Bud Carson

Among the numerous times that Bud Carson has explained as to the how/why he first got involved in auto racing is the following article that appeared in the Daily Oklahoman that provides the most detailed explanation. Courtesy of The Oklahoma Publishing Co.

Shane & Bud Carson 1985: Courtesy of Mar-Car Inc. Photo Collection.

This photo is with dad and Ray Copeland. My dad was always proud of that trophy, he said it came from the racers. Courtesy of Shane Carson

Bud Carson along with David Brotherton, Jim Powell, and unidentified man.

Bud Carson Still in the Fast Lane

Scott Munn

07/04/1990

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bud Carson has been involved with motor sports for 37 years, most of it as an independent promoter in Oklahoma City. After a brief break from racing, Carson returned in 1986 as director of State Fair Special Projects. He turned State Fair Speedway's dying dirt car program into what is now considered one of the best weekly events in the United States. Car counts have doubled, and attendance has increased every season. The National Auto Racing Industries honored Carson and his staff by naming State Fair the No. 1 dirt track in the country a second-straight season. Carson is Wednesday's Witness.

Question: How did you get involved in auto racing?

Answer: Back when I was a hard-charging young man in 1953, I had two sons here and another one in prospect. I was wondering what these kids could do in terms of recreational activities. I was kind of impressed with the soapbox derby because we always had coaster wagons. So, I wrote the American Soapbox Derby Association in Akron, Ohio, and asked how we could get a soapbox derby in Oklahoma City. They responded, and I eventually became derby director through the Jaycees. We put on what was then the largest soapbox derby in the world in 1954. In '55 a group came to me representing the local timing association, which was a group of so-called hot-rodders. They saw the undeveloped land we had on the fairgrounds, and they knew of our success with the soapbox derby. They wanted to know if we could build a drag strip on the fairgrounds. We put this drag strip package together, presented it to Pete Baker, who was then the fair manager, and he said, "OK, let's do it. Let's put a paved strip from the south side of the fairgrounds, 60-feet wide and 3,000 long', and we went in the drag strip business.

Q: How did you get involved in oval-type racing?

A: In early '57, a group and I got together to organize so-called round-de-round racing. We organized Mar-Car to run weekly races here at the fairgrounds. The track was here, it was built in '54, and it was not used on a regular basis. So we decided that the thing to do was go into weekly race production at the fairgrounds. At the same time, a fellow named Ray Lavely was running (races) at Taft Stadium. Both of us took financial lickings that year. But in October, Lavely put together the National Jalopy Contest. It was very successful. With the success Lavely had with that and the financial disaster we had at the fairgrounds, I was ready to get out of the business. Then in about November, Lavely decided he was going to California. Hugh Guinn, who was manager of the Taft Stadium Board, asked if we would like to run our weekly show at Taft. We jumped at the opportunity. We moved our weekly show to Taft Stadium in '58 and continued to run several races a year at the fairgrounds on the half-mile track. We were on both tracks through the '63 season. In '64 the numbers of cars and people exceeded our capacity at Taft Stadium, so we moved the entire show to the fairgrounds.

Q: How has racing changed over the years?

A: The more it's changed, the more it's stayed the same. The people have changed, but the issues are the same.

Q: Racing in Oklahoma City was almost dead until you got involved again. What did you do to revive it?

A: The price of cars in '86 was getting out of line. We tried to continue the championship dirt car class through the '87 season, and about 16 cars a night was all we could draw. Costs of the cars was demanding about 80 percent of the purse. It couldn't be continued and have any growth in the program. So we eliminated the most expensive class and made super-modifieds the premier division. They're expensive cars, too, no question about that, but it doesn't cost quite as much to maintain on a weekly basis.

Q: What does it cost to put on one Friday night race card?

A: It costs the State Fair Board about $22,000.

Q: What is the public's view of auto racing?

A: That's very difficult. If I had the answer to that, I'd be a consultant to all the racetracks in the world. When you're dealing with the public, they are very selective to have good entertainment for the money. I feel we provide good, family entertainment.

Q: How did State Fair Speedway become the No. 1-ranked dirt track in the country?

A: Desire. The desire to do an excellent job. The crew is always the key to a successful operation. This program runs 25 or 26 events a night from 7 o'clock to 10:30. You have to choreograph this thing like any other production. We run by the minute out here. We know at 9:15 we should be at a certain place in this program, and if we're not, we have to start compensating for that. These officials know they have to perform their job as well as they can. There is nothing slip-shod about it or left too much to chance or guess.

Q: How long do you intend to be in racing?

A: As long as I can contribute something productive, and as long as Don Hotz (State Fair general manager) wants me. He's been awfully nice to me, and without his support, there wouldn't be any racing. As long as I can contribute to the overall success and be proud of what I'm doing, this is where I ought to be.

Q: What's the future in Oklahoma City racing?

A: I don't think there is any limit to the future in racing. As a sport on a local level, it always has its devotees. As long as we approach this thing with the idea that every race cannot be a reproduction of the Indianapolis 500 or Daytona and keep it affordable where people can get into it, there will be racing. If it evolves into a high-dollar operation, it will falter.

© The Oklahoma Publishing Co.

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Special Thanks to: Bob & Shirley Brotherton, Rubye Ferguson, Shirley Ferguson, Al Bradley, Jerry Schwartz, Shane Carson, Mar-Car Inc. Photo Collection, Rick Patterson, Warren & Jane Vincent, and The Oklahoma Publishing Co. in what will hopefully be a long list of people who have assisted/permitted me to present this Website.

Some photos courtesy of Mar-Car Inc. Photo Collection

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