Al "Doc" Mayner
By Bob Dyer
Independence, Iowa (June 2, 1978) – There are race car drivers and there is Dr. Al Mayner.
Mayner, a general practitioner from Winthrop, may have set an unofficial record for dedication to his spot last Saturday night.
What Mayner risked at Independence Motor Speedway was much more than his life. He risked the wrath of family.
Mayner’s daughter, Alexa, married Mark Hunt of Winthrop Saturday night. The wedding, in Oelwein, started at 7:00. By 7:15, dear old Dad was on his way to the track for the 7:30 start.
“The service was pretty short and simple, really,” recalled Mayner. “Independence is 14 miles away and I was able to get there on time. And I even obeyed the speed limit.”
In his haste, Mayner didn’t tell his wife, Linda, that he was planning such a quick exit.
“My wife didn’t know I was leaving until after I left,” he related. “The word got to me at the track I’d better win. I called back home to tell them I won and to calm the waters.”
The story apparently has a happy ending, for Mayner was not skulled by his wife or daughter when he arrived home. And he did have quite the night, winning the late model heat and feature.
Upon his return, a somewhat soiled Mayner had to slip back into his suit because, “I had forgotten about the wedding pictures.”
Mayner, 40, drives a 1977 Camaro. He got into racing at a relatively young age.
“About 10 years ago, some friends of our took Linda and I to the races,” he said. “I thought to myself, ‘I can do that.’ It wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be.”
Mayner’s best year was 1973, when he won $14,000. He has yet to make his expenses for a season.
“I’m a little limited,” he explained. “I don’t get to all of the tracks because my work keeps me close to home.”
Many fathers are more nervous at weddings than their daughters and Mayner said he was no exception.
“Racing that night calmed me down,” he remarked.
No comments:
Post a Comment