MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Every racer on the planet owes Bill Simpson. Most know they do, but some of the younger racers might not know what the safety pioneer did for them.
Maybe they have just seen the logo or heard the stories about how he lit himself on fire.
The thing is, Simpson did it because he was trying to keep his racing buddies alive. Sure, it became a business and a very successful one. But talking with Simpson or watching him in the garage area, made one quickly realize he wanted to make racers as safe as possible.
He was something else. He was a true legend with many great stories. Ruffling feathers and standing up for what he believed were part of his personality. He never backed down — not to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Simpson was a true self-made man. He could also be a good friend and he helped many to achieve their dreams.
I’ll never forget how Simpson trusted me as I tried to get the story right during the darkest days of his career, following the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt.
There is no way to put a value on how much Bill Simpson contributed to motorsports. From the pinnacle of the sport to local Saturday night dirt tracks, his vision, innovation and determination made the sport he loved safer. He left the sport in a much better place than when he first began drag racing for fun. R.I.P., Simpson.
– It was a thrill to host this year’s Grand Opening Breakfast during the mid-December PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis. It was an eight-month project and our PRI Team did an outstanding job. More than 3,000 members of the racing industry attended the program held inside the Sagamore Ballroom at the Indiana Convention Center.
We send a huge thank you to the drivers of Don Schumacher Racing for joining us on the stage and we are already thinking about who next year’s guests will be.
The PRI Show was a huge success. The aisles were packed with thousands of racers doing business.
– Kenny Schrader stopped by our SPEED SPORT booth with his right arm in a sling as he recovers from rotator cuff surgery.
He said it had gotten so bad he couldn’t pick up a cup of coffee. However, when he was racing, the motion needed to turn the steering wheel was OK. Schrader expects his right arm to be fully recovered by January. He will eventually need the same surgery on his left arm.
– One of the big announcements during PRI was Mobil 1 joining Kalitta Motorsports.
Slugger Labbe from Toyota Racing Development said the team made 30 test runs with the new Mobil 1 oil in its nitro-powered engine.
The first runs were in a Top Fuel car because with the engine in the back it would be safer if there were a problem. Eventually, they shifted the testing to the Funny Car.
Labbe said, “Nitro washes away the oil from the engine components. The new Mobil 1 oil sticks better to the parts.”
– Shawn Langdon says he will be switching from a Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car to one of the organization’s Top Fuel machines. Connie Kalitta and Curt Elliott will make the setup calls on Langdon’s new ride.
Langdon also said he will be promoting three drag races this season. Two will be at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and the third in Phoenix, Ariz.
– Top Fuel drag racer Clay Millican says the good news is nothing is new with his team heading into the new NHRA season. Last year at this time, he lost a large chunk of his crew to John Force Racing.
– West Coast racing lost a legendary voice with the passing of Kenny Takeuchi. Beginning in the 1950s, Takeuchi followed racing throughout California, calling events three and four nights a week.
Fans of hardtop and supermodified racing in northern and central California were accustomed to hearing Takeuchi on the microphone. His skills and dedication to the sport got him inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2017.
What really made Takeuchi stand out was the quality of man that he was. He was an incredibly genuine person. Takeuchi and I had numerous conversations about racing and announcing. I always looked forward to seeing my friend with the boundless energy. R.I.P., Kenny.
– Don Emde and his father, Floyd, are the only father and son pair to have won the prestigious Daytona 200 motorcycle road race at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
The two of them, along with Don’s younger brother, David, have been inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Don Emde is also one of the sport’s preeminent historians.
Don Emde recently sent me a copy of his newly published book, “The Speed Kings.” It’s fantastic! The coffee-table book starts with bicycles and shows how racing on the massive wooden tracks progressed to feature motorcycles.
The photos of the amazing venues and the insane racing are mesmerizing. Add in the other archive materials such as articles from the period, payout sheets, program covers, etc., and it’s a fascinating trip through a spectacular and deadly era of racing.
Order a copy at EmdeBooks.com and tell them you heard about it in SPEED SPORT.