Bob Ford enjoyed racing for six years. He is pictured carrying the checkered flag around Sportsman's Speedway as he picked up the win in his super-modified sporting a wing. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

The popular Tommy Mikels Sr. was the man who got Bob Ford started racing in 1964.

Ford said he used to go over to George King's farm for many years where Mikels worked on his race car.

"I used to hot lap his (Mikels) car at Knoxville and Topeka," he said. He helped Mikels with his super-modified race car beginning in 1961.

Ford is pictured with his framed memories of meeting Bobby Labonte for his retirement present from ConAgra and the three remaining trophies he has from his experience of racing super-modifieds. (Rachel Harper/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

After helping Mikels for three years, Ford said he tried to convince Mikels to run at Marshall's track in the mid-1960s. Mikels ran at several of the other tracks including Capital Speedway in Holt's Summit at that time.

Mikels told Ford that he would go to Marshall's track as long as Ford drove the car. Ford said "sure" because he knew Mikels would not let him drive his car in the actual feature.

When Ford and Mikels got to the track, Mikels told Ford to get on his driving gear. Ford replied, "I'm not driving that car." Mikels told him to load the car back on the trailer if he wasn't going to drive.

Ford started tail at the back of the field of cars in the heat race and moved to third place. "After that I was hooked," Ford said.

Ford said racing is definitely a learning experience.

"The best experience is starting from scratch and building your own car," he said. "I did all my own work on the car," he said referring to maintenance.

He attributes his accomplishments as a race car driver to Ken Taylor.

"I learned a lot from him," he said. "He taught me how to set up the car."

He said an ironic fact was that he had a bad wreck in the same place prior to the one that killed Taylor on Sunday, Aug. 28, 1966.

When Ford began racing he partnered with Billy Barnes, who supplied the motor for his racer. Ford's car housed a Pontiac motor for several years. "We were always working on it." So his dad, King and Barnes bought him a Chevrolet motor.

Ford ran No. 2 on his car for a specific driver that he admired.

"The only reason I stuck with that number was because of Wallace 'Shorty' Pace."

Pace was from Marshall as well.

He said another date he would never forget is Sunday, Aug. 13, 1967. Ford had set a new track record and before the feature was completed, the officials stopped the race to tell him his father had a heart attack at the track. His dad had driven home and had his wife call the ambulance. Ford dropped out of the race to tend to his dad. "It kept me from winning the championship that year. Tom Corbin won."

Ford ran at many tracks around Missouri and Iowa. He ran at California, Knoxville, Topeka and Des Moines.

He said his most remembered accomplishment was when he won the trophy dash at the Ken Taylor Memorial Race at Woody Speedway in California. "I placed second in the feature."

Ford said he also placed second once at the Missouri State Fair.

"I never did win the fair and that was something I always wanted to do," he said.

Another event that plays over and over again in his head was the night his friend Kenny Williams was killed driving a race car at the Topeka track. "He was really close to me. He was the type of person that would help anybody."

When reminiscing about his competition he said, "Jim Jenkins was the wildest driver." Most drivers went out on the track to have fun, he said. He mentioned Kenny Harper, C.H. Hines and many others.

Ford and Barnes quit racing in late 1969 or early 1970 because "it just got so expensive." When he started racing he could get a good motor for $127. Now a motor for a sprint car that races the World of Outlaw (WoO) circuit costs about $45,000. He used to have a room filled with trophies but has given them to his children. "I have three left."

Ford got the surprise and highlight of his life when he retired from ConAgra Frozen Foods in June 2006 after serving them for 46 years.

"They sent me to spend a day with Bobby Labonte's team," he said. Bobby Labonte's major sponsor in 2005 was Banquet. Ford took a trip to Joliet, Ill. to Chicagoland Speedway for the USG Durock 300 NASCAR Busch Series event.

"I got to ride in the pace car," he said. "I was escorted to the track by a police escort and I even attended the driver's meeting."

He summed up his life of racing by saying, "I loved racing." His wife, Helen, supported him throughout his racing career and has been his companion for 48 years in November.

Contact Rachel Harper at

marshallcity@socket.net