TRIBUTE
Carl Moyer
1941 – 2024
By Wes Buck
Carl Moyer , perhaps best known for Karl Chevrolet in Ankeny , Iowa , arguably the greatest Chevrolet dealership in the history of the world , gave me a chance when I didn ’ t deserve one . He gave me my first job in drag racing in the winter of 2004 and , honestly , nothing was ever the same after that . Prior to that moment , I ’ d worked at my dad ’ s repair shop , hauled lumber , started a U-Haul dealership , enrolled in junior college to pursue a degree in criminal justice , dropped out of college , sold auto and home insurance , painted industrial trailers , hauled pharmaceuticals , and had just re-enrolled in a different junior college to pursue a career in computer systems networking and taken a job at Menards before Carl rang my phone .
He offered me the proverbial keys to the castle and my dream job of being the general manager of a dragstrip . I was 21 years old . Way in over my head . But he told me one afternoon while I was standing outside of a classroom at Indian Hills Community College that he ’ d owned a dragstrip for better than a decade and always lost his ass , and if he was going to lose his ass he ’ d just as soon do it with someone who loved drag racing
the way he did . He gave me a house to live in , a brand-new truck to drive , a poverty-level salary , and the opportunity to make something happen at Eddyville Raceway Park in Iowa .
We put on the track ’ s first heads-up drag racing series ( five races ) and had more fun than should be legal . I made friends that season that will last a lifetime . I ’ d likely never have known Aaron Van Heel , Brian Carpenter , Mark Micke , Zach Barklage , Cody Barklage , Mark Barklage , John DeFlorian , Terry Murphy , Bruce Micetich , Jared Micetich , Mark Werdehausen , Mark Woodruff , Rock Carzoli , who has become one of my closest lifelong friends , and so many others without those five weekends in 2005 .
We hosted the inaugural Quick Performance World Fuel Altered Nationals that summer with Scott Galter at Nitro Madness Magazine , too . We did a drive-in movie night that weekend . It was lit .
I made friends with Jr . Dragster racers that I still talk to today – Robbie Massey , Chad Bacon , Kyle Kramer ... I ’ m looking at you .
We also hosted a half-dozen Midnight Madness events that year . I wish we had photos of this . The first one was our opening event of 2005 and I knew in my heart of hearts that it was going to be huge , but no one else on the staff liked the idea at all . About 10 p . m . that opening night , we had traffic backed up the interstate for miles – all young folks that wanted to come run heads-up , instant green , with no scoreboards . We ’ d managed to capture the interest of the local street racing contingent and we ran until 3 in the morning that fateful April night . It was epic . After that , Carl was on board with whatever I wanted to do .
I ’ d come up to the Des Moines area about once a month to meet with Carl for a “ check up from the neck up ” and he was always so insightful . He was an incredible mentor and friend and I ’ ll always be appreciative of the chance he took on me way back when . Plus , he had the first Pro Mod car that I ever laid eyes on and I ’ m still pretty fired up about that . For those wondering , yes , I immediately dropped out of college again , quit my job and went to work for Carl .
Moyer , who passed away September 28th , started his automotive career at a local Texaco station as a teenager , displaying cars for sale and honing his negotiation skills . By 19 , he had become the sales manager at a local Ford dealer . In 1978 , he opened Karl Chevrolet in a one-car showroom in Ankeny , Iowa . He grew it into Karl Auto Group , now comprised of 10 companies and more than 800 employees . His pro drag racing career ran from 1986 to 2000 . Moyer was also known for his philanthropic efforts in his community . DI
50 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 191