AUTHOR

I was born in a little farming community outside the metropolis of Madill, OK (Population then and now less that 3,000). It was so long ago and I can claim I do not remember when I was born. I do, however, remember that life, for me, has been one helluva ride and there are few things that I would change if I had it do to over.

It is strange that one event can change your entire life. I attended a meeting of the Arizona Jalopy Racing Association in 1957 and was almost out the door when Fred Combs, the president of the AJRA invited me to stay for a cold one. While we were talking George Husky, the promoter at Manzanita Speedway joined us. The announcer at Manzy had quit and Husky had tried three or four prospective announcers.

Fred immediately jumped Husky about the announcing. George defended himself by letting Fred know that he had been trying to get someone. He asked if Fred had any ideas and Combs pointed to me and said, "how about Windy?" When asked if I had ever announced I told a little white lie and got a one race tryout. Husky later called my cousin, Dee Jones, and asked if he thought I could announce. "I don't know if he can announce but he sure is a talking S.O.B", Dee answered. I guess it was okay because I have been at it for over 50 years.

I started announcing at Manzanita Speedway in April or May of 1957 and have been there the majority of the time. I quit once to run the new race track in Casa Grande, AZ in 1973 and was fired so many times I didn't’ keep count.

I am proud to say that I have never asked for a job. When I was fired the promoter always came back asking me to return.

Only the fact that I love the sport of speed allowed me to overcome the fact that I knew it would happen again and I would return.

When the track was sold in 1984. I finished out the year but had some problems with the style of management the new group used and I left auto racing for a job as a purchasing agent for Quality S Manufacturing. It was okay, there was international travel involved and the money was good.

After the 1985 season was over the group defaulted on their loan and the bank foreclosed on the track . I do not know the procedures that occurred but Keith Hall was again promoting the races.

After several phone calls from Hall we reached an agreement and I was back doing what I really wanted to do.

Problems arose and I left Manzanita after the 1987 season and worked the 1988 season at Raven Raceway in Tucson . However the numerous trips up and down the freeway were nerve wracking . I really liked the promoter at Raven, Dave Manes, and enjoyed working for him.

The company that had hired me before asked me to return and I did in 1989. I worked there until I retired in 1996.

Hall asked me to announce and I turned him down several times but the lure of the roar of the engines and the great people in the sport finally got me to agree to announce until he could find someone. I think he quit trying but he did find someone to do the Friday night races.

He urged me to retire early and come to work for him. As often as I had been burned I turned him down. When I retired I offered to help him but only on a limited schedule.

I had some problems and had made up my mind to leave after the 2004 season. However there was a lawsuit that awarded the track to Joe and Millie Kimbo and they hired Dennis Wood as the G..M.. Dennis asked me to stay and all of a sudden it was fun again.

The track changed hands again midway through the 2007 season and I was asked to stay on. The new owners, Mel and Bobby Martin, did a great job remodeling the track and it took on a new look and belies its age of a 57 year old track. Martin, an investment broker, sold the track to a crane and rigging company and the fans and competitors were left without a viable place to attend races. Needless to say, he is not a respected person in the racing community. Employees, fans and competitors found out about the pending sale about three weeks before the track was turned over to the new owners after the April 12, 2009 race. Since that time I have announced once in Albuquerque and announced The Hall of Fame Classic at USA Raceway in Tucson. I may announce again for one night at Canyon Raceway and then I am though. The past 52 years, even with the ups and downs, has been a blast but I want to quit while I am ahead.

Dick Jordan, P.R. director for USAC has told me that he is sure that my 51 years behind the microphone is easily a record and that I have no doubt announced more main events than anyone before me with Manzanita running two nights a week for about 36-40 weeks a year and with several divisions running most nights.

During my time in this great sport I have achieved much of what I wanted. I got a committee together in 1986 and started the Arizona Auto Racing Hall of Fame. The name was later changed to Arizona Motorsports Hall of Fame.

I was also the first P.R. man to be elected as president of the Phoenix Press Box Association. All the others were members of the regular media.

I was inducted into the Arizona Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and was honored as the second inductee into the Arizona Sports Communication Hall of Fame on February 28, 2009.

One thing I have wanted has not yet come to pass. Arizona needs a Hall of Fame museum and there are now influential people working at making it a reality.

I know that most of you who buy auto racing books have a deep love for the sport. I hope that my writing adds to your enjoyment of the sport and that the history of auto racing makes it even better.

The years have hurried by...they say that time flies when you are having fun. At my age they fly under any conditions...but for me, it has been mostly fun.

Both of my books are selling very well. However there are many of the drivers in Manzanita Speedway's Desert Thunder who are young and I fear that they do not realize that when they are older they will probably be wishing for the book to show to their children and/or grandchildren. This happened with the yearbooks I printed in the sixties and now I could sell them at a premium but sadly there are no yearbooks to sell. I have had pictures taken alongside many of the old time drivers. However, when I was young I did not think about getting a copy. I have only one but that is when I was interviewing Richard Petty.

At the present time I have only one of the Limited Edition Manzanita Speedway's Desert Thunder available and only a total of just over 100 copies of Thunder in the Desert.

I have decided to retire from announcing after 52 years behind the microphone. I feel that the time has come to step aside while I am still fairly good at what I do.

Thanks to all the loyal fans who have been so kind to me over the past half century.