Midget Auto Racing Association

The original MARA series, known as the Midwest Auto Racing Association, was conceived in the summer of 1977 in Springfield, IL. Under the direction of its first President, Dean Helmick, and a six member Board of Directors, MARA sanctioned its first auto race that summer at the Champaign County Fair, Champaign, IL. At that event, which featured 27 competing drivers, the thrust of MARA originated. Only one more race would be held that first year, but from that basic beginning, MARA rose to the one of the top midget organizations in the United States.