My dad (Doug Caruthers - Road Runners member 1940's) started his racing career in Kansas with a sport called Auto Polo, it was played on football fields with Model T's. He moved to California when he was about 14 and I am not sure exactly when he started racing on the lakes, but I do know he was in the first issue of Hot Rod Magazine and had a class record in 1947. I also know he was a proud member of the Road Runners. I can remember him talking about guys like Ernie Mcafee, Jack Lehman, Mel Leighton, Stu Hilborn and others that he raced with and was friends with. He eventually quit driving when my oldest brother Jimmy was a few years old. He went on to build Quarter Midgets for my brothers, and also for others, he also had a track that they ran at called the Jelly Bean Bowl (on the site of California Adventure at Disneyland today). 

My dad had a trailer business (Viking Trucking in Anaheim) and built the original Safety Safari trailer for Wally Parks. He eventually turned to track racing and had Midgets, Sprint Cars, Champ Dirt Cars and Indy Cars. Jimmy Bryan was one of his drivers and took his Rookie test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in my Dad's car as did 1957 Rookie of the year Don Edmunds. At the time of his death he had won more races than any other car owner in the history of the United States Auto Club. My brothers Jimmy and Danny were the 1970 and 1971 USAC Midget National Champions, Jimmy also won the USAC Dirt title and drove Indy cars.

 I started my own racing career when I was about 12 racing go karts. When I was 18, I started driving Midgets and eventually ran Sprint Cars, and Champ Dirt Cars, I was lucky enough to be able to race these cars for around 20 years. A few of the things that I am proud of in my racing career include winning the C.O.R.A. Midget Championship in 1988, Winning the Hoosier Dome Invitational Midget race, being named USAC most improved Driver in 1990 while finishing 5th in national points on a VERY limited budget. I am also quite proud of being able to say that I drove for the legendary A.J. Watson, and I was also the last driver to make a USAC  race in an Offy powered car. I haven't raced Open Wheel cars in about 5 years.

About the time my racing slowed down I built a hot rod that I tried to make look like it came out of the books from when my dad raced. About that time I learned a little about my Dad's Lakes racing. I had pictures of the car he ran but didn't know much of the history on it. Really I came across it by accident  in a Street Rodder Magazine where I found out a lot about the car and learned it was still in existence and had become Art Chrisman's #25 car, (on display today at the NHRA Museum in Pomona, CA) then I started trying to find out everything about that particular car that I could. I decided I was going to build a replica of the car and make it as close to being like it was when my Dad ran it in 1947. I have been gathering parts for it for a couple years, I have an engine ready to go for it and most of the parts I need to complete the car, I still need a 1923 Franklin right front Spindle but I am sure I will find one. I made a trip to California two years ago just to go to El Mirage and plan on going again when I complete the car if not sooner.

 I have a deep respect for the history of all aspects of our sport. I became a member of the Indy 500 Old Timers Club recently at the age of 44.

 I was lucky enough to work in the Speedway Museum when I was in school, and also to work on a few Indy Car teams during the month of May. I worked the Pit board before in-car radios were as reliable as they are now. I was the Boardman at the speedway for Mike Mosley, Bobby Olivero, Pancho Carter, and others.

(Roy became an Associate Member of the Road Runners in April 2006.)