It can’t have been anything other than an undying passion for motorsports that got a man to travel across the country in the 1970s in search of better racing challenges and higher payouts. Rick Ferkel, also known as the Ohio Traveler, was a Sprint Car racer who is credited as one of the original members of the World of Outlaws.
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He stepped into the show in 1965 and won over 400 feature events throughout his career. His pursuits earned him the friendship of Ted Johnson, the founder of the World of Outlaws, and he ended up playing a crucial role in the development of the series that was inaugurated in 1978. His fellow competitors call him a larger-than-life figure in the sport.
That says a lot about his character and impact. When his time behind the wheel came to an end, Ferkel focused on being a car owner and a mentor to the young drivers coming up the ranks. This is where the NASCAR superstar Christopher Bell comes into the picture. It is no news that Bell began his racing career by racing Sprint Cars.
But what many don’t know is that Ferkel was one of his biggest mentors. He says, “He [Ferkel] hired me to drive a sprint car when I was a 16-year-old kid. I moved in with him and his family for a while. After I left Rick Ferkel Racing, he became a life mentor, a driver coach, and someone that I would lean on every week for advice.”
The old legend had been someone who always pushed Bell to get the maximum out of his race car and himself. Unfortunately, he passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 84, leaving the Cup Series driver to deal with a huge loss. More than a year later, a massive tribute will be paid to him at the Darlington Raceway.
Bell will pay homage to Ferkel and his career at Darlington
April 5-6 at Darlington will be celebrated as Throwback Weekend. Several teams and drivers have been unveiling the paint schemes that their cars will wear during the golden hour. Bell and Joe Gibbs Racing have done so as well. In the Xfinity Series, the driver will pilot the No. 19 Sport Clips Toyota GR Supra, and in the Cup Series, he will be behind his No. 20 Camry.
Both cars will feature vintage schemes that reflect the Sprint Cars that Ferkel drove. Bell told the team media, “On Saturday, I will be wrapping his famous cream and orange on the Sport Clip Supra. And then, on Sunday, I will be able to carry his legendary Number Zero in the DeWalt Camry.”
Notably, he has stickers of the Ferkle Circle and the Ohio Traveler on his dashboard every race weekend. This shows the depth of the bond he shared with the icon. Ferkle’s wife, children, and grandchildren will be in attendance during the Darlington race.
