Posted By: StuDeedooo on June 10 2009 at 12:13:02 AM
Im sure there are more than a few saving this one to text, lol....
The Day They Remember Johnny Key
from the San Jose Mercury News August 1, 1976 by Bruce Richardson Even headline writers, confronted almost daily with stories of his exploits, liked him. For one thing, his last name was handy for headlines-only three characters. But then apparently everything about Johnny Key, the auto racing driver from Salinas whose goal was Indianapolis, was pleasant. Spectators, wherever he went racing hardtops and roadsters , revered him. Even Rival drivers displayed a great deal of admiration for him. His popularity was unusual considering his achievements. Certainly, he must have created some envy in 1952 while compiling a yet to be broken 53 feature race victories, including all seven contested in one week. But according to Fresno's Al Pombo, who accumulated six NASCAR state championships before retiring several years ago, there was no animosity, only admiration. "Everybody had a lot of respect for him", said Pombo. "He was a heck of a person....just a real good person. Pombo, who was among the top drawing attractions right up until his retirement, said he doesn't clearly remember Key's celebrated victory binge of 1952. But it didn't surprise him. "He was always on top, kind of a class of his own. We used to race eight races in seven days back then. It just seemed like we had more time to do it.." While Pombo seldom traveled very far out of state, Key's goals took him first to the Arizona grapefruit circuit and then East. He never made it to Indianapolis. A story published in an unidentified periodical dated July 9, 1954, places his fatal accident somewhere in the first week of July. He was killed when thrown out of a midget auto he was driving on a Cincinnati dirt track. The car had struck the outside guard rail. The racing community in California was stunned, and out of the emotions of the time, emerged a plan for a memorial series that would perpetuate his name. It began on August 14th, 1954 and for seven years was run at the distance of 200 long and grueling laps around San Jose Speedway's high banked paved track. It is still an extremely popular event. The 23rd running of the classic will be staged Saturday at a distance of 150 laps. While most distance races in recent years have been divided into two or more segments, the Johnny Key Memorial will remain a genuine endurance test with no planned stops between the first and 150th go-rounds. "That's the way it should be", asserted Pombo. "That race," he said proudly, "is one of the oldest of it's kind in the country. And the best." "I'm sure going to try to be there." he emphasized. "You get to see a lot of old friends. The old-timers don't go to many races anymore. But they go to THAT race!"
Racing Wheels writer Bruce Crowley wrote this story...
1949, the promoter at San Jose Speedway, Bob Barkhimer, bought ten old cars from some auto wreckers, hired some drivers, converted the cars to the track, and called them Hardtops. They had the glass removed, seat belts installed, and painted (boy, they were horrible). He found some Hot Rod drivers (Roadster Racing) who agreed to race them. One of these young drivers was a guy named Johnny Key from Salinas. Keys previously was a two-time champion in 1947 and 1948. Having Key he lent so legitimacy to the new found class. You might say that Key was the key. If you ever saw these race cars you would laugh. People would go to the races just to see the cars hit another, flip over, and keep on going. A four-door Packard was a fan favorite as the driver, Sid Plummer, would bounce off the crash-wall, hit into another car, spin around and still won the race. The fans went crazy. The champion that first season was a driver named Dave Carter. Second was Johnny Key. Key won the state championship in 1952 driving for Harry and Tony [Unable to display image] Goularte from Modesto. During that year Key set the all-time record in number of wins in a season. He won 54 features in the California Stock Car Racing Association sanction races plus another three in open comp races. He turn to Midget racing the following year and had plans of racing at Indianapolis. But it was not to be, as Key was killed during a AAA sanctioned race in Ohio. Barkhimer set up a Johnny Key Race for him within weeks. For a past 46 years this race has been held in his memory. Johnny was one of the best drivers ever to grace the tracks in the Bay Area. Thanks you, Johnny, for the memories. ------
2009
Since this story was originally written, quite a few years have passed and a number of drivers have either added their name to the legacy, or padded to a list of accomplishments. The race then was 150 laps. Today its 50. But by no means any less challenging. The one thing then and now that it has in common is survivability. Eric Rossi took home the last Key Trophy at San Jose when the fairgrounds era ended in 1999. When the event was reborn at Watsonville Speedway in 2007, local Jason Statler took home the honors with 2nd generation driverlegend Brent Kaeding, finally getting on the board in 2008 after roughly 19 years of trying to keep up with his dad and all-time race winner Nick Rescino at 6 Key wins.
This motorsports event is a south bay legend steeped in tradition that has long been forgotten by the masses that used to pack the grandstands at San Jose Speedway on Saturday nights (thanks to the Santa Clara County Board Of Supervisors). But to the fans and teams that have grown up in the sport, this is nothing less than the local version of the Indianapolis 500.
It requires prior appreances just to be eligible to be seeded! Then on the qualifying nights during the season, the drivers need to finish on the podium. Its top-3 or try again. If the qualifying race finishes pass a driver by, they have to race from the back of every preliminary to make the rear of the field for The Key. No easy task. Certainly no easy task to come from the back and win. I wouldn't even bet money on Tony Stewart to pull that trick off. Four weekends of qualifying attempts. If you get the nomination, then its about track standings and the points race. Season standings determine the line ups for the the Johnny Key Memorial, and just who will have to race harder and press their luck to make into the history book that is one year shy of 50. KEY WINNERS 1954 Danny Graves
1955 Al Pombo
1956 Clyde Palmer
1957 Ray Raineri
1958 Rick Henderson
1959 George Benson
1960 Marshall Sargent
1961 Clyde Palmer(2)
1962 Clyde Palmer(3)
1963 Marshall Sargent
1964 George Snider
1965 Burt Foland
1966 Burt Foland(2)
1967 Bill Scott
1968 Howard Kaeding
1969 Bill Scott(2)
1970 Don Epperson
1971 Everett Edlund
1972 Nick Rescino
1973 Howard Kaeding(2)
1974 Nick Rescino(2)
1975 Nick Rescino(3)
1976 Tony Ringo
1977 Danny O'Neill
1978 Johnny Brazil
1979 Howard Kaeding(3)
1980 Brent Kaeding
1981 Mike Sargent
1982 Nick Rescino(4)
1983 John Viel
1984 Nick Rescino(5)
1985 Rich Voss
1986 Nick Rescino(6)
1987 Howard Kaeding(4)
1988 Rod Spencer
1989 Scott Luhdorff
1990 Danny Olmstead
1991 Terry McCarl
1992 Scott Luhdorff(2)
1993 Chuck Miller
1994 Chuck Miller(2)
1995 Rick Martin
1996 Bud Kaeding
1997 Craig Smith
1998 Ronnie Day
1999 Eric Rossi
2007 Jason Statler
2008 Brent Kaeding(2)
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Mike should of won the 1982 Key (was leading when his drive line broke), 1985 Key ( Rich Voss won but had Mike been able to restart without the lap cars he'd of took Rich) and the 1988 Key (HK wrecks Mike with 2 laps to go), the 1988 Johnny Key makes me so angry still to this day.......I took the racing real personal during those years, guess I still have those same feelings since thinking about it still makes me mad and this is now 21 years ago LOL
