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Today is the 11-month mark since my best friend and husband left to meet his Maker and be with all those who have passed before. It doesn't seem real. The mere thought of breathing, eating and sleeping seemed impossible in the beginning but yet here we are at 11-months.

I'm sitting here reminiscing about the 22-years I was blessed to have spent with him, all that he endured while battling cancer for 20-years, his quirky sense of humor, that ornery smile and all that he accomplished in his short 42-years here on earth.

All of this got me thinking about when/how each of you might have met Bill? If you didn't have the opportunity to meet him, how did you come to find IOW?

I look forward to the stories! The funnier the better!

Mrs G

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I thank Fred Zirzow, every time we cross paths, from when we met at Quality Inn Tulsa in 2007!!..for letting me know what a great site "IndianaOpenWheel.com" had become for Racer's updates & results!!..thanks again Fred!!..the big Thank You goes to the Gardners for "IOW"!!..and to all who make this the best Racin site out here!!.....
______________
Brucer':32:

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I met Bill at a track I still call IRP. D.O. introduced us and we took it from there.

I recall an ISW race at Lawrenceburg. I was in Section A with Marv and his gang of elderly ne'er do wells. Bill was sitting a few rows ahead of me. Between races someone told Bill that the website had crashed and wasn't working. Bill threw up his hands and said something like, "Oh well. Nothing I can do about it." He knew even then what was and was not important.

I still roam the pits at LPS and think of the golf cart from where Bill surveyed the scene. He seemed to know that a lot of the things we complain about paled in comparison to what really matters.

With other friends and family, Bill is one that I miss at any bullring.

And with that, it's time to pick up a little boy who was just barely getting to know Bill when he passed away. The boy and I are headed to Kokomo. Somehow I think Bill would find that fitting.

Miss you buddy and think about the strong lady that stayed with you to the end and beyond.

DB

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While we ran into Bill from time to time at the track, we always knew where his passion was... in open-wheel racing. While we didn't see him as much as we'd like to have in person, he was never more than an email away! He was a huge supporter of The Prelude To the Dream event at Eldora Speedway and was always willing to help Tony, Eldora & the team promote the event on this board & site. His love for the sport and the people in it will help his memory live on. Thanks to you, Mrs. G, for keeping the board going -- we think of you, Bill and your family often.

I met Bill at Putnamville. He was driving around in his golf cart talking to all the competitors. He was always very gracious when I had questions. He was the best friend a racer could have.

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I used to go to that other board to post and I made several friends there. One of those friends, Lauren Besecker, posted on there that there was another racing message board that was much better than that one. One that was better moderated and had less name calling, disrespectful posting, etc. than we were used to on the other one. I came here (USACFans.com at the time) and started posting and have never even thought of going back to the other one. After a couple of months here I got a friend request from Bill and shortly after that a PM with his phone number telling me I should give him a call. We talked for quite a while that day and were friends from that day on. I would have no way of counting the hours and hours he and I would talk over the years, after that. Through the ups and downs of this terrible disease, Bill taught me so much about appreciating life and I take a lot less things for granted, than what I did before knowing him. And I always knew if I wanted an honest answer to a question, the type of question that others might just tell me what they thought I wanted to hear, I could ask him. Because if Bill was anything, he was brutally honest. He was funny as hell, too. No matter what it seemed like he was up against, he could always find some humor in it. And I always respected the fact that Bill never used IOW to draw attention to himself. He could have had his name all over the site, but never did. He always said IOW is about the people that post here. Like you said, Shondra, It's hard to believe it's been 11 months.

Jerry

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I never had the pleasure of meeting Bill, but I so admired his work with the forum. It required a strong, yet gentle, hand to keep this bunch in line.

___________
Wes Stafford

I had just recently discovered IOW (had a different name then ;-) ) and when Hayden pulled into Eldora shortly after that with Bill on the wrenches, I beat it down to the pits to look him up. Had to love the guy from that day on. Brian was running really strong that day and it looked for several laps like he might get that USAC feetch win with his buddy Bill standing on top of the hauler waving him on. It was not to be but they became my favorite team up until Brian's accident at Haubstadt which then became scarily serious at Lawrenceburg in the next race. Didn't get to see Bill as often as I would have liked after that, but when I did he always had me laughing and serving as an inspiration to me. Never had the pleasure of meeting you Mrs. G. but know this....if I can ever be of assistance to you from here in the 'Burg or elsewhere, I'm at your disposal.

What started off as a very emotional day, ended with several smiles thanks to each of you that replyed!

Bruce - I'm very thankful that Fred sent you our way!

Misha - I hope you know the site continues to be a supporter of The Prelude and TSR!

Danny/Jerry - I hope you know exactly how much your friendship meant to Bill and how thankful I am for the both of you!

Lisa - The gift of speech or BS and socializing were definitely two of his many strengths!

Wes - As Jerry said, IOW is about the people that post!

Marv - Unfortunately, the early years of Bill's racing days I was busy traveling the state playing softball. This prevented me from visiting the various tracks with Bill. I'm sorry to say that I've never been to Lawrenceburg but I plan on changing that this year!

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I was introduced to Bill at LPS by Danny Burton ,who also introduced me to this site,and I feel very fortunate for meeting Bill,who was as fine a person as I have ever met.

Mrs. G,
I believe I first met you at a softball field in Greencastle in late 1990's before I met Bill. Bill was a smart and enthusiastic guy I had the pleasure of becoming friends with not long after my brother & I started our welding business building DYNAMITE RACE CARS and when our shop was in Coatesville, IN Bill helped us with building Sprint Car chassis and made our first ever website probably a couple years before this awesome forum came to fruition. I'm looking forward to being at LPS Friday and sporting my IOW shirt.
Danny Williams, Jr.

I meet Bill at Eldora, I walked into Brian Hayden's trailer in the pits and ask him for an autograph, he looked at me for second with Brian's typical "what" look, and then I said, not yours, I want Bill's!

Brian laughed and said "you too, everybody wants Bill's autograph and I can't even get a speeding ticket to sign"!

Thoughts and prayers for your continued strength Mrs G.

Chris,

I was there that night and it was the highlight of the night. We still laugh about how Brian reacted! Bill never let him live that one down!

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I've known the family since Bill & his brother were little. His dad was my favorite teacher,,,man,,didn't want to make him mad !

When I discovered this site, and confirmed that I was talking to THE Bill Gardner. Told him I remembered he and is brother playing basketball at the " Putnamville Pavillion " ( gravel lot where the school once was )..

His comment was something about my age ( old ),,,I had to agree.

I,,,along with many others ,,,were concerned this site would also be taken away from us.
Everytime I log on, or see an IOW logo....Bill & that smile are there.

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I can not say that I knew Bill well; I only met him briefly at LPS when a fellow IOWer (not sure who it was now) introduced me to him. In another sense, I feel I knew him well because of the IOW website, and before that USACFans.com. Because of Bill, I have met and become friends with many fellow race fans. IOW is a part of my life each day. I never fail to visit this site multiple times each day. It has proven invaluable in providing info on weather on race days, and updates by dedicated fans at races that I am unable to attend. Bill may no longer be here physically, but he lives on through this website.

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Mrs G, I can't begin to tell you how your reply to my post made me feel. I guess mixed emotions is as close as I can get. Knowing that you remembered that story, and that it brought joy to Bill, made me smile and brought tears to my eyes all at the same time.

Bill has done so much for the racing family, knowing that I may have caused him to chuckle over that just makes me feel good all over. Thank you for letting me know that part of the story. Here is a picture of Bill coming out of Brian's trailer that day at Eldora.
I will never forget getting to meet him.

Chris "Panama" Judah

http://i1335.photobucket.com/albums/...psxmsahfnj.jpg

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I too have to credit Danny Burton with not only directing me to this site, but to also introducing me to Bill at LPS in 2012 during midget week. It was a real pleasure to get to meet him. I've not been back out to Indiana since, but I'll be back this week and at LPS on Friday.

Never got to meet bill but was told about this site by my Indiana friend's,I alway's enjoyed reading about him and got to keep up on his (to short ) journey thru life. I get to keep up on everything even when I'm so far away . I alway's enjoyed the picture of all his friend's at LPS telling him he was number one! 😀thank's for everything

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Can't say if I ever met Bill only been to ISW once so far, in 2013. I found this site when looking up info for our trip out to ISW. I can say I got lots of help and answers to all kinds of questions. Being from Pa this is my life line to USAC and all the wingless racing news. And the interesting thing this is the only racing site I use, because it is a great one.

So thanks Bill for getting this started. :22:

I got to lps and bill was selling iow t-shirt and I said that I have to go meet him and grab a shirt and he said what is your name on iow and I said I love dirt track racing and he said I do too and he thanked me for the posts and I am proud to be a member of the iow website. Thanks alot mrs g.and will make it up your way to meet you at lps this weekend with my iow shirt on. Thanks

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I met Bill at a PRA race at Illiana in 2006, if I remember correctly. He asked me to post photos. I told him I'll have to learn, I've just gone digital. He told me to figure it out and that I need a website. I listened, and because of him I also have a website.

I really miss the guy. There was no bullsh*t with him, and you knew where you stood. There aren't many around like that anymore.

Now the story, and it isn't about me, but about Mrs.G . Not to embarrass her, but if you know her, she's very pretty. Bill and I were talking at Putt one day , and I said," Bill, you sure married up". He looked at me and replied," Chris , I knew nothing that good looking was coming my way again, so I better not let her get away". He didn't let her get away, and boy did he love her.

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bill was a sprinter in high school and belive it or not he was pretty fast. of course that was 75lbs ago and 20 years lol. one day we were in the shop razzing each other like we always did he told me he could beat me any day any time. well it was on i told him lets go right now so we went outside the race was down the drive into the back yard around the swing set and back. so we lined up still passing verble abuse lol. cinder give us the start command we took off as we went from the rocks to the grass (when i tell the story we were neck and neck when bill told it he had a step on me) anyway from the rock to the grass i got loose spun out and went down bill is still running and i can hear him chuckle i got back up and took off after him as he rounded the swing set he pulled a hammy this was my bigh chance as he is running now holding his leg i was gaining on him as we get close to the finish line i passed him. then we go back in the shop both off us hurting laughing thinking that we probably shouldnt have done that. but im sure glad now that we did its one of my favorite memorys. i loved that jack wagon and miss him every day

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Chris,

You are way too kind! It was the Gardner charm, as he would often refer to it, that sucked me right in!

I don't even remember what year Bill started the online racing league, probably 1999 or 2000, and started the original message board for us to use. I was 13 or 14. We were the two using the keyboard to race!! Haha it's still crazy to think what it turned into from that.

I can't recall the exact time when I met Bill in person, but he was a big influence on me in the early 2000s. He probably thought of me as a huge annoyance, especially back then. But he was always helpful to me and reassuring that following my passion would not lead me wrong.

In the last five years or so, I would hear from him every time I hit a new track he liked or wanted to visit, or same from a new ballpark. I always loved to talk big ideas with him, or just road trips and the thought of sprint cars at this track or that track. He is a big reason why we went to Deer Creek in Minnesota last year, and I wish he could have been there.

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I don't remember actually meeting Bill, I just kind of knew him from working at Kokomo in the 90's, when Bill was helping Brian. I was late to the internet thing, and didn't realize he was the guy doing this site until we talked at the HARF banquet. Shortly before he passed we talked in PM's a lot,and I feel like that is when we really got close. Always thought he was a class act. Thank you for keeping this going. I hope we don't drive you too crazy.

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Probably meet Bill in 2010 or so when we came back to race at LPS. I was always telling him how much better Modifieds were then sprint cars. Even got him to start a Modified section on here for a while. Funniest story I have is the first year of the Smack down we were on the Phone talking and I said can't believe Paragon is the only track racing and we kinda laughed and I said it was the B team race or something like that He said here I just made a new profile name for you and password get them fired up on IOW and know one will know its you. So I got on and posted something about them running and he called me back and we laughed as people were getting pissed. That was his sense of Humor. On a serious Note I spent hours on the phone with Him when we found out Katie had Cancer and he helped more then he will ever know thru that for a couple of years. I told him when we knew his time was coming I wanted a picture in Victory lane with him I tried like hell get that and never got it done. He told Me he doesn't do pictures anymore but said he would be honored to get one with me there. Love and Miss that Jackwagon

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I never met him but shared a few e-mails, I lost my wife unexpectedly last Mar 10, the 26th would have been or 38th anniv. You have my sympathy

The night in Minnesota when we hit the Walmart at midnight after our first race to grocery shop for our week at Deer Creak Speedway. That was hilarious to see Bill loading up on Oreos and any other cookie he walked past. We filled 2 carts and ran up a $300+ tab for the 4 of us. An awesome trip that will always be one to put a smile on my face.

Ill try to make this short, I've know Bill and shondra since I was 18, I'm now 34, so I have many memories of Bill! One of my favorite racing moments together was one of my first trips to the action track with Brian and Bill, there was a red during the A and Brian had stopped outside turn 4, I went to the wall with Bill and was talking to Brian, the right rear was low and we had left the air tank at the trailer,Bill looked at me 20 at the time and said u can get there quicker than me! Forget to mention we were paked way in the back outside turn 3! So I take off in a dead Sprint excited that I'm doing something to help and grab the tank Sprint back get back completely out of breath meanwhile Bill is cracking up and I said what is so funny! He's smiles with his sarcastic smile and says u could have taken the 4wheeler! Then chuckles some more!!!! All I could do was laugh with him! I know wasn't the coolest story but to me always sticks in my mind to this day! I have looked up to Bill since I was 18! He is/was a great man, taught me so much! Ready for this weekend to see some racing in his honor!!! Miss u buddy!

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I have know Bill all my life as being his brother Brian. My story is going to have to be of one that Bill and I fought about the details ever since it happened. Back in the day we would play super techmo bowl. Bill in his gracious way was beating the crap out of me and rubbing it in my face like he did most of the time. I got really mad and he got up after beating me and rubbing it in his face. So like any little brother I picked up the closest thing I could find to throw at him. It just so happened to be a flashlight. I threw it and hit him in the chest when he turned around. He said that I hit him upside the head. Within about 1/2 second he had me on the ground and was saying calm down Brian calm down and will let you go. I finally relented to the fact I needed to calm down and he let me up. That was one of my many stories with Bill. The other was involving the fact that we used to race our bikes at Putnamville church just as if we were at Lincoln Park Speedway. Bill always beat me being 4 years older. However one day I was ahead of him and he was not to happy as it was coming to the end of the race so he decided he would knock my back tire out. It worked however what Bill did not realize is as I went down he was behind me and he had no where to go. So he layed the bike down and slid the metal pedal into my head. Blood came running down and I went riding home to get stictches. He said that I never looked crossing 40 and I said I did. These were some of the stories that when we would get together we would laugh about. It was great growing up with him and having him to compete against. I miss you Bill. Shondra I thought you would like these to.

I first met Bill in high school. I was a junior and he was a freshman. We ran cross country together and raced for last place. Bill later informed me that after I graduated, it turned out he was a pretty good runner. Bill was the Best Man in my wedding and during the ceremony all I could hear in my right ear was Ward Burton thanking me for having him in my wedding! Bill did a dead on Ward Burton impression.

My brother and I took Bill to Eldora for the first time. On the ride over there we told him how great the track was and the racing was awesome. He was disappointed when we told him the pits were in the infield so we couldn't stand on the trailer but we promised him we had the most incredible spot to watch the races from....up against the fence, between turns 1 and 2. On the way over to watch hotlaps I told Bill if watching the races from there didn't give him a "woody", something was wrong. After hotlaps, on the way back to the trailer he asked if Brian had any duct tape. I told him it was in the toolbox and asked why he needed duct tape. With that smile of his he said "Cause you were right. Thats was awesome and now I have a "woody". I better duct tape it to my belly before anyone sees!!!"

You get a friend like Bill only once in a lifetime and I'm hinored to call him one of my very best friends. Love ya and miss ya buddy

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Well in all honestly I met Shondra a year before Bill in 2011 Sprintweek, when Bob Clauson with his Sprint only perch sitting in the top row introduced her to me as she was sitting in the row between us. She said she'd introduce Bill if he came over. I don't think he ever did as Hayden and him were running both Sprints and Mods.

Finally Sprintweek 2012 Bill comes over and cracks some jokes with us up by the cemetery early in the day. He came back a little later as well and chatted. After we all filled our guts on a gigantic spread for Spiker Enterprises that he seemed to have enough food for the entire early arrivals and campers and invited everyone over to the tent.

2013 Bill and Shondra came by again on the golf kart. This was the first time I'd seen them together. Bill was in obvious pain but not complaining. I later said hi again as I got a T shirt as Shondra had put one my size aside :) TY, I wear it to this very day.

To say I knew Bill is not true, I met him a couple times and chatted a bit on IOW. I admired how he ran the board. At times there was stuff that dissapeared and I never questioned that. That was to keep the peace and those who wouldn't didn't last long.

I admired Bill for what he did for racing, being a good husband and being a reasonable man. He even PMed me to help me with a problem a couple days before he passed and I knew he was in pain.

All I can say is thanks Bill and Shondra for a great way to meet people, discuss events, racing etc and KEEPING THE PEACE! :)
Chuck

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I first saw Bill at LPS riding his golf cart only I didn't know it was Bill I thought it was Spiker cuz he was stopping and talking seemed like to everyone ya know promoting. I wasn;t a member yet but I was checking out this site kind of lurking . Over that winter I joined this site and MSCS and we had LPS on the schedule and Bill was bringing out the new IOW shirts I sent him a PM about could he hold one for me till we raced there . he said he'd try but my size (big) were going fast. Well the day MSCS was going to race was sunny for awhile but quickly became nasty dark clouds I walked over to one of the building at the track and asked what were we going to do when I heard a voice say Jim and it came from the guy I thought was Spiker . Bill and I talked about half a hour then the sky's opened up Bill looked at me and asked Guess you want a ride back to your truck I said hell yeah and he acted like cart wouldn't start then he laughed and told me to climb on then he drove me back to MSCS truck rained out . Next time he came by the MSCS trailer he told me Come on take a ride so we rode around just talking when I said some off the wall s##t and he stopped and looked at me I thought I was going to have to walk back when he got that ornery smile on his face and said I agree with ya . We talked whenever I went to LPS, at the end of the season I had a heart attack and Bill PM'ed me for my phone number and we talked a couple of times I got down on myself thinking I was done and Bill got little loud on the phone telling me not to give up and that's when he told me about his problems. I think about how he had his problem and yet he's telling me to keep fighting. I wish he was still around cuz I have his problem now and love to chat with him about it . I keep remembering his Don't you ever give up and Mrs. G telling me to keep fighting the fight . Man I miss that golf cart