LEGENDARY CAR OWNER PETE SMITH PASSES
 
Chester B. "PETE" Smith
Chester B. ‘‘Pete’’ Smith, 81, of Parkersburg passed away Dec. 10, 2006, at Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital.
Pete Smith spent his lifetime in the world of sprint car racing...the sport he dearly loved. With Larry McPeek as driver, Smith cars won several (Atomic Speedway) K-C Raceway championships in the '70's and '80's then won consecutive championships later on with Ron "Ronnie" Myers as the chauffeur. Because of increased health problems, 2006 was the first time that the baby blue "West Virginia Sprinter" failed to hit the track since 1959. Other Smith drivers included Jim Nace, Tim Seitz, Dean Jacobs, Steve Dickson, McPeek, Rick Holly, Brian Benson, and Steve Dickson among others. Pete will be greatly missed.
He was born Feb. 22, 1925, in Pittsburgh, Pa., a son of the late Chester F. and Florence C. Hull Smith. He was a U.S. Navy veteran serving in World War II, a Parkersburg police officer for seven years and retired from Borg Warner Chemical/GE after 33 years of service. He was a member of the Masonic Blue Lodge 3; built sprint cars for 40 years; was a Parkersburg South football fan and contributor to Erickson Field; and he attended the Liberty Street Church of God.
He is survived by his wife, Reba ‘‘Ruth’’ (Light) Smith; three sisters, Elizabeth May and Donna Epting, both of Gainsville, Fla., and Glenna Moran of Bozrah, Conn.; and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Steve Smith; one infant daughter, Rebecca Ruth Smith; one brother, James E. Smith; and two sisters, Bertha Emerick and Louise DeRose.
Services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home, Parkersburg, with Pastor Brian Harrell officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memory Gardens with full military rites provided by the American Legion Post 15. Visitation will be 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. today and until time of service Wednesday at the funeral home.
Owner: Pete Smith ................ Driver-Steve Dickson
Mr. Smith has built and owned his own car since 1959. through the years he has raced on many different style tracks and on many different tracks and here are just a few:
Heroes!
Starting Young!!! Young Jack Williams, son of K-C racer Joe Williams spends his spare time reading Circle Track Magazine or any other racing material he can find. Jack looks to be well on his way to upholding the family tradition and looks to be in training as the next driver of the legendary #772. This is exactly what racing needs!!!! I am sure his racing hero is his Daddy!
Delmas Conley won this feature and asked for the kids who came to the fence when he won an earlier heat race, to come down for the picture. Needless to say, every kid in the stands came running down. Avid race fan and one of the most vibrant personalities in preserving racing history, submitted this photo of his daughter Leslie, is the third gal straight down from the K in the sign. Bob Zellers Photo-submitted by Craig Shaw
K-C WEEKLY RACING SOME OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Column by Scott Wolfe
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO-Every year "They" come from everywhere to race at the high banks of K-C Raceway. In my book they are all heroes--especially the guys that week in and week out support the local racing and dare to strap into a bucking, overpowered bronco of a race car. The sprints, the late models, the modifieds, the Hobby Stocks--it doesn't matter; they all deserve our praise. Drivers from all over the country come to K-C Raceway because of its high-banked, high-speed, high action, national acclaim. The best in the business have passed through the gates of K-C Raceway.
The other day I thought, "What is a hero?" By definition a hero is--1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. 2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.
The K-C regulars, the not-so regulars, and the big names all fit definition number one. Brave? Yes, Indeed!
In the past couple weeks, I have had a chance to reflect on when and how I became a race fan. I was at my first race when I was six months old. Perhaps, I was a captive fan, yet there was no ransom. I don't remember much from that year, but a year or so later (or so I am told) I learned to count by looking at the numbers of the cars.
Tommy Dickson was zero, Chuck Fletcher and Harold Boso were number one, Bud Chaddock was number two, and etc. That is the time that I realized that heroes did exist. I learned a little about economics too. Racing back then was some sort of Friday, Saturday, Sunday combination of Atomic Speedway, Ohio Valley Speedway, Skyline Speedway, and Hilltop Speedway.
I guess Dad didn't always feel like dragging me around, so at least one of the three nights he would promise me a picture, and if I was good and wouldn't fuss I could go to the races the next night. After a few weeks (or months), he decided the $1.00 for a G.E. Brown 8 x 10 photo or a Stan Jeffries shot was just about as expensive (or inexpensive) as my free admission, a bag of pop corn, a pop, and a hot dog. When I was about five years old, I became the runner and it was convenient for me and for dad to go to the races. That way he got a pop and a hot dog too! And I earned my keep.
At any rate I did develop a picture collection in my earlier years. That is where definition #2 comes into play. Adults love a winner, but to a kid every driver is a winner. For they (the drivers) are indeed heroes. Take a look at the K-C Raceway point’s page. Every guy on there is a hero. It doesn't matter what class or what type of car, how fast or how slow. You are my heroes. I didn't realize that fully until the other day, when I pulled out some old photos from my collection.
With four classes, things are a little more complicated these days. Back then we had Supermodifieds and Sportsman divisions--at first all open wheel. Then came the sprints, which gobbled up the last of the Supers and paved the way for the emergence of Cadets, Road Stocks, Claimers, or in some cases Hobby Stocks. From osmosis and genetic engineering came our Late Models. But let's get back to the heroes.
To a kid, a hero did NOT have to be a winner. All they had to do was put on a helmet, a race suit, strap into a race car and throw some mud up into the stands. The art of broad sliding is long gone, but to a kid...man oh man is that ever exciting. But the thing that sticks out in my mind most is that Dad always took me to the pits after the races and the drivers would always talk to us. In a sense they were real people, just like us, but to a kid--they were heroes. Most of the time the drivers were still in their race suits long after the races. Sometimes they would pick me up and pit me in their car. What a thrill!!!
They didn't have an air-conditioned hauler or even an enclosed trailer to freshen up in. They were racoon-like with dust and grime outlining their eyes from a tightly fitting pair of goggles. Sometimes they smelled like sweat. They had mud spatter on their uniforms and dirt in their teeth. In fact at first some didn't even have uniforms, only some type of trademark outerwear, which usually revealed bulging forceps and bare arms. In those cases I remember the glistening grime on the arms of those super-human characters. Especially, the big arms of Dick Gaines, Jim Fizer, and Cecil Beavers. Boy, could they manhandle a pit-bull of a race car.
I remember one year, where Wayne McGuire wore his trademark red-checkered shirt. I remember Phil Davis's cut off sleeveless shirts and white Wranglers with a red stripe down the side. I remember that all of them were heroes.
Hero-a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. I guess these guys were all models. It didn't matter that they smoked or had a beer in their hand. Kids overlook those things. Besides Dad woulda killed me if I even suggested doing either. He still frowns when I pop off the cap of a long neck today. But he hasn't killed me either. Back then I believed he would.
In looking at the old pictures, I found that in many cases I don't remember some of the drivers ever winning a race. Research has shown that some never did. Yet they were at the track every week and they were MY heroes. I have pictures to prove it.
Occasionally, even as a kid you would pin-point a guy that for lack of better terms always drove a piece of junk or just didn't cut it as a driver. But if he talked to you after the races, he was your friend. He was a hero. They all were.
So, how does this tie in to the year 2007. There are heroes out there everywhere. Some just don't know it and in some cases we make them harder to find. They are less accessible these days.
That is why it is important to end the races earlier. Back then it was easier to get two classes of cars through the racing format, than it is with four. Money has made racing more stressful. Back then it was more casual; more of a family get to-gether. Today many of the cars and drivers are gone when the pits open up after the races. Rush, rush, rush. It is 2007, the year of computers, Nintendo, I-pods, GPS systems, etc.
Observations show not as many people head toward the pits after the races as in the past. Some simply learned there is no sense going to an empty pit area. In the good old days, the car might be loaded, but lots of times it was still sitting behind the trailer. If it was on the trailer you saw it and it was accessible. Today they are probably all boxed up.
Kids need heroes and racing needs kids. Actually, racing needs both.
..............Al Liskai--two time K-C/Atomic Champ--poses with a young fan, Ryan Shaw, after winning a race in the early 1980's-.....................Craig Shaw submission (Thanks!)
Scott Wolfe has a new e-mail address: swolfe1490@suddenlink.net bbbbbbbbbbbbHe welcomes your comments and your photos. If you have news, pass it along. Please send pictures in a jpg or jpeg format. If you want a picture on the photo or yesterday's heroes page, please send them. Scott can't post it if he doesn't have it.
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The following is an editorial by Scott Wolfe and is not necessarily the opinion of the K-C Raceway management. At any rate it is the author's intent to point out some problems with racing and what everyone can do to promote it in a positive light, and at the same time WIN NEW FANS.
What Can we do???
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a weekly $22,000 purse with less than a 1,000 fans doesn't make money. You need between 1500 and 2000 fans at $12 admission to just approach breaking even, including the pits, which typically pays the insurance. K-C has a solid fan base, but it is aging and aging quickly. Be a hero to a kid. I challenge every driver and crew member to invite two new fans to the races every week. Fans --Bring your friends. We can't recycle the old fans. We have to make new ones. We have to have new young fans, and we have to entertain them. K-C racing is great, but those drawn out shows caused by the guy who keeps spinning out or stops on the track time and time again kill any thoughts of winning that new fan back for a second visit. Accidents of course can't be helped. From my background in education and working with kids, research has shown that a child's attention span is fifteen minutes (and in some cases as low as ten). Does anyone know why? GUESS!!
Because of the TV/video age. The computer games are short, intense, and exciting and usually don't involve getting dusty or muddy. Every 15 minutes there is a television commercial. Kids have become programmed to "need a break" after 10-15 minutes and get distracted and fidgety after that. As a teacher, I have to shift gears about that time and also be entertaining. As drivers, we have to entertain, and continue to entertain and talk to the fans and the kids, even if it means going out into the stands and shaking a little guy's hand. We can't expect a kid, or even an adult to be at the races for six hours. We have to entertain, keep it short, keep it competitive, and make it intense. But first we have to get them there. Then we have to keep them! Let's meet the challenge. It doesn't mean a dime in my pocket, but it might mean racing can exist at the local level and once again thrive. It might even mean a big-money, non-sanctioned race for the locals--the guys who support local racing week-in and week-out. The sky is the limit. K-C management can't make it happen. I can't make it happen. But we all can make it happen and the sky is the limit. Hats off to all of you. You are my Heroes!
Thank You!
--Scott Wolfe
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