October 19, 2023

Hall of Fame Late Model driver Roger Dolan passes away

LISBON, Iowa — Hall of Fame dirt late model racer Roger Dolan has died at the age of 87.    Dolan, from Lisbon, Iowa,  won the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series title in 1987 driving for Larry Eckrich and scored 33 feature victories that season and posted more than 400 feature wins during his legendary career.    

He also captured the inaugural NASCAR Busch All Star Tour championships in 1985 by one point over Steve Kosiski.

Dolan won numerous track championships at venurs such as Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapis, Iowa,  Dubuque, West Liberty, and Farley, among others


ROGER DOLAN OBIT

Roger Clair Dolan, 87, of Lisbon, Iowa, died peacefully on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at the Rehabilitation Center of Lisbon. He died of dementia (Alzheimer’s) and has donated his body to the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine for scientific purposes. There will be no services. A private family graveside will be held at a later date.

Roger was born on May 5, 1936, on the family farm in Cedar County, Lisbon, Iowa, to Robert and Leona (Emerson) Dolan. He attended Coon Creek Country School through sixth grade, then to Lisbon Community School where he graduated in 1954. He and Barbara Nost were married on July 8, 1962.

After graduating he owned and operated a Standard gas station in Mount Vernon, was a truck driver, and then started his own metal fabricating business – Dolan Metal Products Lisbon. Roger held early patents on green energy, particularly for geothermal livestock watering systems. While running his metal business, he also had a great career driving late-model stock cars around the Midwest. He topped his career by winning the National Nascar Dirt Track Championship in 1987. He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame, including the Iowa Dirt Track Hall of Fame, and in 2017 the National Nascar Dirt Track Hall of Fame. Roger found his passion for speed in his early years with go-karts, speed boats, motorcycles, airplanes, and dirt racing cars.

He was a great husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He enjoyed repair work for local farmers and found friendship with all of them. He was a skillful mechanic and could figure out how to fix or build almost anything. One of his favorite hobby projects was his 1962 GMC Greyhound bus and enjoyed many winter trips south with Barb. He was a pilot of small planes, owned an ultralight glider, and enjoyed evening flights.

Roger is survived by his wife, Barbara; children, Ryan Dolan of Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and Carrie Dolan-Heeren (Doug) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and grandchildren, Chan Dolan of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Riley Dolan of Ames, Iowa.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents.

Many thanks go to St. Croix Hospice for their compassionate care. Also, thanks to all the wonderful people at the Rehab Center of Lisbon for their great care. Memorials may be directed to the Lisbon Fire Department or family.