Calistoga Speedway Hall of Fame

Northern California car owner Quentin Bammer fielded some of the most successful sprint cars of the 1980s. After beginning as a crew member in drag racing and later owning supermodifieds at San Jose Speedway, Bammer spent approximately ten years competing with the Northern Auto Racing Club.

Bammer is especially remembered for his partnership with Chuck Gurney in 1983 and 1984.  Gurney earned all nine of his Calistoga Speedway feature victories in Bammer-owned cars. That total places Bammer among the most successful car owners in the history of the famous half-mile.

Bammer later competed nationally with Bobby Davis Jr. In 1985, Davis won five World of Outlaws features and finished second in the series standings, while Bammer finished second in the World of Outlaws car-owner championship with Kenny Woodruff turning the wrenches. Racing also became a family tradition, with Bammer’s son Todd competing in sprint cars.

Calistoga residents Chad and Kim Hawkins have devoted countless hours to supporting, preserving, and promoting Calistoga Speedway. For years, they have been willing to take on nearly any job necessary to help make an event successful, working both on the front line and behind the scenes.

Their contributions have included construction and facility projects, gathering donated items for raffles, assisting with race-day operations, and organizing activities that keep fans entertained before the engines fire. Much of their work has taken place away from the spotlight, but their energy, reliability, and willingness to help have made them invaluable members of the Calistoga racing community.

The Hawkins family’s connection to the speedway extends across three generations. Chad competed at Calistoga, as did Chad and Kim’s son, Marty. Chad’s father, Calistoga Speedway Hall of Famer George “Dry-Slick” Hawkins, was a longtime track-preparation specialist whose work helped produce the racing surface enjoyed by generations of competitors and fans.

Together, Chad and Kim have carried that family tradition forward through years of hands-on service. Their induction recognizes their contributions as volunteers, promoters, participants, and caretakers of the history and spirit of Calistoga Speedway.

For many years, Marge Magano was one of the most familiar and enthusiastic supporters of Northern California sprint car racing. Through Margie’s Racetrack Novelties, she brought racing merchandise directly to the fans and helped promote the drivers, cars, and events that made the Northern Auto Racing Club special.

Her connection to Calistoga Speedway reached back at least to the late 1970s, when Margie’s Racetrack Novelties offered merchandise created specifically for sprint car events at the Napa County Fairgrounds. The business also helped establish enduring track traditions, including the presentation of commemorative belt buckles for Calistoga feature winners.

More than simply a vendor, Magano was a devoted supporter of NARC racing and an important part of the atmosphere surrounding events at Calistoga. Vintage shirts, belt buckles, and other memorabilia bearing the Margie’s Racetrack Novelties name remain prized collectibles among dirt-track and sprint car racing enthusiasts. “Margie” helped generations of fans carry a piece of Calistoga Speedway home with them.

Southern California engine builder Ron Shaver became one of the most successful and influential engine builders in sprint-car history. Shaver began developing his first sprint-car engine in 1976 for Tommy Hunt of Hunt Magnetos. That engine was raced by Dean Thompson and the Bromme family, and its success quickly brought additional customers. By 1978, Shaver was building sprint-car engines full-time.

His engines have powered teams to 10 World of Outlaws championships, 12 Knoxville Nationals victories and more than 30 open-wheel championships, along with wins in the Kings Royal, Gold Cup Race of Champions and Dirt Cup. In 1986, Shaver engines powered 17 of the 24 starters in the Knoxville Nationals A-Main. His long association with Brent Kaeding also contributed to numerous victories and championships at Calistoga Speedway, where Shaver’s dependable horsepower became a cornerstone of Kaeding’s success. Shaver was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2012.

Santa Rosa racing legend Bob Consani enjoyed success as a car owner, mechanic, builder, businessman, and competitor across several forms of motorsports. Born in San Francisco in 1933 and raised in Montara, Consani later established successful trucking, concrete, construction, and real-estate businesses in Sonoma County while continuing to pursue his passion for racing.

At Calistoga Speedway, Consani-owned sprint cars earned four feature victories, all with Chuck Gurney during the 1980 and 1981 seasons. His cars later achieved considerable success with Jimmy Sills, particularly on pavement and in USAC competition, and were also driven successfully by Paul McMahan.

Consani’s racing accomplishments extended well beyond sprint cars. He competed in drag racing and flat-bottom speedboats, became a certified Indianapolis mechanic during the 1960s, and fielded championship-winning cars in several forms of open-wheel racing. In 1989, he fulfilled a lifelong goal by entering a car in the Indianapolis 500 for driver Billy Vukovich III. The following year, Consani earned the USAC Silver Crown entrant championship with Sills.

Known for his mechanical ability, innovative thinking, and willingness to help younger racers, Consani left a lasting mark on Northern California and national open-wheel racing.

Southern California’s Steve Howard devoted much of his life to sprint car racing as a driver, businessman, event organizer, and supporter of racers. A former CRA sprint car competitor, Howard later worked with his father, Glenn, at the family’s So-Cal Racing Products business in Downey, supplying parts and assistance to generations of competitors.

Howard was an enthusiastic supporter of the Louie Vermeil Classic and helped connect the Southern California racing community with the annual event at Calistoga Speedway. He worked tirelessly to increase the money available to the racers, including one remarkable year in which he raised more than $20,000 in lap money for the event. His generosity, relationships and willingness to work behind the scenes made him an important part of the Vermeil Classic’s success and a valued friend to competitors throughout California sprint car racing.

Chris Zootis made his greatest impact in sprint car racing as the owner of the famed No. 6 driven by LeRoy Van Conett. Their partnership reached its peak in 1981, when Van Conett won his seventh Northern Auto Racing Club championship, and Zootis earned the NARC car-owner title.

The Zootis No. 6 was particularly successful at Calistoga Speedway. Van Conett recorded six Calistoga feature victories in the car—two in 1980 and four more during the 1981 championship season. Zootis also competed as a driver before becoming best known as an owner and engine builder. His championship-winning No. 6 remains one of the most recognizable cars from an important era of Northern California sprint car racing.