At the conclusion of this year’s edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals, the Fuzzy Hahn Award will be bestowed for the best performance by a female driver.
Today there are so many talented young women involved in the sport. Last year, Kaylee Bryson became the first woman to crack the starting field in the Saturday night finale, while Jade Avedisian and Taylor Reimer, among other young racers made plenty of noise the past two years.
One woman may have been the most determined of all to make it to the Chili Bowl, and she has been at it for 42 years. Randi Pankratz just had to get to Tulsa. To do so she turned to social media with a quest of raising $3,000 for the trip. In the end, she was astounded at the response.
“A group of about 25 people pitched in so I could get out here,” she said. “I could have flown and just been out there but it just seemed that I should bring my midget and be a part of the Chili Bowl.”
The motivation was very personal. Her father Wally Pankratz was slated to be inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Wally, who just completed his 52nd and final year in racing was committed to the trip. So was Randi. It is a remarkable tale.
A Pankratz has been in open-wheel racings since before World War II, and Wally’s father Bob Pankratz was already a member of the National Sprint Car and National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Hence, the midget just had to be there. When she looks back at her career, Randi simply says no daughter could have a better dad.
“He is just a charismatic man and he was always fun. I am very lucky to be a daughter to a guy who wasn’t one of those racing dads that was harsh on you,” Randy Pankratz said. “He would just let you know what you did and what you needed to do. There was never any pressure. If I wanted to race it that was fine, and if I didn’t that was fine too.”
Because her dad was busy behind the wheel he didn’t always find the time to attend Randi’s races, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t learn from him.
“I learned more about racing just watching him and Sleepy Tripp and Jimmy Oskie at places like Ascot,” she said. “And I watched Tony Simon a lot. I mean, I can still recall races Tony won in my head.”
Randi Pankratz isn’t going to win the Chili Bowl and she has scant chance to win the Fuzzy Hahn Award. She knows that, too. That isn’t the point. This is a personal matter. This is but family pride. For father and daughter this was not an easy journey.
Wally Pankratz’s wife suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, it took a great deal of planning to get to Tulsa.
In the end it was all worth it.
“It’s neat,” Randi said. “I believe he deserves it and I think it is great. He gave his whole life to racing and this proves to him that it was worth it.”