Stephanie & Jeff Simmons
<a href="http://www.stlracingphotos.com/gallery/7185294_YT2hF#461369854_Sv2SR" target="_blank">CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE STL AUTO RACING FAN CLUB BANQUET OF CHAMPIONS!</a>
St. Louis, MO - "Butch" Cooley and Jeff Simmons kicked off a night celebrating the 2008 motorsports achievements of area racers with racing stories both old and new at the 42nd Annual Banquet of Champions. Cooley, the 1966 and 1967 Late Model track champion from Lake Hill Speedway spoke of winning back-to-back titles, one on dirt and the other on asphalt. Simmons highlighted his Indy Lites and IndyCar experiences with the Rahal Letterman and A. J. Foyt teams.
Big River Sand Drags champion Gladys Edwards, a grandmother, received her fifth Overall Vehicle Track title award from Simmons at the Royale Orleans Banquet Center Saturday night. She also requested and received a hug from the open wheel star and an autograph.
Kenny Brown and Jim Siner, co-creators of the POWRi Midget sanctioning body, were honored with the club's annual Founders Award for their revitalization over the past five years of the oldest form of continuous racing in St. Louis, the popular open-wheel midgets. The 75th anniversary of the first midget race in St. Louis will be in January of 2010.
Cindy and Dan Daum, along with Gayle and Kenny Stevenson were very moved as they received the Bob Mueller Award for their support of the I-70 QMA in Greenville, IL. The two couples helped create the organization and built its one-twentieth-mile concrete track from the ground up in 2000. They have been continuous supporters ever since. It has been their commitment that has enabled the kids (ages 5 – 16) who race the open-wheel quarter-midgets to reach their goals and dreams.
Gateway International Raceway's PR Director Brandon Mudd was a surprised recipient of the Outstanding Media Person of the Year for his work on KFNS' SpeedZone motorsports news show. James Heine received the club's highest honor, the Dale Mueller, named in honor of the club's founder, for his 35 years of motorsports journalism. Heine is a columnist for SportsCar as well as an Editor-At-Large for Grassroots Motorsports and a writer for Parts and People Magazine.
The success that seven St. Louis racers achieved at the higher levels in 2008 was exceptional. These included World Champion Mike Seebold in SBI Offshore Boats; National Champions Justin Allgaier (ARCA ReMax Stock Cars), James Elterman (Redline Time Attack), Mike Byington (SCCA Rallycross), Brad Stout (SCCA Formula Vee), and Peter Zekert (SCCA GT Lite); and NHRA 8 – 9 Year Old Division 3 Jr. Dragster Champ Zach Barnett.
Champions from Belle-Clair Speedway (Belleville, IL), Big River Sand Drags (Bonne Terre, MO), Gateway International Raceway's dragstrip (Madison, IL), Highland (IL) Speedway, I-55 Raceway (Pevely, MO), the I-70 QMA (Greenville, IL), POWRi Midgets, St. Francois County Raceway (Farmington, MO) and Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL) were honored.
Attached is a complete list of all the award winners and a copy of the annual awards wording.
The Banquet of Champions celebrates the achievements of all forms of motorsports in St. Louis. For more news and photos visit www.stlfanclub.com.
42nd Banquet of Champions
January 24, 2009
Royale Orleans Banquet Center
Annual Award wording
Mechanics – Ron Douglas
He's spent 16 years tuning cars at the NHRA professional level, all because he went to a race and didn't want to go home. Knowing his love for the sport was the right career path, he began with Skuza Motorsports in 1993. He moved to Randy Anderson's Team, helped create Don Schumacher's team from scratch, and spent two years with Cruz Pedregon before moving to help form the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang team driven by Ashley Force. This Highland, IL native is co-crew chief on the fire-breathing 330-mph Nitro Funny Car that propelled Ashley Force to become both the first female to win an NHRA National in Funny Car (beating her dad, the legendary John Force) and the first female to lead the NHRA Funny Car points. The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club is honored to recognize the dedication and commitment of Ron Douglas to powering the fastest race cars on the planet.
Ambassador's – Brad Holzhauer
This year's Ambassador Award winner is an individual who is building a segment of the sport for kids. For two years, he created and completely funded a separate series for Gateway International Raceway's Jr. Dragster program. In 2008 he created and fully funded the Midwest Jr. Super Series, a ten class, six race series at Midwestern tracks all within a four-hour drive of one another. This made it more economical for teams to support the series, increased the level of competition, and created new opportunities for the racers. The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club is delighted to present the Ambassador's Award to Brad Holzhauer.
Outstanding Media – Brandon Mudd
The recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Media Award is someone who has earned his stripes in the media from the team PR side, to the broadcast booth, the Internet, and now as the PR Director for a major metropolitan motorsports facility. While most know his work on KFNS' Speed Zone and its companion Internet site, few know how much PR he silently provides for area teams. The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club is delighted to salute a great supporter of area motorsports, Brandon Mudd.
Bob Mueller – Cindy and Dan Daum and Gayle and Ken Stevenson
The Bob Mueller award honors those behind the scenes contribution that make racing possible. Without family and friends, most racers wouldn't make it to the track. Without the work of a group of families in 2000 the entire I-70 Quarter Midget Association wouldn't have a home on which to race. They created by-laws, obtained a charter from the Quarter Midgets of America, established an agreement with the Bond County, IL Fairgrounds, built a concrete race track with all the amenities and held their first race all within a span of a year. They didn't stop just there. They have continued to support and staff the one-twentieth-mile facility by providing trophies; planning activities, fundraisers, and banquets; handling the photography, and finally, the mountains of paperwork without which no job is complete. The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club is proud to honor the couples who made and continue to make it possible for the I-70 QMA racers to reach their goals and dreams, Dan and Cindy Daum and Gayle and Kenny Stevenson.
Founder's – Kenny Brown and Jim Siner
The Founder's Award is being presented to a pair of gentlemen who revitalized and re-energized the oldest form of racing in St. Louis. The past five years have been nothing short of remarkable for the sanctioning body they created. They've added and organized the 600cc Micro Sprints in the area, created an indoor midget series at DuQuoin, hosted a race with the largest paying midget purse ever (paying $15,000 to win) this past fall, and most recently sanctioned the inaugural "'Twas the Midgets Before Christmas" indoor show at the Kemper Arena. They've been the best thing for midget fans and teams since they started racing indoors at the old Arena on Oakland Avenue in the 1930s. Their organizational skills, officiating staff, sponsorship deals and fast and fan-friendly shows have not gone unnoticed by the midget world. The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club is delighted to recognize Kenny Brown and Jim Siner for their unparalleled growth and revitalization of the area midget racing scene.
George – Bill Pezold
The "George" Award is named in honor of the late Fan Club member Frank Suggs who never forgot a name because he called everyone George. The award is presented to the most active Fan Club member of the past year. This year's recipient is, a gentleman, who attended his first Banquet of Champions just last year. Since then he's graciously ran countless errands, helped set up several of our events, coordinated a bar-b-que, and presented our "2nd is FANtastic" checks at Fan Club nights. Tonight he's handling the 50/50 duties. With our sincerest thanks for all he's done The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club is honored to present The "George" Award to Bill Pezold for his continuous support all year.
Lifetime –
The Lifetime Membership recipient simply connected with the goals and dreams of our founder Dale Mueller, and has been a consistent supporter of the club for 30 years. As a secretary and board member, she's done just about every task this club has. With the Fan Club, and the countless individuals it will take, she's working to ensure the history and legacy of the area's racing community is preserved and celebrated through the creation of the Midwest Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame. She's steadfastly believes we are ONE racing community, champions every form of racing St. Louis offers, boldly announces that "the World's Best Racers race in and from St. Louis" and proudly states "If you love racing, St. Louis is the place to be". Our Lifetime Membership recipient is Eileen Waters.
Dale Mueller – James Heine
The Dale Mueller is being presented this year to a dedicated journalist who has quietly chronicled both St. Louis racing and motorsports in general throughout a career spanning 35 years. While still in college he was one of the first radio broadcasters on WSIE's 15 minute weekly motorsports news report. Over time, in addition to holding several posts with local sanctioning bodies, he's authored features and writes several monthly columns for the SCCA's national publication, SportsCar. He's written and has been an Editor-at-Large for Grassroots Motorsports. He provides articles and features for an automotive industry publication, Parts and People magazine. The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club is pleased to honor James Heine for his dedication to motorsports via the media.
St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club
42nd Annual Banquet of Champions
January 24, 2009
Royale Orleans Banquet Center
Lemay, MO
2008 Local Champions
Track/Organization Champion Hometown Class
Belle-Clair Speedway Michael Kloos Trenton, IL AARA/UMP Late Model
Belleville, IL Dean Hoffman Troy, IL AARA/UMP Modified
Jim Clark Collinsville, IL AARA/UMP Sportsman
Casey Crane Caseyville, IL AARA/UMP Pure Stock
Big River Sand Drags Gladys Edwards Bonne Terre, MO Overall Vehicle Track Champ
Bonne Terre, MO Jason Waller Bonne Terre, MO Overall ATV Track Champ
Gateway International Mark Gilliam Staunton, IL Super Pro
Raceway Mike Vishno St. Louis, MO Pro ET
drag racing David Gamber Fenton, MO Street ET
Madison, IL Tim Mallicoat Collinsville, IL Street Car Shootout
Bob Lohr Staunton, IL Pro Bike
Eric Sanzoterra St. Peters, MO Street Bike Shootout
Matt Gosch Bunker Hill, IL High School ET
Tolisa Blumenstein Breese, IL Jr. Dragster 13 & Up
Jacob Blumenstein Breese, IL Jr. Dragster 10 – 12
Chase Bittle Belleville, IL Jr. Dragster 8 – 9
Highland Speedway Brian Belong Summerfield, IL UMP Late Model
Highland, IL Chris Smith Highland, IL UMP Modified
Justin Durbin Vandalia, IL UMP Sportsman
Matt Hamblin Highland, IL UMP Hornets
Jason Zobrist Highland, IL Street Stocks
I-55 Raceway Billy Faust Highland, IL AARA/UMP Late Model
Pevely, MO Ray Walsh St. Louis, MO AARA/UMP Modifieds
Jeff Herzog Herculaneum, MO AARA/UMP Sportsman
Homer Mooney Bloomsdale, MO AARA/UMP Pro 4 Stocks
I-70 QMA Clayton Gonsalves Damiansville, IL Light 160 and World Formula
Quarter-Midgets Sean Blackwell Florissant, MO Heavy Honda
(kids racing) Jeff Collins, Jr. Okawville, IL Heavy 160
Greenville, IL Jacob Griffin Quincy, IL Sr. Stock
Brandon Smith Mason City, IL Sr. Honda
Trevor Landrum Union, MO Jr. Honda
O'Reilly's POWRi Midgets Brett Anderson Belleville, IL National Midgets
Dereck King Vianna, IL 600cc Outlaw Micros
St. Francois County Tommy Worley, Jr. Bismarck, MO Sprints
Raceway Brent Thompson Park Hills, MO Modifieds
Farmington, MO Ryan Kempin Catawissa, MO POWRi 600cc Micro
John Bohn Farmington, MO Pure Street
Tri-City Speedway Billy Faust Highland, IL Late Model
Bobby Martintoni Livingston, IL Modifieds
Jason Schmidt Highland, IL UMP Factory Stocks
Bobby Dauderman Alhambra, IL UMP Crate Pro Late Model
Josh Jackson South Roxana, IL UMP Street Stock
2008 World, National, and Divisional Champions
World Champion Mike Seebold St. Louis, MO SBI Offshore Boats
National Champions Justin Allgaier Riverton, IL ARCA ReMax Stock Cars
James Elterman St. Louis, MO Redline Time Attack Modified AWD
Mike Byington Spanish Lake, MO SCCA Rallycross "SR"
Brad Stout Webster Groves, MO SCCA Formula Vee
Peter Zekert Maryland Heights, MO SCCA GT Lite
Divisional Champion Zach Barnett Shipman, IL NHRA 8-9 Jr. Dragster Div. 3
Annual Club Awards
Mechanical Achievement Ron Douglas Highland, IL Ashley Force's Co-Chief Mechanic
Ambassador's Award Brad Holzhauer Nashville, IL created drag racing series for kids
Outstanding Media Person Brandon Mudd St. Charles, MO best in St. Louis racing media 2008
Bob Mueller Award Cindy & Dan Daum Pocahontas, IL constructing & supporting I-70 QMA
Gayle & Kenny Stevenson Pocahontas, IL
Founder's Award Kenny Brown Millstadt, IL revitalizing St. Louis' midget scene
Jim Siner Effingham, IL
"George" Award Bill Pezold Elsberry, MO most active club member
Lifetime Membership Eileen Waters St. Louis, MO
Dale Mueller Award James Heine St. Louis, MO 35 years of motorsports journalism
Guest Speaker & Special Guest
Guest Speaker "Butch" Cooley Arnold, MO '66 & '67 Lake Hill Speedway champ
Special Guest Jeff Simmons St. Louis, MO drove A. J. Foyt's car in '08 Indy 500
