Rick Ferkel, also known as “The Ohio Traveler,” passed away suddenly on January 1, 2024. Born in Green Springs, Ohio on February 19, 1939, Ferkel was one of the first “outlaw” sprint car drivers and an early member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. He spent most of his life in the nearby Ohio towns of Findlay and Tiffin, amassing almost 400 sprint car victories. Ferkel’s affable personality made him a fan favorite and well-known for traveling to any location across the nation where there was a “big” money show.
Rick started his racing career in 1965 and was known for his amiable nature. He was inducted into the Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame and won his first feature event at Fremont Speedway in the late 1960s with his lightning-fast #0 sprinter. The Rick Ferkel Classic is held at Fremont Speedway, where the Ohio Traveler won his first sprint car feature win.
Ferkel was constantly at the forefront of technology, often acknowledged as one of the pioneers in utilizing a “humper” on the right rear, a technique that is still employed in all sprint cars today. He and Bubby Jones of Danville, Illinois, invented this drag racing tire known as the “humper” for the right rear of their sprinters in 1973. Using inner tubes from Firestone D500 drag tires, he manually grooved the right rear tire, giving him about 19 inches of stagger in the race car.
News broke this morning about Rick Ferkel, “The Ohio Traveler”, passing away today. Rick was one of the original outlaw racers before The World of Outlaws started. He raced at Black Hills Speedway several times over the years, earning three main event wins. Two in 1978 (June 2nd & 3rd) and one on September 18th, 1980. Rick was 84 years old.
One of his most dominant races was held in Findlay, Ohio. It’s fitting that the Rick Ferkel Classic takes place during an All-Star race, as Ferkel was one of the first “Stars” to compete across the country in 1973 and later became an All-Star official.
The idea to honor Ferkel in 2018 came from Shane Helms, a race promoter, owner, and former sprint car driver from Ohio’s Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe. Later, he decided to hold the event close to Lima, Ohio at Waynesfield Motorsports Park. After the 2022 season, Helms decided to part ways with Waynesfield, knowing that he wanted to carry on the legacy of one of his childhood heroes.
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Rick Ferkel passed away on January 1, 2024, possibly after a brief illness. His friends and family members expressed their deep sorrow and condolences after his sudden demise news broke out.
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