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They Remembered
For the past few years there have been rumors of non-wing sprint car racing returning to Calistoga. The fans were all for it, the drivers were a bit unsure and the fairgrounds wasn't very enthusiastic when the subject was brought up. When asked if he would like to participate, a prominent Northern California race promoter stated that nobody would come and it would fail. So the search continued for someone to take the chance on what many of us new had the potential to become an epic event. Finally USAC, The United States Auto Club that has produced National Champions such as Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart along with a few guys you might have heard of like A.J. Foyt, and Mario Andretti, stepped up to promote the race. USAC hasn't been to Calistoga in many years, but for those of you, who aren't familiar with the name, they are the sanctioning body that put on the Indianapolis 500 from 1956 to 1997.So the date was set and Thanks to the involvement of the Vermeil Family and a Southern California retired race driver named Steve Howard, the event would honor the memory of long time Calistoga resident and racing pioneer Louie Vermeil. It was shaping up to be everything I had hoped for, so I was determined to turn this race into an event that people would remember for a long time to come.
After months of talking on the phone with several people and meeting a few times in Calistoga, our goal was simple. Pack the grandstands with great race fans and give them a show that they would never forget. Raise enough tow money and sponsor support to help bring in racers from all over and give them a great track to show their talents. Make things as easy on the fairgrounds as possible in hopes that we might be welcomed back, and include local people and businesses just like it was back when Louie and Alice were running the show....................and this is how it all unfolded last Labor Day weekend.
We closed our business Friday and headed to Calistoga. After setting up camp in Mike Benson's RV lot, the kids and I took a dip in his pool (it was 106*). Our motorhome was packed with raffle prizes autographed by Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr and more, so I separated it all for the two night event. Once all the USAC officials and other race coordinators arrived in town, we all wanted to get together and discuss the upcoming weekend. Bill Gerhard had offered his home since he was out of town, but when his son-in-law Dan Monhoff stopped by to check out the house, another long time Calistoga resident Jack Smith insisted that we get together at his home next door. The last time I saw Jack was out at Charlie Wolleson's shop in his Culligan Water truck about twenty years ago. So my wife and I along with about fifteen people that Jack had never met, all pulled into his driveway. Jack let us set up in the guesthouse and even opened some of his own wine. We sat down and enjoyed a wonderful meal that we picked up from Checkers and hashed out how we thought the weekend should go. The out of towners couldn’t believe the beautiful setting next to his vineyard let alone his hospitality.
Saturday got us over to the fairgrounds early to set up for the Wine Tasting. Dan Monhoff brought over some plywood that I painted black and eventually covered with old race photos provided by some of the fans. It was a wall of memories and where I first started hearing the phrase of the weekend 'I remember….'
The wine tasting was the idea of Greg Sowers, another Southern California resident, whom actually grew up here and attended the races at Calistoga in his youth. Since Kim and I were closer to the area, we volunteered to help. Knowing very little about the wine industry and how to put on a tasting, we were blessed with the help of our friends Shannon Darrell from Caymus Vineyards and Corey Beck who is the wine maker for Rosso & Bianco. Corey must be well respected because almost everyone we spoke to replied 'If Corey is coming, then we will be there'. Bill Shaw and Cal Mart donated all the ice and a few ice chests and Mary Sue Frediani from On The Edge gathered some wonderful local donations to raffle off. By one O’clock the fairgrounds was a buzz with antique cars and fans. I was a little worried that Dick Vermeil still hadn’t arrived, but in true racers fashion he rolled into the fairgrounds about twenty minutes later and unloaded his fathers fully restored antique race car much to the delight of the crowd. The wine tasting was a hit and everyone seemed to be having a ball. The wonderful wineries that came to pour said that some people had no knowledge of wine making and were genuinely interested in learning about what they were tasting, while others simply loved the different varieties and were very appreciative of their involvement. Dick, Stan, and Al Vermeil all showed up to greet the fans. Unfortunately their sister Laura was not able to attend, but was surely missed. As I passed through the crowd on a million different missions I heard the words 'I Remember' over and over again. As the drivers signed autographs and the fans peered at cars, they all had a memory or two of Calistoga from days gone by.
As the wine tasting wound down and we began moving our station over behind the grandstands I could hear the cars take to the track. I looked up and could only see the roll cages pass by over the top of the wall just like I remembered as a kid. One time I got into some trouble and wasn’t allowed to go to the races (devastating punishment to me), so after my dad had left the house, Mom let me sneak across the street where I climbed onto a roof and watched. All I could see was the roll cages go by, but that was good enough for me.
Earlier in the day I had walked up the ramp and saw the old rusty grandstands that were in dire need of some paint and the light poles that could use some too. But as I looked around the old speedway there were glimmers of hope. Dan Bazzoli had hung a rope and pulley so he could hoist an American Flag during The National Anthem. He also organized all the trophy girls, putting much thought into how Alice did this in the past. Bob Zagar hand crafted and donated a beautiful 'Calistoga Speedway' sign that sat proudly in front of the main grandstand. Bob had also towed an old sprint car all over town for the past few months promoting the race. So many people who were eager to help because they remembered Louie and Alice.
I was walking behind the grandstands when the cars took the first green flag for hot laps. I slowed my walk and said a prayer. The next thing I heard was the cheering. They were cheering for hot laps. Not a race or qualifying attempt, but just a practice session. I walked up the ramp and this time those old grandstands were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. They were full of fans, elbow to elbow, cheering for the drivers who had come to put on the show. And put on a show they did. The fans cheered every time the track record was broken and even when a valiant effort just missed it. I didn’t get to see much of the qualifying and I watched most of the heat races from the ramp to the grandstands, but I would’ve watched them from the roof if I had too. The midget race was slowed with a bunch of cautions and with just a handful of laps left there were only five cars on the track. USAC agreed with me later that they worried the fans would feel let down, but Johnny Rodriguez and Scott Pierovich put on such an exciting back and forth battle that the fans went wild at the drop of the checkers. My wife Kim didn’t get too see any of the races and almost passed out if it weren’t for a life saving cheeseburger from Mike Salling. I finally sat down in the isle next to my relatives to watch the sprint car main event. Right off the bat there was some kid yelling 'Go Rocket, Go Rocket!' in my ear. At first I thought about moving, but then I realized that, that was me thirty years ago, screaming for Leroy VanConnett as if he could hear me as he went by. It wouldn’t matter if I had moved because they were all screaming and yelling at some point, because the sprint car race had four cars battling for the win right down to the wire. It was awesome!
The following nights races were just as exciting and with presentations involving the Vermeil Family and watching both Dick and Stan Vermeil take some laps in Dad’s old race car, it was magical. The racers were treated to a smooth fast track and the fans cheered for every daring move. My prayers were answered. Louie’s favorite cars were there. Louie’s favorite drivers were there. Louie and Alice’s family and friends were there to say 'Thank You' and to say 'We remember you and everything you did for us'.
The raffle went extremely well. We handed out some terrific prizes and made enough money to double the winners share on the final night. A total amount of $4650 profit from the wine tasting and raffles was paid out to ten different top finishers over the weekend. Steve Howard gave away over $23,000 in bonus money and contingency prizes. The Vermeil Family gave away $10,000 to be split between the teams that towed from over 250 miles away. The Wolleson’s raised $2500 for all the drivers that did not make the main event in memory of their son Mark. Even more wonderful was seeing both Charlie and Barbara Wolleson at the races for the first time in over 23 years not only to honor their son, but out of love and respect for Louie and Alice.
The fairgrounds has been involved with racing for a long time now and we are sure that many of those events were a big hassle for them to deal with. We hope that our involvement and efforts have changed their perspective on holding races in the future. Even I didn’t know how much work went into putting on an event like this, but I had been told that there were many people from the community that helped back when Louie was in charge and that was the key to the success of this event as well. The USAC VP of Western Operations, Tommy Hunt said he has been doing this for a long time and has never seen this kind of support for a race. He also said that 'This wasn’t just about a race, but about something much bigger' and he was right. It was something that people wanted or maybe needed to see happen. Most people didn’t just want to see it, they wanted to be a part of it. They wanted to say Thank You for all the memories. To all of them I say Thank You for remembering.
See you at next year’s race
Chad Hawkins
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