Photo Courtesy of Wisdom Race Photos
When Teddy Roosevelt said ‘Speak softly, but carry a big stick’ he might as well have been talking about Rex Nun. He wasn’t much for words, but he spoke loud and clear with his hands and right foot when he was on the racetrack. A carpenter and home builder from Lincoln, Neb., “The Flying Nun” racked up a lot of wins and traveled a lot of miles during his 26 years behind the wheel, racing on dirt ovals in Nebraska and all around the Midwest.
Although he raced for more than a quarter-century, his racing career didn’t start until 1973 when he competed in a Hobby Stock at Midwest Speedway for the first time just prior to his 31st birthday. On his second night out, he rolled it over in turn four. In his third night out, he won.
In 1974, he competed in both a Super Stock (now called Late Models) as well as a Supermodified Sprint Car, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors in the sprint car class at Midwest Speedway. In 1975, he moved full-time to racing his familiar red No. 0 Late Model, traveling to various tracks around the Midwest.
In 1980, he had one of his best season’s driving a much-feared blue ’69 Camaro for engine builder John Larson, winning 16 features that season while also competing on a limited schedule in his own Late Model.
Throughout the early 80s, he continued to race in multiple classes, even driving a Ford Falcon for Mel Richards that they towed all around America, including the World 100 at Eldora. But in 1985, Eagle Raceway added the IMCA Modified to its line-up and “Sexy Rexy” found the class of car that would be his mainstay for the next 15 years before retiring in 2000.
Among his accomplishments:
Five track championships, including three at Eagle Raceway.
103 career feature wins.
Winner of the Nebraska State Championship Race at Riviera Raceway in Norfolk, Neb., in 1980.
Three-time Modified main event qualifier at the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa.
Finished 8th in the NASCAR Grand American Modified Series points in 1992 (the division ran as a support class to the now-defunct Busch All-Star Series).
Plus many, many more.
Although it wasn’t his biggest money-maker, Rex’s most memorable win (as well as the most memorable for Beatrice Speedway fans) came in 1992 when Rex stunned NASCAR star Ken Schrader for the Modified feature victory in front of a packed Beatrice Speedway grandstand.
He is most proud of the family and friends that surrounded him during his racing years. His wife tagged along to every race, watching from the stands and cringing each time he laid a big kiss on yet another gorgeous trophy girl. His son, Jeff, was attracted to the media side of racing and is best known for starting the website WhoWon.com that most of us are all too familiar with.
Anybody who wanted to was invited to wrench on his cars, and it was working on the racecars of Rex Nun that helped launch the careers of drivers like Johnny Saathoff, Kevin Larkins and Matt Richards.
But to Rex Nun, perhaps his most coveted award still sits front and center on the mantle in his trophy room – a Most Popular Driver Award voted by the fans at Omaha’s Sunset Speedway in 1980. The runner-ups for the award that year: Joe Kosiski, Steve Kosiski and Bob Kosiski … at their hometown track.
Through it all, because of the great fans and fierce competition, Rex always listed Beatrice as one of his favorite places to race in the world.