Chicago – Former
area stock car
competitor and
racing wheel
developer and
manufacturer, Rich
Clement, 78, passed
away on December 2,
2015.
Clement, the founder
of Clement Wheel,
Bart Wheel and
Silver Dollar
Castings, began his
stock car driving
career at the old
Mance Park Speedway
in Hodgkins in the
1950s.
Clement raced
on the pavement at
Chicago ovals –Mance
Park, O’Hare Stadium
and Raceway Park (23rd
in the points in
1960), but enjoyed
most of his success
on area dirt tracks
like Santa Fe
Speedway and
Kankakee Speedway.
Clement was the
co-late model stock
car champion with
Ken Finley at Santa
Fe Speedway in
Willow Springs in
1959, grabbing six
feature race wins
along the way.
He was the
winner of the
track’s annual
National Clay Track
Championship (NCTC)
also that year.
During the
season finale on
September 19,
Clement set a new
qualifying track
record. He repeated
winning Santa Fe’s
NCTC in 1963,
wheeling his Chevy
II late model to the
200-lap victory.
Always among Santa
Fe’s top drivers,
Clement enjoyed
feature wins and top
points finishes in
the 1960s and 70s.
He was fifth
in the points in
1966 with two
feature wins on
Santa Fe’s half-mile
dirt oval.
Clement
finished fourth in
the standings the
following year
(1967) and scored a
100-lap victory in
June of 1967.
The 1970s saw
Clement end up
seventh in the final
points tally in 1972
with a 50-lap
victory to his
credit and 10th
in the standings in
1974 with four
feature wins posted.
He was ranked
sixth in 1976 and
seventh in 1977.
Clement won late
model championship
at Kankakee Speedway
in 1974, wheeling
the Ed Patrone-owned,
John
Kennedy-maintained
’66 Chevelle No. 00.
Clement wheeled the
old Bob Meyer-built
paved track car to a
bunch of wins,
including the 50-lap
Mid Season
Championship race,
“twin 25s” in July
and his sixth
feature win of the
year in August.
Clement was also a
competitor in United
States Auto Club (USAC)
stock car action
during his time
behind the wheel.
He made his
first USAC start at
the “Milwaukee Mile”
in September of
1960, driving ’59
Mercury and ending
up finishing 32nd.
Clement
enjoyed his
best USAC finish
among some 50-plus
USAC starts with a 6th
place at Milwaukee
in the Governor’s
Cup 250 on September
9, 1979.
He drove a Chrysler
Kit Car 1977 Dodge
Aspen No. 92, that
he and ace mechanic
Seth Piper had put
together after
getting the car from
USAC stock car
champion Don White.
1980 marked
Clement’s last USAC
appearance.
Clement visited the
Daytona
International
Speedway in February
of 1965 to compete
in the Automobile
Racing Club of
America 250.
Starting 12th
in the field,
Clement’s ’64
Plymouth No. 50 was
involved in a bad
crash, which sent
Clement to the
hospital.
After his racing
days were over,
Clement continued
his racing wheel
manufacturing and
development, which
had begun in his
garage on Chicago’s
south side, being
involved in NASCAR,
USAC, Indianapolis
and drag racing
competition.
Clement wheels were
on Buddy Lazier’s
winning Indianapolis
500 ride in 1996.
“His wheels did the
job for me at
Milwaukee,” said
longtime USAC racer
Sal Tovella.
“Chrysler and the
Pettys used them.”
Clement was inducted
into the Illinois
Stock Car Hall of
Fame in 2013.
-29-