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Racing as a life style,the Mercer way.

I was privileged to attend the Mercer banquet again this year and hope to continue for a long time to come.

I sat with Wally Stearns his wife Ed Haylett and family Rudy Tropples the Gabany crew to name a few and what a pleasure,then as the night went on I became more excited as the real racing family began to be honored.

Wally’s victory flag was a joy I only wish everyone could have shared the human compassion that was given so he could be blessed and the joy Ed Hazlett and family shared then Rudy ,and Eric dollars and cents apart but so close as the racing family,God at work!

When I arrived I first ran into Putsy and his family I thought it strange for a while and then when he was honored for all he had done for sprint car racing and to see his sons an grand son so proud of him and his ever present wife just fill me with so much memory over load I just sat  and shed great tears ,the honor given to the KEKICH  RACING HISTORY AND FUTURE has been overlooked much to long.

Putsy and I go back to the days of the old Pulaski Speedway and our exploits of crawling under the fence to see races my Dad was the security there and when kids would sneak in he amazingly never saw them .the same was not true for adults that could pay Chester Thompson either never knew or really didn’t care,either way we were on the way to a life long love affair with racing,Thanks Dad &Chester.

You may ask who could have been racing at that conveted half mile cornfield ,Steve Unger,Ron Crash,Emil Smolnik,Don Dahl,John HolfelderTony Banick,Ted Wise,just to mention a few that formed our love for grassroots racing.

To Putsy and family I send my love and support to you Putsy I could not be more proud and when your sons and grandson hugged me and said they would pray for me I got the same rush as when we would make that stand up move after we cleared the fence at Pulaski in the 1950s my best to you and your entire family ,they will keep the passion of local racing in perspective.

My last kudos is to Vicki Emig and the way she honors the men and women-that have and continue to allow us to enjoy this most exciting sport ,and the people that help make it all possible Frank Benic you are an Icon of the racing community and most don’t even know your history in the sport soon I hope to share with them who you really are.

With respect for my peers,

In Christ Bill Beck