Unfortunately, for William Rose, his season started and ended on a sad note. This past Saturday, he flipped his car during the B-main of the Steel Block Late Model Series at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
Just before the season began, Rose’s sister, Mary Kay Rose, passed away. She died in March from complications stemming from diabetes at age 34.
“I didn’t know if I would race this year,” Rose, of Scott Depot, West Virginia, said. “Mary Kay was my inspiration, my number one fan, the one who helped bring the whole family together so I could race.”
Rose kept on racing so he could continue his sister’s desire to keep the family involved.
“On our bucket list was to race at Eldora Speedway,” said Rose. “When we heard the steel blocks would be at the Dirt Track World Championship, we decided we would be there.”
Rose looked poised to make it into the A-main until misfortune struck.
“We were in the last transfer spot with two laps to go when we ran out of luck,” Rose said. “The track was rutted and bumpy. My right-rear wheel got hooked in a big rut and the next thing I knew I was in bad trouble — upside-down — so I closed my eyes and crossed my arms.”
When the rolls ended, he found himself still upside-down.
“My feet kicked the pedals over and over — my legs were slamming around,” said Rose. “When it was over, I pulled the belts loose and began sliding out on my back. My head-and-neck restraint had me caught, but I saw arms in there trying to release it and help me. I knew I wasn’t hurt. I was alright, just a bit sore.”
Rose sat in a Kirkey full-containment seat paired with a RaceQuip five-point harness. He wore a RaceQuip helmet, with a HANS device. While he emerged from the wreck without serious injury, the same couldn’t be said for his car from Kryptonite Race Cars.
“My car was a total loss— t he clips were broken at both ends,” Rose said. “The center section held up well. I’m very fortunate that the Kryptonite chassis is built so well. Everything around me stayed put.”
Don’t expect William Rose to sit on the sidelines. His sister Mary Kay’s love of racing will keep him going.
“We’ve already talked to Freddie Carpenter at Kryptonite to see if we can get another car built,” said Rose. “Maybe we can save the center section from this car. Whatever we have to do, we’ll get something going for next season.”
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.
