Keith Ferrell in 1984. Photo courtesy NHRA.
One of the most important jobs you can hold in drag racing is serving as a director of one of the National Hot Rod Association's seven huge regional divisions. You've got to liaise with track operators, sponsors, your bosses and of course, hundreds of racers. Keith Ferrell was a guy who did it very well, running the NHRA's North Central Division 3, which encompasses a big swath of the upper Midwest, for six years during the 1980s. We have learned that he passed away October 19 at age 74. The cause was congestive heart failure.
A native of Fairborn, Ohio, Ferrell enjoyed a memorable career in drag racing before he joined the sport's officiating ranks. He was a stalwart on the wild Midwest circuit for Gassers, running a lemon-yellow 1933 Willys panel delivery dubbed The Dogcatcher, setting a national record and becoming a respected racing engine builder. He quit driving competitively in 1977, then took on management positions at Edgewater Raceway Park in Cincinnati and at Kil-Kare Raceway in Xenia, Ohio. In 1980, the NHRA tapped him to take over from Bob Daniels, its original Division 3 director. Ferrell remained in the post until 1996. His successor, Jay Hullinger, is now the longest-serving among the NHRA's seven divisional directors.
from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1SbcGhb
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