Have you ever wondered where some of the old-timers have gone? Some of these racers had exciting, long careers and as the years go by they seem to have slipped though the cracks. With a little research and a phone call or two, we at Open Wheel magazine put a little something together featuring three prominent drivers from the past: Bobby Allen, Joe Saldana, and Mel Kenyon.
Bobby AllenBobby Allen was one of the true outlaws. He looked the part-hence the "Scruffy" name tag. He was a driver who did most of the work on his budget operation himself, and a driver who ran with the best. A majority of his racing was with a wing, but early in his career, there was some non-wing competition.
For many years, he ran with the World of Outlaws against the likes of Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell. His World of Outlaw point placings were amazing: a third, fifth, two sevenths, two eighths, and two ninths in the points. There were also 25 wins. With the All Stars, he won 46 times and took the 1980 title. In addition, there were four other Top-5 points finishes.
The final time Allen drove was in 1998, and he'll tell you he misses it. But his racing connection has been his go-kart track, which he's run for 20 years. "I have some of the cars painted up like World of Outlaw cars," Allen says. Some of the WoO racers come over and run them when they are near Allen's Hanover, Pennsylvania, hometown.
He has interesting thoughts on the state of the sprint sport, and this guy should know. "With the costs going up, all the local tracks are going to the 360 sprints. I think that trend will continue...," Allen says. "I really don't think having a weight rule helps much. Having a light car really only helps in qualifying, it doesn't make any difference in the actual race."
You just have to figure this guy isn't quite done yet if somebody would come up with a competitive ride for him. Anybody listening out there?
Mel KenyonMel Kenyon's magnificent career started in 1951 and continues on a somewhat lower activity level at the start of his sixth decade of racing. "My brother wants me to retire, but I'm not quite ready yet," Kenyon says.
There have been 379 wins in this predominently-Midget career, with seven USAC and three NAMARS national titles.
Kenyon thinks Midgets are on a bit of a comback at the start of the 21st century. "Sometimes, we have as many as 50 cars at a number of the tracks I run," Kenyon says. "Like other types of open-wheel racing, it's the cost that worries me. The price of the cars has stayed about the same, but the engines are completely out of sight."
The longtime Kenyon car building effort continues in its Lebanon, Indiana, facility. The emphasis these days is the building of motorcycle-powered full Midgets, which are an excellent learning tool.
Midget racing and Mel Kenyon. The two are usually spoken in the same breath!
Joe SaldanaFor some 23 years, Joe Saldana was one of the best there was in sprints and Champ Cars, with a few midgets thrown in. His open-wheel career lasted from 1963 to 1985.
"I started with IMCA in Iowa and ran non-wing cars to within a couple years of when I quit," Saldana says. With the sprints, he was best known for his USAC exploits where he won eight races with numerous Top-5s and Top-10s.
He was also effective in the Champ Cars, running them from 1971 through 1985. And then it was over for Saldana as far as racing was concerned. Well, not quite.
First, there was his race tank fabrication business that he started in 1974. "I kept it going until five years ago, when I sold it. They bought my name with the business so you still see it out there," he says.
And, of course, there's Saldana's son Joey-now on the World of Outlaw tour.