Today we lost legendary country singer Kenny Rogers and while that may seem like an odd topic to talk about on a dirt track racing page it really isn't. Kenny will always be known for his excellent voice and his most recognizable songs such as "The Gambler" and "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton. What many people especially younger race fans don't realize is his impact on dirt track racing. Rogers played a vital role in dirt track sprint car racing in the late 70s and early 80s as he fielded a very impressive sprint car team in his Gambler Chassis... or so many of us would believe.
The honest truth about Kenny Rogers is that he wasn't ever directly involved with the making of the chassis or have a direct say in the company as well. So what's the connection? Interesting enough a man by the name of C.K. Spurlock was the master mind of it all. Spurlock had a direct line to Rogers though as he was involved with The Gambler record and became friends with Kenny Rogers. The fascinating bit of it all was that both Rogers and Spurlock benefited from the racing team and chassis company going under the name of Kenny Rogers Racing and The Gambler Chassis Company. Spurlock got the instant popularity and attention needed from Rogers backing him and Rogers got free publicity from Spurlock and the racing team. It was a win win deal and boy did they win. The chassis was bad fast and it's recognition grew when Spurlock put hot shoe Danny Smith in the car to go up against Steve Kinser. From there on the Gambler Chassis company become one of the best chassis for sprint car racing especially when the likes of Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, and others switched to it. Had it not been for the backing and support of Kenny Rogers, this legendary chassis may never have came into existence.
The other bit of dirt track racing that Kenny Rogers has to his name is his role in the movie "Six Pack". Rogers plays a down on his luck driver who eventually takes in a group of six kids as his pit crew and sets forth on a wacky adventure. Overall, the movie isn't bad and is a fascinating look back into what racing was in the good ol' days. Oddly enough you can find the entire movie on youtube (click the link at the bottom to get there). In the end though, Kenny Rogers was a great man who left a lasting impact on the dirt track world.
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