CARB Hall of Fame enshrines 12 new members
GRANDVIEW, Mo.—The 22nd Central Auto Racing Boosters Hall of Fame dinner was held Saturday, February 14 at the Armacost Automotive Museum in Grandview, Mo. 12 new members were enshrined, including four Pioneers.
nductees were Joe Cobb, Jeff Klem, Nina Gennetten, Dick Elliott, Anthony Maucelli, Al & Pollie Soetaert, Tom McGarry, and the “RacinBoys” Scott Traylor and Kirk Elliott.
Racing Pioneer inductees, W.W. "Cockeyed" Brown, Frank Elliott, Robert "Ironhead" Cox, and Bud Wallis.
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CARB HALL OF FAME CLASS FOR 2025
JOE COBB
KC area racer Joe Cobb started his involvement in racing as a driver in 1976 at Riverside Stadium in North KC, and retired from the sport in 2015, 50 years later. After racing in states that included Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Texas, Minnesota, and South Dakota.
Among Joe's favorite awards were winning the most popular driver award at Adrian, and the CARB Special Award named in honor of the Tom Karrick Family. Among his accolades and accomplishments were winning the track title at Adrian in 1986 for late models. Winning most improved driver at Lakeside in 1979, and winning mechanic of the year in the street stock division on another occasion at Lakeside in 1990.
DICK ELLIOTT
Iowan Dick Elliott’s 60-plus year racing involvement has been in many different capacities from owner, driver, engine builder, crew chief, fabricator and mechanic with literally hundreds of feature victories and numerous championships at over twenty race tracks across the Midwest,
Dick experience ranged from Stock Cars to Dirt Late Models, Winged and Non-Wing Sprint Cars and Dirt Modifieds as well as partnering with his son Dennis in his championship racing efforts
NINA GENNETTEN
Nina Gennetten has been involved in racing for over 60 years in many capacities, including owner, sponsor, wife, mother, and grandmother in a family of racers that includes three generations. She has also been a significant contributor and supporter of the CARB Hall of Fame for several years.
Nina became the greatest supporter at the track and away from the track of, first, her husband, and then her son. Then, later her grandson, Ayrton, also a championship caliber racer in sprint cars, often with the familiar number 3 on their race cars. Her support of the CARB Hall of Fame has been significant over the years.
JEFF KLEM
Jeff Klem was a major super star in the pavement late model division during the peak of I-70 Speedway weekly racing in the late 90's and early 200o's
Klem won five of six I-70 Speedway Late Model season championships from 1999 through 2003, with 2001 being the only season he didn’t win the title because of running a part-time schedule. He would post double digit wins in all five of those championship years, with a high of 15 victories in 1999.
"TUBBY" TONY MAUCELLI
One of the most colorful racing personalities in KC racing history, “Tubby” Tony Maucelli was a driver, owner, builder, and track official from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. His sons and daughter both competed successfully in local racing series as well.
Tony's "luckless" career went the right way joining up with Dale Brown and his 55 Lincoln. The beautiful Purple number 84 was one fast “Hot Rod Lincoln” and led to a first-ever win in stock cars on August 5th 1972. Over the years that followed, Tony would become a stalwart in the Semi Stock division as well, winning multiple features at tracks that included the original Lakeside Speedway and Riverside Stadium.
TOM MC GARRY
Show Me State standout Tom McGarry’s star would shine bright in sprint car racing as a driver, owner, and mechanic for over 30 years in the sport at tracks that included Savannah, I-70 Speedway (dirt track), and US 36 Raceway. He won four track championships at Savannah Speedway
McGarry also competed at venues that included the Northwest Missouri State Fairgrounds in Bethany and L.A. Raceway from the 1980’s into the new millennium. Tom continues to be involved with his son Matt as co-owuners of the Winged No. 31 Sprint Car.
THE RACIN BOYS - SCOTT TRAYLOR AND KIRK ELLIOTT
For the last 25 years, the “RacinBoys” Scott Traylor & Kirk Elliott, (along with producer Todd Suprise for the last 12) have manned the airways (on 810 Radio) live streamed, (events including the Chili Bowl and ASCS Sprints) and (made content and broadcast videos available) on their RBN website.
Scott Traylor started racing a street stock at age 17 in 1977 at the old Lakeside Speedway, Topeka Raceway, and Savannah Speedway on the dirt. Later on pavement, Scott would race sportsman late models, modifieds, ARCA, and super trucks at the new Lakeside and the old paved I-70. Taylor would win 30 feature events, including 10 in his ultra fast super track. Later, he became an ARCA team owner, and drove himself in events at Kansas Speedway.
Kirk Elliott announced races on a weekly basis for 30 years at verious race tracks in Iowa . Missouri and Kansas and broadcasted racing shows on Kansas City radio beginning in 1989 prior to hooking up with Traylor in 2000.
AL AND POLLIE SOETAERT
Uncel Al and Aunt Pollie Soetaert were a fixture around the Kansas City racing scene for decades at Riverside, Olympic and the old Lakeside Speedway.
Al Soetaert would compete in classes that included sportsman, super modified, and sprint car
Pollie Soetaert joined her husband Al working at the tracks handling the complaint window, working as a scorer, selling tickets, keeping drivers points, ordering and picking up trophies. Pollie helped create the first program at Riverside. She was also the designer of the Monkey trophy there.
2025 CARB HALL OF FAME PIONEER INDUCTEES
W.W. "COCKEYED" BROWN
Kansas City redident and businessman W.W. Brown found national fame at AAA- sanctioned events on the"boards" of Beverly Hills, Chicago, Omaha, Des Moines & Kansas City; The Twin-Cities concrete oval; Road Races at Santa Monica, Elgin and Blue Ridge; a Hill Climb; an economy run and the bricks of the Indy 500.
He was the first to drive a motorcar to the summit of Pikes Peak (July 7, 1913). Finally, add to this tally, another 250 races by other greats driving cars and motors of Brown’s creation.
ROBERT "IRONHEAD" COX
Cox, started his racing career in the Kansas City area at age 22 in 1950 and would compete for 25 seasons before retiring in 1974.
Over the years, the driver with the colorful moniker of “Ironhead” showed his mettle racing midgets, jalopies, and modifieds around KC at tracks that included Olympic Stadium, Riverside, Lakeside, Marshall, Excelsior Springs, Sweet Springs, Sedalia, Belleville, and Knoxville.
FRANK ELLIOTT
Lathrop Missouri's Frank Rollin Elliott would become one of America’s earliest auto racing stars, running and winning on the board tracks across America while also competing in six Indy 500’s from 1922 to 1927.
Off the track, Frank Elliott was a protege of the great Harry Miller and learned from him in California, while also driving the Miller Special to great success across America.
PAUL D "BUD" WALLIS
Bud Wallis was renowned for building the flathead Ford Motor and getting the maximum amount of horsepower from his engines. His flathead Fords became competitive for decades, and compiled wins all the way up to, and for several years after, the introduction of the overhead valve pushrod motor.
Wallis loved to race, and his prowess as a driver was underrated. Bud won numerous times at the KC area tracks of Olympic, Riverside, and Lakeside ss well as regional venues Savannah, Sweet Springs, Sedalia, and Topeka.
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