MILWAUKEE — Former Wisconsin auto racing promoter John Kaishian passed away May 14 at the age of 92.
Kaishian promoted the old Hales Corners Speedway near Franklin and headed up the promotion at State Fair Park Speedway, the “Milwaukee Mile,” in West Allis.
Kaishian raced stock cars when he was a teenager. At 18, he leased the Hales Corners track and became a racing promoter. Kaishian purchased the speedway in 1963.
The Hales Corners dirt oval opened in June of 1950 and closed in 2003, hosting stock car racing pretty much every weekend. The property became more valuable as real estate than as a speedway.
Rumored to be closing for some ten years or so prior, Kaishian sold the speedway property to Menard Inc, the home improvement store chain.
In the late 1960s, Kaishian became partners with legendary promoter Tom Marchess in the promotion of the “Milwaukee Mile” with Kaishian taking over totally when Marchese retired. Wisconsin Auto Racing, under the direction of Kaishian, promoted racing at Milwaukee through 1983.
Kaishian’s Midwest Speedways, Inc., group also promoted dirt track racing at Wisconsin’s Franksville Speedway and Cedarburg Raceway and at the Waukegan Speedway in Illinois. The group also had a stint at O’Hare Stadium near Chicago.
Kaishian was a long-time Milwaukee businessman with diverse interests in the area including developing the Crystal Ridge Ski Area in Franklin in the 1980s. Kaishian was severely injured at the resort in 2002 as he helped with maintenance work.
Kaishian became a member of the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame, being part of the inaugural class of inductees in 2007.
