Over the past eight weeks, open-wheel racing has lost four notable participants and contributors to the sport’s legacy. They may not be household names to some of the NSSN readership, but they all have had important roles in our sport. I feel fortunate to have known these individuals.
They are: Mel Cornett, Roger Feege, Jerry Karl and Butch Dahlke. 
After a solid start to his career in the Badger midgets, Cornett ventured into USAC and ran various divisions during the glory days in the late 1960s and early ’70s. Ten of his career midget-feature victories came driving for Ralph Wilke; only six other drivers have won more midget features for the Wilke family. The quiet Cornett, who hailed from Milwaukee, will forever be the answer to a trivia question as the last driver to win a USAC National Sprint Car feature with an Offenhauser engine, winning in 1974 at Terre Haute.
Cornett also managed to complete 46 miles in two Indy Car races at the Milwaukee Mile, using outdated Indy Car equipment. After his retirement from the sport, Cornett operated a long-haul trucking operation from Milwaukee and then Cincinnati. I have fond memories of stories Cornett shared over a beer in Milwaukee or at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway.
Feege, was a long-time fan before spending dollars for a few seasons as car owner. A commercial pilot for Eastern Airlines, he took a spin at driving well past his 50th birthday for a few years. During his rookie season in 1987, he accomplished his greatest feat. Feege declared before the Aug. 2 feature at Angell Park, “My racing goal is to lead a feature.” After starting on the pole, Feege drove his best-career lap, crossing the line in first, seconds later the dream lap ended in the first turn wall. Feege then spent many years helping various drivers and teams and enjoying racing around the country as a fan.   
Karl was the best known of the quartet. I met him only a few times, once as child and then a few times in recent years at trade shows or race events. In an era of drivers owning and towing their own equipment to events, Karl fit the image of the hands-on driver of the ’70s.
Always running equipment two-to-four years behind the current season, Karl managed several good performances, but most of his 76 career Indy Car starts ended with a long list of DNFs: broken piston, oil leak, cut tire, ignition, valve spring, etc. Karl and a group of his peers were always available at the last minute to run any car that showed at the track. His brilliant run in second place and battle with Mario Andretti until the final 20 miles in November 1980 at PIR upset many CART owners, and the next year, the stock-block engine was hampered by rules set forth by the rich car owners.
Dahlke gathered much of his enjoyment of competing in midgets by building many of his own chassis and engines. Always the advocate for the small under-funded teams and drivers, he gave countless drivers their first or only shot at midget racing. His 13 one-year terms as president of the Badger series are the most in the organization’s 72-year history. As president and a competitor, Dahlke always lobbied for what was best for the organization, then what might benefit him afterwards. 
In their own ways, all four had important roles in various capacities in our sport, and all enjoyed at least a few moments in the spotlight. For the most part, they truly loved the sport and just wanted to be a part of it. I will miss all four. Perhaps I am getting old, but it’s a far cry from most of today’s sport, in which too many drivers are worried about the next level, becoming somebody’s developmental driver and feeling the need to send out a press release after every top-10 finish.