Grain Valley, Missouri: This Saturday night September 24th at Valley Speedway the Wholesale Batteries USAC MWRA Sprint Cars Will battle it out for the final time in 2022 to Crown a Champion.
For the 2nd year in a row the Midwest Wingless Racing Association will conclude their points season racing in the John E. Helm Memorial in honor of “The Colonel”
John E. Helm passed at age 82 in 2016. The Patriarch of the Helm Racing Family was a veteran of the Korean War serving as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corp. from 1951-1954.
After serving proudly in the armed services Helm would become a auctioneer for many years among other vocations. It was during this time that he became affectionately known as “The Colonel” by his peers.
Helm would also start in the 1950’s a racing tradition in his family that continues on today. During the 1950’s & 1960’s The Colonel would race in classes that included stock cars, jalopies, and super modifieds. All racing with his signature number 12 at venues that included Riverside in North KCMO, and Olympic Stadium in KCMO.
Over the years that racing legacy would extend to his son John Helm, AKA “The Ageless Wonder” a noted driver and owner himself in the Heartland in open wheel racing. While 10 members of the Helm family have competed in racing competition from the 1950’s into the new millennium.
In 2018 John Helm would team up with Dennis Shrout of Valley Speedway to conduct the first ever Helm Memorial. This non sanctioned race was won by future MWRA regular, and 2018 Valley Speedway track champion Chad Goff.
The event was extremely popular in 2018, and was added to the POWRi WAR schedule at Valley in 2019. At the second annual Helm Memorial, Wesley Smith of Nixa, Missouri, would take the checkered flag first racing the iconic Helm number 12 much to the delight of the many family and friends of the late John E. Helm in attendance.
Since 2020 the Helm Memorial has become a fixture on the MWRA schedule racing at Valley Speedway. With the “show-me state” racer Smith winning both showdowns running with this USAC series at Valley, after winning in 2019.
Join us Saturday night at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Missouri, for the final race of the USAC MWRA Season to Crown a Champion. While honoring the ”The Colonel” John E. Helm for the 5th Annual Helm Memorial. Pictures courtesy of the Helm Family as well as John Lee High Fly’N Photos & Ryan Black D.T.O Photography.
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Country Kids Day Care of Olathe
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