Shannon Ace Nailor Memorial Scholarship Program

\"Ace

As you know we lost our beloved Ace Nailor in August unexpectedly due to heart problems. I want to share with you the story behind the Shannon Ace Nailor Memorial Scholarship Program….

We first met Ace almost 2 years ago through his TV Internet show, The Checkered Flag Show which was based in California at the time.  He first came to KAM Kartway last June to announce for our Open Outlaw Invitational race after doing a 6 month-long series featuring our local drivers on his show.  After getting to know so many KAM drivers before the event he said he felt like \”home\” when he was in the announcer booth and conducted more personal interviews between races with the drivers.   Soon after that he felt a calling to move to Texas and brought his Checkered Flag Show with him as he settled into the permanent track announcer position at Texoma Speedway in Wichita Falls.   On his off nights he would come back to KAM Kartway and announce and even made a few special trips to Tumbleweed Speedway in Odessa.  He became fast friends with all three track owners and would often be a house guest during his travels with a local race family.  This further grew his bonds with our young drivers. 

Ace loved our young drivers and Outlaw Karting and devoted his life to promoting the kids and the sport and had goals of seeing the sport grow.  Unfortunately, his untimely death will prevent those goals and dreams and his show\’s expansion efforts won\’t materialize.  It is a great loss to us and our karting community. He was a true asset to our racing family and in such a short period of time won all our hearts here in Texas. 

His reach was far and was evidenced in the fundraising efforts for his final expenses.  Our initial goal was to raise enough to have him cremated and his ashes sent home, but the donations exceeded the final costs and with an approximate $1500 balance left over the Memorial Scholarship was established to honor his legacy at the request of his family.  It is our hope that this will not be a one-time award and that through continued fundraising efforts and donations we can continue to offer this Scholarship for years to come as a tribute to Ace\’s legacy. 

We have set up a Facebook page that outlines the program and details the eligibility and submission requirements for drivers to compete for one of the three $500 scholarships for the 2017 race season.  Read the Notes page for more information and entry deadlines.  Be sure to \”Like\” the page while you are there and share a picture or a favorite story about Ace with us.

Let us know if you intend on competing for one of the awards by Jan 1st.  If you are interested in helping on the Scholarship Committee we would like to hear from you as well.   You can message us via the Facebook page.  All three track owners (Ron, Mark & Kelley) are Admins for the page and will have access to your messages. We also comprise the Scholarship Committee at this time.  We will need some volunteers to judge submissions so let us know if you want to help.  This is a wonderful opportunity for our young drivers and hope that everyone who is eligible will participate in the competition. 

It will also make for a great learning experience as part of your driver development program as well since you will most likely come across similar sponsorship programs (driver development programs, race vendor & product brand contests, etc) along your racing career.  The Driver 4 Diversity is one major program that comes to mind and is how Kyle Larson got his foot in the door of NASCAR.   So get that Race Resume ready and pick a meaningful race topic.  We can\’t wait to see your submissions.  If you need help, just ask.  I have several tools that will assist you in getting you race stats organized and they can be found on the FORMS page of the website.  Start with the Driver Notebook spreadsheet (I just re-posted it online this past week). 

Make Ace proud!!  I can\’t wait to see your media presentations and read your essays.  Awards will be paid to the winners before the season opener race date in 2017.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top