Mount Rushmore

by: Pete MacDonald

Mount Rushmore seems to be one of the most popular topics on Internet message boards for the last year or so. No, not the mountain in South Dakota with the four founding fathers of our country imbedded in the side of it, but who in the sport of Auto Racing would be on a it if there indeed was one. So over the weekend I put some thought into it. If there were to be a Mount Rushmore of Dirt Racers who would be on it? I came up with these four drivers who by far have been the best in their respective divisions over the course of time.

Steve Kinser – The King of the Outlaws; twenty-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Champion; 577 Career World Of Outlaws wins (that list doesn’t include non sanctioned wins); twelve-time Knoxville Nationals Champion; seven-time Kings Royal Winner; raced in both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500; one career International Race of Champions Win in 1994; one of ESPN’s Top-25 Race Car drivers of all time. The list is endless when it comes to King Kinser, who is arguably the greatest Sprint Car driver that has ever lived. 2015 will sure look differently without The King of the Outlaws on the road as a full time competitor. I really hope Steve stays in the game in some capacity because the sport of Sprint Car Racing needs people like him.

Scott Bloomquist – Love him or hate him he is probably the best Dirt Late Model driver that has ever existed. The wins, the championships, the awards, the big event wins are countless and they never seem to stop adding up for the Tennessean. Lately Scott has scaled back his racing efforts only traveling with the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series and hitting up very few special events in between. Known for being somewhat brash and cocky, Scott has never backed down from confrontation or pushing the envelope when it came to gray areas within the rulebook. How can you not like Bloomquist’s passion and desire for being the best night, in and night out? He has also started his own chassis company with accomplished manufacturing guru and racer in his own right Randy Sweet.

Brett Hearn – Known as the Corporate Jet, this guy truly is the face of Dirt Modified racing with an astounding 860 career feature wins. Accented by six wins in the grueling Syracuse 200 at the New York State Fairgrounds, Hearn has earned 78 track and series champions. For these feats alone he certainly deserves to be the face. Let that sink in for just one second. Seventy-eight track and series titles over the course of his close to 40 year career. Many racers bust their tail their entire lives just to win one title, let alone 78. Brett has done it all during his career. From Daytona to the Chili Bowl, to now a promoter and car owner, he was also one of the very first to introduce corporate sponsorship into the world of dirt track racing.

Dave Darland – This one was rather difficult to come up with, but my fourth and final driver for my Mount Rushmore of dirt racing would be none other than Kokomo, Indiana’s own “The People’s Champ” Dave Darland . DD is about as versatile and good as they come, winning in just about everything he has sat in on little 1/4 mile dirt tracks to 1 mile asphalt speedways coast to coast. Darland who recently became the all-time leader for USAC Sprint Car wins at 53, is also one of only five drivers to win all three USAC National Titles (Sprint Car, Midget, and Silver Crown). When you think of wingless racing you can’t help but stop and think of Dave Darland. Another one with countless wins across his illustrious career.

So, if you had a mountain and wanted to imbed four dirt racers into it, who would you pick? ? Tell us over on the RacersGuide.com Discussion Forum! For questions, comments or concerns I can be emailed at info@racersguide.com or I’m on Twitter @PMacDonald51 Thanks!