Grain Valley, Missouri: Saturday night September 9th at Valley Speedway the stars and cars of the Wholesale Batteries USAC Midwest Wingless Racing Association will compete in the Sixth Annual John E. Helm Memorial.
This race has become a staple for the MWRA since the club was established in 2020, and honors the life of the man affectionately known as “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 Corps from 1951-1954. But derived his nickname after proudly serving his country.
A true “Jack of all trades” Helm had many vocations over the years, which included a prominent career as a auctioneer. It was in this line of work Helm would receive the nickname “The Colonel” by his peers.
Returning from Korea, Helm would also start up another career as a racer, and over the seasons that followed would establish himself as a fine chauffeur. In the 1950’s and 1960’s The Colonel competed in classes that included stock cars, jalopies, and super modifieds? at KC area venues that included Olympic Stadium and Riverside. While usually racing with his signature number “12” painted on his cars.
This racing legacy over the years that followed would extend to many family members including his son John Helm, AKA “The Ageless Wonder”. And nine others who would compete from the 1950’s into the new millennium in racing competition.
After the senior Helms untimely passing in 2016, his son John would get together with Valley Speedways Dennis Shrout to establish a memorial race. In 2018 the John E. Helm Memorial was ran for the first time at the Grain Valley short track as a non sanctioned event won by MWRA future stalwart Chad Goff in sprint car competition. And after being sanctioned as a POWRi WAR event for 2019, it was moved to the MWRA schedule in 2020 where it has been a signature race for the series ever since.
Winners over the years since that first showdown in 2018 have included Wesley Smith driving for the “Ageless Wonder” John Helm in his number 12 for three straight victories from 2019-2021. While Cody Baker took his first win in the memorial showdown racing the Ted Hall Racing 9 last season.
Join us this Saturday night at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Missouri for the sixth annual John E. Helm Memorial featuring the Wholesale Batteries USAC MWRA Sprint Cars for race number 15 “On The Road To A Championship” in 2023.
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