Ronnie Weedon

Its not how old the dog in the fight is-but how much fight is left in the OLD DOG

5-4-07 Thad Wilson of Moline, Illinois won the 2007 Ronnie Weedon Memorial at Davenport Speedway

by Mike McGuire
Davenport, IA (May 4, 2007) - Topping a talented field of Modified drivers, Moline's Thad Wilson took home the win in the Weedon Memorial race at the Davenport Speedway, Friday night. The event was completed despite the rather dreary weather conditions and steady sprinkles throughout part of the event. The event is named for the late Ronnie Weedon, a local racing legend, and sponsored by J&J Camper Sales. Weedon scored over 500 feature wins in a racing career that lasted more than fifty years. Weedon's #00 modified led the parade laps prior to the Modified main.
After starting fourth in the Modified feature, Thad Wilson wasted little time getting by early race leader Doug Crampton. Wilson quickly built up a full straightaway lead over the field and held that gap all the way to the checkers. Crampton would hang on to the second spot with Mike Zemo Jr. third, Bob Dominacki fourth, and Ryan Dolan fifth. Wilson, Crampton, and John Bull took heat race wins.

Ronnie wins with
COBRA chassis

1973 Heats: 14 wins-Semi's:6 wins-Features:14 wins and 9 seconds-Illinois State Champion 1974 Heats: 33 wins-Semis: 11 wins-Features: 42 wins-National Dirt Track Champion,Dixon Memorial Champion-Illinois State Champion-Tri-State Champion 1975 Heats: 15 wins-Semis-7wins Features-9 wins and 7 seconds-Firecracker 50 Champion 1976 Heats:12 wins-Semis 5 wins-Features 15 wins and 4 seconds, Illinois State Champion- PBR 100 Champion- Quincy Last Chance 1977 Heats: 13 wins- Semis 4 wins- Feature 1 win-10 seconds Season Championship EMS-Florida Mason-Dixie Challenge Champion 1978 Heats: 7 wins-Semis 5 wins-Features 5 wins-3 seconds-1948 thru 2005
504 Feature wins
Pit Crew over the years; Wendell Essex-Bucky Wolf-Gene Freeman-Fred Grunder-Ron Williams-Karl Klendworths-Riley-Vic Stein-Kenny Flathers

Weedon Memorial T-Shirts available at J&J Camper Sales East Moline, Illinois-Auto Rons Machine Shop Davenport, Iowa . Money will go toward the Ron Weedon Memorial to be placed at Davenport Speedway and Quad City Speedway $20.00 each

Back Front

Racing’s Weedon takes a final lap
By Sean Moeller

Davenport racing legend Ronnie Weedon took the checkered flag at his home track one final time Friday. A hearse carrying his American Two of Ronnie Weedon’s cars lead the hearse bearing his casket around the racetrack at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport. Funeral services were held Friday morning for the well-known Quad-Cities stock car driver.
A flag-draped casket rounded the final turn at the Davenport Speedway and went between “Old Blue” and “00,” nosing out both of his signature stock cars. Before hundreds of friends and family members, Weedon’s last run came after funeral services for the beloved driver, husband, father, grandfather and friend on the short track that was a temple for him during his 56 years of racing. Lined by 65 of his competitors’ race cars, the sunlight blinking off their fluorescent hoods and panels, the track and grandstand were solemn as Weedon was remembered by Quad-Cities Racing Connection writer Phil Roberts and the Rev. Dale Batchelor as the king of area racing. Weedon, 72, died Monday when the race car he was readying for tonight’s season-opening race at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds track fell on top of him. “It’s been a long and difficult week,” Roberts said, standing beside a portrait of Weedon and his scuffed-up helmet in the center of the Speedway’s concourse. “It started with confusion, then it became anger and finally profound sadness. He'd understand. But he’d also want us to smile, as he always did.”
Seated in the grandstand were mourners in racing fire suits, team jackets and the occasional shirt and tie, reading through a newsprint program full of photos and tributes and fondly chuckling at stories about the man who won 504 feature races in his career.
“He built a go-cart track for his grandson Brandon (Keller) and even equipped it with a water truck,” Batchelor said during his eulogy. “When Brandon would be going around the track, Ron would throw a stick out in front of him so he could
practice the famous Weedon Weave.”
Described as a straight shooter, a story was relayed about Weedon’s intolerance for long-haired boys dating his daughter Debbie (Lane). A shaggy suitor was told to come back when he’d cut his hair. He did, and, after a first date that was lengthened due to car problems, the boy was greeted by Ronnie with an arm extended. “ ‘Come here,’ he said,” Batchelor recalled. “And there Ronnie stood, in his underwear, demanding a minute-by-minute account of where they’d been.” Weedon’s wife Dee, the only member of his pit crew in his later “retirement” years, rode in a white limousine during the ceremonial lap around the track, leaning out the back window and tearfully waving to a respectfully applauding grandstand.

“The modern name for a funeral ceremony such as this is a ceremony of life service,” Roberts said. “And I believe that if anyone deserves a celebration of life service, it’s Ronnie Weedon.”
Sean Moeller can be contacted at (563) 383-2288 or at smoeller@qctimes.com.

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