TSRS History

My relationship with Jack Sandefur continues to this day and when I founded TSRS I asked Jack to join me. Even though he joined the staff several years ago, Jack Sandefur is still the Director of Tech/Pit Operations for the series and Thunderhill Raceway, couldn’t and wouldn’t want to do it without him and his lovely wife, we affectionately call, “Momma Dean.” One of my dearest friends, Kim McKim, and her husband and driver of a super stock, Mickey McKim, have been there from the beginning of TSRS and are still a huge asset to the series and THR!

I always maintained a very active high school sports schedule including being a majorette for two years. I too inherited that competitive streak as a result of growing up in a racing family. I try not to be competitive, it’s just in me. Whatever I do, I want to do the best I can! That competitive drive helped me when I was invited to run for the title of Mrs. Travis County and the opportunity to compete in the Mrs. Texas pageant in 1980. The run for the state beauty title was fueled from being named Miss TROC (Texas Race of Champions) at Texas World Speedway in 1978.

After years of watching races as part of my family, I suddenly had the opportunity to see the racing business from another side of the fence and it fascinated me! Part of the Miss TROC opportunity allowed me to spend a week traveling with legendary Texas Race Promoter, Neil Upchurch around the state. During that time I learned about the business side of racing from press conferences and also learned how to treat the drivers competing in the event. Neil was quoted in Late Model Racer, a well known stock car magazine, which I was so honored to be in, “Mary Ann was pleased to accept my invitation to be the Trophy Queen at a TROC at TWS a long time ago. She performed with grace, beauty and her always charming personality. I know she counts the experience as one of her most memorable. It was one of mine too,” said Upchurch. “ Texas stock car racing needs more people like her. I treasure her as a dear friend, both personally and professionally.”

The time spent with Mr. Upchurch was enlightening and the things learned and experienced had a deep impact on me, even to this day. The press conferences were so well put together. What I saw was that you got the media coverage and with it came free exposure for the event at Texas World Speedway. In each city, some of the drivers would show up for the press conferences. A.J. Foyt was at one and what I saw was how much respect the media had for the drivers. It was from that experience that I base one of my core believes, that the drivers are the show and the focus should always be on them and what they can do in a race car.

The next phase of my learning curve happened in 1981 when my family operated the former Austin Speed-O-Rama. My mom was in charge of the ticket sales and the money end of the operation. My dad was the Promoter and I did the public relations. I would have to credit the time spent with Upchurch as a major part of learning the public relations and promotional sides of the racing business. That was a side of the business that really interested me and still does. I really try to carry on some of what I learned from Neil during that time.

Upchurch however was not the only well know promoter in the state from which I was learning from, another influence on the promotion style comes from years of watching the renowned promoting team of Ricci and the late, Mimi Ware. Many of the programs Ricci and Mimi promoted were way ahead of their time, I remember sitting in their grandstands and thinking they were such a class act!

One of my best-received public relations ideas was asking good friend Wynn Wilkerson to dress up one night as a clown and entertain the crowd between races and during yellow flags. The idea had never been done before, but it was an instant hit with the fans! “Elmer Gene” the Clown was such a hit he was interviewed on several occasions by major racing magazines including Stock Car Magazine. “Elmer Gene” became so popular he was invited to be a part of the Miss Texas pageant for several years and is a beloved figure in the central Texas racing community having performed at many charity events. Even though “Elmer Gene” officially retired a few years ago, Wynn Wilkerson was involved in the sport of racing and was the TSRS Race Director in the early years of the series; unfortunately he has had to retire due to health issues, but his heart is still with racing and from time to time he can be seen at Thunderhill Raceway.

After one year, the Wallace family decided the operation of a racetrack was taking too much time from our family. However, after years of being around the sport, I myself was finally bitten by the need for speed; I had begun to have a desire to drive a race car myself. So I started racing in the “Golden Girls” a ladies only class, where I won a Track Championship at Austin . I then went on to compete two more years in the Street Stock Class with the guys. My first season, I was able to finish sixth overall. During my second season, I went into the last night of the season with a shot at second place. I chose to compete in my own car with a bent axle rather than a car offered by competitor and friend, Donnie Meredith because after testing in it, I just felt I could not see well enough out the window. I finished the season just 6 points out of second place. The Street Stock guys respected me, I always wanted them to know when I climbed into my race car I was just another driver. Speed-O-Rama driver Charlie Buxton tagged me to this day with the nickname “Hot Rod” he said because I always ran fast. He told Late Model Racer, “We raced on a little ¼ mile flat track and you had to be aggressive to be decent, but she wasn’t over aggressive,” said Buxton. “She was a clean racer and we never had any problems with her as a driver.” Buxton, still a good friend, is still a competitive racer and is one of my local drivers at Thunderhill Raceway.

The time spent behind the wheel had a profound influence on me; it gave me lots of inspiration for what I wanted to do with my desire to promote. I believe by having the actual driving experience that it has helped me to respect what the drivers are feeling, before, during and after a race and I think that has played an important part in why the series, TSRS and Thunderhill Raceway has been as successful as it has been, that and my incredible staff and officials! I respect the drivers; it has never been a man vs. female thing. I was a driver in a race car and I am promoter promoting stock car racing, what I love. Of course now, it is not a sport only for the men.

In 1999, after being away from the business side of the sport for a few years, I accepted a position with Brian Callaway and Jim Lynch at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle , Texas . I was determined to use my new position as general manager to build a strong relationship between the drivers, crews, track officials and staff.  Because the track was new, I worked tirelessly to build solid classes of weekly competitors in addition to working with some of the touring series that were looking for dates in central Texas. I am very proud to say I was played a part in bringing the TAMS Series, founded by Wayne Norrell and Owen Pitman, the asphalt modifieds, currently known as the pro modifieds and others to Thunderhill Raceway for multiple dates each year. After some very successful seasons, I felt it best to leave Thunderhill due to some personal family matters after three seasons. 

Even though I was not an active part of the racing business in 2002, I was a regular face in the pits cheering for my family, my son, Heath Stewart and my husband H.E. Naumann, who both competed in the ROMCO Super Late Model Series, along with my husband’s son Brad “Bubba” Naumann, who has been a well known respected competitor running several years in Florida and Alabama. There’s more – my brother, Jake, Jr. raced, his son, my nephew, Eric Wallace currently races out east, my dad’s brother, Lucian Wallace raced for many years back with my dad and his son, my cousin, Eddy Wallace races. Heath currently runs a pro late model and my husband H is a vital part of TSRS and THR. Without my H, I could not do what I love to do. It is endless hours and he is so patient with my passion. I still get to enjoy watching him climb into his pro modified from time to time. He is the love of my life and he so completes me, he lights up my life, every morning when I am blessed to wake to a beautiful smile on his face.

After a year of being away from the operations of THR, it was while attending a race at Houston Motorsports Park late in 2002 that I learned from a San Antonio Speedway car owner, Arthur Alexander, that San Antonio Speedway was not going to continue to run their Limited Late Model class in 2003. After talking with drivers, Jeff Pollard and Brad Hudak who were promoting the Space City 125 at Houston , I decided to make a trip to San Antonio and started asking questions about the possibility of putting together a new touring series for Limited Late Models. I invited several selected friends to join me in San Antonio and we showed up at the meeting with MAN Racing Promotions shirts which I had quickly made up and began sharing ideas with the drivers who had turned out in force to explore the idea of this now, Late Model Touring Series.

The response to this new series was just incredible. We then had two other great meetings with drivers in Houston and Austin. Things just started to go! We later had one group meeting with everyone from Houston , San Antonio and Austin . The meeting was started off with the famous track clown, “Elmer Gene” returning one last time. What better way to start this new series off on the right foot then to have Wynn in his famous Clown outfit!

We started off the series with the focus on the return of the family-style racing that was there back in the 80’s. Drivers from across Texas loved the idea of family first for the new series. The series was named the Texas Super Racing Series (TSRS), and the car counts for the inaugural season were an incredible 27 to 32 cars per event! Near capacity crowds packed venues for the last three events of the first season, known as the Texas Triple Crown, and were treated to a photo finish at Houston Motorsports Park .

TSRS in now in its eighth season, and the series has had much exposure in some of the top short track publications in the country. However, some of the greatest publicity has come from the San Antonio Express News and an Austin radio show that covers both local and NASCAR racing on Saturday mornings. Dear friend and long time central Texas sports correspondent, Chuck Licata, host the well known K-MAC sports and has been a huge part of TSRS and THR.The focus of the TSRS series is to keep racing simple and affordable by designing rules that are fair to all racers and keeping costs under control, which is a hard task with technology, we always want to be known as a series that respects our drivers and teams. That is what has kept TSRS one of the most successful series in the state of Texas .

I am so proud to say that drivers across the state commend TSRS officials on the quality of tech inspections, the professionalism of how they treat the teams. Officials for TSRS share the common goal that winning a race should be the result of the driver and their crew skills more than just a team out spending the competition. The series has tried to write and implement rules that will allow teams to build cars that will be able to compete for several years without major changes. Racing is always going to be a sport of haves and have nots. You do the best you can with what you got.

Creating the family atmosphere I experienced in the 70’s and 80’s was a paramount issue for the series. My staff, officials and drivers have done an amazing job of fostering that environment, one of our former drivers Jeff Pollard stated “We would be racing in TSRS even if we hit the lottery and the reason is we like the people we race with, we have a good time. Everything in the series is family oriented.”

I hope that one example that will always be remembered many years from now is how our officials and staff sincerely have a concern for our drivers. One night during a red flag condition, the TSRS officials went out onto the track with cold wet towels for the drivers hoping to help keep them cool during the cleanup. The general perception of most drivers is that TSRS and THR are only involved with things of quality.”  Pollard along with Mike Yale and Brad Hudak put on the first Space City 125 at Houston Motorsports Park .  “Once Mary Ann got involved within two weeks we said, Mary Ann you got it,” cited Pollard.  “Mary Ann is a very special personality and she has put together a very professional racing series with TSRS,” stated Houston Motorsports Park co-owner Graham Baker. “It’s as well run as any organization we have had here.”  With all their officials, drivers and teams in uniform it’s a very professional show.”

This series also has achieved consistent media coverage from the local newspapers and radio stations, to major stock car magazines which features TSRS results and race related stories, in addition to national exposure for the series in Late Model Digest and Late Model Racer,  By keeping things in perspective with the family atmosphere and focusing of drivers first, I knew that my hand-selected staff would be able to handle things as they came up, and they still do. They also handle the incredible operation of Thunderhill Raceway, which I proudly became partners in 2005 and in 2007, I took it on 100% but, not once again, without my incredible hand-selected staff and officials.

My philosophy is “when it stops being fun, it is time to get out” because when it is not fun, that is when we lose what we so proudly can say “WE CARE” and in keeping the atmosphere of family first and making racing as affordable as possible are also key items that will help TSRS and THR continue to grow. I love the racing business; I have a real passion for the sport. It doesn’t matter if I am promoting an event, driving in an event, watching my family members race or just watching as a fan, I am a race fan in the truest sense of the word. I really love what I do and I always hope my enthusiasm that I have for the sport infects everyone I come in contact with. I say do what you love to do!

I’m happy to say that it’s been a wonderful experience so far. I hope my leadership speaks well of it, but I could not do what I do without the incredible staff and officials, who care just like I do.

There are currently only three other asphalt tracks in South Texas that are still running – Corpus Christi Speedway, Houston Motorsports Park and Red River Speedway (Wichita Falls, TX). After the unfortunate closure of San Antonio Speedway, we have wanted the fans, drivers and staff to feel welcome at THR and we all love working with the other tracks to run our TSRS cars.  However, due to the current tough economic conditions, we’ve decided to hold all of our 2010 TSRS races at Thunderhill Raceway this year.  In 2011, we hope to take TSRS back on the road again to race at the other Texas asphalt tracks.

Back in the last years of Longhorn Speedway, prior to the opening of THR, my dad and I started a kids club called NGR, Next Generation Racers Club, it was a huge success and in the opening of THR, somewhere it got lost. When I became GM, I tried to get it going again, my dad had suddenly passed and I wanted it to be in his memory, he loved kids, but my hands were so full with operations of the track, it never quite took off like it had at Longhorn.   We hope to continue to involve the kids in our racing activities.  It’s just one more thing that is so important to this dream of mine and many others.

Well, that’s my story; I hope you have enjoyed my sharing of my life and my dream, but my dream would not have come true without many, many people, too many to mention, so you all know who you are and I hope you know how much I love and care for each of you..

Track

Driver

Time

Date

Jake Kruger

14.072

April 18, 2009

Heath Stewart

14.664

May 17, 2008

Marc Currey

34.408

October 2, 2004

Heath Stewart

14.107

June 7, 2008

Ervin Breiten, Jr.

19.925

October 16, 2004

Jeff Pollard

40.710

November 6, 2004

Robert Barker

15.173

September 26, 2008

Date

Track

Winner

Fastest Qualifier

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

THR

Date

Track

Winner

Fastest Qualifier

THR

THR

CCS

HMP

THR

THR

THR

HMP

THR

THR

THR

Date

Track

Winner

Fastet Qualifier

THR

THR

HMP

THR

RRS

HMP

THR

RRS

THR

THR

THR

Date

Track

Winner

Fastest Qualifier

THR

THR

THR

THR

HMP

THR

HMP

THR

THR

HMP

Date

Track

Winner

Fastest Qualifier

HMP

THR

THR

THR

THR

TWS

HMP

THR

HMP

THR

Date

Track

Winner

Fastest Qualifier

THR

CC(M)S

THR

SAS

THR

HMP

HMP

SAS

HMP

SAS

THR

HMP

Date

Track

Winner

Fastest Qualifier

CC(M)S

HMP

HMP

CC(M)S

HMP

SAS

CC(M)S

THR

HMP

SAS

TMS

Date

Track

Winner

Fastest Qualifier

HMP

THR

SAS

THR

THR

HMP

SAS

HMP

THR

HMP

SAS