Tater Kerr took his late father, Ronnie Kerr, for one more ride in his B-hobby entry. They honored the elder Kerr by placing him atop the rear deck of his race car, albeit within a casket. Tater took his dad for an eight-mile journey from his hometown of Sequatchie, Tennessee, to his final resting place last Wednesday.
Ronnie Kerr, 69, passed away unexpectedly from heart failure while battling Covid-19 on August 28, 2021. He called Fort Payne Motor Speedway, in Fyffe, Alabama, his home track. Kerr also frequented Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, Georgia, and Mountain View Raceway in Spring City, Tennessee.
“He raced two Saturdays before he passed,” said his daughter-in-law, Hannah Elizabeth Kerr. “We thought it would be awesome to have his casket on the back of his race car before he was laid to rest.”
The funeral procession included an additional B-hobby car, an open wheel (modified), and a front-wheel-drive race car. Kerr was as well known and liked at the track as he was in his hometown. He owned and operated Sequatchie Service, an auto repair shop, for 30 years.
“Ronnie never met a stranger that we wouldn’t help in time of need,” Hannah said. “He literally gave people the shirt off of his back. Plenty of times he would give people clothes, feed them, and offer them a place to stay until they found permanent housing. He was the kind of person you just don’t meet in America anymore.”
Family, friends, and fans attended the graveside service.
“Ronnie was outgoing and funny — always saying what was on his mind,” said Hannah. “He always invited his fans sign his car. So, the family signed the casket at the top and his fans signed below.”
Tater Kerr raced the car of Ronnie Kerr one last time this past Saturday night at Fort Payne Motor Speedway. Tater closed the final chapter on the No. C6 by finishing fourth.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
