As usual the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis was jammed packed, making it difficult to simply move around.
As I looked up from the USAC booth, I spotted a person on the move in his wheelchair. When I saw the ever-present beret and the big smile, I knew Quinn McCabe was in the house.
If you don’t like Quinn, you have issues. Here is a man whose life changed after a serious tumble in a midget, yet he never turned his back on the sport. Think about it. Just over 20 years ago in the blink of an eye a man who could put a race car through its paces as well as anyone suddenly had to approach life differently. Or did he?
The same spirit and drive that carried McCabe to the checkered flag was needed more than ever during the darkest times. Then, when his personal inventory was complete, he realized he still loved racing and there were still avenues available to make a meaningful contribution to the sport. In his own way he sat out to do just that.
As he looks forward to the 2024 season there are moments where he must feel he has succeeded at a level that surpassed his wildest dreams.
There are few racing groups in America that have a deeper history than the Badger Midget Auto Racing Ass’n. Badger first crowned a champion in 1936 and those who followed truly are among the giants of the discipline. Few groups are as proud of their heritage — and rightfully so.
In November 2014, McCabe was elected Badger president and before he even had a chance to get his feet wet, he knew he had a problem. At the time McCabe assumed office, he understood the landscape of midget racing. The United States Auto Club was king and if you wanted to play in that sandbox, you needed a bigtime sponsor, very deep pockets or both.
McCabe loved midget racing then and he loves it now, but when he views the sport with a critical eye he says, “Midget racing is the dumbest thing anyone has ever done, but everyone who watches midget racing loves it and it can be the best form of racing there is. But cubic dollar-wise, it’s stupid.”
The return on investment is just not there for the lion’s share of people who long to participate. When McCabe thinks back to his first general meeting as president he says, “I think there were only three owners in the room.”
The alarm bells were ringing loudly in his head. He knew something had to be done.
Quinn received a call from a friend who was racing a mini sprint at Wilmot Raceway. He believed with a bit of tweaking the basic Ford powerplant they were using could be a viable and cost-effective midget engine. Like many, McCabe had heard this story before, but he was intrigued. In time he took what he called “a box full of bolts” to engine builder Rick Kippley and asked him to see what he could do.
“He put it together, put it on a dyno and then sent me a picture,” McCabe said. “It was like, well damn.”
A meeting was held in Reynolds, Ill., in hopes of establishing a common rules package with the Illinois Midget Racing Ass’n. What appeared to be an early agreement fell through. Still, McCabe was convinced there was a need to go forward. He had to face the music. Speaking directly to the membership of Badger he got right to the point.
“I told them we are going to fail miserably if there are only six or seven cars,” McCabe said. “I can’t call a track and beg for an event if that is the best we can do. If you guys are on board, we are going to take a swing at something different.”
The idea of moving away from costly specialty engines in this club was far from universally embraced.
“There were people in the midget world pissed at me,” he said. “But those three owners who were in the room weren’t among them. They wanted to keep racing and they knew if things remained like they were, they couldn’t afford to do it.”
Fast-forward to this fall.
With the help of title sponsor Advanced Fastening Supply, McCabe distributed more than $33,000 in prize money at the Badger banquet. The club averaged 32 cars at every date and close to 35 at legendary Angell Park Speedway. Last year, McCabe revived the Midget Auto Racing Ass’n with events staged exclusively in Illinois. The revival of MARA was a matter of pragmatics.
“The engine package is the same,” McCabe said. “I want more cars like mine so anyone can race with me. It also cuts down on travel. Our Badger champion told me he might just run all of the MARA shows next year because they are in his backyard.”
The 2024 schedule reflects the life demands of his members. It may include up to 25 races, with about five less for MARA. While he admits he personally would love to race all the time, McCabe realizes that’s not manageable for the bulk of the participants.
What he is most happy about is that the fans have bought what he is selling. He looks back on a Labor Day weekend at Angell Park where Badger shared the bill with USAC. The place was filled to the brim. Were there differences? Yes.
As McCabe says his cars “don’t have the same throaty sound.” Yet, one comment stood out among the rest. After the night was over a fan walked up and simply said, “Forty grand more to be two-tenths faster.”
It was a good point.
You have to pry it out of him, but McCabe is proud of what he and his longtime partner Amy have done together.
“When I first said I was going to do this people said I was nuts,” he recalled. “They said it would never work and the cars would be too slow. The fact is fans really can’t tell a half-second difference in speed.”
The steps McCabe took may have seemed drastic at the time, but they may have saved Badger. That’s a big deal.
“At some point you don’t have a choice, you have to do something,” he said. “I took some ideas and made it work.”
This story appeared in the Dec 27, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
