ByRich Murray
MORRIS, IL (August 27, 2014)—Saturday night, August 30th, the Grundy County Speedway will host the 34th Annual “Bob Lockard Memorial” featuring the D’Arcy GMC STARS National Midgets. The race honors the memory of Lockard, the legendary car owner from Joliet, Illinois whose midgets competed and won several events in UARA, WOOM, and USAC. The drivers who have been behind the wheel of one of Lockard’s famous red #69 cars are a list of who’s who among midget racing’s past. The list includes Indianapolis 500 veterans Danny Kladis, Johnny Rutherford, Johnny Parsons, Jr., Jimmy Caruthers, Joe Saldana, Larry Rice, and Rich Vogler along with local stars such as Merle Bettenhausen, Jim McLean, Tom Steiner, and Tom Corcoran. Along the way, Lockard’s cars earned several UARA Midget Series titles along with 24 USAC Midget Series victories.
The race dates back to 1981 when former Lockard wheelman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series participant, Dennis DeVea, won the inaugural “Bob Lockard Memorial” at Joliet Memorial Stadium. The race was held at the track in Joliet until it moved to its current home, the Grundy County Speedway, in 1987. The winner that night in 1987 was Yoder, Indiana’s Mike Fedorcak driving the infamous “Munchkin” midget. Danny Pens is the all-time leader in wins in the “Bob Lockard Memorial” with four victories between 1989 and 1995.
Austin Prock, the current STARS National Midget point leader, is the most recent winner of the “Bob Lockard Memorial” back in 2013. Prock finished in second place behind Kyle Hamilton during last week’s running of the “D’Arcy GMC Pavement Nationals presented by Bell Helmets.” Hamilton has won the last two STARS races held at Grundy County and has been the fast qualifier in all five races he has competed in this year.
Also on the agenda are the Illini Racing Series Midgets, STARS Classic Modifieds, INEX Legends, and the CSR Super Cups. Adult tickets are just $12. Kids age 5-12 get in for $2. Children age 4 and under are free! Pit gates open at 2 p.m. Grandstands open up at 5 p.m. Racing starts at 6:30 p.m.
Before all the racing gets underway, fans have a chance to meet the legends who have made racing the great American sport that it is today during the 11th annual Mazon Speed Bowl and Grundy County Speedway Hall of Fame & Racers Reunion. From noon until 6 p.m., a historical photo collection featuring more than 4000 pictures of the cars and stars from years past can be viewed while the Hall of Fame awards ceremony takes place at 3 p.m. Fans can also get a close look at the display of vintage cars of the open wheel and stock car variety. Grundy County Speedway is located one mile north of I-80 on Route 47 in Morris, Illinois.
BOB LOCKARD MEMORIAL RACE WINNERS
1981 – Dennis DeVea
1982 – Mack McClellan