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Just got word tonight from my brother and Dad that former south Florida Late Model car owner Bob Kirk, of Palm Beach, Florida, passed away last Sunday.
Kirk owned race cars that raced at Palm Beach and Hialeah Speedways, along with running at Tampa's Golden Gate Speedway, St. Pete's Sunshine Speedway, DeSoto Speedway, Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, along with just about every asphalt track at one time or another in the state of Florida.
My dad crew-chiefed for Kirk's race cars from about 1975 to 1995, winning a TON of races (at least once at each track that we competed at), and nearly winning several track championships.
The list of drivers that drove for Kirk Racing reads like a "who's who" in Florida Late Model racing. Kirk started out with Don Denny driving the #12 in south Florida, and had southern hot shoes Paul Conners and Charlie Reagan in the car in the late 1970's. Around that time, Kirk started hauling up to Tampa and St. Pete, putting some big-name Gulf-coast guys behind the wheel: Dave Pletcher and Dave Scarborough, Billy Gill, and Wayne Reutimann just to start. In 1978, he gave Jimmy Cope his very first Late Model ride at Sunshine Speedway. Then, guys like Jim Childers, Bryan Wescott, Junior Purcell, Dave Dunkin, Ernie Bass, Shorty Stuart, Tony Watson, Mike Cope, Larry Moyer, Randy Warren, and John Gertsner all drove for Kirk Racing at one time or another. Childers would give Kirk his biggest win in 1981, at DeSoto Speedway, winning the Sunday-afternoon portion of what was the Florida Triple Crown, the Coca-Cola 200. His car and driver also won the annual mid-summer Gulf Coast Championship (not the Classic) at Sunshine Speedway. In his first time at Citrus County Speedway, Kirk's driver defeated then track owner Dickie Anderson in a near-dead-heat at the line.
Kirk is survived by his wife, Glenda, and several children. Services were held in Palm Beach on Friday.
Kirk owned race cars that raced at Palm Beach and Hialeah Speedways, along with running at Tampa's Golden Gate Speedway, St. Pete's Sunshine Speedway, DeSoto Speedway, Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, along with just about every asphalt track at one time or another in the state of Florida.
My dad crew-chiefed for Kirk's race cars from about 1975 to 1995, winning a TON of races (at least once at each track that we competed at), and nearly winning several track championships.
The list of drivers that drove for Kirk Racing reads like a "who's who" in Florida Late Model racing. Kirk started out with Don Denny driving the #12 in south Florida, and had southern hot shoes Paul Conners and Charlie Reagan in the car in the late 1970's. Around that time, Kirk started hauling up to Tampa and St. Pete, putting some big-name Gulf-coast guys behind the wheel: Dave Pletcher and Dave Scarborough, Billy Gill, and Wayne Reutimann just to start. In 1978, he gave Jimmy Cope his very first Late Model ride at Sunshine Speedway. Then, guys like Jim Childers, Bryan Wescott, Junior Purcell, Dave Dunkin, Ernie Bass, Shorty Stuart, Tony Watson, Mike Cope, Larry Moyer, Randy Warren, and John Gertsner all drove for Kirk Racing at one time or another. Childers would give Kirk his biggest win in 1981, at DeSoto Speedway, winning the Sunday-afternoon portion of what was the Florida Triple Crown, the Coca-Cola 200. His car and driver also won the annual mid-summer Gulf Coast Championship (not the Classic) at Sunshine Speedway. In his first time at Citrus County Speedway, Kirk's driver defeated then track owner Dickie Anderson in a near-dead-heat at the line.
Kirk is survived by his wife, Glenda, and several children. Services were held in Palm Beach on Friday.
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