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[THE NEED FOR SPEED]
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St. Charles Race Car Driver Aims for Indy
Written by ZOË BUTLER
When Grant Palmer turned sixteen years old, he was given the choice of getting his first car or his first go kart. Having already raced for two years out of what is now World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, he went with the obvious choice at the time — the go kart.
“There’s some days my parents probably wish I chose the car, but they’re supportive of me,” the St. Charles resident says.
He credits this support, in part, to his dad’s experiences drag rac ing in the ’90s and his mom’s ob session with NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. Now twenty years old, Palmer has won a SCCA Super Tour FX class championship, and he recently competed in the 2020 British Racing and Sports Car Club FF1600 championship for Low Dempsey Racing.
The next step in his career, he says, is the Road to Indy.
“Right now, I’m in USF2000,” Palmer explains. “And we’re con sidered to be on a ladder system, where you work your way to the
Grant Palmer is a trying to climb the racing ladder. | COURTESY GRANT PALMER
top.”
The “top,” of course, is the Indy , the year old race at n dianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The road to that apex will require Palmer to first succeed in the to make it to the Indy Pro 2000 to make it to the Indy Lights to make it to the IndyCar Series.
“It’s a very historic race,” Palm er says of the Indy 500.
If he makes it, Palmer would be only the third lack race car driver to compete in Indy’s histo ry, and if he won, he’d be the first Black driver to do so. ust first want to be a race car driver,” Palmer says. “And then secondly, I want to be an inspira tion for a lot of people, someone that they can look up to.”
His current obstacle right now, though, is receiving the proper funding to get him there. In rac ing, drivers are responsible for providing the funding for their teams, which includes transporta tion, the use of the car, the team members and all other expenses. Currently, Palmer is saving up by teaching race car dri ing to kids and adults at the Gateway Kart plex within the World Wide Tech nology Raceway. He also started a GoFundMe with the goal of reach ing $200,000.
While the money is needed, Palmer’s focus is lasered in on the fundamentals of racing.
“I don’t really think about how fast I’m going,” Palmer says. “I just think about where to brake, where to turn in, how to pass.”
Asked if he ever gets scared, he shrugs.
“You don’t really have time to think about being scared,” Palmer says. “You’re just thinking about what you should do next.” n
[WRESTLING]
Rage in the Chase
Written by JAIME LEES
Billy Corgan is bringing wrestling back to the Chase Park Plaza. Yes, that Billy Corgan.
The Smashing Pumpkins singer has found ways to occupy his time since the crash-and-burn ending of the grunge era. In addition to continuing to work on music and spending time performing longass gigs in his Chicago-area tea shop, the frontman has also invested in wrestling. Big time.
He bought the National Wrestling Alliance in 2017, but he’s been a part of the wrestling business for a decade now. Corgan founded Resistance Pro Wrestling in 2011 and later became the president of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, but left the company just a few years later.
And now he’s bringing the National Wrestling Alliance to St. Louis for a fournight engagement at the Chase Park Plaza (212 North Kingshighway Boulevard, 314-633-3000) in the Central West End.
The Chase (which is now actually technically named the Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis) famously held wrestling events that aired on television station KPLR 11 from 1959 until 1983. The “Wrestling at the Chase” show was extremely popular and was hosted by various famous St. Louisans like Cardinal Joe Garagiola Sr.
The location of these new matches is sure to give St. Louisans a bit of déjà vu, too, because the events will be held in the Chase’s Khorassan Ballroom, just like they were back in the day.
“To be here, to celebrate this community, and to have this community celebrate our return after 37 years is truly special to us,” Corgan said during a recent press conference at the Chase.
This series isn’t all a nostalgia trip, though. The events will include the firstever all-women’s wrestling pay-per-view event and a celebration of the National Wrestling Alliance’s 73rd anniversary, or “NWA 73.”
Also of interest to locals: One of our own is a top contender for the NWA World Championship. So keep an eye out for Trevor Murdoch and make sure to cheer extra hard for our hometown guy, who the Riverfront Times has kept an eye on since 2012. The events at the Chase run from Wednesday, August 28, through Saturday, August 31. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. n
Billy Corgan at a news conference describes plans for the National Wrestling Alliance’s upcoming event at the Chase Park Plaza. | SCREENSHOT/NWA
