Not all heroes wear helmets and drive race cars, as Kenny McMullan proved. For 32 years, Kenny prepped the track at Grandview Speedway. His tireless work on creating a perfect racing surface directly contributed to the success of the Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, dirt oval.
Kenny’s started his track prep right after the races ended, where he had to “put the track to bed.” His work would go into the wee hours of the morning, long after the last hauler left the pits.
“He wouldn’t stop until he was done — no matter what time it was,” Grandview Speedway public relations director and track announced Jeff Ahlum said.”
Kenny would continue to prep the track during the week. When he wasn’t sitting in a grader, he served as an official for Grandview Speedway. Before that, during the 1980s and 1990s he co-promoted Penn National Speedway with John Wertz as well as what is now called BAPS Motor Speedway.
“He always had something to say to the people in the infield with him — he was full of personality,” Grandview Speedway public relations director and track announcer Jeff Ahlum said. “Who else in their 80s loved to work and couldn’t wait to come to work? Nothing would slow him down.”
Age did begin to take its toll on Kenny. He had to use a cane and for two-day shows he’d sleep at race director Brad Missimer’s house.
“Kenny did not want to quit,” Jeff said. “When he had medical problems that forced him to miss a race a few years back, he was like a caged tiger. His loss will forever change the infield crew at Grandview Speedway. Kenny was loved and will be so missed.”
Kenny McMullan passed away suddenly on June 23, 2026. He would have turned 81 next month on July 28.
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.
