NEWS FROM:
MOTORSPORTS 2012 PRESENTED BY VP’S SEF SMALL ENGINE FUELS
RACE CAR AND TRADE SHOW
Promoter: Len Sammons @ 609.888.3618
MEDIA CONTACT: Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Ernie Saxton @ 215.752.7797
Fax: 215.752.1518
Cell: 267.934.7286
Email: Esaxton144@aol.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PLEASE WITH OUR THANKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOUR TIME NASCAR TRUCK SERIES CHAMPION RON HORNADAY MEETING FANS AT MOTORSPORTS 2012

OAKS, PA December 19, 2011 . . . As a four time NASCAR Camping World Truck champion, Ron Hornaday’s style earned the nickname “the weapon”. This past season, when he was crashed out of contention for a fifth championship, Hornaday became “the victim”.
Hornaday will appear at the Motorsports 2012 Presented by SEF Small Engine Fuels Race Car and Trade Show for two of the three days that make up the annual show.
Hornaday, who looked like he could have picked up his fifth title until a late season altercation with Kyle Busch at Texas Motor Speedway put him out of the battle, has 51 career victories in the truck series making him the winningest driver in the history of the series.
Motorsports 2012 kicks off on Friday, January 20th and continues through Sunday, January 22nd at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
The 53 year old racer was named truck series driver of the decade back in 2009.
Hornaday will be on stage for a question and answer session from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday (January 20th) followed by an autograph session from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Show attendees will be able to ask him about his successes as well as on track incident that most likely cost him his fifth truck title.
He will return for a second autograph session from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Area Auto Racing News display area (Booth No. 224).
Hornaday will share the booth with Packman who just recently picked up a Silver Award as Best General Fiction book (Ages 9-12) and Reader’s Favorites gave the book five stars during their recent review.
Packman, a long time auto racing public relations executive, will also sign autographs on Friday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Area Auto Racing News display area.
Hornaday and Packman join other well known figures in the sport including Jimmy Spencer, Chad Knaus, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Doug Wolfgang, John Roberts, Brad Doty, Dave Argabright and others that will be included in fan activities.
Motorsports 2012 offers close to 250,000 square feel of just about everything imaginable in motorsports. More than 200 race vehicles will be on display during the three day show.
The Nazareth Speedway Reunion display will be an attention grabber and drivers who competed at the now shuttered half-mile speedway will be on hand 2-4 p.m. on Saturday for an autograph session.
Always a crowd pleaser is the BPG Racing Ms. Motorsports Pageant that feature a number of young ladies competing for the $1,500 first place money and the opportunity to represent the show at various events during the 2012 season. The Pageant is set for 8 p.m. A-1 Racing Products is providing $500 for the Best In Swimwear chosen by attendees.
Many well known names in the sport often can be found traveling the show aisles to see what is new in the sport and visiting the various displays of area speedways and are usually willing to chat with fans and sign autographs.
Complete details and a full schedule of events can be found at www.aarn.com. Information is also available at 609.888.3618.
Daily admission price for adults is $14 with youngsters 6 thru 12 paying just $5. Under 6 are admitted free and on Metal Fab Family Day (Sunday) youngsters under 12 are admitted free. There is ample free parking convenient to the Expo Center.

NOTE TO MEDIA: There has been a change in the Sunday show schedule since we sent the release announcing the Sunday events. You can see the full show schedule at www.aarn.com. Little Miss Motorsports will now take place at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. John Roberts, the SPEED-TV on-air personality, will be greeting fans and signing copies of his new book, The Great Book of NASCAR Lists. The Kids Big Wheel Races sponsored by RAACE will take place at 2 p.m. and the RAACE Foundation Charity Auction will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The entire Sunday Fun Day is sponsored by Metal Fab.

Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Motorsports Marketing
215.752.7797 - office
386-677-5152 - Florida
267.934.7286 - cell/text
Esaxton144@aol.com
Twitter: @ernsax
www.saxtonsponsormarket.com

NEVADA CITY, Calif., Dec. 12, 2011 -- Telestream®, the leading provider of video transcoding and workflow automation systems, today announced that it has created a new High Definition (HD) instant replay system for NASCAR race control officials. Developed for the start of the 2012 racing season, Telestream's new Replay™ multichannel video player combines with its Pipeline™ HD video capture system to provide instant capture and display of 18 high definition 720p camera feeds. This allows race officials to instantly see detailed information to make rapid decisions about on-track aspects of the race.

"The NASCAR race environment presented the perfect challenge for Telestream to provide high-quality video capture and instant synchronous playback in a time-critical situation," said Barbara DeHart, Vice President of Marketing at Telestream. "Together, Pipeline and Replay provide NASCAR or any sports organization with a cost-effective, easy-to-use system for instant event review and analysis."

"The instant replay system that Telestream will be providing NASCAR next season will enable our officials to perform their jobs in an even more efficient and time-sensitive manner," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition. "Having instant access to that many camera angles featuring such high quality video will be a terrific addition to our race weekends."

Telestream's Pipeline HD video capture system simultaneously acquires multiple camera feeds in high-quality Apple ProRes 720p as well as other HD and SD formats. Video feeds are delivered to shared storage where they are available for immediate playback, editing during capture, or transcoding to other file formats.

Telestream's Replay multichannel video player provides instant, synchronous multichannel playback of multiple HD camera feeds for simultaneous review and analysis of incidents from different camera angles. The player also allows officials to easily locate any camera and scrub forward or backward through any portion of the event video.

Highlights of the Pipeline video capture and Replay system developed for NASCAR include:

*Simultaneous capture of 18 HD 720p camera feeds in Apple Pro Res format
*Ability for officials to view on-track incidents through synchronized multiple camera angle displays, including time-stamped track status metadata – in real time or on-demand
*Ability to seamlessly scrub video forward or backward for instant analysis
*Ability to jump between past and current sequential camera angle clips
*Ability to create tabbed pages such as Start/Finish, Pits, Turn 1, etc. to view video
*Ability to instantly go full-screen on one or more selected camera angles
*A timeline which displays event information over the entire duration of the event

Telestream is demonstrating Pipeline and the new instant Replay system at Sports Video Group's League Technology Summit in New York City this week. For more information about Telestream and its products, visit: http://www.telestream.net.

About Telestream

Telestream provides world-class live and on-demand digital video tools and workflow solutions that allow consumers and businesses to transform video on the desktop and across the enterprise. Many of the world's most demanding media and entertainment companies as well as a growing number of users in a broad range of business environments, rely on Telestream products to streamline operations, reach broader audiences and generate more revenue from their media. Telestream products span the entire digital media lifecycle, including video capture and ingest; live and on-demand encoding and transcoding; playout, delivery, and live streaming; as well as management and automation of the entire workflow. Telestream corporate headquarters are located in Nevada City, California. The company is privately held. For more information, visit www.telestream.net.

NEWS FROM:
MOTORSPORTS 2012 PRESENTED BY VP’S SEF SMALL ENGINE FUELS
RACE CAR AND TRADE SHOW
Promoter: Len Sammons @ 609.888.3618
MEDIA CONTACT: Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Ernie Saxton @ 215.752.7797
Fax: 215.752.1518
Cell: 267.934.7286
Email: Esaxton144@aol.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PLEASE WITH OUR THANKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIVE TIME SPRINT CUP CHAMPION CREW CHIEF CHAD KNAUS TO BE PART OF MOTORSPORTS 2012 RACE CAR AND TRADE SHOW

OAKS, PA December 9, 2011 . . .Chad Knaus, mechanically and tactically the mastermind who guided Jimmie Johnson to five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships, is both composed and combative with his driver and with the media.
Have you ever wondered how he and Jimmie Johnson were able to win five NASCAR Sprint Cup championships in a row? And how Knaus, under pressure, is able to keep his emotions in check--most of the time?
Knaus will answer those questions and others you may have regarding the Hendrick Motorsports Lowes sponsored No. 48 Sprint Cup team on Saturday, January 21st when he appears at the Motorsports 2012 Presented by VP’s SEF Small Engine Fuels Race Car and Trade Show.
The three day show, running January 20th through 22nd at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA, will feature Knaus in a question and answer session from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. followed by a 90 minute autograph session.
Knaus is coming off a season that saw the team’s long running hold on the NASCAR Sprint Cup title come to an end with the team dropping to 6th in the final standings finishing 99 points behind champion Tony Stewart.
During his career in Cup racing the 40 year old native of Rockford, Illinois has more than 50 victories to his credit.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask Knaus about his early years as he helped his dad, John, race against such great talents as Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Dick Trickle and Rusty Wallace at tracks of the Midwest. The father and son combination were able to win a number of short track titles before Chad moved to North Carolina to pursue a position in the big leagues.
Knaus gained much of his experience working with crew chief Ray Evernham and he was a tire changer on the Jeff Gordon Rainbow Warriors crew that won the 1995 and 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup titles.
Chad is also a regular on the SPEED channel and has appeared in a Kobalt Tools by Lowe’s commercials.
Perhaps a little known fact is that he voices the crew chief in NASCAR games which include NASCAR 08 and NASCAR 09 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Knaus’ appearance is expected to be a hugely popular event and will attract a large crowd with many asking some very interesting questions.
The show, now in it’s 28th year, will feature more than 250,000 square feet of just about everything imaginable in motorsports. More than 250 race vehicles will be on display.
Race fans will have the opportunity to learn the 2012 plans of a number of area speedways and racing organizations as many of them will have displays at the show and will feature some of their top drivers and racing equipment.
For those wishing to learn more about the history of the sport there will be a number of vintage car displays.
Many local, regional and national stars of the sport will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs and there is no charge for the autographs once an admission ticket has been purchased.
A popular event during the show is the BPG Racing Ms. Motorsports Pageant and registration is still open.
And there is a huge area that will catch the interest of those with interest in collectibles.
Free industry seminars will be presented covering a variety of topics.
More than 600 display booths will house speed equipment suppliers, part manufacturers, engine builders, trailer manufacturers and suppliers, chassis builders, safety equipment providers, speedway promotions, apparel companies, publishers and much more.
A very limited number of display booths are still available for the show along with opportunities for race teams to show off their race vehicles. For information contact Tim Hogue at 609.888.3618.
Complete information on tickets, show schedule and area lodging is available at www.aarn.com.
-End-

Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Motorsports Marketing
215.752.7797 - office
386-677-5152 - Florida
267.934.7286 - cell/text
Esaxton144@aol.com
Twitter: @ernsax
www.saxtonsponsormarket.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 8, 2011
CONTACT: Dick Jordan

45 PRELIMINARY DATES
SET FOR 2012 AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES

“Bubba’s Winter Dirt Games” at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla.in February kick off an ambitious 45-race 2012 calendar for USAC’s AMSOIL National Sprint Cars, with every race on the calendar offering a minimum of $5,000-to-win and $500-to-start and special events offering accelerated purses.

Major events will include the traditional “Budweiser Oval Nationals” at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway, which will conclude the campaign, plus the five-race “Eastern Storm” in June, a new three-night “Sprint Car Smackdown” at the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and a two-night “Ultimate Challenge” special event at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa which will wrap up a five-race mid-America swing in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri.

Return engagements include the seven-race Indiana Sprint Week in July, Terre Haute’s “Tony Hulman Classic,” the “4-Crown Nationals” at Rossburg, Ohio, and September specials at Haubstadt and Lawrenceburg, Ind.

Additional new venues include Pontoon Beach, Ill., Cameron, Mo., Wilmot, Wisc., West Memphis, AR and Hartford, Mich. and return visits to tracks which had USAC debuts rained out in 2011 – Port Royal, Pa. and Eagle, Neb.

A two-night extravaganza at Dodge City (Kans.) Raceway Park concludes the Midwest and Central America part of the schedule in October.

2012 USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE

Date Location/Track

February 9 Ocala, FL/Bubba Raceway Park
February 10 Ocala, FL/Bubba Raceway Park
February 11 Ocala, FL/Bubba Raceway Park
April 14 Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg Speedway
April 20 Gas City, IN/Gas City I-69 Speedway
April 21 Rossburg, OH/Eldora Speedway
April 28 Putnamville, IN/Lincoln Park Speedway
May 12 Haubstadt, IN/Tri-State Speedway
May 18 Bloomington, IN/Bloomington Speedway
May 24 Terre Haute, IN/Terre Haute Action Track
June 4 #Sarver, PA/Lernerville Speedway
June 5 #Bechtelsville, PA/Grandview Speedway
June 7 #New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt Speedway
June 8 #Minersville, PA/Big Diamond Speedway
June 9 #Port Royal, PA/Port Royal Speedway
June 23 Wilmot, WI/Wilmot Raceway
June 24 Sun Prairie, WI/Angell Park Speedway
July 13 @Gas City, IN/Gas City I-69 Speedway
July 14 @Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
July 15 @Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg Speedway
July 18 @Terre Haute, IN/Terre Haute Action Track
July 19 @Putnamville, IN/Lincoln Park Speedway
July 20 @Bloomington, IN/Bloomington Speedway
July 21 @Haubstadt, IN/Tri-State Speedway
August 3 Eagle, NE/Eagle Raceway
August 4 Grain Valley, MO/Valley Speedway
August 5 Cameron, MO/US 36 Raceway
August 6 Oskaloosa, IA (SE)/Southern Iowa Speedway
August 7 Oskaloosa, IA (SE)/Southern Iowa Speedway
August 11 Hartford, MI/Hartford Motor Speedway
August 23 Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
August 24 Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
August 25 Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
September 1 Terre Haute, IN/Terre Haute Action Track
September 7 Pontoon Beach, IL (T)/Tri-City Speedway
September 8 West Memphis, AR/Riverside International Speedway
September 15 Haubstadt, IN/Tri-State Speedway
September 22 Rossburg, OH/Eldora Speedway
September 29 Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg Speedway
October 19 Dodge City, KS/Dodge City Raceway Park
October 20 Dodge City, KS/Dodge City Raceway Park
October 26 Peoria, AZ/Canyon Speedway Park
October 27 Peoria, AZ/Canyon Speedway Park
November 2 Perris, CA/Perris Auto Speedway
November 3 Perris, CA/Perris Auto Speedway

#=Eastern Storm
@=Indiana Sprint Week

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (December 5, 2011) – Penske Racing announced today that it has reached a mutual agreement with driver Kurt Busch to end its driver/race team relationship, effective immediately.

The team will evaluate its options for the driver of the No. 22 Sprint Cup Series car in the future while Busch will seek new opportunities with another race team.

"I appreciate the victories that Kurt has brought Penske Racing and our sponsors over the past six years," said Roger Penske. "While I am disappointed that Kurt will not be racing for our team in the future, both Kurt and I felt that separating at this time was best for all parties, including our team and sponsors. I wish Kurt the best in his future racing endeavors."

“I am grateful to Penske Racing for six very productive years,” said Busch. “Together we won a lot of races -16 in all. Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it’s an important step for me and allows me to take a deep breath to work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person. I want to personally thank Roger Penske for the opportunity that he has given me.”

Penske Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 350 major race wins, 412 pole positions and 23 National Championships.

NEWS FROM:
MOTORSPORTS 2012 PRESENTED BY VP’S SEF SMALL ENGINE FUELS
RACE CAR AND TRADE SHOW
Promoter: Len Sammons @ 609.888.3618
MEDIA CONTACT: Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Ernie Saxton @ 215.752.7797
Fax: 215.752.1518
Cell: 267.934.7286
Email: Esaxton144@aol.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PLEASE WITH OUR THANKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WOLFGANG, DOTY AND ARGABRIGHT TO BE PART OF MOTORSPORTS 2012 RACE CAR AND TRADE SHOW
OAKS, PA November 23, 2011 . . . A sprint car racing legend, a former sprint racing star turned TV personality and an author/TV broadcaster will be appearing at the Motorsports 2012 Presented by VP’s SEF Small Engine Fuels Race Car and Trade Show set for January 20-22nd at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
Hall of Fame sprint car racer Doug Wolfgang will join Brad Doty and Dave Argabright as the trio meets fans and sign autographs as part of the Coastal 181 display area at the show both on Friday and Saturday.
Wolfgang, winner of 107 World of Outlaws sprint car feature races, will be talking about his “Lone Wolf” book that will be available at the Coastal 181 display. The book, written by Wolfgang and Argabright, covers Doug’s five Knoxville Nationals wins and his long sprint car racing career. Wolfgang will also host a FREE sprint car chassis set-up seminar during the show.
Doty will have copies of his new “Still Wide Open”( second edition) book written with Dave Argabright. It is one of the most inspiring and powerful books in all of motorsports. Doty is a member of the SPEED television crew that covers a number of sprint car racing events.
The third member of the trio is one of the most prolific writers in the motorsports business and is a talented TV broadcaster. Argabright has written books on a number of key people in the industry and is currently finalizing a novel on the sport. He hopes to have that new book available at the show.
All three are looking forward to having the opportunity to chat with fans at the 27th edition of the Motorsports show which is organized by Len Sammons Productions and fills all 255,000 square feet of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center with everything motorsports.
More than 200 racing vehicles representing just about all forms of the sport will be on display throughout the three days.
Show attendees will have the opportunity to meet many local, regional and national motorsports figures and be able to participate in free autograph sessions.
More than 600 exhibit booths offering 400 plus racing dealers, hardcore manufacturers of racing equipment, and more will be part of the huge show considered the biggest and best of its type in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.
There will be free industry seminars, antique race car displays, stage shows, interviews with major figures in the sport, the BPG Racing Ms. Motorsports Contests, the special Metal Fab sponsored Sunday activities for youngsters and so much more.
Information on exhibiting in the show, booth space is filling very quickly, can be had by telephoning Tim Hogue at 609.888.3618.
Show information, ticket prices and more can be had by checking in at www.aarn.com.
-End-

Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Motorsports Marketing
215.752.7797 - office
386-677-5152 - Florida
267.934.7286 - cell/text
Esaxton144@aol.com
Twitter: @ernsax
www.saxtonsponsormarket.com

INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011 - Jim Rathmann, winner of both the 1960 Indianapolis 500 and the international 500-mile "Race of Two Worlds" in 1958 at Monza, Italy, died Wednesday, Nov. 23.
Rathmann passed away in a hospice in Melbourne, Fla., nine days after suffering a seizure at his home. He was 83.
Rathmann, who was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007, already was a three-time runner-up in the "500" (1952, 1957 and 1959) when he scored his greatest victory. And if the 1960 race, with its record 29 lead changes, was not the finest "500" ever held, there can be no question that Rathmann's epic two-hour duel with defending winner Rodger Ward continues to stand out as the Speedway's greatest sustained two-man battle of all time.
For the entire second half of that never-to-be-forgotten classic, Rathmann and Ward were rarely any more than a few feet from each other, exchanging the lead 14 times between them. That number could have been considerably more had not tire wear played into the equation. Long before the days of computer-generated race strategies, two-way radio communication, spotters, and Pace Car-led pack-ups during caution periods, these two wily veterans pretty much had to figure it out for themselves, aided only by a pit board message flashed to them every minute or so.
Ward, an early leader, had stalled on his first of three planned stops, losing at least a half-minute. He raced hard to regain lost ground and caught up with Rathmann just before the halfway mark, fully cognizant that in the process he had placed undue stress on his tires. They swapped the lead several times before Ward decided to run behind Rathmann for a while and let him dictate the pace, both aware that third-placed Johnny Thomson was running a comfortable margin behind them. That was until the pit board signs began advising them that the advantage was shrinking. When it fell to only 10 seconds, they determined it was time to go.
The lead changed hands six more times in the final 30 laps until Ward happen to notice tell-tale discoloration appearing in the center of his right front tire, indicating that the cords were about to show through. He led as late as Lap 197 before reluctantly slowing down to salvage second as a greatly relieved Rathmann nursed his ailing tiresto the finish and won at a record average speed of 138.767 mph.
Had Ward prevailed, Rathmann, who led exactly half of the 200 laps that day, would have held the dubious distinction of being history's only four-time runner-up at Indianapolis.
As an illustration of just how different things were in those days, the winning Ken-Paul Special was a brand new Offenhauser-powered car Rathmann had commissioned from his old friend A. J. Watson on behalf of Rathmann's partners, Kenny Rich and Paul Lacy. Rathmann and his chief mechanic, Chickie Hirashima, drove a station wagon out to Watson's shop in Glendale, Calif., to pick up the car whereupon they loaded it on to an open trailer and then towed it back to the Midwest themselves. More than rewarded by the eventual first-place prize money checks totaling a record $110,000, Rathmann later estimated the entire investment at only $35,000.
Born in Los Angeles on July 16, 1928, Rathmann started life as Royal Richard Rathmann, becoming "Jim" in the immediate post World War II years when he began racing hot rods as an underage teenager. He borrowed the identity of his two-and-half-year older brother, James, who later raced extensively and won the 1958 "500" pole position as "Dick" Rathmann. Although they were later to modify their dates of birth from time to time, they thankfully avoided further confusion by never professionally using their given names as they appeared on their driver's licenses and so forth, Richard Rathmann known for the remainder of his life as Jim, and James as Dick.
A contemporary, since his earliest racing days, of Troy Ruttman, Jack McGrath, Pat Flaherty, Don Freeland, Andy Linden and numerous other "500" stars of the future, Jim Rathmann moved to Chicago in 1948 to race hot rods with Andy Granatelli's Chicago-based Hurricane Hot Rod Association.
In 1949, Rathmann, Ruttman and Flaherty all made their Indianapolis debuts, Flaherty (who missed the show) being, at 23, the only one legally over 21. Rathmann, claiming to be 24, but really only 20, took his "rookie" test in a car he owned himself, but sponsored by Grancor Corporation, the hot rod business belonging to and operated by the Granatelli brothers. Rathmann ended up qualifying the Pioneer Auto Repair Special for John "The Popper" Lorenz and finishing 11th.
In 1952, driving for the Granatelli brothers, Rathmann finished second in the "500," beaten only by Troy Ruttman, his boyhood friend and fellow hotrod club member.
Rathmann, who was also runner-up to Sam Hanks in 1957 and to Ward in 1959, drove in a total of 14 Indianapolis 500 Mile Races between 1949 and 1963, leading at some stage during six of them for a total of 153 laps. At the time of his retirement in May 1964, he had completed 2,295 laps in competition and was within less than a full race of claiming the all-time record, only Cliff Bergere (2,452 laps) and Mauri Rose (2,420 laps) having completed a greater number.
Having travelled to Monza for the invitational 500-miler in 1957 merely as a potential relief driver since his regular car owner, Lindsey Hopkins had chosen not to send a car, Rathmann brokered a deal for the 1958 contest.
Underwritten by Bob Wilke of Leader Cards, sponsor of his recent fifth-place effort with Hopkins at Indianapolis, Rathmann leased a car from John Zink, retaining Zink's chief mechanic, Watson, another of Rathmann's hot rod cronies from the late 1940s. The 500-mile race at the steeply-banked and bone-jarring 2.64-mile concrete bowl was divided into three legs, with intervals between each. Rathmann won all three and was the undisputed overall winner at the incredible average speed of 166.722 mph.
That association led to Wilke forming the Leader Card Racing Team, with Watson leaving Zink to head up the operation and build new cars. At one point, Leader Card intended running a two-driver team, with Rathmann joining Ward. Then Hopkins made an arrangement to purchase the second brand-new "Watson" for Rathmann, Ward going on to win, with Rathmann recording his third runner-up finish.
By the time the 1959 "500" was held, Rathmann had further demonstrated his great skill and bravery by winning a 100-mile USAC National Championship race April 4 at the brand-new Daytona International Speedway. Far better suited to the NASCAR stock cars, which had ushered in the Daytona 500 in February with Lee Petty winning the caution-free inaugural at 135.521 mph, Rathmann ripped off the 100 miles in the astonishing time of only 35 minutes. Scrunched down in the cockpit of his fish-tailing front-engined Offenhauser-powered Watson "roadster" and wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt with only an open-faced Cromwell-type helmet for protection, he averaged a breathtaking 170.261 mph.
Three-times the Midwest hot rod champion (1948, 1950 and 1951) and third-ranking AAA stock car driver of 1955, the diversified Rathmann was one of the first oval track specialists to dabble in sports car racing, taking part in the Sebring 12 Hours three times (sharing the 12th place-finishing and class-winning Corvette with Dick Doane in 1958) and racing several times at Nassau. He was even down to drive the Tec-Mec Maserati at the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix of the United States at Sebring in 1959 although he ended up not competing. He twice ran in the Carrera Panamericana, sharing an Oldsmobile in 1952 with Frank "Rebel" Mundy, and he even took part in the Miami-Nassau powerboat race one year, sustaining a broken foot along the way while trying to fix a mechanical problem.
An entrepreneur from his earliest days, Rathmann graduated from a paper route to running a hot rod shop while still in his teens. A muffler shop in Chicago was followed by a speed shop in Miami, a used car business and eventually a huge Cadillac and Chevrolet dealership in Melbourne, Fla., the latter being contingent upon his retirement, an agreement upon which he "fudged" for at least two more years.
There was also a very successful go-kart business which produced the highly sought-after Rathmann Xterminator and even an adventuresome episode of his life in which he held the rights toretrieving centuries-old treasure chests, firearms and cannons from sunken pirate ships off the coast of Florida.
Close friends with all of the early astronauts, Rathmann actually pulled off a most unlikely coup by having one of them discreetly affix a Rathmann car dealership decal to the famous golf cart which was driven on the surface of the moon! Yet another venture was the G.C.R. Corporation team which contested the USAC championship series in 1966 and 1967, the "G" being for Gus Grissom, the "C" for Gordon Cooper and "R" for Rathmann.
One of the fascinating character traits of Rathmann was that he always seemed so nonchalant in the winner's circle, even at Indianapolis and Monza where he'd be poker-faced and stoic, standing up in the cockpit with loosened helmet straps dangling around his neck and barely smiling as he waved one hand at just above waist level.
It was a misleading illusion.
In fact, this very down-to-earth and unpretentious individual happened to be a fun-loving, chronic practical joker who seemed up for just about any mischievous adventure. A very modest man, he was most gracious to the fans, benched-raced with the best of them and told stories laced with a most infectious giggle. Questions about his own career were usually passed off with brief and rather evasive responses as he preferred instead to tell stories about his colleagues, tears of mirth rolling his cheeks as he relayed the details of yet another prank.
But Rathmann was a serious racer, and he loved the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To him, the month of May at the track was "everything," the other 11 months always being filled with plenty of activities, but with the focus clearly on the next migration to IMS. In spite of his deep competitive spirit, he was a great sportsman who was close with many of his contemporaries, photographs taken in the aftermath of the 1957 and 1959 Indianapolis races indicating that he obviously had great affection for both Hanks and Ward, who had narrowly defeated him.
Ill health in recent years had prevented Rathmann from making his annual pilgrimage to his beloved Speedway where, for many years he had matched his golfing skills with Ward, Lloyd Ruby, Parnelli Jones, James Garner and others. Six times the Pace Car driver for the "500," Rathmann's final appearance in the city of Indianapolis came at the Convention Center in February 2009 for the Speedway's Centennial Era Gala, where he was the oldest and earliest of the 19 Indianapolis 500 winners on hand.
Rathmann is survived by wife Kay, sons Jimmy and Jay, stepsons Zack and Tosh Pence, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
In place of flowers the family requests that donations be made to:

William Childs Hospice House
381 Medplex Parkway
Palm Bay, FL 32907
…I5002011-074…
Media Contact: J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6412 or (317) 750-9277, dboles@brickyard.com
Tom Surber, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6594, tsurber@brickyard.com