The O’Reilly National Championship Racing Association, presented by ICM/Ethanol, celebrated its 2006 season with its annual awards banquet Feb. 3 at the Wichita Greyhound Park.
The NCRA presented awards and year-end monies to drivers in each division – late model, modified, sprint car – who participated in at least 75 percent of their series races in 2006.
Late model drivers recognized were: sixth place – Gary Billings, Prairie Village, Kan. ; fifth – Steve Kempt, Shelton, Neb. ; fourth – Brett LaFollette, Kansas City, Kan. ; third – Billy Murphy, Kearney, Neb. ; second – Steve Kosiski, Papillion, Neb. ; champion – Kelly Boen, Henderson, Colo.
Modified drivers recognized were: 11th place – Cody Gearhart, Turpin, Okla. ; 10th – Jason Roe, Wichita, Kan. ; ninth – Brian Casey, Hutchinson, Kan. ; eighth – Travis Govern, Wichita; seventh – Jason Teague, Tahlequah, Okla. ; sixth – Scott Green, Wichita; fifth – Don Renfro, first modified series champion (1998) from Wichita; fourth – Brian Powers, Wichita; third – Marc Hurd, Wichita; second – Greg Stephens, Wichita; champion – Brian Franz, Halstead, Kan.
Sprint car drivers recognized were: 11th place – Roger Sundquist, Loomis, Neb. ; eighth – Brian Herbert, Dodge City, Kan. ; seventh – Luke Cranston, Ness City, Kan. ; sixth – Marc Robe, Wichita; fifth – Jon Freeman, Salina, Kan. ; fourth – Jake Martens, Fairview, Okla. ; third – Mike Peters, 1987 NCRA Champ Dirt Car champion from Wichita; second – J. D. Johnson, Goddard, Kan. ; champion – Garry Lee Maier, Cimarron, Kan.
All three champions repeated from 2005. It was Boen’s second overall and Maier’s third overall, having won the title in 1991. Franz is the four-time defending modified series champion.
Rookies of the year were Kempt in late model, Teague in modified, and Robe in sprint car. Runners-up were Billings in late model, Gearhart in modified, and Sundquist in sprint car.
The most improved drivers in 2006 were Martens in sprint car, Kempt in late model, and Govern in modified.
Steve Rust of ICM, the presenting sponsor of the NCRA, spoke about the relationship the Colwich, Kan., company had with the late Steve King, of Jetmore, Kan., and his family, also from Jetmore. King, a two-time NCRA sprint car champion, was fatally injured at the 2006 Knoxville Nationals. Working with the King family, ICM has helped establish the Steve King Foundation.
Steve’s sister, Danette Amstein, spoke more about the foundation. It will provide financial assistance to drivers, crew, officials, and their families who are injured or need assistance because of circumstances beyond their control. Steve King memorabilia is available for purchase through the Steve King Web site with all proceeds going to the foundation.
Rust also presented the first Steve King Memorial Sportsmanship Award to Linda and Duane Leiker of Liberal, Kan. The Leikers have been involved in sprint car racing for more than 40 years, most recently many years with King Racing. Duane owned the racecar driven by Scott Brown in his 1992 NCRA sprint car championship season. ICM will also make a donation each year to the King Foundation as part of the sportsmanship award.
Although he didn’t run 75 percent of the complete season, King had run all of the shows at the time of his death. Because of Steve’s NCRA accomplishments last year and in the past (2002-03 sprint car champion) and the fact he would have run 100 percent of the shows had he lived, series president C. Ray Hall presented King posthumously the appropriate amenities for his ninth-place finish in the final 2006 standings. Steve’s parents, Danny and Naomi King, accepted the awards from Hall.
During the awards presentation, two recipients from the modified series publicly announced a financial donation to the foundation. Ron Smith, owner of Don Renfro’s fifth-place racecar, announced he was personally donating $100 to the foundation. Brian Franz admitted he never really knew Steve, but was giving $1,000 of his winnings as series champion to the foundation. Several others at the banquet stepped forward in private to donate as well.
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