Hall of Fame: Bob Easton

Induction January 24, 2015

When the Coles County Dragway USA hall of fame was introduced back in 2008, many of the past track champions were lucky enough to have their names added to the history of CCD on the boards on the back of the grandstands.  Our first inductee for the 2015 induction is exactly the type of person we expected to be voted in each year.  Maybe not a "Champion" of a Class or Division, but someone who exemplified exactly what we were hoping to remember.  Not just wins/losses on the track, but our Hall of Fame is to remember the people who have made this track so great for so many years.  Bob may not have won any Championships, but he had a big hand in a lot of them.  He raced in the 70's, 80's and 90's, in everything from a street car to a super quick dragster.  He was an original member of the CCD Jr. Dragster parent’s board, and was instrumental in making many of the policies and trends that have made the Jr. Dragster program at CCD one of the best in the land, including the Ray Evans Consolation race for the kids.  Always the sportsman, he once gave an engine to his sons closest competitor to finish the year out, only to see that young man pass his son and win the Championship that year never giving it a second thought.  He helped many with parts, engines and knowledge anytime it was asked.  Bob was quite a collector and if you were ever in his basement you saw that he had many "possessions" that he had acquired over the years, beer cans, beer signs, music and if you were lucky enough, you got to see what had "acquired" over the years.  He ran down many tracks in his life, and he even had the chance to make some laps on the Bonneville Salt Flats, but he always called CCD home.