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Los Angeles, CA– WALT JAMES FUNERAL: The funeral for beloved 20-year California Racing Assn president and four-year Western Racing Assn vintage race car president Walt James, 86, took place Friday, September 25 at the Riverside National Cemetery. Approximately 400-500 persons attended. The outdoor service started at 10:00 am with the temperature 89 and concluded an hour later with the temperature almost 100 degrees. Long-time James family friend Dave Wilson, the principal and sports teams coach of their Village Christian School in the San Fernando Valley, presided in a covered area for the immediate family. Other attendees watched proceedings from a tree-shaded hillside or open spaces. The second speaker was Anthony Mawhorter, who also read passages from Scripture. Full military honors included a 21-gun salute fired into the air in three volleys by seven military members. Chet Knox, former owner of Autobooks/Aerobooks in Burbank, placed a checkered flag on the casket. Then Rusty Espinoza, the long-time CRA Secretary/Treasurer, placed a traditional Hawaiian lei on the casket. Two uniformed Air Force military men performed the American flag folding ceremony. One of them presented the flag that covered Walt's casket to his widow Dottie. She was sitting in the front row with family members, including daughters Wendy and Vicki, and son Lee. Lee was CRA's 1975 sprint car rookie of the year and later a World of Outlaws winner and consistent front-runner in his No. 15. Lee, a mechanic, now lives and works in Roseville, north of Sacramento, with his wife Lori and family. He told me he drove his final race in 1990.
There were 300 printed memorial sheets distributed to mourners as they entered the service and all were gone before the final attendees reached the site. Somehow the mortuary got the dates of Walt's birth and death wrong on the sheets. They printed the dates as 9/23/26 and 5/11/09. The correct dates are 5/13/23 and 9/9/09. The memorial sheet had a nice photo of Walt in his vintage CAE-built sprint car and did print correctly the traditional Psalm 23 - “The Lord is my shepherd.” Dottie said a microphone was to be provided for the ceremonies and was not present unfortunately. There was a funeral of a WRA member the same morning in San Diego. Walt, a retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel, was inducted (1993) into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, IA.
Attendees at Walt's funeral included (from CRA): Fellow National Sprint Car Hall of Fame members Louie Senter and Rusty Espinoza, who accompanied his daughter Linda, Indy 500 veteran Chuck Hulse and his wife, Bob Hogle and wife Sally, Jimmy Oskie, Jay East, Don Melton (now living in Redlands), John Redican, Alex Grigoreas, Jerry Hudson, Tony Simon, Dave Ondo, Mike Kennedy, Shane Scully, Ken and son Ray Stansberry, Gene Ellis, Arlene Fernandez, Evelyn Pratt, Anne Wilkerson, widow of two-time CRA champion Billy, and Manon ((widow of Indy 500 veteran Dempsey) Wilson. USAC Midget owner/driver Don Weaver attended and said the Legends of Ascot luncheon will not be held in 2009. He said the popular trip down memory lane will be renewed in October, 2010. Persons unable to attend because of pre-arranged trips with their wives included 1971 CRA president Ed Hudson and former Perris and Irwindale PR expert Doug Stokes.
Attendees from the ranks of WRA Vintage Race Cars included: president John Lee, Dick Hughes, Ken Hillberg, board member Steve Waugh, the Mastroleo brothers Bob and Richard, Shelby York, Greg Dierks, Bob Ware and Andy Casale. Others in attendance included inventor/builder Bob Falcon, track announcer Bruce Flanders and his daughter Meagan, former NARC driver Bill Crowley, from Napa, and his wife Rhonda “Kathy” and their three grown children and grandchildren. Kathy (nee Wickham) is the 16-years junior sister of Walt's widow Dottie. Lee James' wife Lori, their children and her Pettit family were present. WRA owner/driver Dick Hughes, 84, said he owns three WRA vintage midgets—No. 1 Kurtis Kraft 1946-built midget, Circle 8-ball 1950s roadster 120 cu. in. Offy, and the No. 21 Chevy II midget he usually runs in WRA's “moving museum' on track events. Hughes also owns a modern USAC No. 65 Stealth/Ford Focus midget that he last raced a few years ago at the Irwindale on Turkey Night GP. He said that car is now for sale.
Persons at Walt's funeral also received a printed notice with a color photo of smiling Walt sitting in a WRA blue No.4 cage-less race car. The notice gave information about “Walt's Victory Lap Party” to be held Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. The site will be the famous Petersen Automobile Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90036. It is between La Cienega Blvd. and La Brea Ave. at Fairfax Ave. north of the I-10 Santa Monica Freeway. The site also hosted a past “Gilmore Roars Again” party. The notice read: “Come celebrate the life, the times, the legend that was Walt James. Share memories, stories, and maybe a drink with family and friends.” The emcee will be Bruce Flanders, who also will emcee the Orange Show Speedway 2009 championship awards banquet at the Hilton Hotel in San Bernardino that evening.
MISCELLANEOUS: On September 23, 2009 there was an excellent story by Joe Menzer on NASCAR.com about Cary Agajanian's firm Motorsports Management International (MMI) that represents prominent racing drivers. It described the beginning years and growth of Cary's MMI and how Tony Stewart was a key to that growth. The story also related how 1952 Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman, who drove for Cary's dad J. C “Aggie”, played a prominent inspirational role as Cary tried to prevent drivers from lacking sufficient funds after they retired. Cary, a lawyer who started his MMI firm in 1995 with two or three employees, now has a staff of 25, including Cary's son Jacob. MMI now operates out of a new 19,000-square foot office in Mooresville, N.C. MMI drivers are able to come and relax in spacious lounges with flat screen televisions and elaborate video game systems. MMI driver clients now include Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Bill Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Reed Sorenson, David Stremme, David Reutimann, Regan Smith, Aric Almirola, Michael McDowell, Johnny Sauter, Landon Cassill, Brian Scott, Josh Wise, Bryan Clauson, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Brad Sweet. The latter four talented drivers have raced in NASCAR and are currently racing USAC open-wheel cars in the current tight economy.
The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA had tough luck this year when its first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in the Chase to the Championship final ten races had to go against not one, but two So Cal baseball teams--the Dodgers and Angels--making the MLB playoffs. The hot September race date was gone and a cooler October 10-11 race weekend was in place. The NASCAR Nationwide and Cup races had to go against both MLB, NFL and college football games. With grandstand seating capacity at 92,000, an estimated 25,000-30,000 attended the NNS race Saturday. About 70,000 attended the Cup race Sunday according to media reports. Local LA teams swept the Boston and St. Louis teams out of the playoffs in 3-0 series sweeps and moved on to face the NY Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. Maybe an earlier or later Fontana race weekend during the Chase would play better than the current week five of ten weeks.
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