CHICAGO — Standout Midwest midget racer Tom Steiner passed away Oct. 7 at the age of 75.
During the 1970s, Steiner was one of the top drivers in the Midwest. Born to Harry and Dorothy Steinfatt on October 27, 1949, Steiner, a native of Orland Park, Ill., was racing midgets before his 21st birthday, competing with the longtime Chicago area racing group – the United Auto Racing Association in 1969. He finished fourth in the final UARA points that year and was named the group’s rookie of the year. The following year (1970), he scored his first feature at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind.
Steiner was second in the UARA points in 1971, piloting Bob Novy’s No. 46, capturing a total of nine UARA feature races. Steiner was crowned the UARA midget champion at Blue Island’s Raceway Park for 1971 season, winning six feature races at the “shorter-than-a-quarter-mile” paved oval and establishing a new qualifying track record of 12.39 seconds.
He finished seventh in the final points tally in 1972, winning one main event in Bob Steffes’ Chevy II. Steiner was third in the points standings in 1973 with six feature victories in the Steffes No. 96 to his credit.
The 1974 season saw Steiner join forces with car owner/builder Harry Turner and his wife, Beth, driving the Turners’ No. 82 midget to a total of six feature wins and winning the UARA title. Steiner was also crowned the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing champion for the ’74 season.
Turner was seriously injured after being hit by a race car at Kankakee, Ill., in 1973 with Steiner providing special care for Turner during an extensive recovery process which left the ex-driver wheelchair bound.
The following year (1975) saw Steiner prove he could race on dirt or asphalt as he won the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association championship, again driving for the Turners. He won four Badger feature races behind the wheel of the Turner No. 82, winning a total of four headliners on the dirt at Wisconsin speed plants – two each at Hales Corners Speedway and Angel Park Speedway.
Looking over the records, Steiner began racing with the United States Auto Club in 1969. His best season in USAC points was 1977 when he finished ninth, competing in 21 races. During his career, Steiner won three USAC feature races, each one coming on a different surface. Steiner won on the pavement at Blue Island’s Raceway Park in 1976, on the dirt at Chicagoland’s Santa Fe Speedway in 1977 and indoors at Coliseum in Indianapolis in 1978.
In 1978, Steiner finished 17th in the USAC midget standings, making 13 races. He was shown 59th in the points in the USAC sprint car standings. Steiner started the season by winning the Florida Winter Championships in February, including a 100-lap midget victory on the pavement at Golden Gate Speedway – adding to his over 50 wins during his racing career.
Sadly, Steiner’s racing career came to an end as a result of a very serious, on-highway, automobile accident in November of 1979.
