DWIGHT, Ill. — Former Chicago area stock car champion Don Waldvogel passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the age of 91. Waldvogel won two 100-lap main events at Santa Fe in 1962 behind the wheel of his Chevy No. Waldvogel’s biggest Santa Fe win was the National Clay Track Championship 200 in 1965. Waldvogel’s last big win at Santa Fe came in 1974 when he won the Stars and Stripes 50 lapper. Waldvogel was a four-time track champion at Illinois’ Kankakee Fairgrounds Speedway, winning the titles in 1954, ’55, ’57 and ’67. He won a career total of 34 stock car feature races at Kankakee. “For a couple of years, I wanted to drive a race car,” reminisced Waldvogel this past October. They wouldn’t let Koehler race because he was from Raceway Park. In 1952, Waldvogel won two stock car heat races at Raceway Park. In 1996, Waldvogel finally returned to Raceway Park and won two Dwarf Car heat races and a trophy dash. Waldvogel won several Dwarf Car championships as his career rolled toward the 21st century.

Follow MotorMouth on social media:

• 
• 
• 
•