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DICK RITCHIE - LEON MENSING #55 MIDGET CAR ON DISPLAY AT IOWA STATE BANK IN DES MOINES KNOXVILLE, IOWA (April 25) - The Leon Mensing-owned KurtisKraft midget car that powered National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee Dick Ritchie to numerous wins and championships is currently on display in the lobby of the Iowa State Bank in Des Moines near the State Capitol building. The car is on a three-week loan from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville and is helping promote Knoxville Raceway’s June 20-21 Knoxville Midget Nationals, presented by Iowa Telecom. According to Iowa State Bank CEO John Burgeson, “We are very proud to showcase a true Iowa treasure in our main office at 627 East Locust Street in Des Moines. Many older Iowans will remember that Dick Ritchie was a six-time Mississippi Valley Midget Racing Association (MVMRA) champion in 1949, '50, '52, '53, '54, and '55, and a three-time International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) champion in 1963, '65, and '66.” Keith Elson of Aaron Scales in Cedar Rapids currently owns the Ritchie/Mensing midget car and it is he who is loaning the car to the non-profit museum in Knoxville. According to museum executive director Tom Schmeh, “I really want to thank Keith Elson for loaning us this car, and John Burgeson for annually placing a museum piece in his bank lobby. It is great exposure for the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum and the Knoxville Raceway. I also want to thank Bryan Gapinski and Dick Jordan for their help in researching Dick Ritchie’s career. We look forward to displaying the car in the museum for the remainder of the year following its exhibition in Des Moines.” For more information on the Iowa State Bank, contact the staff at 515-288-0111. For more information on the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, contact the staff at 641-842-6176. And for more information on the June 20-21 Knoxville Midget Nationals, sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC), Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA), POWRi, and Southern Midget Racing Series (SMRS), visit the track’s web site at www.knoxvilleraceway.com. |