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Los Angeles, CA. - The grim reaper has been
busy lately in the world of auto racing. You may color this column
black because it relates the passing of way too many racing people.
The NMRA-TQ Midget circuit lost two participants recently. RON
RODNEY, a 1960s-70s era TQ Midget driver, lost his life Sunday, June
4 in a motorcycle accident. A memorial service was held Saturday,
June 10 at the ballpark in Valley Springs, CA, near Sacramento. On
Monday, July 3 long-time NMRA Competition Director RANDY FAUST, 53,
died after suffering a heart attack while undergoing dialysis
treatment. Services, with about 35 persons in attendance, were held
Friday, July 7 in Westminster, CA.
BOB BARKHIMER, 90, died Sunday, June 18 at his
home in the Santa Cruz
Mountains. The 1945 BCRA Midget driving champion gave up driving for
the role of
racing promoter at various northern California tracks, including San
Jose. He
became a NASCAR executive for the West Coast and his Barkhimer &
Associates
organization was well-known nationally for well-run events. BUD
GILBERT, a SDRA
modified and CRA sprint car driver in the 1960s-70s, lost his life
recently
according to Walt James, a past CRA/WRA president. Bud, who was
about 69 when he
died, raced a No. 51 sprint car for years on the dirt and paved
tracks of
CRA. Although he did not win any CRA features, he was a good
qualifier, won two
trophy dashes and was a usual top-ten finisher.
GARY JACOBS, about 57, died Monday, June 26 in
Tulare, CA. The long-time
auto racing writer/columnist based in Turlock, CA loved short track
stock car
racing at numerous tracks in the western states. He drove to races
and put in
thousands of miles annually attending events throughout California,
Nevada,
Arizona, and the Northwest while holding a Monday through Friday
job. His late
father and brother also attended many races with him and shared
driving, but it
wasn't unusual for Gary to attend races solo and drive great
distances. Gary
ranked in the top three nationally for total races attended among
media
members in the National Speed Sport News contest conducted each year
by columnist
Ron Hedger.
LEROY NEUMAYER, who raced CRA sprint cars in the
late 1950s to 1960, died
according to Walt James. He finished 20th in 1958 CRA driver points,
54th in
1959 and 41st in 1960 when he went to the Midwest to race with USAC.
Leroy
even raced the Hank Henry-built Sterling Plumbing Chevy that the
legendary Jim
Hurtubise later raced to prominence with the No. 56 on it. Leroy
raced in the
USAC National Sprint Car and Champ Trail circuits in the early
1960s; he raced
his first Champ Trail race in 1961 for car owner Tassi Vatis, of New
York. In
1962 Leroy raced the No. 19 Federal Engineering car for Dan Levine
and Ollie
Praether's No. 15. That was the extent of his Champ Trail efforts
and he
gradually faded from racing circuits.
FRED BROWNFIELD, 53, died tragically on Friday,
June 16. The retired
sprint car driver and successful racing promoter in the Northwest
lost his life
when a modified race car struck him while he was on the track lining
up cars for
the D-main event at his Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA. Fred took
over the
National Sprint Tour promotional reins this year after Richard and
Kyle Petty
dropped their plans to run the winged sprint car organization that
split off
from the 28-year old World of Outlaws. From all accounts Fred has
done an
outstanding job running the NST national winged sprint circuit. He
will be
difficult to replace. His successor needs to continue Fred's
policies and procedures.
JAMES MARTIN, owner of the Top Dog Racing West
Coast Pro Truck team,
suffered a fatal heart attack at Irwindale Speedway on Wednesday,
May 31in the pit
restroom. An ambulance rushed him to a nearby hospital but he was
DOA. He had
experienced two minor heart attacks in the past. He owned and
operated Gotcha
Towing Service in Fontana, near California Speedway. The 58-year old
Martin
was at the Irwindale track with his No. 4 and No. 57 WCPT trucks
during a
practice session. He reportedly was about to buy two more trucks for
his team. His
widow Patricia and son Jim brought the two Martin trucks to
Irwindale Speedway
Saturday, June 3 and competed as planned in the WCPT race. Barry
Kelperis
drove No. 4 and Robbie Brand drove No. 57 in tribute to the late
owner. On lap 21
of the 30-lap main event the Martin trucks were 11th (No. 4) and
12th (No.
57) lap after lap. Then the right front of No. 57 got into the left
rear of the
No. 4 team truck. No. 57 dropped out with a flat RF tire, finishing
19th, and
No. 4 finished 11th. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m Thursday,
June 8 at
5800 N.Temple City Blvd., Temple City, CA. The two Martin trucks
have not
raced since June 3. The status of Martin's team has not been made
known yet.
Louie Brewster, sports editor of the San
Bernardino Sun and Inland Valley
Daily Bulletin in Ontario and long-time reporter/columnist for the
Daily
Bulletin, is a racing fan and journalistic friend for motor sports.
Tragic news
came out of Afghanistan during May. BRYAN ALLEN BREWSTER, Louie's
24-year old
son, died Friday, May 5. He joined the Army after graduating from
Fontana High
six years ago and made the rank of sergeant in three years. Bryan
was among ten
troops killed in a crash of a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter
crash near
the Pakistan border as they searched for Al Queda and Taliban
fighters. Sincere
condolences are extended from the racing community to the
Victorville-based
Brewster family, including Louie, his wife Linda, son Scott and
Bryan's high
school sweetheart/widow Kati.
SPENCER CLARK, 19, a fast-rising NASCAR stock car
driver from Las Vegas,
lost his life Sunday, May 21 about 9 p.m in a single-vehicle traffic
accident
on Interstate 40 about 40-miles east of Albuquerque, N.M.
Spencer and crewman
ANDREW PHILLIPS, 28, were returning to their shop in Las Vegas after
preparing their race car in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. As
they were crossing
the Sandia Mountain range with their truck and trailer, a gust of
wind caught
their vehicle. It struck the median and overturned. Both Spencer and
Andrew,
an all WAC offensive lineman for the University of Hawaii, were
ejected and
killed. Spencer had planned to compete with the reworked race-car
Saturday, May
27 at Irwindale Speedway in the NASCAR Grand National West Series.
One of the
greatest races in Irwindale Speedway history involved Clark and
Bobby McGowan
in an ASA Truck 75-lap feature on 10/1/05. They traded the lead five
times from
laps 68-75 before Clark's RF fender hit McGowan's LR fender exiting
the final
turn. Both trucks spun across the finish line with McGowan the
winner over
Clark by 0.223 of a second. Fans cheered and applauded the great
duel and
"refuse to lose" desire shown by both drivers. Clark was
very dejected because he
finished second. He showed that night how much he wanted to win
races.
TOMMY ASTONE, SR, 88-year old race-car owner for
more than 30-years, died
Saturday, July 22 in Fresno, CA. He owned a No. 27 USAC Midget
during the
1960s-70s. His drivers included his son Tommy, Jr, and Jimmy
Caruthers. Tom's
daughter Joyce is the wife of Bill Vukovich, Jr. and the mother of
the late
driver Billy Vukovich III. His daughter Sandra Siroonian is the wife
of former CRA
sprint car owner John Siroonian. Tommy, Jr 's wife Joy is the
daughter of
noted race-car builder/chief mechanic Wally Meskowski. USAC racing
official Dennis
Johansen related that services were held Wednesday, July 26, 9:00
a.m at
Belmont Memorial Park in Fresno with Whitehurst Funeral Home in
charge.
DON MAXWELL, a 61-year
old sprint car builder, driver and car owner,
lost his two and a half-year battle with bone cancer on Saturday,
July 8.
Despite the cancer diagnosis, Don worked as hard as usual in his
shop until weeks
before his death. Towards the end he was unable to do so as his
kidneys failed
and his lungs filled with fluid. Two weeks before he died Don
fulfilled a
long-held desire to remarry Sandy, whom he wed 38-years earlier in
Albuquerque,
N.M. Sandy divorced Don in 1990 because he worked too much. A
minister
remarried them in his hospital room shortly before he died. His
daughter Tammy said
Don would help her with advice, financial assistance and even helped
her
children build projects for science class. The Lincoln, Nebraskan
was known for his
long-hours spent working as a self-employed engineer, inventor and
race-car
driver/builder. Several of his inventions were patented, including a
leg-brace
that helps patients with knee problems walk easier. He also
pioneered a
portable stage set used by famous country music acts (The Dixie
Chicks, Garth Brooks
and Faith Hill-Tim McGraw) that want to set-up and dismantle their
stages
quickly while on tour. He designed the Ice Box Arena where the local
hockey team
played and his memorial service was held there to accommodate
mourners who
wished to pay their respects. Some of the race-cars he designed and
drove, a
chandelier he built and a collage of photos from his active life
were on display.
There also was a buffet line and a cash bar so guests would be taken
care of at
his memorial service.
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