The reallife hero of this story was the 47yearold brummie in the cockpit, ken miles now played by christian bale, a driver mechanic whose nearpsychic instincts behind the wheel did as much. Every car that we work on is engineered and fabricated to the specifications set for each individual car and driver. An engineer by trade, ken wharton was a talented and popular amateur who finished fourth on his grand prix debut the best result of his 15race world championship career. Former area great ken essary has always said it best, the talent here is second to none.
The english actor learned to drive a race car for his role as driver ken miles at the bondurant high performance driving school near chandler. Johnson began his professional racing career in formula super vee, winning the scca pro national championship in 1985. Ferrari, focuses on british driver ken miles, an unsung motorsports hero. Finley in a 61 ford van allen in a 63 ford trading the lead the whole race with finley finally winning it. Eldora speedways world 100 and dream, the dirt track world championship, lucas oil late model knoxville nationals and all the major races are covered along with the major tours. The car was raced by emmett hahn of tulsa, oklahoma rusty manning photo from the racing from the past website. Le mans engineer ken miles and his role in 1966 race. Former race car driver ron perdock of knoxville, iowa, was killed in a plane crash just north of knoxville on sunday morning, june 12. The fitness training routine of a racing car driver polar blog. Kenneth ray ken essary 19442019 find a grave memorial. The race had no cautions and mccormick came away with the open win and leslie essary came away with the showme victory. The first race of the season is saturday march 8 at crawford county speedway in van buren, ar. Ken miles, the driver behind fords victory over ferrari. Hall of fame scrapbook national dirt late model hall of fame.
The national dirt late model hall of fame is a nonprofit hall of fame for american drivers of dirt. With over two decades of experience, dobson brings drivers the very best in driver coaching and ontrack instruction. Please contact us to inquire about any custom products. He and his wife linna live on the family farm and continue to farm today. Keith and tader masters from mastersbilt chassis contributors. Drivers lloyd ruby and ken miles enjoy victory lane following their win in the first 24 hours of daytona at daytona international speedway. S03 e407 icma amodified racing heat races flyin farmer 55. He was a 1963 graduate of kossuth high school and served honorably in the united states air force, was a mason.
Ken essary, of cape fair, at left, was the top point earner in the late model division at the monett speedway during the 20 racing season. Ayrton senna, brazilian racecar driver born march 21, 1960, sao paulo, brazildied may 1, 1994, imola, italy, was a fierce competitor who was renowned for his ruthless and risky maneuvers on the grand prix circuit and dominated the sport with 41 grand prix titles and 3 circuit world c. Ken essary became known as the flyin farmer during his racing. Christian bale spent 4 days at a phoenixarea racing. The national dirt late model hall of fame has sponsored the 100th lap of the world 100 for many years. Ken miles bio, net worth, death, car race driver, award. Wheatland, missouri march 26, 2020 fans and drivers alike, prepare to strap yourselves in and get your late model fix, as the lucas oil midwest late model racing association mlra takes center stage for two exciting classic rewinds on the. Home lucas oil mlra midwest latemodel racing association.
Except for a three years in the 1990s, when he leased the speedway to ken essary, mooneyham has been in charge ever since. The top five showme cars were leslie essary in the 5e, roger wilson in the 77, the 83 of chick comer, the 15 of kevin henson, and ken essary in the 55. The videos are chopped about so all the good bits make it into the final edit. Oreilly midwest latemodel racing association 19992008. William kenneth ken richardson 21 august 1911 in bourne, lincolnshire 27 june 1997 in bourne, lincolnshire was a british racing and test development driver from england who competed in one formula one world championship race. Motors products until he passed away in his race car on june 5, 1966. Lucas oil midwest latemodel racing association central. The last time that happened was 1970, a year before he climbed behind the wheel of a 67 chevelle at the old springfield fairgrounds.
Alain pascal prost was born in lorette, loire, france. Jun 16, 2009 music video by primus performing jerry was a race car driver. Ken was killed in a racing accident at marshall missouri. The one nascar race for ken miles posted by nascarman on november 14, 2019 viewed 3925 times tweet. Ken miles was born on friday, november 1, 1918 age 47 years. Ken johnson born november 28, 1962 in memphis, tennessee, united states is a former driver in the cart series. Profile for racing driver ken wharton from britain. Which dirt late model star earned the asphalt series nascarremax challenge rookie of the. Driver sponsor make laps led status pts 1 terry phillips. Fitness training helps to endure massive physical loads. A few months after ken s death, peter went to work for ken s friend dick troutman at the troutman and barnes custom car shop in culver city, ca.
S03e416 pure stock racing amain flyin farmer 55 springfield. Leslie essary takes the showme win heartland motorsports. Ken miles was an english sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his motorsport career in the us, and with american teams on the international scene. During the time it was asphalt, the track was reconfigured in 1992 to provide more side by side racing. About us with ken keir race cars, you can quickly see the difference in vehicle dynamics, driver ergonomics, usability, and comfort.
He codesigned the gt40 with carroll shelby, and drove it during the epic showdown but was cheated out of first place. The 35yearold car dealer was originally from washington, iowa, and had competed at west liberty raceway for many years before moving to ames, iowa. A retired truck driver, kenneth enjoyed racing, buying and selling cars, hunting and spending time with his grandsons, josh and alex. Lebanon i44 speedway driving experience ride along. Justin wells of nearby aurora recalls going to his first race at the track as a fiveyearold. It would be hard to find a racer in the ozarks that hasnt been influenced in some way by ken essary. Primus jerry was a race car driver lyrics genius lyrics. Besides a fierce competitive streak, what set shoemaker aside from the crowd was his utterly pugnacious disposition. Fortunately, there are lots of renowned racing competitions that are held in various places across the globe which you can go to. Test of your dirt late model knowledge dirt on dirt.
Birkhofer rolls to victory in monett debut world of outlaws. The other driver, ed carpenter, was awake and alert. The registered agent on file for this company is essary, kenneth l. It didnt take long and moyer had his larry shaw race car at the point and once again dominated the event at a track he had raced at regularly seven seasons before. Ken miles was a british racing engineer and driver who is known for his racing career in the us with the american motorsport teams. Top 100 richest race car drivers for those who love both cars and adventures, watching a live car racing competition is such a dream come true. Which hall of fame driver helped design and build the dixie. In the early dirt days, drivers such as ken essary, larry phillips, billy moyer and many others made the track a steady diet of racing there as top drivers such as bill frye, rex mccroskey, rex merritt, lslie essary and many others cut there. See actions taken by the people who manage and post. Essary, 69, and darrell mooneyham, 71, will be recognized prior to friday nights season championships program at monett, with racing set for 8 p. In the early dirt days, drivers such as ken essary, larry phillips, billy moyer and. Empa hall of fameken brenn sr eastern motorsport press. Dec 27, 20 former race car driver ron perdock of knoxville, iowa, was killed in a plane crash just north of knoxville on sunday morning, june 12. This page is dedicated to the history of dirt late model racing, the legends that helped make it, and anyone that had.
In the postwar era of sports car racing and hotrodding in southern california, ken miles stood near the top of the mountain. The battle for second was much more exciting as jerry inmon and ken essary swapped the position several times with inmon winning out and essary settling for third. Come out and watch all the drivers battle sidebyside at the grand ole lady. Thanks to dirt trax race cards, jags race cards and volunteer racing promotions for theirs of contribution to the sport. Lebanon i44 speedway driving experience rusty wallace racing. October 9, 2010 race brothers farm and home supply show me racing series found ken essary of cape fair, mo found victory lane at the historic half mile of the resurrected thunderbird speedway in muskogee, ok. Mar 26, 2020 lets race mavtv to feature 2019 mlra fall nationals. Eldora speedways world 100 and dream, the dirt track world championship, lucas oil late model knoxville nationals and all the major races are covered along with the. Kenneth henry miles 1 november 1918 17 august 1966 was a british sports car racing engineer and driver. Essary s sixthplace finish was good enough to clinch the 1997 mlra championship with one event remaining on the series schedule. We are expecting a large field of cars, so it will be worth your trip. Ken s young son peter and shelby witnessed him getting into the car, driving out on the tack, and moments later, the.
Two months later, he was killed test driving a ford jcar at a california raceway. Car owners pappy and bob allen jim anderson sonny aurther smiley burnett. He died in a fiery car accident on august 17, 1966, at the riverside raceway. The alliowa points are the exclusive property of and may not be copied or reprinted. In the early dirt days, drivers such as ken essary, larry phillips, billy moyer and many others made the track a steady diet of racing there as top drivers such as bill frye, rex mccroskey, rex merritt, lslie essary and many others cut there racing careers there. Ken miles was married to mollie and had a son, peter miles. Ken essary buddy aj esterkamp tootle estes dave ethridge jack ethridge rod eulenfield cecil eunice tommy evonosky. Racing in the ozarks promotional trailer a documentary in development by ozarks public television.
Springfield raceway flyn farmer 55 this saturday at springfield. Recalling his early life, ken miles born in birmingham, west. Mar 26, 2006 driver paul dana died after a two car crash sunday during the warmup for the seasonopening irl indycar series race at homesteadmiami speedway. Ken essary became known as the flyin farmer during his racing career that spanned over 40 years. Golden stategolden west classic legends of san jose speedway. In 1986 johnson attempted the first five international formula 3000 races for bs automotive. Legendary ozarks driver hasnt raced this year but hasnt officially retired, either. Relive the memories of racing in kansas and the surrounding states.
Generations of drivers and fans have attended races there. Presenting kenny the trophy is miss 64 knoxville queen jan ann walter and race director marion robinson. The companys filing status is listed as good standing and its file number is 00324557. Ragan made 50 cup starts from 1982 to 1990, mostly for his brother marvin, but also drove in the 1985 season for roger hamby. When ken died while testing a prototype car in 1966, peter, who witnessed his fathers death, 20 was almost 15. Ken miles, portrayed by christian bale in the upcoming movie le mans 66, was a rogue figure who drove for ford during the race. Lets know more about the racer through this article. These cars were in the northeast turn during the pace lap for the first heat race. February 20 brad went and met with a future race car driver today at school such a cool deal he was so excited to put that shirt on see. Ken williams racing career profile driver database.
In 2001, he was inducted into the motorsports hall of fame of america. Our drivers came out in full force last year and put on a 100 lap. Speedways briefly in the 1970s fielded winning modifieds for ken jr. With proper preparation, the race was there for the taking. Ken dobson is a professional race car driver racing in american le mans alms and the grandam rolex series. Instead, ken would turn out along with the likes of donny wayman, jim luke, jeep herbert, and others to be one of the best drivers for hire in the history of northeast stock car racing. Super modified races at hutchinson, kansas on july 26, 1981. Fords race management headed by leo beebe, held a drivers briefing outlining the race strategy, with each car being allocated a target laptime to keep the rivalries under control. Hall of famer essary doesnt know if hell race again. Aug 18, 2019 for years, kens race shop was the place to be for parts, fuel, tires, and advice. Relive some of the cars and drivers of the 100 inch supermodifieds, late model stock cars, midgets, sprints, jalopies.
What do ken essary, billy moyer, tommy joe pauschert, ken. The fame for ken miles after fords victory over ferrari at le mans 1966 was short lived. Kenny weld after winning the 1964 knoxville nationals. The gt40s dominated qualifying, four of them outpacing the fastest ferrari. But the grt house car driver, who started fourth, was unable to. He is an inductee to the motorsports hall of fame of america. Detailed karting statistics not covered by driver database. Around age 10 he knew he wanted to be a racer after watching his uncle race at the fairgrounds in springfield. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. After that it was marty ridderhoff in his 66 ford fairlane. Hooning it sideways everywhere around an airfield in a 700bhp car is nothing. Ken miles, from sutton coldfield, in birmingham, emigrated to the us in 1951. A leader in the changing technology of stock car racing, many track. Jerry was a race car driver he drove so goddamned fast never did win no checkered flags but he never did come in last jerry was a.