Spruce Goose” wooden airplane. An employee of the Ford Motor Company during the war, Kladis was a supervisor at the Ford plant on Chicago ’s southside that built the powerful Pratt and Whitney Wasp R-4360 engines. Eight engines powered Hughes’ plane and Kladis claims that Hughes’ engineers and, sometimes, Hughes himself, would call him on the assembly line floor with questions about the mammoth engines.

 

For many years, Kladis was a pilot himself, doing both commercial and charter work, even flying jets for a number of major corporate accounts.

In 2007, Kladis was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

 

Kladis and his late wife, Mary Jean, raised a family, which included a son, George, who was the 1971 UARA champion.

 

 

 

Reproduced with permission of noted Chicagoland Racing Historian Stan Kalwasinski

 

 

INDYCAR: Indy Legend Lloyd Ruby Gone at 81

Written by: Robin Miller   

03/24/2009 - 04:45 PM

Indianapolis, IN

Page 1 2

He may not have known much about the mechanics of a race car, but Lloyd Ruby damn sure could drive one.

The ol' Rube, who passed away Monday night at age 81, never became a household name like A.J., Mario, Parnelli, Gurney, Rutherford or the Unsers yet all those bad asses knew the soft-spoken Texan was their equal.

Lloyd Ruby (R) was one of the giants of his time. (LAT) » More Photos


"You always used Rube as your guideline," said Bobby Unser. "He never drove for any of the big budget teams like my brother or Mario or Rutherford or myself but he was always fast and you would always look at his times to see how you stacked up.

"And he drove sooooo hard. He knew where the throttle was and I liked that about him."

Mario Andretti agreed with Uncle Bobby. "I don't know of any driver in my lifetime who could get up to speed as fast as Lloyd Ruby. That was always so impressive to me and the fact that he was such a versatile racer."

A.J. Foyt remembered his fellow Texan for several reasons. "First off, he was a helluva race car driver who should have won a lot more races than he did. He was clean and fair and you could run next to him all day. And he never got mad and he never complained about all his bad luck."

Of course it was Indianapolis where Lloyd's luck was the worst. In 1966, he led 68 laps and had victory in hand when his engine expired 34 laps from the finish. In 1969, he came into the pits on Lap 105 in the lead but never made it

out -- pulling away before the fuel hose was unplugged and ripping a hole in the tank as well as his heart.

"Lloyd should be remembered as the greatest driver never to win the Indianapolis 500," said three-time Indy champ Johnny Rutherford. "He was like Mario in that he could have won it so many times but something always seemed to happen.

"I'm not sure if it was his fault in '69 or the crew's fault for waving him out too quick but Rube took the blame. He always accepted his fate and moved on." Parnelli Jones, who only claimed one Indy win despite his dominance, reckons Rube "should have won two or three Indy 500s with just a little luck. He was cursed at the place, he really was, but he was such a good racer."

Ruby's name was built upon his numerous starring roles at the 500. (LAT) » More Photos


Considering how fast and tenacious he was, it's amazing Ruby only won seven Indy-car races during his 18-year career (1960-1977). He and mechanic Dave Laycock formed a chemistry in the mid-60s as they triumphed at Trenton, Langhorne, Phoenix and Milwaukee.

What people might not recall was his road racing prowess. He teamed with Ken Miles to win Daytona and Sebring and they were also to be paired at Le Mans.

"Lloyd could run anything, midgets, sprints, stock cars but he was excellent in sports cars and long-distance racing too," said Rutherford. "He and Ken Miles were on their way to becoming one of the greatest teams in endurance racing before Ken was killed."


Andretti chuckles at one Le Mans moment in the mid-60s. "We were both driving for Ford and they had just put sand pits in the corners for runoff areas so they put a little shovel in everybody's car so the driver could dig himself out. Well, Rube went off at Indianapolis corner and everytime I came past him, for five or six laps, he was shoveling like hell so I would honk my horn. He's digging and digging and he finally gives up."

Ruby also starred in Stock Cars and in endurance racing with Ford, both at Daytona and Le Mans. (LAT) » More Photos


Unser and Rutherford recall being Ruby fans in the late 1940s.

"I hadn't started racing yet but we went to the midget races in Albuquerque and Lloyd was one of my heroes. He showed up when he was 18 or 19 and beat everybody."

Added Rutherford: "I was 9 and my dad took me to the midget races and the announcer said, 'Now going out to qualify, the young sensation from Wichita Falls, 19-year-old Lloyd Ruby.' I was so impressed."

As was Foyt when he began racing midgets in the mid-1950s. "He (Ruby) helped me a lot when I first started and I always wanted to be like him because was so smooth."

One of the last drivers to wheel a roadster and rear-engined car at Indy (eight remain), Ruby qualified for his initial Indy 500 in 1960 at 144 mph and his last one (in 1977) at 190 mph. In between, he led a lot of laps, thrilled a lot of fans and consumed a bunch of alcohol. Everyone always joked that Rube's liver was even tougher than he was. Yet his quiet demeanor belied his immense racing savvy.

"He helped me make my first Indy 500," said Rutherford of his 1963 debut. "I had hopped into a car that Lloyd ran

a few days before and after a few practice laps they wheeled into qualifying line. I was sitting in my car and Rube comes up.

"R----u---t---h----e----r----f----o---r-----d, this thing is gonna take one helluva a set in the corner and when you feel it hit that curb, you stand on it. Trust me, I know how it feels. Now go out there and don't let us Texans down. That fired me up and I went out and qualified for my first Indy 500."

Of course when you understand how little Ruby knew about a chassis, it really made you appreciate his talents. "We did a lot of tire testing together and he would never have an opinion about the tires, he just ran as hard as possible," recalled Unser. "He and (Gordy) Johncock were like two peas in a pod. Neither one of them knew anything about a race car but they drove the wheels off it."

Ruby was honored in recent years at Indy for his contributions to the race and to the sport. (LAT) » More Photos


With that slow Texas drawl, cowboy hat and aw shucks attitude, Ruby endeared himself to competitors and fans for five decades. "He was a great oval-track racer and a great road racer," said Dan Gurney, equally adept himself at both disciplines. "Lloyd was humble, one of those old-fashioned racers who let the results speak for themselves."

Foyt said it best when asked to describe his old friend. "He's been suffering for the last couple years but he never complained once. He was honest and fair and never screwed people around. If he liked you, you were friends forever and, if he didn't, he just had nothing to do with you. He didn't say much but when he talked, you'd better listen.

"I thought the world of Lloyd Ruby. He was a real racer and a true friend."



 

Fall of 2008 Newsletter

 

 

 GORDON, DOTY, HUMPHREY & TAPPETT JOIN

“HALL OF FAME” 

 

        Four drivers have been elected to the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame and will be enshrined at the annual induction ceremonies scheduled January 16 in Tulsa, Okla. as part of the pre-race buildup to the “Chili Bowl Nationals” at the Tulsa Expo Raceway. 

        Jeff Gordon, Kevin Doty, Ted Tappett and Dave Humphrey are the newest members of the Hall of Fame. They received the most votes in the recent balloting and will have a distinctive place of honor in the Hall of Fame display, located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisc. 

        Gordon, who scored a dozen victories during his USAC National Midget racing career and earned the 1990 USAC National Midget Championship, captured wins in four of America’s most revered Midget races. In 1989 and 1990 he won the “Night Before the 500” classic in Indianapolis, Ind. In 1990 he also won the “Hut Hundred” in Terre Haute, Ind. and the “Belleville Midget Nationals” in Kansas and in 1991 he won the “4-Crown Nationals” at Rossburg, Ohio. He and car owner Rollie Helmling formed a formidable USAC Midget team for three USAC seasons and Gordon landed “podium” finishes in 22 out of 40 Midget races between

1989 and 1992. He’s a four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, having won nearly every major stock car race in America and in 1991 won USAC’s Silver Crown championship. 

        Doty, who won the 1994 Badger Midget Auto Racing Association Championship in dominating fashion with 11 victories in a single year, was one of America’s most accomplished Midget racers. In 1994 Kevin also won the famed Belleville Midget Nationals in Kansas and the Hut Hundred at Terre Haute, Ind. and added the Pepsi Midget Nationals at his beloved Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisc., the fourth of his five Pepsi Nationals triumphs! He will also be remembered for his sensational second-place finish behind Tony Stewart in the 2002 Chili Bowl at Tulsa, Okla. An accomplished Sprint car racer, he won the 1994 “4-Crown Nationals” Sprint race at Rossburg, Ohio. He succumbed to injuries suffered in a 2005 Midget race at Sun Prairie. 

        Tappett, AKA Phil Walters, was one of America’s first real racing heroes. A native of New York City, Tappett was born in 1916 and started racing midgets as a teenager. In his rookie year he won 11 features. His legend continued after turning to stock cars where in 1949 he literally obliterated the competition as the first-ever track champion at Riverside Park in Agawam, Mass. He competed in a D-Type Jaguar at LeMans in 1955 and shared the winning car at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1953 and 1955. In Midgets he won over 100 pre-war and post-war main events on the East coast and claimed track titles at Yellow Jacket Speedway in 1940 and Freeport Speedway in 1947. In 1941 he finished second to Henry Banks in the final ARDC standings and in 1940 he was third. He passed away of natural causes in 2000 at the age of 83 and was posthumously inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2002. 

        Humphrey is a six-time Northeastern Midget Auto Racing Champion, winning five straight titles from 1967-1971, then again in 1978. The 1970 title was shared with Lou Fray. Humphrey’s Midget career actually started in 1946, although he switched to stock cars and sprint cars for a number of years before returning to Midgets in 1964. Under NEMA sanction he posted 72 feature wins, second only to Drew Fornoro on the all-time NEMA winners list. In addition Humphrey owns numerous track championships and his Sprint racing also netted him 10 feature wins.

Like Tappett, Humphrey is also a member of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame.

--NMARHoF--

 

 

Congratulations to the new Hall of Fame Members

Tulsa Inductions Draw Large Crowd for National Midget Hall of Fame Ceremony


by Dick Jordan

TULSA, Ok. -- Friday’s 24th Annual National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Tulsa, Okla. drew a large audience for the first presentation held in conjunction with the annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.


Posed at the January 11 National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies are recipients and acceptors, along with emcees Pat Sullivan (l) and Dave Argabright ® as well as NMARHoF President Bill Engelhart (5th from left). Pictured (l-r) are Sullivan, Jack Housby, Ken Brenn, Ron Canterbury, Engelhart, Judy Fuss, Ken Brenn Sr., Lloyd Ruby, Duane Gerhardt and Argabright. Housby accepted for inductee Dick Ritchie, while Brenn accepted for Curley Mills, Canterbury accepted for Danny Klaids, Fuss accepted for Pappy Hough and Gerhardt for his grandfather Fred. Bill Marvel (not pictured) accepted for Walt Faulkner and Ed Watson, and Ralph WIlke (also not pictured) accepted for Carl Marchese. (Jim Haines Photo)

“We were extremely pleased with the turnout and the results of today’s event,” said Hall of Fame President Bill Engelhart. “The Chili Bowl organizers were very supportive of our efforts and we look forward to returning next year and for the foreseeable future.”

Held in the Livestock Complex of the Ford Truck Arena on the Tulsa Fairgrounds, the event honored 10 individuals for their contributions to the sport of Midget Auto Racing and they will be enshrined in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisc.

The 10 honored included the four “traditional” inductees as well as six additional from the 1934-1955 era. Six drivers, two car owners, a promoter and an official comprised the “Class of 2007.” They are Jack “Curley” Mills, Roscoe “Pappy” Hough, Danny Kladis, Lloyd Ruby, Walt Faulkner, Dick Ritchie, Ken Brenn Sr., Fred Gerhardt, Ed Watson and Carl Marchese.

Brenn and Ruby were present for their inductions, while acceptors on behalf of the others were: Ralph WIlke (for Marchese), Judy Fuss (for Hough), Ken Clapp (for Mills), Duane Gerhardt (for his grandfather Fred), Ron Canterbury (for Kladis), Jack Housby (for Ritchie) and Bill Marvel (for Faulkner and Watson). Johnny Rutherford assisted in the presentation to his longtime racing friend and fellow Texan Ruby.

Emcees Pat Sullivan and Dave Argabright meticulously detailed each inductee’s career and orchestrated the presentations. A screen also displayed images of the inductees and other memorable Hall of Fame members and vintage Midgets were on display on both sides of the stage.

Distinctive shadow box plaques were distributed to the acceptors who spoke briefly and posed for photos following the event.

Attendees included 2007 USAC National Midget Champion Jerry Coons Jr., USAC National Sprint Car Champion Levi Jones, former USAC champion Gary Bettenhausen, Hall of Fame member Jason Leffler, Badger Midget Champion Brad Kuhn, and other Chili Bowl participants and Hall of Fame members.

Luncheon was served to the attendees who participated in “bench racing” both before and after the affair.

 

 

Fall 2007 Newsletter

 

Billy Wood Badger Midget's most prolific driving Champion dead at 79

Kenosha, Wis., Nov. 11---Billy Wood, the only driver to win Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA) Driver Championship eight times, died Sunday morning at his home, after battling throat cancer. Born on January 26, 1928 in Marrietta, Mississippi, he was the son of the late General and Alice (Thornton) Wood. He attended schools in Mississippi before moving to Kenosha looking for work. He was employed at American Motors Company for over 38 years – retiring on July 29, 1987.
Wood began his career racing in the Badger Midget Series in 1953, finishing third in series points. The next season Wood outdistanced defending series champion Billy Johnson for his first Badger crown. His 1955 title was aided by eight feature wins at Angell Park Speedway (Sun Prairie,Wis.). His third and fourth titles in 1957, and '58 were won by narrow margins of twenty-five and six points.
His finest season came in 1959 when he won 18 Badger features and set fast time 17 times in the 24-race series. His fourth consecutive title came the next season, after which Wood ran only a few Badger events over the next six years, instead spending time on his career at AMC, with his family and running various other events. He finished tenth in the 1962 USAC National Midget Car Series point standings.
Car owner Paul Krueger convinced Wood to run his car for the 1966 Badger campaign. Wood edged his teammate Keith Thomas for his seventh championship. Wood's final Badger title came in 1968 in a season plagued by rainouts, Wood edged second-year driver Bill Engelhart for the title by eight points. Wood ran a handful of races the next two years before retiring.
His eight Badger titles came driving for four different car owners: Herb King ('54, '55), Frank Farchione ('57, '58, '60), Irv Paulsen ('59), and Krueger ('66, '68). Wood's 52 career Angell Park Speedway feature wins rank him second all-time trailing only Dan Boorse. Wood also scored feature wins in USAC National, UARA, Midwest, and open competition sanctioned events. 
Wood remained a spectator attending most Badger events over the next 35-plus seasons, including the 2007 season finale on Sept.1 at Angell Park. Wood was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in August 2002.
He is survived by his wife, Beverly; three sons: Dr. Thomas (Rae) Wood of Franksville, Jerald (Jodie) Wood, and B.G. Wood – both of Kenosha; two brothers, Travis Wood of Wrightsville, GA, and Wayne (Maureen) Wood of Fulton, MS; and a sister, Carolyn (Ray) Underwood of Iuka, MS. Billy is also survived by six loving grandchildren: Abbigail (Paul) Hampton, Jennifer, Lauren, Mackenzie, Jarrett and Jordan. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Tramel and Cratis Wood. 
A visitation for Billy will be hosted on Tuesday from 4:00 until 8:00 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider memorial remembrances to the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, C/O Bill Engelhart, Treasurer, 13930 W. Northridge Dr., Evansville, WI 53536; or Hospice Alliance. 10220 Prairie Ridge Blvd., Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158. Piasecki-Althaus Funeral Home, 3720 39th Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin 53144, 262-658-4101. 
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, November 14, 2007. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM at St. Mary Catholic Church, 7400 – 39th Avenue. Interment will follow in St. James Cemetery. 

Billy's Obituary can be found on the 
Piasecki-Althaus Funeral Home web site.

 

 

Les Kimbrell age 82 passed away on Tuesday 9-11-07 in Lafayette, Indiana.

He served in the Army during WWII and was in Japan when the war ended.

Les graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1953 and operated Kimball's Garage in Lafayette, Indiana for 36 years until he retired.

 Les began his long association with motor-sports when he began scoring for the racing division of AAA in 1950. He was a Charter Member of the United States Auto Club that was formed in 1956 and scored their historical first event at Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He continued a long relationship with USAC that included scoring the Indianapolis 500 for many years until his retirement. He was also a long-time member of the Indianapolis 500 Old-timers Association.

 Les was one of the original officers of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame where he served as the Director of Finance. He also served for many years as a Board of Director until recent years when his health began to fail.  The Board then honored his long and valuable service by appointing him "Director Emeritus".

 Les is survived by his wife Kay, a son Bud and three daughters Susie, Sarah and Debra.

 The family has asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Indianapolis 500 Old-timers, Inc. P.O. Box 24404 Speedway, Indiana 46224 or to the American Diabetes Association P.O. Box 11454 Alexandria, VA 22312.

Funeral Services will be held at the Soller-Baker Funeral Home 400 Twyckenham Blvd. Lafayette, Indiana  47909 (800 292-0673) with visitation at 3 pm until 7 pm on Friday and a memorial service beginning at 7 pm.

 

 

The Hall of Fame Classic Weekend

Sunday August 26th

Michael Pickens wins the second night of the Hall of Fame Classic

Fifty cars, representing the best of Badger and USAC crammed the makeshift outfield pit area for the second night of racing in the Hall of Fame Classic. Brad Loyet started the night by circling the track the fastest in qualifying with a time of 14.99, almost a half a second slower than the quick time the previous night.

Chris Windom started the night out by winning the last chance race. Heat victories went to Ryan Durst, Joe Wipperfurth, Bubba Altig and Mike Hess. For the second night in a row Danny Stratton found himself in the semi. This time he came away with the win by about three lengths over Levi Jones.

The track was very different for night two, as the cushion was almost to the wall and there was actually a bit of dust flying by the end of the night. But if the track was slower, the action from it did not let on. Handicappers had to be concerned as picking a winner would not be easy. Last night’s winner, Jerry Coons Jr. was slated to start in the ninth position with previous Angell Park winners Michael Pickens, Danny Stratton, Brad Kuhn and Scott Hatton all ahead of him.

Pickens, in the black Hans Lien car, took the early lead running the high groove as were most of the racers. Chasing him were fellow Kiwi Brad Mosen, Stratton and Doug Schenck. Coons was on the prowl as he was in sixth by lap three, running the low line. Meanwhile Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was the hard charger of the race the night before, was wallowing in twelfth spot, having started thirteenth. "They just wouldn’t let me do what I wanted," he noted of his fellow competitors.

By lap ten of the 30 lapper, Pickens had a comfortable lead of about a half straightaway over Monsen. At lap 15 Pickens found the back of the field and worked the lappers easily. Two circuits later the field was bunched for a yellow and two laps after that, it was stopped for a large crash in turn three. The restart saw Pickens ahead of Mosen, Startton, Coons and Kuhn. From hear Pickens sailed to his first USAC win followed by Mosen, Coons, Kuhn and Loyet.

Coons won the overall points championship for the weekend. For their efforts, Pickens and Coons were awarded special plaques by the Hall of Fame complete with the hall’s logo and a vintage midget pictured on it.

 

 

Saturday August 25th

Jerry Coons Jr Wins the first night of the Hall of Fame Classic

 

It was like days of old at Angell Park Speedway last weekend as 50 midgets graced the makeshift pit area for the Hall of Fame weekend doubleheader. The Badger/USAC co-sanctioned event drew most of the best midget pilots in the world.

Dane county suffered record rainfall for the month of August with the bulk of that precipitation starting the previous weekend. That basically washed out the famed Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival including the races and the rain didn’t completely stop until the eve of the Hall of Fame race. In between that time, there was little sun to help dry the facility and large puddles nearing pond status were observed on the grounds. While the track, to many fans’ surprise was fairly dry, the infield was saturated and pitting would have to occur outside the track. While this offers some logistical issues and disrupts the flow of a normal race program at the speedway, staff, drivers, crew members and officials alike adapted and helped to make both nights smooth running and entertaining shows.

Saturday night started with Kevin Swindell besting 49 other takers in qualifying, in his Kasey Kahne Mopar.

Brad Moson won the qualifying race. The top eight from this go were tacked onto the back of a heat. Those not making the cut were done for the night.

The 8 lap heats were won by Dan Mecum, Brian Ramstack, Brad Kuhn and AJ Fike. Of note, each winner started on the outside pole and lead wire to wire. In the first heat, Badger rookies Mecum and second place Tim Noble beat a field that included open wheel ace Dave Darland who was running a midget owned by Hall of Famer Steve Lewis. Brian Ramstack set the track record for an 8 lap event.

The semi saw Swindell on the pole, after failing to transfer out of his heat. At the start, Matt Sherrill charged into turn one from the outside pole and bicycled, fought hard to save it, but lost in the end flipping his mount. Swindell went on to win the race.

Darland on the inside with Danny Stratton (in the Terry Klatt car) on the outside, lead the field to the green for the start of the 30 lap feature. Darland got the jump on the field, while Chuck Gurney Jr. subbing for Levi Jones in one of Hall of Fame inductee Tony Stewart’s cars, snuck by Stratton for second. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in the other Stewart car, brought out a lap two caution and was sent to the back of the pack after enjoying a starting spot of seventh.

On the restart Darland took command. Running the high groove, (which for Angell Park was not all that high) he smoothly sailed around the oval. By the fourteenth circuit Darland met lapped traffic and lost the five car lead he had over fifth place starter Jerry Coons Jr. The half-way point saw Coons overtake Darland at the line. As they charged into turn one and through the entire lap the two traded slide jobs where Darland got the lead, but gave it up again at the line. He tried again for slider in turn one but it didn’t work and Coons, in the Wilke Pak car maintained the lead.

The action stopped for a red flag flew due to a flip in turn four. In assessing the field, of major note was Stenhouse’s charge from the back of the pack to eighth place. The restart saw a running order of Coons, Darland, Gruney, Stratton, Mike Hess and Fike.

From here Coons survived another restart and never looked back as he took the win over Darland. Stenhouse thrilled the crowd with a third place finish that included a bicycle ride in turn one where he never seemed to miss a beat as he kept his foot on the gas and maintained his position. Stratton was fourth and Gurney rounded out the top five. Both of those drivers transferred to this race from the semi.

Hall of Fame member Bob Higman was on hand to present the winning trophy to Coons.

 

 

Summer 2007 Newsletter

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WATSON, HOUGH, MILLS & BRENN LATEST INDUCTEES

INTO NATIONAL MIDGET AUTO RACING HALL OF FAME

 

            Indianapolis, IN (May 19, 2007) – The latest inductees into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame have been announced and include a driver, two car owners and an official.

            Jack “Curley” Mills, Roscoe “Pappy” Hough, Kenny Brenn and Ed Watson will be honored as the new inductees, although the date and site of the inductions are still being finalized.

            These four individuals received the most votes cast by a panel of Midget racing experts from across the country who comprise the induction committee. Ten additional 2006 candidates received sufficient votes to be listed as “carry-overs” on the 2007 ballot.

            Jack "Curley" Mills was one of the true pioneers of midget auto racing. His career was brief and started in 1934. He won the inaugural event at the famed Gilmore Stadium and later won four events in a row there when it was one of the most highly competitive racing venues in the nation. He would win many events in California with the Offenhauser powered car dominating competition at Gilmore Stadium and the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona, California. His early success caused him to be "lured" out East for some "big money" races where he won at Long Island, NY and Philadelphia, PA. On August 18, 1936 he was badly injured in a midget race at Madison Square Garden in New York. As a result of those injuries, one of the true stars of early midget auto racing, "Curley" Mills, passed away on December 24, 1936.

            Roscoe "Pappy" Hough started driving "big cars" in the late1920's. He switched to the midget cars in the middle 1930's racing primarily in the Midwest before moving out East where he raced at places like the dreaded "Nutley Velodrome". As a driver, who was also his own mechanic, he became one of the most successful pre-war drivers winning 44 events in 1941 and with career total victory estimates running as high as 1,000 races. His career as a car owner would be equally successful but his unparalleled innovations were even more impressive. He built dozens of cars over a 30 year period and built some of the first tube frame midget race cars even before the Kurtis-Kraft design was conceived. As a team owner, he employed over 40 drivers and some of the best in the business including the likes of Bill Schindler and Art Cross. Over the years he reportedly raced at over 560 tracks. It was not unusual for him to transport his multi-car team and drivers by air cargo to enable them to race twice in the same day, a task hard to duplicate even by today's standards.

            Ken Brenn Sr. remains one of the most respected car owners in midget auto racing. His incredible victory as the winning car owner at Lime Rock, Connecticut on July 25, 1959 with Indy 500 winner Rodger Ward driving, remains one of midget auto racing’s greatest stories. With his Offy midget they raced against and beat some of the top cars and drivers from the Formula 1 and Le Mans series on a road course. Over the years his impeccably prepared cars, nearly always carrying #24, were much sought after and attracted some of midget racing's top drivers including Ward, Len Duncan, Bobby Unser, Larry Dickson, Don Branson, Johnny Coy Sr., Jimmy Caruthers and a host of other top drivers from the east coast. The five-time ARDC Championship car owner, who served in nearly every official capacity for that club, was also the mayor of Warren, New Jersey. He provided a great deal of business acumen and professionalism to the sport which clearly elevated the image of midget auto racing over the years.

            One of midget auto racing's greatest fans, promoters and workers, Ed Watson spent five decades immersed in the sport. Born not far from legendary Jungle Park in Marshall, Ind., Watson did everything from serving as a mascot to scoring midget races to writing and publishing books about the cars that used to be a stepping stone to the Indianapolis 500. During his final 15 years, his company, Witness Productions, had also published books on Jim Hurtubise, Jan Opperman, Lloyd Ruby and Bill Vukovich as well as the history of midget racing in the United States, the Dirt Road to a Silver Crown and Full Tilt, a pictorial history filled with breathtaking shots by photographer John Mahoney. But Watson's proudest accomplishment was being instrumental in the founding of the National Midget Hall of Fame in Sun Prairie, Wis.

 

 

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2006 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

NATIONAL MIDGET HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONIES

INCLUDE PRESENTATION OF RICH VOGLER’S “GOLDEN DRILLER” 

            Five new members of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame were formally inducted into the shrine during Sunday afternoon’s ceremonies in Sun Prairie, Wis. The proceedings also included a special presentation to the Hall by inductees Lanny Edwards and Emmett Hahn. 

            Edwards, Hahn, Foster Campbell, Jack Fox and Ron Hoettels joined the list of inductees which now number 119 as the inductions were held in the upstairs pavilion outside turn one at Angell Park Speedway. The track hosted the annual “Hall of Fame Midget Classic” weekend, featuring Saturday night’s USAC race won by Ryan Durst and Sunday night’s Badger race won by Jerry Coons Jr. Scott Hatton won the overall “Hall of Fame” Midget title for the second straight year. 

            Following their inductions, Edwards and Hahn, who traveled from Oklahoma for the ceremonies, presented Hall of Fame President Les McBurney a distinctive “Golden Driller” trophy, emblematic of Rich Vogler’s victory in the inaugural Chili Bowl Midget race, a race conducted annually in Tulsa, Okla. by the two inductees. The trophy, which was not instituted at the event until several years after Vogler’s 1987 victory, will reside permanently in the Hall of Fame. 

            Orchestrated by emcee Dick Jordan and co-emcee Bill Hill of Little Rock, Ar., the inductions followed a luncheon and display of vintage race cars, plus a productive morning Hall of Fame Board Meeting.

            Hoettels, Campbell, Edwards and Hahn were all present for their inductions, while longtime photographer Jim Chini of Palm Springs, Calif. accepted for the late Jack Fox. 

            Angell Park announcer Dave Shannon introduced several dignitaries, including former drivers, while former Hall of Fame inductees Mel Kenyon, Billy Wood, Frank Burany, Crocky Wright, HoF Treasurer Bill Engelhart and past Presidents Bob Higman and Bill Hill were all present. 

            Hill conducted a special long-distance telephone interview with Hall of Famer and Wisconsin’s own Tom Bigelow. 

            Hall of Fame President Les McBurney unveiled a brand-new Founders Plaque bearing the likenesses of John Stiles, Donald Davidson, Ed Watson and Larry Wright, whose immense contributions were responsible for laying the foundation for the Hall of Fame. Davidson, the Historian for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, accepted the honors on behalf of the four founders and explained to the audience the early organization of the Hall of Fame. 

- NMARHoF -

Congratulations to Ron Hoettels

 

(Left to Right ) Dick Jordan, Bill Engelhart, Ron Hoettels, Les McBurney

 

Congratulations to Emmett Hahn and Lanny Edwards

(Left to Right ) Bill Hill, Bill Engelhart, Emmett Hahn, Lanny Edwards, Dick Jordan, Les Mcburney

 

Congratulations to Jack Fox

(Left to Right ) Dick Jordan, Bill Hill, Jim Chini (accepting for Jack Fox) Les McBurney

 

Congratulations to Foster Campbell

(Left to Right ) Foster's Grandson, Foster Campbell, Foster's Son, Bill Hill,  Les McBurney, Dick Jordan

Crocky Wright was in attendance. Wearing a shirt with a picture of Tony Stewart inducting him into the Hall of Fame.

 

                 

 

 

 

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