History of the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association
By Gary Martelon
The RMMRA was formed in 1940 by a group of drivers and owners headed by Lloyd Axel, the Midgets had been running on a regular basis in Denver, since 1937. They started off at the Merchants Park Baseball field on South Broadway just north of the Gates Rubber Company. In 1937-’39 the Midget club in south Denver was known as the Mile-Hi Racing Association. Promoter Tom Holden, with Co promoter J.E. Kimbrough. Holden was a big car promoter in the Kansas, Nebraska area. With the Midgets being so popular in the United States since 1933, Holden & Kimbrough formed the Mile Hi Racing Association and based it in the Denver area. 44 shows were held in 1937, with California driver Harry Hart being crowned Champion at the seasons end.
In 1938 Merchants Park held their second season, but not without competition from a new group that had formed together at a North Denver location that over time would become one of the premier Midget tracks in the United States. Ben Krasner owned an amusement park in northwest Denver called Lakeside. Krasner who also had a baseball field in his amusement park seen a vision of holding his own Midget car races. The two tracks both ran the 1938 season, with both having done well, but two Midget clubs were cutting into car counts at both racing plants. Krasner’s group was called Rocky Mountain Midget Association.
In 1939 Ben Krasner took his racing facility one step further by paving his race track and it was known as the dustless track. In 1939 the American Automobile Association was the sanctioning body at the Lakeside 1/5 mile oval. The plant cost Ben Krasner $25,000. to pave in 1939.
Merchants Park was also still running races at the south Denver track, however they had lost several of their cars and drivers to the Lakeside facility, August 16th 1939, Merchants Park held their last race, as they could not compete with the Lakeside Speedway.
In 1940 the owners and drivers decided to discontinue having AAA as their sanctioning body, and they formed the club known as the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association. Lloyd Axel and Roy Leslie were the two main people in forming the RMMRA. Axel from Lakeside, and Leslie from Merchants Park, teamed up to form and be the stars that would launch the RMMRA into the 21st century. Lloyd Axel was the first RMMRA President and also the first Champion. Axel won back to back Championships in’40-’41.
RMMRA Champions | 1940 to Present
1940 RMMRA Lloyd Axel #5 Lloyd Axel
1941 RMMRA Lloyd Axel #1 Lloyd Axel
1942 RMMRA Roy Leslie #6 Buzz Bussard
1943 World War II
1944 “ “ “
1945 “ “ “
1946 RMMRA Johnnie Tolan #6 Buzz Bussard
1947 RMMRA Johnnie Tolan #6 Roy Leslie
1948 RMMRA Roy Bowe #3 Miles Spickler Offy
1949 RMMRA Roy Bowe #3 Miles Spickler Offy
1950 RMMRA Sonny Coleman #67 Roy Leslie Ford V/8 60
1951 RMMRA Pete Headrick #48 Vic Felt Offy
1956 RMMRA Pete Headrick #9 Warren Hamilton Offy (tie)
1956 RMMRA Foster Campbell #4 Foster Campbell Offy (tie)
1957 RMMRA Foster Campbell #4 Foster Campbell Offy
1958 RMMRA Foster Campbell #4 Foster Campbell Offy
1959 RMMRA Foster Campbell #4 Foster Campbell Offy
1960 RMMRA Eddie Jackson #5 Eddie Jackson Offy
1961 RMMRA Jim LaManna #27 Sam Rodrigez Offy
1962 RMMRA Eddie Jackson #5 Eddie Jackson Offy
1963 RMMRA Eddie Jackson #5 Eddie Jackson Offy
1964 RMMRA Jimmy LaManna #1 Harry Conklin Offy
1965 RMMRA Jimmy LaManna #1 Harry Conklin Offy
1966 RMMRA Steve Troxell #91 Harry Conklin Offy
1967 RMMRA Eddie Jackson #5 Vern Shaver Offy
1968 RMMRA Eddie Jackson #5 Vern Shaver Offy
1969 RMMRA Grier Manning #42 Buck Shaver Chevy II
1970 RMMRA Eddie Jackson #5 Vern Shaver Offy
1971 RMMRA Sam Sauer #99 Harry Conklin Offy
1972 RMMRA Sam Sauer #1 Harry Conklin Sesco
1973 RMMRA Steve Troxell #55 Roger Mauro Sesco
1974 RMMRA Dave Strickland Sr. #11 Roger Mauro Sesco
1975 RMMRA Dave Strickland Sr. #1 Roger Mauro Sesco
1976 RMMRA Dave Strickland Sr. #1 Roger Mauro Sesco
1977 RMMRA Mike Gregg #98/76 Bob Olds VW
1978 RMMRA Mike Gregg #1 Hank Hersh VW
1979 RMMRA Mike Gregg #1 Hank Hersh VW
1980 RMMRA Mike Gregg #1 Hank Hersh VW
1981 RMMRA Mike Gregg #1 Hank Hersh VW
1982 RMMRA Mike Gregg #1 Hank Hersh VW
1983 RMMRA Gary Staggers #7 Bill Redden VW
1984 RMMRA Mike Gregg #98 Hank Hersh Ford Cosworth
1985 RMMRA Randy Roberts #5D Harry Conklin Aries 200 c.i.
1986 RMMRA Dave Strickland Jr. #27 Frank Peterson VW
1987 RMMRA Mike Gregg #98 Hank Hersh Ford Cosworth
1988 RMMRA Randy Roberts #5D Harry Conklin Aries&Ford Cosworth
1989 RMMRA Randy Roberts #5D Harry Conklin Aries
1990 RMMRA Randy Roberts #5D Harry Conklin
1991 RMMRA Jim Beckley #3 Don Smith
1992 RMMRA Dave Strickland Jr. #62 Terry Klatt House
1993 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #78 Steve Peachey Chevy V-4
1994 RMMRA Randy Roberts #5D Harry Conklin Aries
1995 RMMRA Randy Roberts #5D Harry Conklin Aries
1996 RMMRA Randy Roberts #41 Lynn Jacobs Gaerte
1997 RMMRA Randy Roberts #41 Robert Thompson/Randy Roberts Gaerte
1998 RMMRA Dave Strickland Jr. #62 Terry Klatt House Pink/Ford
1999 RMMRA Randy Roberts #41 Cindy Roberts Gaerte
2000 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #23 Kenny Lewis TCR Fontana
2000 RMMRA Kent Conrad #10 Kent Conrad Toyota Canaday(*Sportsman)
2001 RMMRA Kenny Lewis #5D Harry Conklin Eagle Gaerte
2002 RMMRA Kenny Lewis #5D Harry Conklin Eagle Gaerte, Mopar
2003 RMMRA Kenny Lewis #5 Harry Conklin Eagle Mopar
2004 RMMRA Gary Taylor #5 Harry Conklin Eagle Mopar
2005 RMMRA Tony Rossi #14 Rossi Enterprise Stealth Gaerte
2006 RMMRA Tony Rossi #14 Rossi Enterprise Stealth Gaerte
2007 RMMRA Chris Sheil #14 Rossi Enterprise Stealth Gaerte/Mopar
2008 RMMRA Tony Rossi #14 Rossi Enterprise Stealth Mopar
2009 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #12/71 Petauro/Todd Henry
2010 RMMRA Chris Sheil #11 Mike Chrisinger Spike Esslinger
2011 RMMRA Tony Rossi #14 Rossi Enterprise Stealth Mopar
2012 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar
2013 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar
2014 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar
2015 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Spike Stanton Mopar
2016 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Spike SR-11 Mopar
2017 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Spike SR-11 Mopar
2018 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Eagle SR-11 Mopar
2019 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Petauro LTD. Racing Eagle SR-11 Mopar
2020 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Bourke Motorsports Eagle SR-11 Mopar
2021 RMMRA Zac Taylor #71 Todd Henry Triple X USA Mopar
2022 RMMRA *Keith Rauch #27 Bourke Motorsports Spike SR-11 Mopar
2023 RMMRA *Lance Bennett #91 Cappy Mason Racing Spike Chevy
*Active Drivers
Track Championships
1947 RMMRA Earl Kouba Colorado Springs
1948 RMMRA Roy Bowe Colorado Springs
1996 RMMRA Mike Farmer Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
1997 RMMRA Luke Icke Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
1998 RMMRA Keith Rauch Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
1999 RMMRA Keith Rauch Rocky Mountain National Speedway/Denver, Colorado
2007 RMMRA Chris Sheil Colorado National Speedway/Erie, Colorado