Class of 2013

Stan Cisar Jr.

ANNOUNCER / CAR OWNER

Stan Cisar, Jr. grew up around racing. His father, Stan Cisar, Sr., served as a flag man at a number of race tracks and by the time he was a teenager, Cisar, Jr. found himself working pit gates at various race tracks around his hometown of Omaha.

Cisar built his first race car, a 1957 Chevrolet in 1970 and a few years later, put together a 1964 Chevelle which he drove at Playland Park Speedway in Council Bluffs and Sunset Speedway in Omaha. In 1976, he and Craig Spetman teamed up on a Chevrolet Camaro Late Model which Spetman raced successfully at Harlan, Iowa, Whitehead Speedway in Nebraska City and Sunset Speedway. Cisar was a part of Spetman’s team that raced at the “Marty Robbins 500” in Nashville in 1977. In 1978, he partnered with life-long friend Jerry Wancewicz on his final Late Model which was raced primarily at Sunset.

An accomplished musician with microphone experience, Cisar was hired as Track Announcer at I80 Speedway in Greenwood in the early 1990s, setting the stage for an over 30 year career calling the action at local and regional racing events. In addition to I80, he also stood behind the microphone at Crawford County Speedway in Denison, Iowa, Eagle Raceway, Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa, Sunset Speedway, and US 30 Speedway in Columbus. From 2012 through 2014, he served as Series Announcer for the ASCS (American Sprint Car Series) Midwest Series, and has also announced special events at numerous venues throughout the Midwest including Knoxville Raceway in Iowa and Heartland Park Topeka.

In the late 1990s, Cisar got involved in road racing with his son, Buddy. For the next dozen years, the pair raced with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). The younger Cisar won a number of SCCA National events and received the SCCA Midwest Driver-of-the-Year award in 2006. They raced with the competitive SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series from 2009 through 2011. Due to financial considerations, the team disbanded at the conclusion of the 2011 racing season. Cisar later served as the Official Starter for the SCCA Midwest Division from 2011 through 2015.

In 2015, Cisar started a Sprint Car team, racing in the IMCA (International Motor Contest Association) RaceSaver Sprint Division. With Cody Ledger behind the wheel, Cisar’s number-47 Sprinter has qualified for the A-Main at the RaceSaver Nationals four times.

Mike Daly Sr.

DRAG RACER / ENGINE BUILDER

Mike Daly, Sr. grew up in Omaha and began his racing career in 1966 driving a 1955 Chevrolet for Duane Jazyanka at Flightland Drag Strip in Omaha. The following year, Daly purchased the car, built a new motor, made some technical improvements to the car, and began winning on a regular basis.

In 1968, Daly put together an Opel GT, built a new Chevrolet motor and won nearly every Class race at Cornhusker Raceway Park near Millard while capturing the season championship. He also was the runner-up at the National Gasser Meet in Rockford, Illinois and captured the final race of the season in Manhattan, Kansas, running under the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Class record on every pass.

Daly had assembled the Opal at Raceland Speed Shop in Omaha and in 1969, the owner, Morgan Holmes, offered to sell the machine shop portion of the business to him.

Daly soon learned it was difficult to operate a successful business while traveling as a drag racer, so he ended his driving career to concentrate on his new engine building business. One of his first customers was good friend and ex-drag racer, Jerry Wancewicz who had purchased a Chevelle Stock Car from Bob Kosiski and needed a competitive engine. Daly began building motors for Wancewicz and during the 1974 season, Wancewicz won six feature races at Sunset Speedway in Omaha and also captured Sunset’s end-of-the-season Triple Crown event. The next season, Wancewicz teamed up with Al Burdick and won the track championship at Sunset with Daly horsepower under the hood.

Parlaying his success with Wancewicz into additional engine building business, Daly began building motors for a number of other dirt track racers including Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Steve Kosiski. Daley did machine work for Kosiski from 1986 through 2002, resulting in 17 track championships and seven NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) Busch All-Star Tour titles, including a record 51 series victories.

In addition to Wancewicz and Steve Kosiski, other circle track drivers who came to rely on Daly Machine horsepower included Dave Chase, Jay Cooper, Al Druesdow, Bob, Joe and Ed Kosiski, Scott Koskovich, Billy Moyer, Craig Spetman, and Ron Tilley. Drag racers Daly built engines for included Marlin Bogner, “Hoot” Gibson, Terry Fritsch, Rich Milnarik, Charlie Jacobs, Charlie Puls, and Don Vincent.

Daly’s Machine has been in operation for more than 50 years.

Guy Deulin

DRIVER / CAR OWNER

A native of Iowa, Guy Deulin began his racing career in 1922 competing across his home state at a number of small fairgrounds race tracks. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Bridgeport, Nebraska where he became one of the top drivers in western Nebraska, racing against the likes of Nebraska Hall of Fame Inductees, King Rhiley and Noel Bullock.

In 1924, Deulin outran Bullock to win the sweepstakes (feature) race at the Red Willow County Fair in McCook. That same year, he prevailed over a strong field at a major event in Sturgis, South Dakota and defeated a star-studded field of IMCA (International Motor Contest Association) combatants at the Adams County Fair in Hastings. Other major Nebraska wins for Duelin occurred at the Phelps County Fair in Holdrege, the Lincoln County Fair in North Platte, and at the one-mile Franklin Speedway in Franklin.

In 1926, Deulin moved to Oregon where he was successful racing in the Pacific Northwest, scoring a major win at Eugene, Oregon.

In 1928, Deulin stepped out of the cockpit of the Deulin Special and hired Swede Smith as his driver. Over the next two years, Smith scored big wins at Fresno, Legion Ascot, and San Jose, all in California. From 1930 through 1932, numerous drivers sat behind the wheel of Deulin’s machines including Smith, “Stubby” Stubblefield, and Kelly Petillo.

In 1933, Deulin decided to return to the driver’s seat and raced at Legion Ascot as well as on the AAA (American Automobile Association) Pacific Coast Circuit. In 1934, Hal Cole assumed the driving duties in Deulin’s newly-built Miller-Duisenberg. Cole scored a major win at Legion Ascot that season and also captured a huge win at the Arizona State Fair over a field of West Coast “heavy hitters” including George Connor, Ted Horn, Mel Kenealy, Rex Mays, Johnny McDowell, Kelly Petillo, Floyd Roberts, Bob Sall (Antonio Saldutti), Louis Tomei, and Frankie Wearner.

After 13 years as a driver and car owner, Deulin shut down his racing operation at the conclusion of the 1934 season. Drivers to sit in the cockpit of his machines over the years included not only Smith, Petillo, and Stubblefield, but also Al Gordon, “Curley” Grandell, Walt May, Francis Quinn, and Wilbur Shaw. His record of wins and top finishes against some of the best racers in the country is a testament to his skill, not only as a driver, but also as a mechanic.

Lawrence "Hughie" Hughes

DRIVER

Lawrence “Hughie” Hughes was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, but moved with his family to eastern Nebraska while he was a youngster. By age 16, he was scouring through parts barrels behind auto shops looking for parts to build a rudimentary racer which he drove in the open country learning how to shift and steer in dirt and mud. After graduating from high school in Benson, Nebraska, he eventually settled in Beatrice where he opened an automobile shop in the early 1920s.

In 1922, Hughes built a Model A Ford race car, painted it white with the number 101, and began racing around the dusty horse tracks in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. He called the car his “Indianapolis Type,” and scored many wins at the Ak-Sar-Ben track in Omaha throughout the 1920s. Traveling the primitive highways of the day, he also raced at scores of now-forgotten race tracks including both the N.C.K. Track and the Stearns Track in Kansas. He also raced at the super-fast high-banked track at Belleville.

In the late 1920s, Hughes built a Chrysler 75 Roadster and continued to pile up wins throughout Nebraska and Kansas. He won a 100 mile race in Kansas in the early 1930s with a top speed of 81 miles per hour and an average speed of 62.2 miles per hour including a pit stop. He won the race by nearly a lap and a half over his nearest competitor.

In the early 1930s, Hughes moved to Belleville, Kansas where he continued as a racer. He drew huge crowds because he was a skilled outside-passer. Fans loved the way he would go to the outside and catch the dirt lip of the track (today referred to as the “cushion”) and skillfully, yet dangerously, dart in front of a competitor.

Hughes’ driving career, from 1922 to 1934, was relatively short by today’s standards and although records from that era are vastly incomplete and the details of his career are difficult to find, Hughes is known to have raced in hundreds of races, winning many of them, while never suffering a serious injury in a race car. Even during the depths of the depression, he still found a way to make money at racing.

Not only was Hughes a skilled race car driver he was also an excellent mechanic, and a talented musician and singer.

Hughes passed away, while living in Oregon, in 1978.

Joe Kosiski

DRIVER / PROMOTER

Omaha’s Joe Kosiski grew up in a racing family. His father, Bob, a Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee, raced in the Daytona 500 and won eleven track championships at Sunset Speedway in Omaha. His grandfather, Joe Kosiskie, was also a Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee.

Kosiski competed in his first race in 1976 and during his career won 21 track championships including nine at Sunset Speedway. In 1986, he captured the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) Weekly Racing Series National Championship. He also captured the NASCAR Busch All-Star Series title in 1986 making him one of only three drivers to win two NASCAR National titles during the same year. Kosiski is the second winningest driver in the history of the All-Star Series, capturing 45 series wins while grabbing five championships.

In 1986, 1992, 1999, and 2000, Kosiski won NASCAR Regional Championships and in 2005, as part of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series’ 25th Anniversary celebration, was named one of the 25 best drivers in series history.

Major victories during Kosiski’s driving career include two wins at Sunset Speedway’s Spring Invitational, a win at the Gopher 50 in Owatonna, Minnesota, and a victory at the All-Star 100 in Erie, Colorado. He also is a two-time winner of the Missouri State Championships on the Sedalia Mile, and has wins at the Stock Car Nationals at I70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri, at the Pepsi Nationals in Burlington, Iowa, and the Thunderbird Open in Kasson, Minnesota. Perhaps his most memorable win was in the 100-lap “Final Sunset” at Sunset Speedway in 2001.

During his over 30 year driving career, Kosiski raced and won in 26 states as far east as West Virginia and Maryland and as far west as Arizona and California. He has scored wins with some of the most notable Late Model series’ in the country including not only the NASCAR All-Star Series, but also the WORLD Dirt Racing League (WDRL), the Midwest LateModel Racing Association (MLRA), and the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA).

In 2004, Kosiski and his family were part of a group that purchased I80 Speedway in Greenwood. The track has successfully raced weekly, but has become more known for the “Silver Dollar Nationals,” which was started in 2011. The event has become one of the marquee Late Model events in the country and currently pays a whopping $53,000 to the winner.

Kosiski was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2008.

Eddie Rezac

DRAG RACER

Eddie Rezac was born in Wahoo, Nebraska was raised in nearby Weston where his parents owned a roadside café, gas station and auto repair business. As a youngster, he began tinkering on things and by the time he had reached junior high age, was helping local teenagers keep their cars running in spite of the fact that he wasn’t yet old enough to drive.

In the early 1960s, Rezac got involved in the Kingsmen Car Club in Wahoo, becoming the club’s first president. The club was recognized as Car Craft magazine’s Club-of-the-Year in 1964.

In 1963, Rezac began his drag racing career at Flatland Drag Strip in Omaha. A few years later, in 1967, he built a 1955 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery and began competing at the Lincoln Airport and Omaha Dragway. In 1968, he upgraded to a Corvette-powered Chevrolet Nomad and began to achieve immediate success.

Upgrades continued over the next few years and in 1969, Rezac built a 1959 Chevy Wagon which he won consistently in and qualified for the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) World Finals twice.

In 1973, Rezac built his first Super Stock Eliminator drag car, a 1965 Chevelle and that year, qualified for the NHRA World Finals in Amarillo, Texas while finishing in the top five in the NHRA Division V standings. In 1975, Rezac finished runner-up in Division V before finally claiming the championship in 1977 over nationally-known racer Judy Lilly. During that time, he won numerous class events and qualified for the World Finals each year.

In 1978, Rezac put together a 1966 Chevy II and his on-track success began to reach new heights. He set numerous national records in the car and scored the two biggest victories of his career, claiming the Super Stock Eliminator title at NHRA’s prestigious Mile High Nationals in Denver in both 1979 and 1980. In the early 1980s, Rezac sold his car and his racing operation to concentrate on his growing automotive repair and restoration business.

During his entire drag racing career, Rezac built not only all of his cars, but also all of his engines. In the 1970s, Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee Wayne Lewis began assisting Rezac with the machine work on his engines.

Now retired, Rezac spends much of his time restoring old cars. His most prized automotive possession is his restored Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Convertible which has won awards at numerous vintage car shows.

Carson Smith

ENGINEER / CAR OWNER

Carson Smith was raised in Lincoln and grew up around racing, the son of famous car owner and racing supply business owner “Speedy” Bill Smith.

The younger Smith began his racing career helping on the Speedway Motors 4X Sprint Car team owned by his father. With drivers Jan Opperman and Lloyd Beckman behind the wheel, Smith learned many valuable lessons about the technical side of the sport.

After receiving his Engineering Degree from college, Smith began his own Sprint Car team in 1982 and hired Beckman as his chauffeur. Beckman won the track championship at Midwest Speedway in Lincoln that year in Smith’s car. Other drivers of Smith’s Sprint Cars included Dean Chadd, Don Droud, Jr., and Keith Hightshoe.

In 1988, Smith put together an Indy Car for the newly organized American IndyCar Series (AIS) and signed Robby Unser as his driver. They won their first race at Mountain View Motorsports Park in Colorado that year and in 1989, the team won seven races and captured the AIS championship. While racing with the series, Smith employed a number of other top notch drivers including Johnny Unser (Robby’s cousin), and Carson’s brother (Jason).

In 1991, Smith turned his attention to the “Race To The Clouds,” the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb. With Robby Unser at the controls, the team miraculously won King-of-the-Hill that year after scrambling to completely redesign the car’s front suspension after practice. In 1992, Smith designed and built a new car for the Hill Climb’s Open Wheel Class. Using the knowledge he had gained through his Sprint Car and Indy Car ownership, Smith put together a radically-designed machine that not only easily captured King-of-the-Hill honors, but also became the first car in history to break the 11-minute barrier at Pike’s Peak.

Smith secured sponsorship from both Speedway Motors and Chevrolet for the 1994 race and continued to improve the handling and engine performance of their Open Wheel machine. Unser won in the Open Wheel class, setting a new record of 10-minutes 5-seconds which still stands today. That year, Smith also built a hill-climbing truck for Chevrolet which, in spite of its aerodynamic challenges finished second in its class.

Smith and Unser continue to work together on the successful Speedway Motors Autocross car. In 2017, Unser won the Goodguys Autocrosser-of-the-Year title for Smith and Speedway Motors.

Smith remains active in motorsports and currently serves as Vice President of Speedway Motors.

David "Hayseed" Thomssen

DRAG RACER / ENGINE BUILDER / BONNEVILLE RACER

David “Hayseed” Thomssen was born and raised in Aurora where he developed an interest in speed when his father began taking him to dirt track races as a youngster.

After moving to Lincoln, Thomssen and his college buddy, Arlyn Asch, built a drag car, “The Hayseed Special,” in a hog shed on Asch’s farm near Pilger. The first time on the track, at the 1961 NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the 1923 altered Model T Roadster won its class, beating a national record holder in the process. For the next ten years, the pair raced the car throughout the Midwest using Thomssen’s home-built flathead engines.

After a visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1974, the “salt bug” hit Thomssen hard. Having been introduced to car owner Tommy Thompson by a friend, Thomssen drove the Thompson Bonneville Streamliner for ten years beginning in 1977.

In the late 1980s, Thomssen built the first “Hayseed Special” Roadster Bonneville car and set records with both blown flatheads and ARDUNs. In 1996, the “Hayseed Special 332” was built which resulted in additional records at Bonneville.

In 1988, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits financed an enterprise designed to get himself into the elite 200 Mile Per Hour Club at the Salt Flats and “Swamp Rat 33” was born. Using the $20,000 Garlits provided, Thomssen designed the rat-shaped black speedster and 2007 Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee Jim Schuman constructed the machine. Thomssen ultimately convinced Garlits that his flathead V8 engine had enough power to go 200 miles per hour and in 1988 he proved it. Garlits went through the measured mile at 220 miles per hour, faster than any flathead had ever previously gone. Don Kehr, using a second Thomssen flathead engine also became a member of the select 200 Mile Per Hour Club that year.

In 1990, Thomssen’s son Tim joined the 200 Mile Per Hour Club with one of his father’s blown ARDUN engines. Thomssen himself, made an attempt to join the select club in 1991, but a sudden wind gust unexpectedly hit the car, putting it upside down and denying him the opportunity to make a 200 mile per hour pass.

Thomssen’s unique career as a drag racer, engine builder and Bonneville racer spanned portions of four decades. His nearly 15 year career at Bonneville netted him nearly 30 land speed records.

Thomssen passed away in 2020.