DeGRAFF – This Saturday will be a big night of racing at Shady Bowl Speedway for the late model division.
Shady Bowl will host twin 55-lap features for the full bodied cars in honor of the late Denny Shatto of Sidney. Shatto built some of the fastest cars to take to Midwest ovals, both dirt and pavement. In 1958 he built his first car.
Shatto piloted that car one time at Shady Bowl before finding out that driving wasn’t for him. The trend started with this car and produced almost 300 feature wins over the years.
His cars always carried the #79 and the #10 until a trip to Baerfield Speedway (Ind). The track already had a car #10 running and told Shatto to pick another number.
That was when the #110 was placed on the car. The highlight of his racing was when a fellow Sidney resident teamed up with him and they won a 100-lap feature. The duo went on to win several track championships.
In 1983, Jerry Gross became a crew member for Shatto. In 2007, Gross became a partner in the team which became Shatto/Gross Motorsports. Shatto told folks that Shady Bowl Speedway was his favorite track, with Wayne Watercutter at the top of the list of drivers who had driven his cars. Shatto passed away in 2006 leaving the racing operation to son Kevin and wife Chris. Kevin has continued the tradition along with Gross to keep the team going.
Jim Lewis Jr. of Fairborn is the current driver and has posted several feature wins. Sponsors on the team are Biggins Small Engine Repair, Lewis Racing Engines and 4 Paws Grooming. The twin 55-lappers will pay $1,000 to win. If a driver can sweep both features promoter Rick Young has put up an additional $1,000 to a driver who wins both features. The street stocks, compacts, super compacts and spectator cars are also on the schedule. Racing will begin at 7 p.m.
