Robel makes final appearance at Wilmot Speedway

August 26, 2000 - Bob made his final appearance at the track IRA called home for many years, Wilmot Speedway, as he continues his "Bye Bye Barney” Tour. After the races, he took time to visit with fans who have been cheering him on for decades. Bob and Evie will surely miss the track they spent many a Saturday night at. However, as the end of the season draws near, Bob feels even more confident in his decision to retire. "Ya, its time," was his most recent reply when asked if he was sure he was ready to retire. However, don't be surprised to see Bob and Evie back at the track in the near future as their grandson Jason makes plans to begin his own racing career.

IRA looses one of their own.

August 6, 2000 - It was a very somber day on the road with the IRA this past Sunday. Wayne Daun, father of IRA driver Todd Daun, passed away Saturday night in his sleep. The members of the Robel Racing team would like to express our most sincere condolences to Todd and the rest of the Daun family. He will be sorely missed at the track each and every week. The wake for Wayne Daun will be held at the Praseki Funeral home in Kenosha, WI (3720 39th Ave) on Thursday, August 10th from 5pm to 8pm. The Funeral home is located East of Green Bay Rd across from the Bradford High School. The funeral for Wayne will be held on Friday, August 11th at 11am.

Robel forced to use steel motor at Knoxville.

May 21, 2000 - Bad luck struck the Robel Racing operations Friday night before the big event a Knoxville. Since blowing his primary motor at Attica, OH two weeks prior, Bob and his engine builders, Warren Automotive, have been frantically trying to get it rebuilt. With last week's event being rained out, everyone thought Bob would have the primary motor ready for Knoxville and could safely put his "old faithful" steel motor back on the shelf. However, on Friday night, Bob and a few member of his crew were checking out the newly rebuilt motor and determined that it still had a few problems with it and wouldn't be ready for the Knoxville show forcing Bob to run his steel motor for the night. All signs point to both of Bob's aluminum motors being ready by the end of the week, in time for the double header this weekend at Powercom Park and Hales Corners.

Robel to have new motor for Knoxville/ Hardin
to provide live updates again.

May 14, 2000 - The bad weather this weekend was actually a blessing in disguise for Bob. He suffered extensive engine failure last weekend at Attica and was trying to have the engine rebuilt this past week, but delays in receiving parts kept that from happening. He had also not fully rebuilt his spare aluminum engine because it was early in the year and no one expected his engine to let go on the second night of racing. Becaues of all this, he was forced to put an old steel motor in the car, adding a significant amount of weight to the car. The extra week will give Bob plenty of time to get both aluminum motors completed for the big event at Knoxville.

Steve Hardin to provide live updates of this Saturday's event

May 2, 2000 - For the first time in the history of the Interstate Racing Association, Steve Hardin will provide live, up-to-the-minute updates of Saturday night's event at Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, MI. To follow all of the action Saturday night, go to Steve's web page at http://www.stevehardin.com/ira04600.htm. A few other simulcasts are scheduled for later in the year. Check out all Steve has to offer at http://www.stevehardin.com.

Robel ready to begin "Bye, Bye Barney Tour."

April 6, 2000 - With just over one week left until the 2000 season begins, Bob has his car just about ready. Most of the car has been reassembled after the long winter break. He expects to push-off this weekend for the first time to double check everything. Bob's painter, Gary Timmel, is finishing up the painting duties this week. He is also the person that has dubbed Bob's last year on the IRA circuit the "Bye, Bye Barney Tour." Those of you who have followed Bob over the years know that the cartoon character Barney Rubble has appeared in some way on every car Bob has driven. During his career, many of his fans, especially the younger ones, always looked for "the Barney car" week in and week out. As Bob makes his final appearance at the various tracks this year everyone is welcome to visit with Bob before and after the races to say "bye bye to barney." If you can't make it to the races, you can leave your goodbyes in our guestbook.

Crew back to full strength as Bob readies for his final season.

March 3, 2000 - Preparations continue on the #3R sprinter in order to have it ready for opening night, April 16th. With little over a month to go, it looks like Bob and the crew will have the car ready to roll opening night. Several off-season purchases have improved Bob's equipment which should let him be even more competitive this year. It looks like his crew will be back to full strength as well. Jason and Brian have almost completely recovered from their accident, and all signs point to a full recovery. See you at the track soon!

Robel to have new frame for 2000 season.

February 2, 2000 - Bob will be sporting a new frame for the 2000 season. Last Wednesday Bob purchased an Eagle chasis to run this year. New rule changes by several sanctioning bodies necessitated the change. With the IRA running new co-sanctioned events this year, Bob felt it was time to update his chasis. This will allow him to compete at every event this year. He is also continuing to ready the rest of the car for the upcoming season. Several offseason purchases, including the new chasis should help him be even more competitive in the upcoming season. Stay tuned for further updates.

Injured members of Bob's pit crew continue to improve
after their Christmas time accident.

January 30, 2000 - Jason and Brian Johnson continue to improve after their pre-Christmas accident. Both were injured in a two car accident the Sunday before Christmas. Both have since been released from the hospital and are steadily getting back to normal. Jason's broken bones have almost healed and should be back to normal very soon. Brian is also recovering without too much difficulty. So far he has not had a great deal of long term problems associated with his head injury. He continues to have vision problems, but most of his other injuries have healed. Although it will still be some time before both are completely healed, they both plan to be back in the pits right along side Bob when the season starts. Rumor has it that Jason is even begging his grandfather to let him take over the driving duties after he retires this year. Stay tuned to see what develops with that situation.

The Interstate Racing Association announces its 2000 schedule.

January 29, 2000 - Steve Sinclair, president of the Interstate Racing Association, recently announced the schedule for the upcoming 2000 season. The schedule includes visits to several new tracks, including Dubuque Fairgrounds, Dubuque, IA, Attica Raceway Park, Attica, OH, and Powercom Park (formerly Beverdam Raceway Park), Beaverdam, WI. They will also make another trip to the famed Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, IA. During the season they will visit a total of 16 different tracks, with several return appearances. It promises to be an exciting season. Bob plans to attend every race this season. You can follow all the action right here on the Robel Racing website. We will have all the results with emphasis on Bob's progress through his final season in racing. Check out the complete schedule to see when the Interstate Racing Association will be in your area.

Two of Bob's crew members critically injured in two car accident.

December 19, 1999 - Sunday, December 19th, Jason Johnson and Brian Johnson, two members of Bob Robel's pit crew and his grandsons, were severely injured in a car accident near the intersection of Hwy Q and Hwy 83 in Washington County. The two brothers were traveling on Hwy 83 approaching the intersection when the driver of a red SUV failed to stop at the stop sign on Hwy Q. They struck the other drivers vehicle in the driver side causing both vehicles to leave the road. Both Jason and Brian were knocked unconscious, with only Jason regaining consciousness at the scene. Both brothers were air lifted by flight for life to Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee in critical condition. The extent of Jason's injuries were not as severe and he was soon upgraded from critical condition with a broken foot, broken nose, and several other minor injuries. He required surgery to correct the broken foot and nose. Brian, however, was not so lucky. He remained unconscious and in critical condition with a head injury, broken jaw, and several broken bones in his face. Brian remained in a coma for about 12 hours. However, before he emerged from the coma, he required surgery to remove a blood clot that was forming on his brain. After several days in the Neuro ICU, Brian continued to recover and was down graded to stable condition. At the time of this article, both Jason and Brian were recovering in the hospital and hoped to be discharged soon.

Viewed as the ageless veteran, Bob announces that the
2000 season will be his last.

December 19, 1999 - Bob Robel, the ageless sprint car veteran and past IRA champion, has announced that he will retire after the 2000 racing season. After 47 seasons, Bob is ready for a break. Bob has been with the Interstate Racing Association since its creation and was the series champion in 1978. During his tenure as a driver on the circuit, Bob holds several series records and has remain among the top driver, never finishing out of the top 20 in points. When asked about his decision to make 2000 his last season, Bob replied, "Evie (his wife) told me if I ever wanted to retire from brick laying, I had to quit racing first. At 61, I'd like to retire from work soon." Fans will surely miss the familiar image of cartoon character Barny Rubble that has been found on everyone of Bob's cars. Bob plans to spend his extra time after racing at Evie and his vacation home in Tomohawk, WI. Look for one of Bob's grandsons, or even his great-grandson to continue the family pastime in the future.

For a complete listing of Bob's career highlights visit the driver page on this site.