RALPH CAPITANI NAMED ‘MOST INFLUENTIAL’
IN SPRINT CAR POLL - KNOXVILLE, IOWA (March 15, 2004) - For the
first time since the introduction of the annual special edition North American
Sprint Car Poll honoring the sport’s thirty most influential leaders in
1991, World of Outlaws (WoO) founder and president Ted Johnson is not ranked
‘number one’. That honor, as determined by an industry-wide voting panel
of manufacturers, media members, sanctioning officials and promoters, now
belongs to Knoxville Raceway director of racing Ralph Capitani. “Cappy”
captured 11 of the 53 first-place ballots cast in the 2004 poll, the same
number as garnered by both second-ranked Earl Baltes of Eldora Speedway
and the third-rated Johnson.
Capitani promotes weekly winged 360- and 410-cubic-inch
sprint car racing at the Marion County Fairgrounds facility in Knoxville,
Iowa, in addition to major national championship special events like the
Knoxville 410 Nationals and the Knoxville 360 Nationals. Baltes promotes
almost-weekly winged and non-winged sprint car special events at his track
in Rossburg, Ohio, including the prestigious Mopar Million and King's Royal
shows.
Texas-based Johnson has led the now-winged
WoO national tour since it's inception in March of 1978 as a non-winged
410 c.i. sprint car sanction. It should be noted that the top three leaders
are already members of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Those ranked
fourth through tenth, respectively, among “Sprint Car Racing’s 30 Most Influential
Leaders” are Emmett Hahn (seven first-place votes) of the American Sprint
Car Series (ASCS) and newly-created ‘410’ Sprint Bandits, multi-time WoO
champion owner/driver Steve Kinser (six votes), United States Auto Club
(USAC) president Rollie Helmling (one vote), chief executive officer Paul
Kruger (four votes) of WoO parent company Boundless Motor Sports Racing,
2003 North American Sprint Car Poll “Outstanding Contribution to the Sport
Award” recipient and sprint car team owner Tony Stewart, All Star Circuit
of Champions (ASCoC) president Guy Webb, and Sprint Car & Midget magazine
editor Doug Auld.
In addition, Empire Super Sprints (ESS) president
Dick Carbery and Ventura Raceway promoter Jim Naylor each earned one first-place
vote. Besides the sudden appearance of Paul Kruger of Boundless in the ‘top
ten’ of the rankings, the other new-comers to the poll are Bobby Hartslief
of Boundless in 12th, owner/driver/promoter Terry McCarl in 23rd, Williams
Grove Speedway promoter Bob Jones in 24th, sprint car champion-turned-NASCAR
driver J.J. Yeley in 26th, and Tommy Hunt of USAC Western States in 28th,
respectively.
It appears that the leadership within the
overall sport of sprint car racing is fairly stable heading into 2004. The
North American Sprint Car Poll is an official awards program of the National
Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum Foundation of Knoxville, Iowa.
Special Edition 2004 North American Sprint
Car Poll:
“Sprint Car Racing’s 30 Most Influential Leaders”
2004 / 2003 / Rank / Rank / Person (First
Place) / Affiliation / Occupation / Points
1. 2. Ralph Capitani (11) Knoxville Raceway
360/410 promoter 2,410
2. 3. Earl Baltes (11) Eldora Speedway non-w/360/410
promoter 2,332
3. 1. Ted Johnson (11) World of Outlaws 410
sanction 1,764
4. 4. Emmett Hahn (7) ASCS/Sprint Bandits
360/410 sanction 1,759
5. 6. Steve Kinser (6) Quaker State #11 410
driver/owner 1,366
6. 7. Rollie Helmling (1) U.S. Auto Club non-w
sanction 905
7. - Paul Kruger (4) Boundless MSR 410 sanction
689
8. 12. Tony Stewart Mopar #20, 21 non-w/410
owner 502
9. 10. Guy Webb All Star Circuit 410 sanction/owner
454
10. 9. Doug Auld Sprint Car & Midget non-w/360/410
media 440
11. 13. Tom Schmeh Natl Spr Car Museum non-w/360/410
media 376
12. - Bobby Hartslief Boundless MSR 410 sanction
331
13. 5. Ron Shuman SCRA/NWWC non-w sanction
289
14. 18. Allan Holland www.hoseheads.com non-w/360/410
media 241
15. 17. Steve Sinclair Interstate Racing Assn.
410 sanction 212 16.
16. Dave Argabright Sprint Car & Midget non-w/360/410
media 210
17. 21. John Padjen Silver Dollar/GSC 360/410
promoter/sanction 157
18. 14. Lanny Edwards Devil’s Bowl Spdwy.
360/410 promoter 140
19. 19. Danny Lasoski Mopar #20 410 driver
123
20. 23. Jerry Russell Eagle Chassis non-w/360/410
builder 118
21. 11. Chuck Merrill Maxim Chassis non-w/360/410
builder 116
22. 25. Chris Economaki NSSN/Elbows Up! non-w/360/410
media 112
23. - Terry McCarl #24/McTwo Promo 410 owner/driver/promo
87
24. - Bob Jones Wms. Grove Spdwy. 358/410
promoter 77
25. 30. J.V. Brotherton Brodix Cyl. Heads
non-w/360/410 builder 76
26. - J.J. Yeley Mopar #20 non-w driver 70
27. 24. Jason Smith U.S. Auto Club non-w sanction
66
28. - Tommy Hunt U.S. Auto Club non-w sanction
62
29. 20. Earl Gaerte Gaerte Engines non-w/360/410
builder 61
30. 26. Bob East Beast Chassis non-w builder
55
Also receiving multiple votes: Cary Agajanian,
Steve Beitler, Scott Benic, Scott Boyd, Fred Brownfield, Dick Carbery (1),
Tracy Clay, Craig Cormack, Neil Cowman, Dave Despain, Mike Devin, Brad Doty,
Kevin Eckert, Jack Elam, Bruce Ellis, Jason Fausey, Scott Gerkin, Keith
Hall, C. Ray Hall, Al Hamilton, Brian Healey, Janet Holbrook, Roger Johnson,
Brent Kaeding, Don Kazarian, Mike Kerchner, Karl Kinser, Paul Kistler, Alan
Kreitzer, Keith Kunz, Bob Lawton, Mike Martin, John McCoy, Bob Miller, Kevin
Miller, Jim Naylor (1), Bob Newton, Jerry Reigle, Carlton Reimers, Glen
Sander, Ron Shaver, Wayne Simmons, Gary Stanton, Greg Stephens, Pete Walton,
Bob Westphal, Justin Zoch.
Time / Temp. in the Rock
