I have been hung up on a couple of people I wanted to induct into the Racingkc.com Hall of Fame who I have not been able to contact. Then today, it hit me, move on, there are lots of other deserving folks in the Kansas City Racing Community.
Today’s inductee had 24 feature wins at Lakeside Speedway. At one point in time he enjoyed 15 feature wins in a row, only to have that streak broken by your’s truly. 1990 was a season of dreams for this driver as he claimed 22 of the 26 features that year to claim the Street Stock Championship.
This driver was also one of the cleanest drivers, a true gentleman on the racetrack. However, our competition did not start off that way. You see when the new Lakeside Speedway opened in 1989 with its asphalt surface, the first heat race in the Street Stock class began with a bang for me. Every lap I had a severe push, car would not turn left instead would climb the hill especially entering turn 3. This white car kept trying to pass me and each lap I think I hit him in the door. Remember for many of us this was our first venture off dirt onto the asphalt. Anyway, after the heat race, Official Al Burke Sr. came to my pit as I was climbing out of the car, to this day I remember his words, “Boy that was a little rough out there you hit that white car every lap in turn 3”. I replied you are correct, sorry sir, I would like to go apologize to him. Al stated, “No, let me go apologize for you, they have you outnumbered seven to one and don’t touch that car again come feature time”. “Yes sir!” was my reply!
The 1991 season brought the combination of the Super Stock class and Street Stock class into what became a high car count class, the Chargers. This combination of classes brought new stiffer talent into the class. It would take this driver another six years before claiming his last win on July 26, 1996 in the Charger class. He also had taken his car on several occasions to compete at I-70 Speedway. After the 1996 season this driver hung up his steering wheel, became a person enjoying life at the lake, at the best camping ground, it was noticed when he no longer was in competition.
Most recently he has surfaced again thanks to Facebook. The Facebook Page Lakeside Speedway – The Asphalt Years was created by this ex-driver. He has spent some time taking VHS footage of his races and making them digital and putting them both on YouTube and Facebook. It has been a pleasure to relive some of those exciting moments, some of those races, some of those great times behind the wheel with great competitors like today’s Racingkc.com Hall of Fame Inductee, #10 Larry Starkey!
