Gene Nolen was starting to think his career as a car owner would end without ever winning the annual Little 500.
Twenty-six years of numerous close calls at Anderson Speedway prepared the 75-year-old owner of Whiteland-based Nolen Racing for the inevitable disappointment.
Then it happened.
During Memorial Day weekend, California native Kody Swanson, one of Nolen’s three entrants, won the event in thrilling fashion on the quarter-mile asphalt oval by taking the lead for good with three laps remaining.
Nolen, the sentimental choice whose kindness and generosity are well known in racing circles, was finally on top.
“It was a constant thing (afterward) where people would come up and talk to me and congratulated me. I don’t think anybody was mad that I won the race,” Nolen said with a smile. “It’s hard to explain the feelings you have.
“I was happy for me, but I was happy for my crew, too, because these guys have been with me a long, long time.”
Swanson’s two-second victory was one of the closest finishes in the 70-year history of the race.
Climbing from his car after the race, Swanson, 30, who lives in Indianapolis, said the look on Nolen’s face made all the hard work worth it.
“That made it that much more special,” Swanson said. “It was just neat to team up with him and be able to give him his first Little 500 win. To see the pure joy and excitement, that took it up a level.
“Gene’s commitment to short track racing is something that stands out. It makes it fun to go out and do well for him.”
Nolen, a 1961 graduate of Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, helped found Manar Inc., a custom plastic injection molding company, in 1974. The company has manufacturing plants in Indiana, Tennessee and China.
His wife, Rosie, passed away in 2005.
Aside from the couple’s two grown children and four granddaughters, racing is Nolen’s love. The current Nolen Racing lineup features four drivers — Swanson, Jerry Coons Jr., Shane Hollingsworth and Chris Windom.
“In my race business, the most important thing is to go out and have fun with the people,” Nolen said. “If it wasn’t fun, or I didn’t find enjoyment in it, I wouldn’t do it.
“In the last couple, three years, I’ve mellowed out a whole lot. I think everyone always enjoyed driving for me. (Tony) Stewart drove for me, Johnny Parsons drove for me, and Jimmy Keeker was one I really enjoyed driving for me. I’m still good friends with everyone who did drive for me.”
Hollingsworth, a Lafayette resident, finished third that magical evening at Anderson Speedway, making his car owner’s night that much more special.
Nolen estimates he’ll spend a little more than $200,000 this season, while bringing in around $75,000. Such disparity wouldn’t seem to make the investment worthwhile, but Nolen’s passion for racing and all it entails makes it worth it.
“I enjoy racing. If it wasn’t that I enjoyed it so much, it probably wouldn’t be worth it,” Nolen said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to make decent money all my life, but I’m going to have to slow down, I think.”
Whether this eventually means fewer cars, drivers or races remains to be seen. Either way, Nolen Racing’s 5,500-square-foot garage will still be owned and operated by the white-haired gentleman with the quick smile and firm handshake.
The guy who just won the Little 500.
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Owner: Gene Nolen
Address: 121 Crossroads Drive, Whiteland
Drivers: Jerry Coons, Jr. (Silver Crown, asphalt sprint, dirt sprint); Chris Windom (Silver Crown, asphalt sprint, dirt spring), Shane Hollingsworth (asphalt sprint) and Kody Swanson (asphalt sprint)
Contact: Linda Mansfield at 317-201-0729 or [email protected]
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