Part 1

PRELUDE

Everything happens for a reason, I have heard that many times and have witnessed it over the years. We don’t always understand the how or why at the time something occurs but there is always a reason. My personal belief when something like this occurs, it is God working in the back ground.

Let’s go back to the start of the century for this story. Diana, my wife had been President of the Central Auto Racing Boosters (C.A.R.B.) for eight years, 1993-2000. In 2001 and 2002 Rodney Hawkins became President. Diana and long-time C.A.R.B. Parliamentarian Joan Ellis wanted to capture the history of C.A.R.B. in a book format. Vi Eli had been the historian of the organization and had the history books from the beginning of the organization. Diana and Joan met with Vi to review the history books and start the process of a 100 page First 50 Years of the Central Auto Racing Boosters book. The book itself became a project unifying everyone, past racers and current racers alike. Meetings and interviews were conducted. The layout became a meeting of its own, and once the book organization was determined, the stories and the history started coming together.

We start with this prelude because the publishing of this book directly led to the creation of the Hall of Fame. Please note the people who worked to make the book and then the Hall of Fame a reality. I turn to the preface of the book itself for the next few paragraphs:

A special thanks for this book to those who served on the Committee to make this a reality. Diana Green and Joan Ellis started the process of gathering data and organizing meetings. These two ladies culled the C.A.R.B. history books for data and contacted people from the different eras. C.A.R.B.’s President, Rodney Hawkins, asked Diana Green to serve as Committee Chairperson. Greg and Marlene Bouray, Tom Ketchum, Adrienne Malinowski, Steve Mitchell, Debbie Bergman and J.D. Green joined the Committee. They began meeting every two weeks initially. Then once a week, starting in November 2002 up until the holiday season of 2002. Along the way, numerous visitors would attend the working meetings to share their information. These individuals are mentioned in the Acknowledgements. The guiding hands of the Committee met, as time allowed, during the holidays to compare copies, proofread what had been written, and worked towards the final product.

 

Once the data was gathered, the computer worked overtime as pictures were scanned and information was entered. Draft copies were prepared, compared, proofread, and edited. Steve Mitchell worked on the index, which is a huge task and almost a separate book itself. Over 1,500 people were cataloged, alphabetized, and then indexed. Adrienne Malinowski, whom is a race fan, came by in September 2002 to purchase her Banquet tickets and Jayhawk Classic tickets from Diana Green, at Lakeside Speedway. At that time, she volunteered to get involved and turned out to be a godsend with her proofreading skills.   She has spent many hours reading, rereading, and correcting. Thanks to everyone on the Committee for this book. Many hours were put into making this book a reality.

 

Jim Penney’s Auto Racing Library became a large contributor to the book as daily mail was received with new information. Some of this was information that was lost due to water damage in the original Historian’s, (Viriginia Nelson), basement. Other was information that was either asked for or that Jim knew should be included.

 

Our desire, as a Club, is to have the most complete and accurate information. We want to thank the Historians who have maintained the data from which much of the information was gathered. Along the way, we discovered misspellings of names and other information that may not be correct. Unfortunately, if a mistake was made over the last 50 years, the records may contain erroneous mistakes until corrected. C.A.R.B.’s desire is to correct these mistakes in our records, so please advise a current Officer or Board Member to make any necessary corrections. This book, we hope, will serve as a living document to the history of racing during the last 50 years in the Kansas City area.

 

To the following people, we express appreciation and a big THANK YOU for the tireless effort to generously gather the most accurate information on the past 50 years of C.A.R.B. We started with the club history books. Individuals donated pictures, articles, newspaper clippings, and clothing from their scrapbooks; old race track programs and their records found in garages, attics, basements, closets, under the bed; and trips to the library; to memories recalled that all of us get to enjoy from the Central Auto Racing Boosters, Inc. past.

 

Gary Ainsworth, Jon & Janie Backlund, Barb Baker, Bob Bawn, Debbie Bergman, Calvin & Betty Bigger, Greg & Marlene Bouray, Valerie Bowen, Luther Brewer, Al & Sarah (Morgan) Burke, Sr., Virgil & Betty Chapman, Tom & Dee Dee Charles, Darrin “Bear” Christy, Gene & Wilma Claxton, Jim Conaway, Kent & Cathy Crane, Gary & Vicki Davis, Kerry Davis, Doyle Dawe, Julia Deckman, Dena Douglas, Derrell “Red” & Ida Eidson, Don & Vi Eli, Clyde & Joan Ellis, Lee & Roselyn Fagala, Ken Fowler, Gene French, Ray Lee & Alice Goodwin, J.D. & Diana Green, Jim “Hoss” Harkness, Larry Harvey, Sr, Jeanne Hauer, Rodney & Kathy Hawkins, Charlie & Kathy Heritage, Carl Houk, Bud & Keet Hunnicutt, Paul & Sylvia Hyde, Ivan Jackson, Joe Jackson, Cale Karrick, Charlene Karrick, Larry & Dixie Kaster, Tom & Merlan Ketchum, Charlie Kraft, Elmer Layne, John & Jody Layne, Laura Layne, Gene Lewis, Bob Libbey, Jack Lindberg, Larry Lowrey, Adrienne Malinowski, Kenny & Carey Manthe, Don Marrant, Bob Mays, Bob & Peggy Miller, Steve Mitchell, Bob Morgan – photos, Marc Olson, John O’Neal, Jr., Bob Owings, Larry & Pat (Stubbs) – Patterson, Jim & Tutti Penney, Bob & Sharon Reber, Bob & Harriet Reid, Doug Richards, Jake & Susan Richards, Skip Richardson, Joyce Roberts, Jimmy Sams, Ervin Schick, Butch Smeltzer, Richard Smith, Terry Smith, Lyle Stafford, Ben Stockton, Scott Traylor, Larry & Sheri Walker, Kenny & Jo Ann Waller, Terry & Vicky Wantland, Ricky Weld, Ron Westerhold, Tom & Valerie Wilson, Pete Yates

 

Everyone who has been a CARB Member throughout the years, because of your support, you are a part of this Club’s history and have contributed to the growth of what we have become today.