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| 2008 Hall of Fame Class |
Eight more inductees have been announced for the National Midget Auto Racing
Hall of Fame, scheduled for induction ceremonies at a January 17 luncheon during the Chili Bowl.
The mix of drivers, car owners and officials will officially be honored during
ceremonies held on the Tulsa State Fairgrounds on Friday of “Chili Bowl”
weekend in the Oklahoma City.
This year’s inductees include (in alphabetical order) Wayne Adams, Emil Andres,
George Benson, Dan Boorse, Dominic Distarce, Les Kimbrell, Cletus “Cowboy”
O’Rourke and Jigger Sirois.
A legendary figure in Chicago-area Midget media, Adams enjoyed more than four
decades of announcing, officiating, photographing and writing the sport. Among
his many duties was serving as the chief announcer for the highly-popular races
at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
Andres, a regular member of the “Chicago Gang” in 1930s and 1940s Midget
racing, graduated to prominence in Stock car and Championship racing. Among his
victories were the 100-mile Springfield, Ill Championship race and a 100-miler
in 1948 at the Milwaukee Mile. He was honored by the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers
with their 1997 Louis Meyer Award.
Benson capped a stellar Midget racing career with his 1969 victory in the
prestigious “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif. A
pioneer builder as well, his 35-year career included a pair of CRA Sprint
victories and other regional Midget titles.
Boorse earned seven championships in the tough Badger Midget Racing
Association. His 50-year career included prestigious wins in the 1999 and 2003
Chili Bowl Championship in Tulsa, Okla. and the 1984 and 1999 Pepsi Midget
Nationals at Sun Prairie, Wisc.
Distarce, who served the American Automobile Association as an official,
actually served as the race organizer for the first professional Midget race
ever held, in 1933 at Loyola High School Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. As a
chief starter he was in the stand on the fateful day of Rex Mays’ demise at Del
Mar, Calif. in 1949 and he was also features as a starter in the racing epic To
Please A Lady, starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck.
Les Kimbrell was instrumental in the area of scoring for many years,
officiating as hundreds of Midget races and at the annual Indianapolis 500.
Kimbrell was the official scorer on the stand January 8, 1956, when the first
USAC race was conducted at the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. He later
served in various offices as a board member for the National Midget Auto Racing
Hall of Fame.
O’Rourke recorded a number of Midget wins during the 1930s and 1940s, including
a spectacular upside-down victory over Duke Nalon at the Chicago Field
Artillery Armory in 1937. In 1951 he was named the champion at the Chicago
International Amphitheater.
Sirois drove a variety of race cars and in 1961 he captured the UARA Midget
title, which included four track championships. A 100-mile race on the
Milwaukee Mile and an open-competition Midget Series title at Daytona Beach,
Fla. were also part of his repertoire, but in 1969 his aborted qualifying run
for the Indianapolis 500 earned notoriety as he would have been on the pole for
the race had he completed the run!
Advance Reservations only
are available through December 31, 2013 for $30 per person. Send Check with your order to:
NMARHoF
4967 W. 12th Street
Speedway, IN 46224
