EXCHANGE: Man steps away from the sport he helped develop

The sport actually is enjoying a rebirth in terms of local interest, thanks in part to the addition of a karting program this year at Quincy Raceways, but it owes its local glory days of past, present and future to Traeder.

Traeder's keen sense of incorporating the community into such an interest is the stuff of legends, and his innovative approach to building and developing the sport has been second to none.

Shortly after his arrival in Quincy more than 60 years ago, Traeder was introduced to a "go-kart" through his day-job position with one of the local department stores.

Within a few years, Traeder was developing the sport of karting at the grassroots level in West-Central Illinois, Northeast Missouri and Southeast Iowa through the promotion of races and building of what would eventually be known as TNT Kartways in West Quincy.

Traeder has long said one of the achievements he is most proud of is when "ABC Wide World of Sports" came to West Quincy in 1962 to televise one of the national championship karting races at the site.

Traeder went on to serve as an analyst for ESPN during its telecasts of karting events in the network's early days of operation.

Keith Freber, who at the time was a third-generation president of Margay Racing Products in St. Louis and one of four major U.S. kart chassis manufacturers, heaped some mighty praise on the South Park event during a visit in 2000.

The original TNT facility, whose grandstands bore a miniature resemblance to the fabled NASCAR track in Darlington, South Carolina, drew up to 2,000 onlookers for some of its national and world competitions, not to mention attracting drivers who went on to bigger and better things on the national stage.

Lake Speed, Mark Dismore, Scott Goodyear called TNT home before graduating to NASCAR and IndyCar racing.

The history of the South Park Gran Prix is considered a part of national karting lore, while its accompanying event, the 14 yea