(I posted this on my website, JasonDull.com, early Wednesday  morning, but did refer to some of the statistics offered in Brian Gapinski's post later that day.)

To a 8 or 9 year old boy, sitting in the stands with his mom and sister while watching his father and other’s compete in midget racing events at the prestigious Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI, there is no reservations on the word “hero”, such as post 9/11 theorists have implied should be saved for non-sporting members of the community.  While my dad would usually come up and bet on his favorite Kevin Olson for the A-main (whom I also had on my list), I would sometimes pick the Bud Doty owned front-running white, red, and black #50 car that, ever since I was capable of comprehending and remembering midget racing events, well over 15 years ago-his son, Milan, Ill.'s, Kevin Doty, drove.

After a couple of MARA championships, Kevin came to race with the BMARA at Sun Prairie in the mid-eighties, and made his first Pepsi National’s start in 1986, taking fourth.  After a second in 1987, he won his first of three straight in 1988, actually driving for Don Boorse, though.  He went on to win the event two more times in the mid-90’s.  Although he spent a lot of time running winged sprint cars (I still have a winged sprint car T-shirt my dad bought with Kevin’s images on it.), usually exciting to watch in the late season double headers at Spoon River Speedway in Canton, IL, and only competed partially with the BMARA organization during the early part of that decade, he did run the full schedule and claimed the championship in 1994, while racking up a total of 15 wins!. 

He did not always run his father’s #50 during this time, but secured rides in the potent #11 Wilke/PAK car and ran USAC races with Steve Beneto, Larry Martz, Pete Willoughby, Dave Ellis, Larry Cahill, and more.  He claimed the Belleville Nationals in 1994 with the Kunz brothers wrenching and also won the Hut 100 that year.  Although Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Stevie Reeves, and so many more passed through Sun Prairie on their way to the top levels of racing, Doty was about the only one who the door opened up for in higher levels of USAC racing, during my time, after being a true full-time driver at the track.

In addiction to the eight USAC midget wins he claimed, it was always good to see his name ranked in the NSSN run-downs of USAC sprint car and Silver Crown races.  Most of the sprint car drives came in Steve Chrisman’s #25.  He won a total of seven sprint car races and tamed the high-banks of Eldora, winning four times at the high-speed half-mile, including Four-Crown win and in 2003, he made the Mopar Million starting field.  Some of the Silver Crown starts came in Glen Neibel’s #20, whom Tony Stewart drove for when he won the triple crown.  His best finish in the big car was fourth twice, once on asphalt at IRP, and another on the dirt at Eldora.

While continuing to drive the #50 car, around the turn of the century he also worked with the Wilke's and at other times, drove Harlan Kittleson's and Hans Lein's equally recognizable #2.  Although taking a feature win at Sun Prairie in 2000, a couple of disappointing seasons followed, and then after the death of his mother, not much positive was heard about the veteran racer.  That was until the 2002 Chili Bowl, captured on SPEED channel, when he drove a SESCO powered #12 Wilke ride to a solid second place finish behind no less than the before-mentioned Stewart, after a spirited battle with the to-be NASCAR champ and West Coast frontrunner Cory Kruseman.  The following season’s starts were more often, and in 2004, he drove Jim Fiscus’s car to second behind JJ Yeley in the wild USAC opener at Beaver Dam, later in the summer he took the #50 to a decisive victory at Sun Prairie, (which was his 35th BADGER win), and won the MARA race at the previously referred Spoon River Speedway.

Although he was able to take his challenged son Kevin Jr. (who always told all that would listen that, "My dad is Kevin Doty") around the indoor Tulsa track in the two seater sprint car, 2005 started off badly in the Chili Bowl races, when on the preliminary night, he was caught up in a wreck involving one of Stewart’s cars, driven by a “Shock Jock”, referred to as Bubba T. LoveSponge.  On the final night he was unable to transfer very far up the alphabet and was clearly disappointed.  Once the outdoor season began, his struggles continued, as he and his father suffered many mechanical set-backs on their car.  They parked it early on and brought out a car from the Wilke shop and looked to be on the way to another Sun Prairie victory, when-after winning the first heat race-I let our car stall in turn four and brought out the caution.   Kevin thought he saw the red, instead of yellow, and stopped, giving up the lead.  I called to apologize for my part in the incident, but Kevin did not seem upset with me.

In the middle of the summer he was offered the fast #1 ride prepared in Australia for Michael Pickens, who had been selected to test with Jack Roush, to drive in a preliminary night or two, and then at the fast Bellville track.  They debuted at Sun Prairie, running good early but fading late, and then headed west.  In the middle of the week, before the big race, he got caught up in an incident and flipped the car in Nebraska.  Belleville hopes were dashed.  They brought the #50 back out and did win the fourth heat race Sunday at Sun Prairie.  During the interview, it has been said, he was complaining of migraines and some wondered if that may have been a lingering effect from the Lincoln wreck.  Regardless, mid-way through the feature, word is, he went over another’s wheel and slammed into the turn four wall.  The car barrel rolled along the top and then landed right-side up, in the opening that is used to go into the infield.  A wheel off of the car landed slightly farther away, by the gate that goes into the stands.  Medical personal quickly gathered and he was rushed to the Hospital.  Sadly, their efforts were to no avail, as on Tuesday August 16, 2005, we lost the 43 year old racer.

Well respected in the racing community, his presence and career, was to me legendary.  According to the Angel Park Speedway website, his first trip to the track was in a basket at three months old.  He came to own a fabricating business, and with one of the longer drives home every week, he wasn’t usually the last to stay after the races.  In-between events, he could usually be found walking the track looking for changing conditions, but he was always approachable, signing many an autograph for me as I grew up, and when quizzed on issues that could be taken comically, at least more than once, I remember a certain quick, kind of sarcastic-but non-offending laugh.  His visual appearance has been compared to that of Hollywood actor's Bruce Wills, and all-in-all he seemed to present a coolness and smoothness on and off the track.  Yes to me, as one of only a few still racing from when I first can remember, Kevin Doty was a “hero” and someone that I am going to really miss.  R.I.P.

P.S.-I hope that some good can come out of this is, due to his status in the sport, and maybe his death can do for midget racing as what Dale Earnhardt's did for NASCAR.  Hopefully opening up some eyes of some of the driver's currently not using the safety equipment that is available.  This should remind all that no matter how good they are, this can be a dangerous sport.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
Monday, August 22, 2005

4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Runge Mortuary and Crematory Chapel
838 E. Kimberly Road
Davenport , Iowa 52807


Funeral Service

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

11:30 a.m.

Runge Mortuary and Crematory Chapel
838 E. Kimberly Road
Davenport, Iowa 52807

Kevin Doty family Memorial Fund
Care of Cher Breunig
Bank of Sun Prairie
P.O. Box 29
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590-0029


Cards can be sent to :

Bud Doty
917 E. 32nd Ave.
Milan, Ill 61264