The 1986 NASCAR Southwest Series late model champion, Ron Esau, 67, of Lakeside, California, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, January 24. As much as the racing community remembers Esau for his fierceness on the track, they also think of the kind soul he possessed.
Esau, his father, George, and brother, Larry, raced as a family at the now-defunct tracks of Speedway 605, in Irwindale, California, on Fridays and Cajon Speedway, in El Cajon, California, on Saturdays. The Esau clan also traveled to ovals and road courses along the West Coast.
“They were fierce competitors, who liked to travel,” family friend and team scorer Becky McBride said. “When they showed up, the other drivers were worried.”
Esau made his mark in the old NASCAR Southwest Series. He won the tour’s inaugural season’s championship in 1986. Esau ran that circuit full-time for only one more season and then only competed in it sporadically.
He also made starts in what is now called the ARCA Menards Series West, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the NASCAR Cup Series. His journeys took him as far as Australia. In 1990, Esau raced in a NASCAR exhibition event at the Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne. In that race, he finished third to Ken Schrader and winner Terry Labonte.
“He went away to race, but he always came back to Cajon Speedway,” said McBride. “He never left us completely.”
After his racing career, Esau became head driving instructor at DriveTech Racing School in Fontana, California. He would go on to mentor future NASCAR drivers Brendan Gaughan and Brandon Whitt.
In addition to their racing exploits, the Esau family ran a door and window business. Esau kept his cars in a shop at the operation, which was so close to Cajon Speedway that they drove their race cars to the track.
“The Esau crew was one big family,” said McBride. “They worked together all day, all night, and on the weekends. Family meant everything to Ron, and he was respected appreciated by the racing community, both on road courses and ovals.”
While he enjoyed racing, he also loved spending time with fellow racers.
“He was absolutely determined to have fun at the racetrack,” McBride said. “Ron had the ability to make the little guy feel big and the slow guy to be fast. He wanted everyone to feel they belonged there, at the racetrack.”
Dave Arce, a competitor in the Spears Modified Series and engine builder, was one of those who experienced another side of Esau.
“It wasn’t until we started golfing that I got to know Ron as a person other than a race driver,” Arce said. “I saw a different side of him. He was a gentle and kind human being. Ron had a great smile, and had great love for his family. He was positive about the important things in life — family, golf, and racing.”
Ron Esau is survived by his wife, Marsha, and son, David. David made the following post on Facebook:
McBride is helping the family plan a celebration of life for Ron Esau on Sunday, April 3, at the Lakeside Rodeo in California, from 1–5 p.m. It will be open to the public. Contact [email protected] for further information.
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Updated the date and times for the celebration of life for Ron Esau (2022-02-01).
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.
