Stock Car Racing Readers' Racers

PROUD SONChevy Hancock, age 9 and from Crossville, Tennessee, writes: "This is mydad, Shane Hancock. My dad is amazing. He was born totally deaf, but hasnever let it handicap him. He started racing go-karts as a young boy andwinning. When he grew up he started building and racing his own StreetStock. He has won over 12 features. My dad is a single parent to me andmy little brother, and he lets us help him on his race cars. P.S.: Guesshow I got my first name?"

JOLLY OLLIE"Jolly Ollie" Oliver Palmer of Delmar, New York, sent us bio infodescribing how he was one of Fonda Speedway's (NY) most colorful racer'sin the '50s and '60s. He raced Fonda Speedway from 1953-1964, and alsopulled some laps at the Lebanon Valley (NY) and Stateline (NY) tracks.He was best known for his "J-O" car and trademark cigar.

2 BROTHERS RACINGAl (21L) and Rick (67) Lisowski race their very clean Pure Stock andStreet Stock cars, respectively, at Chateau Speedway in Lansing,Minnesota, every Friday night with their families in tow. The Lisowskiclan has seen the two gather various Heat and Feature wins in theirFriday exploits. Thankfully, they race in different divisions or theirstrong brotherly love (and sheetmetal) might get tested.

FAST POOL MANTommy Ballard oversees pool construction for Blue Haven pools by day,and has installed some for various Winston Cup drivers and crew chiefsaround Charlotte, North Carolina. But since 1998 he's been racing attough Hickory Motor Speedway and secured Rookie of the Year (1998) andMost Valuable Driver (1999) at the Carolina speedplant. After a stint inthe Goody's Dash series in 2000, he returned to Hickory this year withthis four-cylinder- powered Ford. Think he gets any tuning tips from hispool clientele? You bet he does.

HOBBY STOCK TO IMCAEckie Harrison from North Little Rock, Arkansas, races at Beebe and I-30Speedways in central Arkansas. He was the 2002 Hobby Stock points champat Beebe with 16 (count 'em) main Feature wins and numerous Heat wins.He's since stepped up to IMCA Modifieds and gets some prime motivationfrom his 4-year-old daughter Hailey and supportive friends. Againshowing that one cannot race by himself or herself alone, it takes ateam.

GOOD CAUSEThe Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan gets help from the "Racefor the Cure" program. For the Delarye Race Team, fielded by brothersJim and John Delarye, this means more than just a decal on the car.Jim's son Dylan, age 3, passed away from the disease in 2001. John hasbeen driving race cars since 1988, progressing from Bombers to Enduros,to Street Stocks, and now to Super Late Models in NASCAR's Weekly Racingseries at Kalamazoo (MI) Speedway.