Earl Gaerte may not have been a familiar face to millions of race fans, but he was one of the most important, most talented, most respected figures in the US racing industry during my time here at PRI, which has now passed the two-decade mark.
Years ago, Earl would hold an event called the Gaerte Gathering at his Gaerte Engines shop in Rochester, Indiana. He would invite vendors for his engines, and it would end up being a folksy, friendly business gathering with some serious movers and shakers in racing when it came to oval track parts. A man of few words, Earl always had that kind of drawing power in the racing industry.
When I arrived at PRI, Earl had THE engine for midgets. Through Steve Lewis’ Nine Racing...
