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Friends in Shock

 Photos Of John Bankston | A Celebration of the Life of John Bankston | Message Board  |  Friends in Shock  |  Sign Guest Book |  View Guest Book |  A Special Thanks | Links | Home

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MESSAGES THAT PEOPLE PUT ON THE HOSEHEADS MESSAGE BOARD. THESE MESSAGES WILL HELP US REMEMBER HOW KIND AND WARM  HEARTED A  PERSON HE WAS. IF YOUR POST IS ON HERE AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT REMOVED PLEASE EMAIL CAROL OR STEVEN OR IF YOU HAVE SOME STORIES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE PLEASE EMAIL US, OR PUT THEM ON THE MESSAGE BOARD HERE ON THIS SITE.

From: Michael Stephen Nelligan

 I can't believe it, why do these things have to happen and why to a man as good as this guy was?
John was the oldest Outlaw that ever lived, he chased races everywhere in the country, he was 'old school' and I loved him. He had a smile and a joke no matter what the situation and he was the smoothest man I have ever known with the ladies, a true southern gentleman. He was polite almost to a fault and when you were in his company you had fun, he made sure of it.
He had quick time at the Masters Classic about every year I was there and he either ran second or broke, he just couldn't win that dang race and he said he was gonna keep coming back to Knoxville 'till he did, he promised me that. He would gather up a few buddies and take 'em on a road trip, he'd race, Bobby Crafts would fix it and his buddies would wash it. Same routine, different track, they could care less, they were some good 'ol boys having fun like teenagers. Always sharing their thoughts with whomever stopped by, at the track or at the bar. He wore a rather old almost ancient drivers suit that I called 'Halloween' because it was orange and black, heck he had some thousand dollar ones made but rarely wore them. Didn't matter to him that Halloween was funny looking, it wasn't the suit that made ya' faster and this ain't no beauty contest either, he would say to me.
John had been very successful in the construction business in Beaumont, TX for many years and was gearing things down these days. I will never forget my first visit to his shop, a few years back. On my way there I stopped and visited the Saldana shop, Lasoski's, Randy Martin's and Gary Wright's and you could have put all their shops together inside of John's and still had room to spare, it sure helped being in the business he was in.
Here are a couple of things that you may not have known about John. He had two passions other than racing, Scuba Diving and Snow Skiing, true story. His office wasn't cluttered with racing memorabilia it had souvenirs of things he had picked up off the ocean floor and Group Photos with his snow skiing gang. If it was fun, John did it and had a ball doing it, this was a unique man and I will sorely miss him.
To his family, which I never knew and to all his many friends especially the guys on the crew and to Bobby Crafts my prayers and thoughts are with you.
I will close with a line from John that is appropriate I feel. As I mentioned earlier John was quite the ladies man and my girlfriend was one of his biggest admirers. One time a while back we walked up to him at East Bay in February having not seen him since the previous season. Kim greeted John before I did with something like 'Bankston, how the hell are you'? They hugged and he looked at her with that wonderful smile and said 'Miserable without ya'. Well Johnny boy as I type this last line in tears, I too am 'Miserable without ya'. Take It Easy.....

From Carol Morrow

Right Mike, we will be miserable without John Bankston. It is unbelievable that such a warm and caring person be taken from us like this. Oh how I will miss the twinkle in his eyes and that mischievous grin of his... and that wonderful deep voice. John also helped out many a young racer. He took pride in that, but never boasted about it. He was a friend to all. And to those of you who never met John, or never got to see him race... he was still in his prime, that is for sure. There was only one way with John on the track, flat out. And a truer gentleman would be hard to find ... altho', you'd see that sparkle in his eyes, and wonder what he was up to next. Oh how we in the Dallas area will miss John. Give 'em hell up there, John. (so to speak)

From: Michael Stephen Nelligan

Carol, I will never forget our first meeting at the Chili Bowl years ago, do you remember it? You were wearing a John Bankston T-Shirt and I asked you how much he paid you to wear it. I thought of you last night when I got the news and hope you will remember the good times spent with 'our buddy'. Take It Easy

From Joe a Racefan

John was a hell of a racer, and a genuinely good guy. I have a few pictures of him in a modified at Buffalo Park which will now have a place on my desk.

From John Robert Katich

I've had a chance to do some radio interviews and other media type things with J.B. the past couple of years and he was special. He always represented his sport with dignity and class, was always articulate and thoughtful. He never ducked a question, even during the most trying of times and always left you with a smile and "thank you".

He truly embraced life the way it should be and while we'll miss him, he leaves with our admiration for a life well lived

From Don Hubbard

I was very fortunate to know and watch John Bankston race and work. I recall and took photos of him trying to help Lanny Edwards get the devils bowl pits straightened out he worked on the roller rolling in the pits until they told him to get off and hot lap. he was a tremendous person on and off the race track. He will be missed. RIP John.

From Bud Wis errrrrr (SCFAN)

John was like wine. The older he got , the better he was becoming. In this day of high dollar and high pressure sprint car racing. John always had a smile on his face no matter what happen to him that night. I wish a lot of drivers would learn that.
RIP John...
And for the pit crew, or who ever towing the rig home. Our prayers go out to you. It must be the toughest thing in the world to-do that.

From Carol Morrow

Bud wis errrrr ... yes... I thought of that horrific task facing the crew, too. How difficult that must be. Everyone who knew John felt like a close friend of his. That was part of the warmth and charisma he projected.

Oh yes, Mike. I thought of that first meeting when I was reading the wonderful tribute you wrote about John. I wore his new shirt to an Indoor Soccer picnic Sunday... so everyone could see what a real sprint car was. And oh yes, Mike...many good memories with our buddy. Thanks for sharing some.

...and jrspeed, how right you are. John was a much overlooked great ambassador of our sport... our sport that can be so cruel at times.

From Brigitte Emick

We are deeply saddened by Johnny Bankston's death last night at Eldora. He ran the Florida Speed weeks every year and was always friendly and funny - a true southern gentleman. He said he was on his way from Texas to Knoxville and decided to stop at Eldora first. Johnny was telling his customary jokes in the pits earlier in the evening. We don't know whether he had a heart attack before he hit the wall, or exactly what happened. More details will be released as they become available. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends.

From Joe P racefan

I will remember him best as a modified driver at the now gone Big H Speedway in Houston....I was just a brat, but my Dad never had a bad thing to say about him as a racer or as a person.
Our prayers go out to the Bankston Family.

from Sidney Allen Long

How very, very sad. I was introduced to John last fall at Texas Motor Speedway and was impressed by what a truely nice gentleman he was. God speed, John Bankston....

From Rustin Nelson

It won't ever be the same at the Masters Classic -- RIP John

From Wino (Flipside)

Just got the word, to my friend John Bankston, you will be missed as a friend and racer by my whole family. Our prayers are with you and your race team Bobby and the rest. It is truly a saddened day for us. God Bless You All.......Tom Winegardner & family, #11 Sprinter, Eastbay FL

From Chris Calrk (sprint23)

This is going to be the hardest on me and my family. I am from Beaumont, Texas, and John and my dad were like best friends. I grew up around John. I can remember back in the 70's when he would bring his race car to the track in the back of a dump truck. I was so proud to see him finally doing what he loved, racing. And damn well I might add. John was like a second father to me, and always had a smile on his face. You will me missed "little buddy"

From Lyle Graham  

He was a really neat guy, and definitely a crowd pleaser. I remember watching him run his modified in Beaumont, and he would almost always show up late every week, but when he would go to get on the track the fans would cheer like you wouldn't believe. Everybody liked him.
I was glad to see him still competing with the all the top notch sprint car drivers. He never gave up, like a lot of drivers do when the Outlaws come to town.
I remember talking to him after I rode in the Dave Blaney two seat sprint car, at TMS this spring. I was telling him how much fun I had in the two seat car, and he said that he would sale me his one seater, and I really could have fun. He knew no way that I could afford his car. Me and my wife ended up watching the WoO main event that night from the top of his hauler...
Going to miss you John

From   Tommy James Spencer

John Bankston will definitely be missed, as he was a superb guy and an excellent racer. I'd like to add some comments about a race John was in last Saturday night at Houston Raceway Park. John started 3rd or 4th row and worked his way to the front, taking the lead towards the end of the race. Chris McDermott started 11th and raced into 2nd with 3 laps to go. On the final restart, John pulled away and won by half a straight. He was just too strong late in the race. On the cool down lap, Chris ran into the back of John's car on the front stretch as John was stopping for the winner's circle and Chris was trying to pick up some weight by driving through the mud. Afterwards in the pits, John and Chris were laughing about what happened and Chris told John he would buy him a new bumper. Of course, John dismissed that as unnecessary, and instead offered Chris a great deal on some tearoffs. How about that, a guy tears up John's race car after the race and all John could think to do was help him out. I will remember John for these acts of kindness, laughter, and generosity. We will miss him dearly!

From Michael Stephen Nelligan (MSPN)

John chose to hit the highway, he could have stayed and been a big time local racer but he loved a challenge. This guy was in his 60's, looked about 30 and never took a backwards step in his life. He was a role model and if everyone would tell a Bankston story we could easily set a record for posts but that's not important.
I sometimes wonder why I live the life I do chasing sprint cars around the country. Then John Bankston comes into the equation and it's so simple to figure out. Racers are among the better people on this planet and this guy was near the top of that heap.
Not seeing him at Osky is gonna be very difficult. A few years back he had one of the most spectacular crashes there I have ever seen, had it not been for a tree outside the track he would have landed on the road. He walked away from that laughing, on Monday I will be putting a plaque on that tree in Memory of him. Check it out and say a prayer for an old friend, Take It Easy....

From Stormi Renee Hood-Runkle

Sprint Car Racing brings us all great joy, but with that joy also comes sorrow. And last night at Eldora that sorrow came. We all lost a great driver, but for me I lost a great friend. Over the years Doug and I have become very good friends with John. I never thought I would meet someone who loved Sprint Car Racing, Bar BQ and dogs as much as I did, but I was wrong. When I showed up at his home in Beaumont in April of 1999 and saw those 8 dogs and a table full of Bar BQ, I could have sworn he was a man after my own heart, if I wouldn't have already found Doug. But Doug will tell you too, he thought I wasn't gonna leave that place! John's good nature didn't stop at home. He took it with him everywhere. I remember myself and a friend of mine Cyndi showing up in Phoenix February of 1998 with no hotel and rental car. Not to worry, John to the rescue! Not only did he give us a room and his car, he showed us a night out on the town us two girls will never forget. And he was sure one to BS a lot. I remember at Pike County in March of 1999 I had taken too much pain medicine after some dental work and was trying to sleep, but John refused to let me sleep, he told me I was tuff and to get up and walk it off. He made sure he, my dad and husband keep me awake. Needless to say my next night at Houston was a long one. But John said hey, at least I made you see a good race last night! He sure was stubborn in his own way, I guess that's what made him so special. I could keep going on and on, but you would be reading until midnight. Lets just all remember what a great person John was, not to mention one hell of a racer. Charlie, Prenist and all you guys hang in there. For John's daughter, son and family, your in our prayers. Thank You for letting me share this with you. I just wanted to let everyone know what a special person John was. I'm gonna miss ya Bankston...

From: Radiomandan

I am taking time out to say how wonderful it is to work with and around some of the best people in the world. I have done the announcing in Knoxville Radio since March, just before Mark Wilson left us. The support given to he and his family was unbelievable. I had the honor to announce John's name several times here this year, and am in awe at the support he received from all of you here at Hoseheads. You are all a class act! I have done sports for sometime now, and have never seen support like you fans give. If there were an award large enough to hand out, it would go to all of you Sprint Car Fans that define the word brotherhood. My hats off to you, every one of you! Take care....John...May God Be With You!