Tyler Courtney (7) and Rico Abreu are fighting for position at the 2021 Rick Ferkel Classic. (Paul Arch photo)
FREMONT, Ohio – Fremont Speedway will now be home to the Rick Ferkel Classic, honoring the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member and one of the original Outlaws.
The Rick Ferkel Classic takes place on June 10th at Fremont Speedway as part of the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
The 84-year-old piglet, who began his racing career in 1965, is enshrined in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum and the Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame. Piglet, who lived most of his life in nearby Findlay and Tiffin, Ohio, recorded nearly 400 sprint car victories during his driving career. Known for traveling anywhere there was a “big” money show across the country, Piglet became known as “the Ohio Traveler” and was always a fan favorite for his friendly demeanor.
Piglet’s legendary No. 0 came about because he didn’t make much money in his first year of racing. Fremont Speedway, which hosts the Rick Ferkel Classic, is fitting as The Ohio Traveler scored his first-ever sprint car feature win on The Track That Action Built.
It’s also fitting that the Rick Piglet Classic takes place during an All-Star-sanctioned race, since Piglet was one of the nation’s first All-Stars in 1973 and later became an All-Star official.
Former sprint car driver, owner and race organizer Shane Helms first came up with the idea of honoring Piglet in 2018 by promoting the race at Ohio’s Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe. He later moved the event to Waynesfield Motorsports Park near Lima, Ohio. When Helms resigned from Waynesfield after the 2022 season, he knew he wanted to continue honoring one of his childhood heroes.
“Rick is an icon not just in Ohio and the region, but across the country,” Helms said. “I’ve always felt that there are people in this sport who need constant recognition and honor. This sport wouldn’t be what it is today without people like Rick Ferkel. I knew Fremont Speedway was the logical place to continue the Rick Ferkel Classic.”
Ryan Schiets, chairman of the Fremont Speedway Committee, said the track will be home to the Rick Ferkel Classic for a very long time.
“We are honored to host an event that pays tribute to such a legend in sprint auto racing,” said Schiets. “We hope the younger drivers and fans will come to understand what Rick Ferkel means not just to Fremont Speedway but to sprint auto racing as a whole.”
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