Last Saturday, Shawano Speedway had its annual Hall of Fame night. It was again a great evening with two new honorees, J.J. Smith and Chuck Buckbee, who were two of the toughest competitors of their eras.
It was great to see each of them bring a big crowd of supporters.
I’ve had people ask me about the significance of the Hall of Fame, insinuating that it is a meaningless honor; I say it is a great accomplishment.
I have had the honor of interviewing and welcoming each member of the speedway’s Hall of Fame, and can say with complete certainty that it means a great deal to the honorees, their families, former crew members and fans.
Smith and Buckbee will go down in history as true legends of the historic half mile.
Smith was a four-time track champion (1970, 1971, 1978, 1979) and helped usher in the Late Model series to the track. After winning his 1979 title, he devoted his career to pavement racing in the 1980s.
Last week, Smith told me that he never had more fun racing than his time on the dirt at Shawano. He still gets to the track quite often to watch current Late Model ace Tim Rothe. Rothe’s father served as Smith’s crewman for many years.
Buckbee began his career as a racer on the ice, then went on to win the Sportsman division title in 1983, before making the move to a late model. He was always a fan favorite when I was a kid. He carried the red and white colors of a certain very popular brand of beer and was always in contention to win against the likes of Hall of Fame members M.J. McBride, Terry Anvelink and Pete Parker.
Buckbee might best be known as the first driver to win the elusive “challenge” Aug. 9, 1997. Buckbee took the challenge, electing to start at the tail of the field, and passed Tim Buhler with five laps left in the race to take home and extra $1,800, giving him a $2,500 total pay day. He was aided by only one caution flag, which flew after lap six.
Buckbee’s appearance Saturday was the first night back at the track since he hung up his helmet following the 1998 season. He is still involved in motorsports, but nowadays it is snowmobile drag racing.
His son, Shane, and grandson, Braxton, are two of the fastest snowmobile racers in North America.
It was great to see both of these hotshoes back at the track, and somehow I got the feeling that both of them feel they could still be out on the track competing. I would not doubt that they could.
See you at the speedway.
