RMMRA

History of the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association

By Gary Martelon


    The RMMRA was formed in 1940 by a group of drivers and owners headed by Lloyd Axel, the Midgets had been running on a regular basis in Denver, since 1937. They started off at the Merchants Park Baseball field on South Broadway just north of the Gates Rubber Company. In 1937-’39 the Midget club in south Denver was known as the Mile-Hi Racing Association. Promoter Tom Holden, with Co promoter  J.E. Kimbrough. Holden was a big car promoter in the Kansas, Nebraska area. With the Midgets being so popular in the United States since 1933, Holden & Kimbrough formed the Mile Hi Racing Association and based it in the Denver area. 44 shows were held in 1937, with California driver Harry Hart being crowned Champion at the seasons end.

    In 1938 Merchants Park held their second season, but not without competition from a new group that had formed together at a North Denver location that over time would become one of the premier Midget tracks in the United States. Ben Krasner owned an amusement park in northwest Denver called Lakeside. Krasner who also had a baseball field in his amusement park seen a vision of holding his own Midget car races. The two tracks both ran the 1938 season, with both having done well, but two Midget clubs were cutting into car counts at both racing plants. Krasner’s group was called Rocky Mountain Midget Association.
            
    In 1939 Ben Krasner took his racing facility one step further by paving his race track and it was known as the dustless track. In 1939 the American Automobile Association was the sanctioning body at the Lakeside 1/5 mile oval. The plant cost Ben Krasner $25,000. to pave in 1939.


    Merchants Park was also still running races at the south Denver track, however they had lost several of their cars and drivers to the Lakeside facility, August 16th 1939,  Merchants Park held their last race, as they could not compete with the Lakeside Speedway.


   In 1940 the owners and drivers decided to discontinue having AAA as their sanctioning body, and they formed the club known as the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association. Lloyd Axel and Roy Leslie were the two main people in forming the RMMRA. Axel from Lakeside, and Leslie from Merchants Park, teamed up to form and be the stars that would launch the RMMRA into the 21st century. Lloyd Axel was the first RMMRA President and also the first Champion. Axel won back to back Championships in’40-’41.

RMMRA Champions | 1940 to Present

1940          RMMRA            Lloyd Axel                  #5        Lloyd Axel                                

1941          RMMRA            Lloyd Axel                   #1        Lloyd Axel                                

1942          RMMRA            Roy Leslie                  #6        Buzz Bussard                            

1943                                                                     World War II
1944                                                                           “       “    “
1945                                                                           “       “    “
1946          RMMRA            Johnnie Tolan             #6        Buzz Bussard                            

1947          RMMRA            Johnnie Tolan              #6        Roy Leslie                                 

1948          RMMRA            Roy Bowe                   #3        Miles Spickler Offy                  

1949          RMMRA            Roy Bowe                   #3        Miles Spickler Offy                  
1950          RMMRA            Sonny Coleman          #67      Roy Leslie Ford V/8 60            
1951          RMMRA            Pete Headrick            #48      Vic Felt Offy
1956          RMMRA            Pete Headrick            #9        Warren Hamilton Offy              (tie)
1956          RMMRA            Foster Campbell         #4        Foster Campbell Offy              (tie)
1957          RMMRA            Foster Campbell          #4        Foster Campbell Offy               

1958          RMMRA            Foster Campbell          #4        Foster Campbell Offy               

1959          RMMRA            Foster Campbell          #4        Foster Campbell Offy               

1960          RMMRA            Eddie Jackson              #5        Eddie Jackson Offy                  

1961          RMMRA            Jim LaManna                #27      Sam Rodrigez Offy                       
1962          RMMRA            Eddie Jackson              #5        Eddie Jackson Offy                        
1963          RMMRA            Eddie Jackson              #5        Eddie Jackson Offy                        
1964          RMMRA            Jimmy LaManna           #1        Harry Conklin Offy                        
1965          RMMRA            Jimmy LaManna           #1        Harry Conklin Offy                        
1966          RMMRA            Steve Troxell               #91      Harry Conklin Offy                        
1967          RMMRA            Eddie Jackson              #5        Vern Shaver Offy                           
1968          RMMRA            Eddie Jackson             #5        Vern Shaver Offy                           
1969          RMMRA            Grier Manning            #42      Buck Shaver Chevy II                    
1970          RMMRA            Eddie Jackson             #5        Vern Shaver Offy                           
1971          RMMRA            Sam Sauer                   #99      Harry Conklin Offy                        
1972          RMMRA            Sam Sauer                   #1        Harry Conklin Sesco                       
1973          RMMRA            Steve Troxell               #55      Roger Mauro Sesco                         
1974          RMMRA            Dave Strickland Sr.     #11      Roger Mauro Sesco                         
1975          RMMRA            Dave Strickland Sr.     #1        Roger Mauro Sesco                         
1976          RMMRA            Dave Strickland Sr.     #1        Roger Mauro Sesco                         
1977          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #98/76 Bob Olds VW                                 
1978          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #1        Hank Hersh VW                             
1979          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #1        Hank Hersh VW                             
1980          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #1        Hank Hersh VW                             
1981          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #1        Hank Hersh VW                             
1982          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #1        Hank Hersh VW                             
1983          RMMRA            Gary Staggers             #7        Bill Redden VW                             
1984          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #98      Hank Hersh Ford Cosworth           
1985          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #5D     Harry Conklin Aries 200 c.i.           
1986          RMMRA            Dave Strickland Jr.     #27      Frank Peterson VW                        
1987          RMMRA            Mike Gregg                 #98      Hank Hersh Ford Cosworth   
1988          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #5D      Harry Conklin Aries&Ford Cosworth    
1989          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #5D      Harry Conklin Aries                    
1990          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #5D      Harry Conklin                         
1991          RMMRA            Jim Beckley                 #3        Don Smith                                       
1992          RMMRA            Dave Strickland Jr.     #62      Terry Klatt House                           
1993          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #78      Steve Peachey Chevy V-4              
1994          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #5D     Harry Conklin Aries                      
1995          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #5D     Harry Conklin Aries                      
1996          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #41      Lynn Jacobs Gaerte                       
1997          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #41      Robert Thompson/Randy Roberts Gaerte
1998          RMMRA            Dave Strickland Jr.     #62      Terry Klatt House Pink/Ford    
1999          RMMRA            Randy Roberts            #41      Cindy Roberts Gaerte                     
2000          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch             #23      Kenny Lewis TCR Fontana           
2000          RMMRA            Kent Conrad               #10      Kent Conrad Toyota Canaday(*Sportsman)
2001          RMMRA            Kenny Lewis               #5D     Harry Conklin Eagle Gaerte       
2002          RMMRA            Kenny Lewis               #5D     Harry Conklin Eagle Gaerte, Mopar 
2003          RMMRA            Kenny Lewis               #5        Harry Conklin Eagle Mopar
2004          RMMRA            Gary Taylor                 #5        Harry Conklin Eagle Mopar
2005          RMMRA            Tony Rossi                   #14      Rossi Enterprise Stealth Gaerte
2006          RMMRA            Tony Rossi                   #14      Rossi Enterprise Stealth Gaerte
2007          RMMRA            Chris Sheil                  #14      Rossi Enterprise Stealth Gaerte/Mopar
2008          RMMRA            Tony Rossi                   #14      Rossi Enterprise Stealth Mopar
2009          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #12/71 Petauro/Todd Henry
2010          RMMRA            Chris Sheil                  #11      Mike Chrisinger Spike Esslinger
2011          RMMRA            Tony Rossi                   #14      Rossi Enterprise Stealth Mopar
2012          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27      Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar
2013          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27      Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar
2014          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27      Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar
2015          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27     Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar

2016          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27     Petauro LTD. Racing Spike SR-11 Mopar
2017          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27     Petauro LTD. Racing Spike SR-11 Mopar
2018          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27     Petauro LTD. Racing Eagle SR-11 Mopar
2019          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27     Petauro LTD. Racing Eagle SR-11 Mopar 

2020          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27     Bourke Motorsports Eagle SR-11 Mopar

2021          RMMRA             Zac Taylor                  #71     Todd Henry Triple X USA Mopar 

2022          RMMRA            *Keith Rauch              #27     Bourke Motorsports Spike SR-11 Mopar

2023          RMMRA            *Lance Bennett           #91    Cappy Mason Racing Spike Chevy

*Active Drivers

Track Championships

1947          RMMRA            Earl Kouba                    Colorado Springs
1948          RMMRA            Roy Bowe                     Colorado Springs
1996          RMMRA            Mike Farmer                Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
1997          RMMRA            Luke Icke                     Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
1998          RMMRA            Keith Rauch                 Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
1999          RMMRA            Keith Rauch                 Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
2007          RMMRA            Chris Sheil                   Colorado National Speedway/Erie, Colorado