West Michigan racing family seeks more victories after losing two family members to accidents

By Steve Kaminski
Skaminsk@mlive.com MLive.com

Wayne Landon estimated that he has traveled approximately 2.6 million miles during his motor sports career that dates back to 1947.

One of the greatest trips he has taken during the past 60-plus years of his career, though, was the handful of steps he ran from the DeltaPlex Arena’s grandstands to Victory Lane after the Nov. 26 races.

Moments earlier, his grandson, Nick Landon, won the Winged 600 Sprints feature race, which was the first career feature win for the 30-year old driver from Dorr.
Have you ever seen a 79-year old man act like a kid?

“(Wife) Ruth and I jumped up and down and clapped our hands,” said Wayne Landon of Freeport. “I have seen him win heat races before but never a feature. I ran down there to get my picture taken with him.”

DeltaPlex Racing returns to the Walker-based arena Saturday at 7 p.m., and Nick Landon will try and see if he can get grandpa to cry again.

The Landons shed tears of joy last November. Too often in the past, though, they have shed tears of sorrow.

Jerry Landon, who was Nick’s father and Wayne and Ruth Landon’s son, was killed in a racing accident at Kalamazoo Speedway in 1989. In addition, Wayne and Ruth Landon’s three-year old daughter, Rita, was killed in 1955 at the old Hastings Motor Speedway when a tire broke off a driver’s car and struck the child in the stands.

“Sometimes, we sit down and cry like mad, and then we are able to stand it for a while. It comes and goes,” Wayne Landon said.
The Landons have continued to race forward through the decades despite the tragedies. Wayne Landon, who continued to race part-time up until three years ago, can often be found in his grandson’s shop, helping build and maintain the race cars. That’s why Nick Landon said his first victory was extra special. It wasn’t just his victory.
“It completed the fact that I am a third-generation racer, and not only that, but a third-generation open wheel racer,” Nick Landon said. “There are not many of those, especially in Michigan.

“Basically, all the words my grandpa could muster through the tears (in Victory Lane) was that we finally did it. Not you did it or I did it. We did it. If we can’t afford to buy it, we build it together, and that’s 90 percent of what we have. Most of it is handmade, and if not, it is someone else’s thrown-out stuff.”
Nick Landon started racing go-karts in 1999 before joining the Sprint Car ranks in 2002. He was eight years old and watching from the stands in 1989 when his father was killed.
More tragedy followed in 2007 when Cedar Springs open wheel driver Scott Seaton, who was Nick Landon’s ex-stepfather, was involved in a fatal racing accident at Auto City Speedway.
“Two weeks after (Seaton’s) accident I had to strap back into my race car,” Nick Landon said. “I talked about it and everyone said you have to get back into the car, you have to do it at once. It was one of those things like getting bucked off a horse. It’s the same theory. You can’t let the demon win in that. It’s not good for one’s being to let something like that overcome you and take a big chunk of your life.
“But once you get into the race car, all that goes away. I felt like I belonged in the seat. You go racing and you slowly forget about what had happened.”
Saturday’s program will offer Winged and Non-Winged Sprints, Quarter Midgets, 4 Cylinders, go-karts and lawn mower racing. Nick Landon is anxious to find Victory Lane again.
“Everyone says when you are leading a race and everything is going well, paranoia sets in and you start worrying that the car is falling apart,” Nick Landon said. “But I knew I could do it. I did my homework and had a bullet-proof car. We had a caution with two laps to go and it started to set in. You get the white flag. It was the longest two laps, even though they were only 13 seconds of driving.”

Near Miss for Elliott and Garvey

Watch Chase Elliot and Mike Garvey avoid the carnage as they head to finish 1st and 2nd in the Speedfest CRA JEGS ALL STAR 150 at Watermelon Capital Speedway

Winners Recap of Speedfest at Watermelon Capital Speedway

Mike Garvey Runner-up, Koslek top ten at Speedfest

Former Muskegon native and ASA stand out Mike Garvey found himself chasing another rising young star to the finish line Sunday afternoon at Watermelon Capital Speedway. Garvey was strong all afternoon in the CRA JEGS All Star Tour leading 41 laps in the event, but when it came down the to the last 30 laps it was all Chase Elliot. The son of former Winston Cup Champion Bill Elliot continues to impress the racing world. The 16 year old Elliot and Garvey both threaded the needle on the last lap to survive a wreck that shuffled the top ten to finish one and two.

Grand Rapids driver Chris Koslek made his presence known finishing on the lead lap in the eighth position while Walker, MI driver Brandon Hermiller represented West Michigan also by finishing on the lead lap in the 15th position.