James Essex/NARA PR
UNION, KY-- Florence Speedway is Union, KY will host the 18th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial Race this Saturday Night, June 5. For the second year in a row the event will be sanctioned by the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. The 50 lap feature event will pay $5000 to win and $300 to start. Also on the race program at Florence will be the Open Wheel Modifieds and Super Dirt Stocks. Admission will be $15 for adults with children ages 6-11 getting in for $2. Pit admission will be $25.
Ralph Latham was a three-decade Cincinnati area racing star that passed away in August of 1986 from cancer. Ralph's truly outstanding racing career and life has been honored now at Florence Speedway since the first running of the event in his memory was held in 1987 when local driver, Bobby Carnes was the winner and last year it was Scott James of Lawrenceburg, IN coming home the victor for the first time in the Memorial event. During his career Ralph Latham won track championships at Northern Kentucky Speedway (now named Florence Speedway), Tri-County Speedway in West Chester, OH and Glen Este Speedway in Glen Este, OH. He also competed regularly with ARCA and USAC during his career. One of his most memorable wins came at Daytona in 1967 when he won the ARCA event during Speedweeks driving for Porter Lanigan. Ralph passed five time ARCA champion, Iggy Katona on the final lap for the win.
The year 1969 would see Ralph team with veteran car owner, Morgan Chandler in the famous Ruth Motors entry as they would win 15 of 18 features that year at Northern Kentucky Speedway and Clay City (KY) Raceway. But 1970 would be the year that would be the most successful for Ralph as he posted a remarkable 43 late model feature wins during that season. He would sweep all the big races and the points championship at the Tri-County Speedway and he would also capture the late model track championship at the Clark County (OH) Fairgrounds in Springfield, OH. In 1971, Ralph made the first ever World 100 contested at Eldora (OH) Speedway where he would finish 14th.
From 1972 until 1975 he campaigned with the United States Auto Club (USAC) and grew to love the one mile dirt tracks they participated on. Ralph ran with some of the all-time greats in auto racing including, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al and Bobby Unser, Parnelli Jones, Don White, Jack Bowsher and Butch Hartman just to name a few. Ralph then returned to the local racing scene with Morgan Chandler in the mid 70's but his career was basically cut short by an accident at a race track in Kentucky where he suffered a broken tailbone, putting him on the sidelines.
Ralph then took up another hobby, mini marathons which he participated in until his cancer was first discovered in 1985. At that time Ralph was scheduled to return to oval track racing with ASA at the Queen City Speedway which was formally know as Tri-County Speedway and where the track was now pavement instead of the dirt where Ralph had so successfully run on. Those plans were put on hold as Ralph underwent treatment for the cancer, but he lost his battle with the disease in August of 1986 at the age of 54. During his racing career Ralph won more than 200 feature races.
Florence Speedway will again honor Ralph Latham with this Memorial race tribute this Saturday Night, June 5. There will be a complete show for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Late Models with Racing Optics Times Trials, Crown Spray Power Heat Races, O'Reilly Auto Parts B-Mains and the 50 Lap Lucas Oil A-Main paying $5000 to win. Pit gates will open at 4 PM (EDT), grandstand gates open at 5 PM with qualifying at 6:30 PM. Florence Speedway is located on U.S Route 42, nine miles west of exit 180 off of I-75. The track phone number on race day is (859) 485-7591. For more information on the track please visit the track's website at www.florencespeedway.com. For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series please log on to www.naradirtcar.com or call the NARA office at (859) 271-4501.
Florence Speedway
Union, KY
18th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial
Saturday Night, June 5, 2004
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Feature Event Payoff:
1. $5000.00
2. 3000.00
3. 2000.00
4. 1500.00
5. 1000.00
6. 800.00
7. 750.00
8. 700.00
9. 650.00
10. 600.00
11. 550.00
12. 500.00
13. 450.00
14. 450.00
15. 400.00
16. 400.00
17. 350.00
18. 350.00
19. 300.00
20. 300.00
21. 300.00
22. 300.00
Previous Ralph Latham Memorial Winners
1987--Bobby Carnes
1988--Bob Pierce
1989--John Gill
1990--Jack Boggs
1991--Scott Bloomquist
1992--Jack Boggs
1993--Jack Boggs
1994--Billy Moyer
1995--Donnie Moran
1996--Billy Moyer
1997--Steve Francis
1998--Bart Hartman
1999--Wendell Wallace
2000--Darrell Lanigan
2001--R.J. Conley
2002--Steve Francis
2003--Scott James
UNION, KY-- Florence Speedway is Union, KY will host the 18th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial Race this Saturday Night, June 5. For the second year in a row the event will be sanctioned by the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. The 50 lap feature event will pay $5000 to win and $300 to start. Also on the race program at Florence will be the Open Wheel Modifieds and Super Dirt Stocks. Admission will be $15 for adults with children ages 6-11 getting in for $2. Pit admission will be $25.
Ralph Latham was a three-decade Cincinnati area racing star that passed away in August of 1986 from cancer. Ralph's truly outstanding racing career and life has been honored now at Florence Speedway since the first running of the event in his memory was held in 1987 when local driver, Bobby Carnes was the winner and last year it was Scott James of Lawrenceburg, IN coming home the victor for the first time in the Memorial event. During his career Ralph Latham won track championships at Northern Kentucky Speedway (now named Florence Speedway), Tri-County Speedway in West Chester, OH and Glen Este Speedway in Glen Este, OH. He also competed regularly with ARCA and USAC during his career. One of his most memorable wins came at Daytona in 1967 when he won the ARCA event during Speedweeks driving for Porter Lanigan. Ralph passed five time ARCA champion, Iggy Katona on the final lap for the win.
The year 1969 would see Ralph team with veteran car owner, Morgan Chandler in the famous Ruth Motors entry as they would win 15 of 18 features that year at Northern Kentucky Speedway and Clay City (KY) Raceway. But 1970 would be the year that would be the most successful for Ralph as he posted a remarkable 43 late model feature wins during that season. He would sweep all the big races and the points championship at the Tri-County Speedway and he would also capture the late model track championship at the Clark County (OH) Fairgrounds in Springfield, OH. In 1971, Ralph made the first ever World 100 contested at Eldora (OH) Speedway where he would finish 14th.
From 1972 until 1975 he campaigned with the United States Auto Club (USAC) and grew to love the one mile dirt tracks they participated on. Ralph ran with some of the all-time greats in auto racing including, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al and Bobby Unser, Parnelli Jones, Don White, Jack Bowsher and Butch Hartman just to name a few. Ralph then returned to the local racing scene with Morgan Chandler in the mid 70's but his career was basically cut short by an accident at a race track in Kentucky where he suffered a broken tailbone, putting him on the sidelines.
Ralph then took up another hobby, mini marathons which he participated in until his cancer was first discovered in 1985. At that time Ralph was scheduled to return to oval track racing with ASA at the Queen City Speedway which was formally know as Tri-County Speedway and where the track was now pavement instead of the dirt where Ralph had so successfully run on. Those plans were put on hold as Ralph underwent treatment for the cancer, but he lost his battle with the disease in August of 1986 at the age of 54. During his racing career Ralph won more than 200 feature races.
Florence Speedway will again honor Ralph Latham with this Memorial race tribute this Saturday Night, June 5. There will be a complete show for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Late Models with Racing Optics Times Trials, Crown Spray Power Heat Races, O'Reilly Auto Parts B-Mains and the 50 Lap Lucas Oil A-Main paying $5000 to win. Pit gates will open at 4 PM (EDT), grandstand gates open at 5 PM with qualifying at 6:30 PM. Florence Speedway is located on U.S Route 42, nine miles west of exit 180 off of I-75. The track phone number on race day is (859) 485-7591. For more information on the track please visit the track's website at www.florencespeedway.com. For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series please log on to www.naradirtcar.com or call the NARA office at (859) 271-4501.
Florence Speedway
Union, KY
18th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial
Saturday Night, June 5, 2004
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Feature Event Payoff:
1. $5000.00
2. 3000.00
3. 2000.00
4. 1500.00
5. 1000.00
6. 800.00
7. 750.00
8. 700.00
9. 650.00
10. 600.00
11. 550.00
12. 500.00
13. 450.00
14. 450.00
15. 400.00
16. 400.00
17. 350.00
18. 350.00
19. 300.00
20. 300.00
21. 300.00
22. 300.00
Previous Ralph Latham Memorial Winners
1987--Bobby Carnes
1988--Bob Pierce
1989--John Gill
1990--Jack Boggs
1991--Scott Bloomquist
1992--Jack Boggs
1993--Jack Boggs
1994--Billy Moyer
1995--Donnie Moran
1996--Billy Moyer
1997--Steve Francis
1998--Bart Hartman
1999--Wendell Wallace
2000--Darrell Lanigan
2001--R.J. Conley
2002--Steve Francis
2003--Scott James
