The gravel-voiced, cigar-smoking, Stroud, who ran faster on the highway than most of his drivers did on the speedway, almost single-handedly kept midget racing alive in the Midwest, and a number of drivers, down on their luck, were quietly supported and kept racing by the supervisor.
     For years he operated the midget division with only three officials: pit steward Jim Blunk, scorer Les Kimbrell and Johnny Roberts on the flags.
     In the 1960s the midget schedule grew to over 60 races a year and saw over 100 cars registered. In 1969 Stroud signed the “Astro Grand Prix” in the Houston Astrodome for $63,000 and midget racing jumped back into the spotlight as a major national sport, a position it has not relinquished.
     In 1971 USAC moved Stroud from the midget division to the troubled stock car ranks, and while Bob’s leadership was soon evident in the new job, the mighty midgets were always first in his heart.
      Bob Stroud died in July of 1981 at the age of 72.