Egnatius "Iggy" Katona (August 16, 1916 – December 4, 2003) was an American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver from Willis, Michigan. He is most famous for his performance in the ARCA series in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, where he won six championships and 79 races, both of which stood as series records until Frank Kimmel surpassed both; first in 2005 for championships and then in 2013 for wins. Other ARCA records held by Katona include most starts (630), oldest race winner (57 years old,

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...

, 1974) and most consecutive seasons with a win (19, from 1953–1971)

Early career

Katona started out racing motorcycles in local races in Michigan and Ohio at age 21, winning nearly every race he entered. After a brief tour of duty in the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he turned to

midget car racing Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small, with a very high power-to-weight ratio, and typically use four-cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on most ...

. Building his own

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

s and

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

and with his two sons Ronnie and Jim as crew members, Katona found success on four wheels as well, including winning 14 feature races in a row at

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

's famed Motor City Speedway dirt oval.

MARC/ARCA career

In 1952, fellow Toledoan

John Marcum John Marcum (1913–1981) was the co-founder of ARCA and a NASCAR official from Toledo, Ohio, United States. He raced in the 1930s and 1940s. He owned cars entered in two NASCAR Grand National Series races with one Top 10 finish.

created his Midwest Association for Race Cars as a Northern counterpart to the Southern stock car series of the day,

Bill France, Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based s ...

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

. Katona was a force in the series from the beginning, finishing 3rd in the series' inaugural campaign in 1953, 2nd in 1954, and winning the championship in 1955, 1956, and 1957. His 4th MARC championship came in 1962 driving his #30 Ford. Although he developed his racing skills on the short tracks of the Midwest, Katona adapted well when the MARC changed its name to ARCA and began racing on

superspeedway Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost uni ...

s in 1964, winning the ARCA race at Daytona three times. He won his 5th and 6th titles in 1966 and, at the age of 51, 1967. His consistency was his biggest asset, as he finished in the top ten in series points in 21 straight seasons from 1953–73.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katona, Iggy 1916 births 2003 deaths American people of Hungarian descent Sportspeople of Hungarian descent Racing drivers from Ohio ARCA Menards Series drivers Sportspeople from Washtenaw County, Michigan United States Army personnel of World War II Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio Racing drivers from Michigan