Ernest Vigil Derr (October 29, 1921 – January 8, 2014) was an American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

driver. He won 12

International Motor Contest Association The International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) was organized in 1915 by J. Alex Sloan, and is currently the oldest active auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. IMCA is currently headquartered in Vinton, Iowa, and features s ...

(IMCA) Stock Car championships, made one start in the

NASCAR Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

, and won eleven

ARCA Racing Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...

races. Along with

Dick Hutcherson Richard "Dick" Hutcherson (November 30, 1931 – November 6, 2005) was an American businessman and a former stock car racer. A native of Keokuk, Iowa, Hutcherson drove in NASCAR competition from 1964 to 1967. He won 14 races, finishing runner-up ...

Ramo Stott Ramo Stott (April 6, 1934 – August 19, 2021) was an American stock car racing driver from Keokuk, Iowa. He competed in NASCAR Winston Cup, USAC stock car, and ARCA. He was a 2011 inductee in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Career ...

and Don White, Derr was a member of the "Keokuk Komets", a collection of racing drivers from

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

Racing career

After watching brother-in-law Don White race in the late 1940s, Derr began his racing career in 1950. Earning his reputation mainly on half-mile dirt tracks, Derr won his first

championship in 1953, and won four consecutive IMCA championships between 1959 and 1962. He also ran one

race in 1953, at Davenport, and dabbled in the

(then the Midwest Association for Race Cars), notching six wins in 1955 and eleven career wins. He picked up factory backing from

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

in 1963, but switched to

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

support the following year and stuck with them through 1970. Derr also claimed seven consecutive IMCA championships from 1965 to 1971. During his later years, Derr transitioned more to

USAC Stock Car The USAC Stock Car division was the stock car racing class sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC). The division raced nationally; drivers from USAC's open wheel classes like Indy cars, Silver Crown, sprints, and midgets frequently comp ...

racing. He retired from racing after the 1977 season, running his last race at

Knoxville Raceway Knoxville Raceway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile dirt oval raceway (zook clay) located at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, United States. Races at the "Sprint Car Capital of the World" are held on Saturday nights from April through ...

. He said that his only regret in racing was not running more

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

races during the sport's formative years. At the end of his career, Derr had 328 IMCA wins, a record that stood until 2005.

Personal life

Derr served in the

6th Armored Division The 6th Armored Division ("Super Sixth") was an armored division of the United States Army during World War II. It was formed with a cadre from the 2nd Armored Division. History The division was activated on 15 February 1942 at Fort Knox o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Before racing full-time, Derr was an automotive parts worker. After retiring from racing, Derr became a property manager in

. His son Mike was also an IMCA racer, and at the time of his death, Ernie had been married to his wife Marianna for 67 years. He died at his home on January 8, 2014.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

Grand National Series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Derr, Ernie 1921 births 2014 deaths NASCAR drivers Racing drivers from Iowa People from Keokuk, Iowa