Ken Taylor is shown here with his No. 96 McCown Bros. hotrod, the car he was driving when he was killed in an accident at Sportsman's Speedway in Marshall in 1966. Taylor raced super-modifieds for 14 years and this was one of the last photos taken of him. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Ken Taylor was not just an ordinary Slater man with a passion but a talented super-modified driver whom many knew around the state of Missouri, especially since he was a four-time Missouri Super-Modified champion.

LA Raceway in La Monte is hosting the first Merlyn McCown--Ken Taylor Memorial Race on Sunday, July 8, to honor two people who were involved in making history in the Central Missouri Racing Association (C.M.R.A.).

"I think it is very nice," said Margaret Pond, Taylor's daughter. "It is an honor for both Merlyn and Daddy."

Taylor started racing in 1953 and it did not take him long to acquaint himself with the winner's circle. In 1957, he started a massive winning streak where he claimed six C.M.R.A. Championships in less than 10 years.

In 1958, Taylor captured his first Missouri State Fair Championship at State Fair Speedway and then turned around and captured it again in 1959 while driving the Blakemore & Douglas No. 49 out of Slater.

In 1965, Taylor teamed up with the McCown Bros. of Sedalia to form what most people in racing history would call the dynamite team. Brothers Larry and Merlyn McCown, father Wally McCown, and mechanic Larry Sullins helped Taylor sail to his third Missouri State Championship.

Merlyn McCown knew what it was like behind the wheel of a super-modified because he was once a race car driver. However, he made his claim to fame as a car owner and a friend of any racer in need. The McCown Bros. operated a salvage yard in Sedalia and owned the car that carried Taylor in 66 feature wins out of 72 races in two years.

The McCown Bros. racing team became famous throughout the Midwest as a near-unstoppable team as Taylor won numerous features and set several track records for the era.

Racing legend Taylor and Sportsman's Speedway go hand in hand; just ask any racing guru.

Sportsman's Speedway, which is where Taylor got his feet wet and earned his wings, was open every Sunday for racing for many years; now its a corn field.

Tragedy struck less than 48 hours after Taylor picked up his fourth Missouri State Super-Modified championship. On Sunday, Aug. 28, 1966, the ultimate heartbreak for racing fans came as they watched Taylor do something very unusual at a track he could drive with his eyes closed.

According to several articles of the time, Taylor went over the wheel of another super-modified car going into turn three at Sportsman's Speedway and went over 260 feet in an orbital revolving motion down the track embankment. The silence that night explained it all. Many were in disbelief that such a talented young man who captured so many wins and racing viewers' hearts around Midwest tracks could end his life in such an odd way.

"It was during a heat race," Pond said. "It was very unusual."

Pond said Taylor was not himself that night and was feeling under the weather but he always wanted to thank his loyal fans by giving them an edge-of-their-seat thrill ride through a competitive feature race.

This memorial race came about after Merlyn McCown died January 10, 2007, at the age of 69. His brother, Larry, has played an enormous instrumental part in putting a memorial race together to honor two people who were special to him, Pond said.

Pond said that it is anticipated that a lot of "old-timers" will be at the memorial race to greet fans and share stories about Taylor and McCown and even their own racing stories. These drivers include Bill Utz of Sedalia, Jay Lyle of Warrensburg, Shorty Ackers of Windsor, Roy Hibbard of Marshall and many more.

The gates will open at 4 p.m. to allow spectators to spend time hearing racing stories from first-hand sources. Hot laps will begin at 6:30 p.m. and races start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults; children under the age of six will be admitted free.

"We are going to have Taylor's car that was restored to original form on display at the track," said Carolyn White, track owner and media relations manager. Racing fans will have the chance to meet with some of the drivers who made sprint car racing so popular, she continued.

All proceeds from the memorial race will benefit the Dialysis Clinic in Sedalia, which Merlyn McCown used for several years.

"We are absolutely thrilled to accommodate this memorial race," White said. "We are definitely hoping for a big crowd."

The memorial race that will take place at LA Raceway means a lot to many racing fanatics and especially the fellow racers of the McCown Bros. racing era. What better way to celebrate this than to watch the O'Reilly's World of Outlaw Warriors (WOW) -- 360 sprints -- and 305 sprints take a trip around a fast-paced 3/8-mile clay oval track located in central Missouri that was a corn field in 2002.

For more information or directions to the track, visit www.laraceway.com.

Contact Rachel Harper at

marshallcity@socket.net