The Grassroots Gospel: The Gundaker Family

The Grassroots Gospel is a Girls Gone Racin’ series celebrating the drivers, promoters, fans and others who contribute to the preservation of the grassroots Motorsports effort and its traditions. It is intended as a tribute to the people who believe in the importance of maintaining the foundation of American auto racing.

Here in St. Louis, the Gundaker name is well known in two circles. One sees it everywhere from billboards, to yard signs to tractor trailers. If you have purchased real estate here, there’s a good chance that you have used their services.

To local race fans, the Gundaker name is less about down payments, equity and interest rates, and more about competition, excitement and the thrill of dirt track racing at its finest.

Three years ago, G&G Motorsports, which consists of Kevin Gundaker and his Dad, Gordon, purchased what some would consider an historic racing facility. Tri-City Speedway, in Pontoon Beach, Illinois is a dirt facility that opened in 1961 and consisted of a half-mile track surrounding a quarter-mile track.

At the time of purchase, the facility was in need of quite a bit of TLC. The Gundakers dove into the task and learned fast the true meaning of sweat equity. Instead of spending the winter bending sheet metal for his famous number 11 Late Model, Kevin spent hundreds of hours cleaning and painting, hauling off debris and old pieces of machinery.

The beat-up old trailers that used to be an office and a catch-all were replaced by new buildings to house the track’s hard-working staff. The pit gate was moved, making it easier for haulers to negotiate the pits. And everywhere you look, from shirts to building accents, you see patches of Kevin’s trademark color: Purple.

Kevin and his wife, Tammy attended promoters’ workshops, met with marketing people, and held drivers meetings. They hired staff members, discussed changes to the classes, nights of operation and a multitude of details that even they had not anticipated.

By opening night 2005, they were ready.

That first year was just the beginning of the learning process, and Tammy will be the first to admit that they made a lot of mistakes along the way. At times it was overwhelming and exhausting, but they survived and put what they had learned to good use.

Last year was better as they took what they had learned in their rookie season and began to apply it. Then they began to really work on the bigger improvements they wanted to make, ones that were more than paint brushes and brooms could fix.

This year the fruit of those labors is obvious to everyone, whether you walk through the gates, or fly overhead. Not only have they moved race night from Sunday to Friday, but the track has been completely re-configured. Gone are the half-mile and the quarter-mile circuits, and in their place is a wonderful 3/8 mile high-banked track that ought to challenge drivers and thrill fans. A new concrete wall is in the works, and to top it off, all new Musco lighting is going in this week and should be shining brightly by opening night, March 30.

Along with all of the changes at Tri-City comes a new addition to the G&G Motorsports family. Earlier this month, they became the proud new owners of Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo. Lake Ozark will run on Saturday nights and will certainly keep the Gundakers hopping, burning up the pavement between St. Charles and Eldon.

The Gundakers are committed to preserving the grassroots racing effort here in the Midwest, and for that we should all be thankful. Without the efforts and hard work of people like them, those of us who love racing would continue to see dirt tracks meet the fate of others, like St. Charles Speedway and 67 Raceway Park.

So now you have even more good reasons to get out and support your local racing. Do your part to keep the tradition alive. It’s great entertainment for the whole family!