Speed Week: Death strikes racing community
It was a tragic weekend as the racing community is mourning the passing of veteran motorsports announcer Rick Eshelman and Lee Hall, his wife and daughter in separate incidents.
Eshelman, 61, from Daytona Shores, Fla. passed away on Oct. 1 en route to the Lincoln Speedway. A 2022 inductee into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, he served as the announcer for the World of Outlaw Late Model series.
The voice of the Fairbury Speedway, Mike Norris, recalled his sense of humor, one liners and love of dogs.
“Rick was very good at giving drivers an appropriate nickname,” Norris said. “He would call me on occasion to talk about racing and how things were going.
“Rick gave me my first opportunity to announce a WOO race at Farmer City with him. Rick always walked around with a big smile and he loved to make a person laugh. His contributions to the sport will last forever and he will be missed by the entire racing community.”
Towanda's Donny Walden would cross paths with Eshelman while racing on the Summer Nationals and Outlaw circuit. Eshelman is credited with giving Walden his nickname “The Young Gun.” Walden reflected on his encounters with Eshelman.
“Rick came up with a new nickname for me, 'The Professor,' but I never cared for that,” Walden said. “Rick always said he was the luckiest man on the planet as he got paid to follow a sport he loved.
“One thing that I always admired him for was he was never bashful about rooting for the underdogs, like myself. He made all the drivers feel like we belonged. I will miss his smile, his quirky one liners and our chats about conspiracy theories. Godspeed to a damn good man.”
The Hall family's love for racing ended in tragedy early Sunday morning. Following the card at the Charleston Speedway while traveling to their home in Oxford, Indiana, a head-on collision with a drunk driver took place. The Halls, along with their family pet, Lottie, were killed in a senseless accident.
Lee Hall was a well respected driver, known for his willingness to help a driver out. Competing on tracks in Indiana and Illinois, Hall was the 2022 factory stock champion at the Kankakee County Speedway.
When you saw the Hall family, they always had those infectious smiles and you knew they were good people.
Kenute Mausehund, now a DIRTcar official, got to know the Hall family during his time with helping Eric Gaus on his street stock, and then working various shows in Illinois and Indiana.
“There is so much to say about the Halls,” Mausehund said. “Lee as a racer helped us and so many others. It didn’t matter if it was a part or just to give you a hand on your car, he was there. And that smile, always and I mean always, he was smiling. You could walk up to him and he would be in the crappiest mood, but still smiling.
“Away from the track, Lee and his family were always kind and genuine; so loving and caring. Their smiles could always brighten your day. We will miss them all. My prayers are with their son, Lee Joseph, family and friends.”
Fairbury Speedway
Fairbury Speedway will host the fourth annual FALS Frenzy this Friday and Saturday. The MARS Late Model series will sanction the weekend's late model program, which will see the crowning of the series champion. El Paso’s Ryan Unzicker is the current point leader with a 33-point margin over Bloomington’s Jason Feger.
Gates will open both days at 11 a.m. Friday will see hot laps starting at 5:50 p.m., time trials are at 6:15 and racing will follow.
Late models will have a 40-lap feature and $5,000 going to the winner. DIRTcar Modifieds will have 25 laps and $1,500 for the winner. Pro late models return in a 20-lap, $750 feature.
Saturday will start with practice at 5 p.m., qualifying at 6:15 and racing will follow. The winner of the late model feature will pocket $15,000. Modifieds will race in a 30-lap, $3,000 event. The pro late model winner gets $1,000 in the 25-lap race.
Plenty of reserved tickets remain. Reserved camping is sold out, but the track expects spots available to purchase. Go to www.fairburyspeedway.com for ticket information and fastickets@gmail.coom for camping information.
The MARS series has made 10 appearances at the quarter-mile, high-banked dirt oval. Defending race winner Bobby Pierce has five wins. Mike Spatola, Tanner English, Brandon Sheppard, Shannon Babb and Dennis Erb Jr. have one each.
Mars Late Model point standings: 1. Ryan Unzicker, 849; 2. Jason Feger, 816; 3. Bob Gardner Jr., 595; 4. McKay Wenger, 594; 5. Mike Spatola, 488; 6. Bobby Pierce, 360; 7. Frank Heckenast Jr., 337; 8. Tommy Sheppard Jr., 300; 9. Kevin Weaver, 277; 10. Brain Shirley, 269.
Bohmer’s Rt. 66 Raceway
The kart season will conclude on Oct. 16. Gates will open at 10:30 a.m., practice at noon and racing will follow.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Rocky Ragusa Speed Week death strikes racing community
