Ken Taylor and Roy Hibbard stand in front of their first race car, the No. 55, which is parked in front of Taylor's house in Slater. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Editor's note: This story is the third in a series on the history and people of Saline County's racing scene. Additional articles will appear in future editions.

"It has been said there are only three true sports in the world -- car racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing. In all, a man faces a physical foe and the possibility of meeting his Maker. The rest are not contests of sport -- but rather should be termed athletic endeavors."

-- Quote included in a Sportsman's Speedway's Second Annual National Quarter-Mile Track Championship for Super-Modifieds Sunday, July 16, 1967

For Ken Taylor, racing came naturally, and traveling to the winner's circle was even easier.

Taylor's racing career in the Central Missouri Racing Association (C.M.R.A.) was nothing short of spectacular.

For the 13 years Taylor raced in the association, he won numerous honors. In heat races that paid four places and features that paid 10 places, Taylor finished in the money 802 times out of 862 for an incredible record of 93 percent.

A further breakdown shows that Taylor was a top runner and that is where he belonged. He won 144 heat races in the C.M.R.A. He had 87 second place finishes, 70 third place finishes and 46 fourth place finishes. Taylor won a whopping 136 features. He placed second in 104 features, third in 65, fourth in 41, fifth in 16, sixth in 6, seventh in 10, ninth in one and tenth in three.

Also during his time in the C.M.R.A. he won 73 trophy dashes. And all the statistics above are just from the C.M.R.A. His many other victories would make the numbers almost unbelievable for that era.

Margaret Pond, Taylor's daughter, said she still can't believe how good her dad was as a race car driver. "I did not realize how good my dad was until I went back and read all the articles in this scrapbook," she said.

Wally McCown Jr. has a scrapbook that was put together of Taylor's racing career and the McCown Bros. No. 96 racer, which includes a vast amount of newspaper clippings and photographs.

Pond said she also can't believe how well known her father is because when she goes somewhere and describes her family, and says her father was Ken Taylor, the super-modified driver, they know instantly who he is and usually tell her a story or two about the time they saw him race.

"I can't believe my dad is still remembered today," said Arlene Flair, one of Taylor's daughters.

Pond said she enjoyed going to the track with her father and watching him race.

"We usually all went," she said. "That was our family thing."

Her mother, Betty Hightower-Taylor of Marshall, and her three sisters, Flair of Blackburn, twin sister Eilene Kimberling of Slater, and Kathy Bono of St. Louis were at almost every race.

Taylor started his racing career in 1953, as he partnered with Roy Hibbard and Junior Knox. Pond said it is a rather funny story how her dad got into racing.

Hibbard worked at a gas station in Slater and Taylor went up to him one day and said, "You know that one of the old cars behind the station has a big block engine in it and we could race it," Pond said. "That is what started it all."

The car was then made into the No. 55 racer and Hibbard and Taylor took turns behind the wheel.

In the late 1950's Taylor moved into the Blakemore & Douglas No. 49 of Slater. This car carried him to his first C.M.R.A. Championship in 1957 and four more in 1958, 1959, 1962 and 1963.

In 1958, Taylor captured his first Missouri State Fair Championship in the No. 49 racer that was wrenched by Charlie Garner and George Douglas. The racer also carried him into his second championship in 1959.

In 1965, Taylor teamed up with what most would call an unbeatable team. The McCown Bros. of Sedalia, Larry and Merlyn, provided him with the ever-so-popular No. 96 racer. Wally McCown and Larry Sullivans, mechanic, helped improve the team. The No. 96 racer carried Taylor to his third Missouri State Fair Championship in 1965.

Racing friend Ernie Buso of Sedalia used to do all the chroming on Taylor's racer, Pond said. Buso raced the No. 744 at Sportsman's Speedway, here in Marshall.

During his racing career, Taylor, with the help of the McCowns, won 17 straight feature wins at Capital Speedway, located outside of Jefferson City.

A highlight of Taylor's career was the sixth annual Knoxville Nationals, where 93 cars from all over the Midwest signed in at the pit gate and Taylor placed fourth. He was not very happy with the finish but he was against tough competitors, Pond said.

Taylor picked up his sixth C.M.R.A. Championship in 1966 in the No. 96 racer.

Taylor's last big finish to racing came as he won his fourth Missouri State Fair Championship title on Friday, Aug. 26. A newspaper clipping called the race "one of the most hectic title races ever." Taylor beat out Ray Lee Goodwin of Kansas City as they dueled during the 50-lap race at Sedalia's old half mile oval.

No one anticipated that not even 48 hours later, Taylor would meet his untimely death in an accident at his home track in Marshall. Taylor was the only race car driver killed at Sportsman's Speedway. His death came in front of a crowd of racing fanatics who were in disbelief that a tragedy could happen to such an outstanding young race car driver. The races that night came to screeching halt and were finished at a later date.

Contact Rachel Harper at

marshallcity@socket.net