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 1937-1939 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 1940-1941.
RMMRA Champion
1940 – To Present
(Year) (Club) (Driver) (Car Number) (Owner)(Engine)
- 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
- 1944World War II
- 1945 World War II
- 1946 RMMRA Johnnie Tolan #6 Buzz Bussard
- 1947 RMMRA Johnnie Tolan #6 RoyLeslie
- 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
- (tie) 1956 RMMRA Pete Headrick #9 Warren Hamilton Offy
- (tie) 1956 RMMRA Foster Campbell #4 Foster Campbell Offy
- 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
*Active Drivers
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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
