Davenport Speedway announces eight more Hall of Fame inductees

Eight more inductees to the Davenport Speedway Hall of Fame have been announced.  The inductees were chosen through the work of the selection committee and the result from a fan vote.

Four from the pre-1970s era and four people from the post-1970 era were elected. Here are the individuals who have been inducted to the Hall of Fame for 2026:

Pre-1970 era:

RED DROSTE – Droste was a hard-nosed competitor from Waterloo, Iowa. Droste won at least one Davenport feature each year from 1963 to 1970, with 21 victories in total. Droste was a four-time late model track champion, and won the Tri-State Championship race five times. In 2018, he was inducted into the Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum.

RAY GUSS – Guss scored 14 late model wins at Davenport Speedway over his racing career. He stacked up those victories, despite rarely running a full season at Davenport. In 1981, Guss had six feature wins at the fairgrounds, including two where Ray Guss Jr. finished second. Guss posted his single biggest win at Davenport, in the 1974 National Dirt Track Championship race.

DEAN MONTGOMERY – Montgomery first raced at Davenport in 1960, with his first win in 1963. The majority of his seventeen Davenport wins would be between 1968 and ‘71. 1971 was Dean’s best season at Davenport, posting six feature wins and claiming the Late Model track championship. Montgomery also served as the flagman at Davenport in the early 80’s.

ERNIE SPETH – Speth was a part of the Davenport Speedway for more than 30 years. He scored three late model wins at Davenport, along with 12 Class B victories. His first win at Davenport came in 1953, the first year NASCAR sanctioned the track. Speth was also the NASCAR champion for the State of Iowa, in 1954.

Post-1970 era:

BOB DOMINACKI – Bob “the Dominator” Dominacki has 52 Davenport Modified wins, a number that may never be equaled. His five Late Model feature victories here include a NASCAR Busch All-Star Tour race. Dominacki posted Davenport wins in 22 different seasons and won four track championships. In 2025, he was inducted into the Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum.

PHIL ROBERTS – Roberts was a writer and radio announcer who put his talent into the sport he loved, auto racing. Roberts served several stints as track announcer at Davenport from 1978 to 2014. He also hosted the “Around the Track” radio show. Roberts served as public relations director for the NASCAR Busch All-Star Tour and the WDRL. For his contributions to motorsports, he was inducted into the Iowa Hall of Fame & Racing Museum in 2019.

MATT RYAN – Ryan started racing in the early 2000’s and posted his first Davenport win in 2007. To date, he has 25 late model feature wins at Davenport. His consistency has propelled him to six late model track championships. Ryan’s biggest win at Davenport came in the 2017 Rebel 5K. He also has one IMCA Late Model National Championship.

GIL SHORT – Short was an integral part of racing at Davenport Speedway for nearly 50 years. He was the founder and chief of Speedway Fire/Rescue, the organization which provided safety crews to Davenport Speedway and several other area racetracks. Short’s involvement in Speedway Fire/Rescue went beyond being a founder, an officer, and member. His former business, A-1 Fire Equipment of Davenport, was the primary sponsor of SFR since the early days of the organization.

“The Davenport Speedway Hall of Fame Selection Committee would like to thank all the great race fans that took the time to nominate or vote for the Hall of Fame. If your favorite driver did not get in, maybe it will happen next year,” the release says. The official award ceremony will be held at the racetrack awards banquet later this year. Visit

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