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MIKE THOMPSON

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February 1, 2012

             Open-wheel automobile racing in North America has been underway now for over a century, and in that long history more than 1500 open-wheel racing drivers and riding mechanics have been killed behind the wheel of a race car.  Research indicates that most of these racers rest now for all eternity beneath headstones or plaques, but there are a few, some forty-threeby last count, whose final resting places are unmarked, the racer and his exploits mostly forgotten now by family and friends and race fans.

          The Racers At Rest project, under the auspices of the National Sprint Car Museum and Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa, is dedicated to ensuring that the sport's collective  memory of these fallen heores of the Roaring Road is revived and that the racers' gravesites are properly marked.

          It is a small but deserving gesture to honor men who helped build the sport of auto racing and who lost their lives in the process.

          (Right) Walt Brown, killed July 29, 1951,

at Williams Grove Speedway, Pennsylvania.

For over 50 years he has rested

in an unmarked grave. 

MUSEUM LAUNCHES “RACERS AT REST” PROJECT

            KNOXVILLE, IOWA  (January 20, 2011)  -  The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum Foundation is pleased to announce the launching of the “Racers at Rest” project to place markers on the unmarked graves of open-wheeled race drivers who have perished in racing crashes.

            In the course of the research for “Buzz” Rose’s book, “Racers at Rest,” there have been 31 drivers found to have been buried in unmarked graves.  The “Racers at Rest” project is being initiated to help resolve this situation.

            The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum Foundation, Inc., will be administrating the overall project, while the day-to-day coordination will be done by the following volunteers:  Steve Estes of Troy, Ohio (937-339-2784), Don Tash of Phoenix, Arizona (602-791-3983), Mike Thompson of Dayton, Ohio (937-219-5851), and Jim Thurman of Palmdale, California (jim.thurman@att.net).  All funds will be held in a restricted bank account by the 501(c)(3) non-profit museum foundation until payment for the markers is required.

            All donations are to be sent to the National Sprint Car Museum, P.O. Box 542, Knoxville, Iowa  50138, and should be clearly noted in the memo that the restricted donation is for the “Racers at Rest” project.

Those individuals interested in the “Racers at Rest” project, or those with questions, are encouraged to contact one of the above-mentioned volunteer coordinators, or museum curator Tom Schmeh at tschmeh@sprintcarhof.com.

RACING PERSONALITIES ENDORSE THE RACERS AT REST PROJECT

            We're pleased to announce that many well-known racers and racing personalities have endorsed the Racers at Rest project.  Here are just a few...

JOHNNY RUTHERFORD

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford has offered his support for the Racers at Rest program.

BUZZ ROSE

Buzz Rose (below), noted author of numerous books on the history of our sport, included Racers at Rest, has endorsed the Racers at Rest project.

KENNY SCHRADER

Popular race driver Ken Schrader recently lent his support to the Racers at Rest project.

            "The Racers at Rest" Project pays tribute to fellow racers and in doing so, preserves the history of open wheel racing.  It is a commendable effort to recognize those who may otherwise go without notice, and I wish them well with the project." --Ken Schrader

BILLY ENGELHART

            Wisconsin native Billy Engelhart spent his racing career in the open-wheel ranks, and eventually landed a ride in an Indianapolis-style champ car.  During the 1980 - 1981 racing seasons Engelhart started nine champ car events run under the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) or United States Auto Club (USAC) sanction, including the 1980 Indianapolis 500 where he completed 193 laps and was credited with an eleventh-place finish.  In other champ car events Engelhart finished in the top 10 four times, including a best-ever finish of 8th at Milwaukee in 1981.

            We’re pleased to announce that Billy Engelhart has offered his endorsement of the Racers at Rest project.  Here’s the note Billy sent us.

            “I think the efforts of [the volunteers] bring some much needed dignity and recognition for these racers who have been such a big part of the history of auto racing in America.

            “It goes without saying that safety was barely a consideration during their time and that many of us would not have otherwise had the protections that developed as a result of their efforts. I for one have always been grateful for their contributions and recognize how very brave they must have been.

            “They deserve better and the efforts of [the Racers at Rest volunteer committee] are helping to provide that. Thank you from all of us. It was my honor to provide Buzz Rose with some of the photos that he used in his book,"Racers at Rest".

Regards,

Billy Engelhart

BOB JENKINS

            Bob Jenkins, long-time broadcaster and current anchor on Versus network Indy car broadcasts is among the latest members of the auto racing fraternity to endorse the Racers at Rest project.

            "Race drivers are my heroes.  They are now and always have been.  Although I knew from an early age I didn't have the courage to be one, their skills directly led to my career in race broadcasting.

            Having watched and admired racers for several decades, it seems unbelievable that some have been relegated to a cold resting place with no recognition. 

            I whole-heartedly support the Racers at Rest project and hope that through the program these departed heroes will finally receive the respect and dignity they so rightly deserve."

                        Bob Jenkins

WINCHESTER OLD TIMERS 

            The well-known Winchester Old Timers group (WOT) will celebrate at the Indiana track this year on August 20-21, and Gene Ingram who heads this year’s event has endorsed the Racers at Rest effort on behalf of the WOT group.

            “Those of us at the Winchester Old Timers do our best to keep the memory of the drivers and cars of the past in the fading spotlight whenever possible.

            The gentlemen on the Racers at Rest committee are well known to me and I heartily support their project placing markers on the graves of drivers who gave their life to this dangerous and thrilling sport.            

            Please give your support in any way to this program  to ensure these racers are remembered for their sacrifice to the world of motor racing.”

                        Best regards,

                        Gene Ingram

                        Winchester Old Timers

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN SHORT TRACK HALL OF FAME &

VINTAGE MODIFIED STOCK CAR GROUP

            The Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame and the Vintage Modified Stock Car group, represented by John Surges and Bob Ralston, have thrown their support behind the Racers at Rest project and we thank them!  Here’s the recent release from their offices.

            “[The Racers at Rest] volunteer committee [members] at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum Foundation in Knoxville, Iowa have recently embarked on a humanitarian mission that will both interest and greatly please open wheel race fans across the country. 

            “They have identified, through exhaustive research, that out of fifteen hundred open wheel racers who died on the track in this country's history, some thirty nine lay at rest in unmarked graves, their sacrifice lost to the winds of time. [The members of the] committee are actively taking action to right this wrong through their "Racers at Rest" program.  

            “The board at the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame and members of the Vintage Modified Stock Car group heartily endorse this worthwhile project and congratulate the "Racers at Rest" Committee for taking on such a daunting and complex task.”  

            [Signed]

            John Surges and Bob Ralston: representing the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame  and the Vintage Modified Stock Car group.

RICK YOCUM 

            Rick Yocum, author of “Echoes of Valley Thunder; Remembering Debo Park Motor Speedway,” has offered his support to the Racers at Rest project.

            "My congratulations on establishing the "Racers At Rest" effort.  The least we can do for those who gave their lives pursuing the sport we love is to provide them the dignity of  marking their final place of rest.”--Rick Yocum

 (Above) William "Billy" Carlson and his riding mechanic in the #10 struggle to stay ahead of Ralph DePalma in the quickly closing #12 during the running of the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup race in Santa Monica, California.  A year later on July 5, 1915, Carlson and his mechanic were both killed during a 250-mile race on the two-mile board track in Tacoma Washington.  Today, 96 years after his death, Carlson still rests in an unmarked grave.

---Photo courtesy the Library of Congress