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As I don't get to this board every day, if I missed this I appologize.
RIP Pops.
John Soares Sr. Passes
By: Harlan Osborne
John P. Soares
Born November 7, 1918
Died March 10, 2007
Former race car driver and promoter of Petaluma Speedway, John P. Soares died of complications from pneumonia in Bradford, Ohio, Saturday, March 10, 2007. He was 88-years-old. Arrangements are pending.
John married the former Gladys Parenti and together they raised three children John, James, and Joyce. Gladys, who once said, “I thought I was marrying a plumber, but I married a race car driver,” died April 21, 2006. They were married for 67 years.
“Pops”, as he was lovingly called, began his illustrious and rewarding driving career in 1937 at Oakland Speedway. He competed in Roadsters from 1938 until the end of World War II then switched to midgets in 1945, which he raced seven days a week. He was the Bay Cities Racing Association’s Hardtop champion in 1949 and 1950 and also drove Late Model stock cars from 1947 until 1955. He was virtually unbeatable in trophy dashes, and at one point won 22 of 37 dashes he competed in.
On Memorial Day 1954, in the embryonic days of NASCAR, John won the 500-lap, 250-mile Grand National race at Carrell Speedway in Gardena, California, wheeling a Dodge from 17th starting to the front of a star-studded 33-car field. He pocketed $3000 for the victory.
He retired from driving at the end of 1955 season, feeling that he just wasn’t as competitive as he once was. He wanted to win every time out.
It was for these accomplishments, and many others, that John was inducted into the BCRA Hall of Fame as a driver, the Motor Sports Press Hall of Fame as a driver and promoter, and the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, for making a significant contribution to the success and colorful history of stock car racing in the west.
John and Gladys worked together at Antioch Speedway when John joined Bob Barkhimer & Associates as promoter in 1960. She became the cashier and box office manager at the quarter-mile Petaluma Speedway in 1961 working for John and Barky. At that time John often flew back and forth between both tracks to oversee operations on race nights.
In 1976 John took over as sole owner of Petaluma Speedway, converted it to a 3/8-mile, and formed the Petaluma Racing Association. He retired from the Antioch partnership in 1980 to concentrate all his efforts on Petaluma.
On a trip to the mid-west in the early 1990s John purchased three unusual race cars, he brought them to California where they became immensely popular. He is credited with introducing that class, the IMCA Modifieds, to the west coast.
John completely retired from racing following the 2002 season and he and Gladys moved to Bradford, Ohio to be near their daughter Joyce.
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