Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame
"Where Motor Sports Come Together"
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Welcome to the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame "Where Motor Sports Come Together" |
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Curt Kelley Inducted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Curt Kelley was born June 24, 1948 in Union City, Michigan. Curt lived in
Michigan his entire life. The racing bug bit Curt at a young age. Curt would
ride his bike down the road to Harold Reynold’s junkyard, where he would
then ride in the back of the pickup truck to the races. After several years
of helping on other cars, Curt decided that it was time to build his own
car.
In 1968, Curt began his racing career at Butler Motor Speedway. Over the
years, Curt raced with the organizations TRI-Sac, USAC, SOD, IMCA and TBARA.
He also raced all over the East Coast in states such as MI, IN, OH, MN, FL,
PA, IL, NY, WI, and he also raced in Canada. He played all parts in racing;
he was a driver, a car owner, a mechanic, and an engine builder, though most
of his work was done by himself. Besides driving for himself, Curt also
drove for Art Braithwaite, Sonny McHenry, Hub Becker, Bruce Carpenter, Larry
Bible, Harry Stickney, and Bobby Coats.
In 1978, ten years after beginning his racing career, Curt co-won the Little
500 in Anderson, Indiana with Don Mack. Curt also won the 100-mile
Championship race at the Minnesota State Fair two years in a row. Along with
those races, Curt also won several races against Super Modifieds in Larry
Bible’s upright Sprint Car. Curt, along with George McCord, designed and
built the first coil-over ¾-tube dirt Sprint Car. Unfortunately, Curt never
won any championships.
Curt’s racing career ended tragically while he was doing what he loved to
do. He had taken the Braithwaite sprinter to Indiana to run in the EMGE 50
at Anderson Speedway, in order to prepare for the Little 500 the following
weekend. As he was preparing for his heat race, Curt collapsed. He had
suffered a heart attack that put him in a coma for 11 days. Curt passed away
on May 29, 1996.
After his death, the Curt Kelley Memorial Award was created in his honor.
The award is given to the driver that shows the same dedication,
perseverance, and tolerance throughout the racing season that Curt showed
all throughout his career.
Curt is very deserving of this award. Racing was a very important part of
his life, and we’re sure that if he were still with us today, he would be
honored just to be nominated. Send mail to Allan
E. Brown with questions or comments about this web site. |