FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Must See Racing Sprint Car Series regular Charlie Schultz, one of the longest-tenured go-kart racers at the Rumble in Fort Wayne, was presented with the event’s highest honor during opening ceremonies on Saturday night.
Schultz was named as the recipient of the sixth annual David Lesiecki Award for Untiring Dedication and Devotion to Motorsports, recognizing the Lorain, Ohio veteran’s longtime commitment to both the Rumble itself and short-track auto racing as a whole.
The award was created in 2014 to honor the late Lesiecki, who passed away prior to that year’s Rumble and was instrumental in the operation and success of the quarter midget class at the event for many years.
Lesiecki‘s widow Diana and sons A.J. and Jonathan, who raced 600cc micro sprints at the Rumble for many years, have remained an active part of the Rumble community and the event’s operational success.
Diana has maintained the quarter midget program behind the scenes since David’s passing with help from 2018 Lesiecki Award recipient David Ebert, while A.J. and Jonathan transitioned over to lead the technical inspection side of the micro sprint program this year instead of racing in their own rights.
Much as they’ve continued to give their time and efforts to the Rumble, the Lesiecki family wanted to honor Schultz for doing the same and continuing to give back to the sport in numerous ways.
“My dad lived by a motto of the three Ds: determination, dedication and discipline, and this year’s recipient falls under all three of those,” noted A.J. Lesiecki. “Dedication, because he’s been with Larry Boos’ show longer than most in this building, from the Marion days to the Columbus shows to the Fort Wayne shows, to even running in 600s and at Toledo; he definitely falls under that category. Discipline, because my father always put new kids in quarter midgets if they wanted to give racing a try, and Charlie is constantly molding the younger generation and helping people learn the skills of racing fabrication. Multiple people, including myself and my brother, have come through under his guide.
“And determination, because there’s not a harder guy to race against or beat than Charlie Schultz when you’re beside him or chasing him on the race track,” Lesiecki added with a laugh. “We’re truly honored to recognize him for all he’s done in racing and at this Rumble, and to present him with this year’s David Lesiecki Award. He deserves to be right alongside the five previous recipients of my father’s award.”
Schultz is a past go-kart feature winner at the Rumble and earned a top-five finish on Saturday night in the Senior Caged division.
He was blown away, however, at being recognized by the Lesiecki family – who he’s known and remained friends with for many years – in such a manner as he was during the Rumble finale.
“Receiving this was definitely a surprise. I really had no idea it was coming,” Schultz admitted. “We were downstairs and everyone was like, ‘Come on, let’s go upstairs for opening ceremonies,’ and we were standing over (in turn four) watching and listen to A.J. talk, and he was getting pretty choked up, which I can definitely understand. But when they called my name, it definitely took me by surprise.
“David was a very close friend, almost like a second dad to me. We had our fights, and we had arguments, but he was the guy that would go out of his way, not just for me … but for anybody in racing,” Schultz recalled. “He got so many kids started in quarter midgets and just gave them an opportunity to get that spark for racing ignited, to love the sport like he did. He did so much for me that to this day I still run a sticker in memory of David Lesiecki on my kart and my other race cars.
“It means a lot just to receive this award. I love the Lesiecki family and this is a really special moment for me.”
Past recipients of the David Lesiecki Award include John Ivy (2014), Doc Hathaway (2015), Larry Cleveland (2016), Joe Liguori (2017) and David Ebert (2018).