Claimer racers a half century ago balanced friendship, fierce competition

No. 88 modified was the last car Utlaut ran. It was owned by Ray Biggs of Stover. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Editor's note: This story is another in a continuing series looking back at the people and history of auto racing in Saline County.

A.J. Utlaut did not just own his own construction company called Utlaut Construction, he was also a thriller out at Sportsman's Speedway in the 50s and 60s as he battled with David Gauldin in the claimer class.

"We were number one friends but when we pulled onto the track it was every man for himself," Utlaut said.

A.J. Utlaut sits at his kitchen table and reminisces about his many achievements as a race car driver. He is pictured with a very select few of his trophies including 1958 50-lap Claim Champion and 1960 Driver of the Year, both from Marshall's Sportsman's Speedway. (Rachel Harper/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

Racing is a great memory of the past for Utlaut who spent 10 years of his life on a track making dirt fly with his own car beginning in 1954.

"We were just doing it for fun," he said. "If we could make enough to cover expenses, we were doing good."

Utlaut partnered with Bob Kiser of Kiser Construction, so a later car was named H.U.K. Construction.

The first car Utlaut raced was the "8 ball." "We were just fooling around with that old car." He remembers racing at the Sweet Springs track quite often in that car.

The first time taking a car out on the racetrack, Utlaut went for a spin, and not around the track. He said he drew the outside pole and the guy on the inside pole put his right front wheel into him and flipped him. "We didn't have nerf bars than. I remember looking over and all I could see was green grass."

The guys flipped the car back over and checked the oil, he said. He was able to continue racing and he finished.

Utlaut said that was the one and only time he was ever on his side and he never was flipped onto his top.

Claimer racers were under a different set of rules than that of the modifieds. Claimers could not run any overhead V-8 engines or truck engines. Six cylinder engines were allowed.

According to the Central Missouri Racing Association (C.M.R.A.) 1958 rule book, there was a $150 claim price on all engines to anyone attending a C.M.R.A. event. Also, any driver could drive two years only in claim cars starting with the 1958 season. However, the top four men had to move to modified competition each year.

Utlaut said he ran in the claimers class for two years and then took a year off while Kiser drove the car. Than he returned to drive two more years.

He used to run a Flathead Ford motor in his car until he stumbled onto two Hudson Hornet engines that were still in the crate at Bawter Brothers in Marshall. Utlaut said they had to change the cam shaft and that was about it to make the motor work in his car.

"They were dominating on NASCAR track," he said. "As it turned out, we could out run everything with that motor."

When other racers walked by they commented on the motor, Utlaut said. "They would say is that six cylinders. He would say, 'Yep!'"

The Hudson motor was 308-cubic inches, which had the advantage over a Flathead Ford.

Utlaut said he learned the value of shoulder harnesses and seat belts when he crashed hard into a wall at the Sweet Springs track.

"We did all the work on the cars," he said. "We learned not to tear up the car if you planned to race the next weekend."

He said his favorite part about racing was being ahead of Gauldin. "Just out-running him. He would probably tell you the same thing (except he would be outrunning Utlaut.)"

Utlaut has several trophies. "I don't know how many I actually have," he said. "I've got some in boxes. All I know is I have a lot of them."

He said between Gauldin and him, they took home 90 percent of the wins.

Some of the honors he won include 1960 Driver of the Year at Sportsman's Speedway, 1958 Claim Car Champion at Thunderbowl Speedway in Sedalia, 1957 Popular Driver and 1958 50-lap Claim Champion at Sportsman's Speedway.

The last car Utlaut drove was the No. 88 modified owned by Ray Biggs of Stover. He didn't drive that car much, only eight to 10 times. That was the only year he drove a modified car.

A race he remembers well in that car is one at the Sweet Springs track. It was a 50-lap feature and he finished fourth. He said he had to be extremely cautious and patient.

"The track just got dry slick," he said. "It was just like a sheet of glass. Half of the cars spun out before the race was over."

Utlaut said racing is like being an alcoholic because after a driver quits that person always wants to go back to driving. He never set foot onto a track for over 30 years after he quit racing.

Walter Sorrels of Columbia was Utlaut's favorite driver. Sorrels drove the D-7 modified in the late 1950s.

Utlaut said he goes from one vice to another. He started with racing, than moved to bowling (he has a lot of trophies from that as well) and is now collecting cast iron cars and tractors.

Contact Rachel Harper at

marshallcity@socket.net