Gene Kidder, a native of Omaha, Neb., now a resident of Mammoth Cave, Ky., began drag racing in Omaha in 1952. As a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Advisor in Division 5, he was instrumental in getting racers off the streets and onto a track at the old Flightland Airstrip in Omaha. He raced Mopars for years and set a National Record in 1966 at Denver, Colo. In 1968, Kidder left Omaha with his nitro-burning Funny Car, and in 1972 rolled the car seven times at 140 mph during a run at Miami (Fla.) Dragway. That experience encouraged him to return to his banking career, and he became president of Central Bank in West Palm Beach, Fla. In 1980, he returned to the business side of racing, working for aftermarket automotive firms such as Moroso Performance, Firepower Ignition and Holley Carburetor. Kidder is currently employed as a Certified Track Technician in Division 3 of the NHRA at the Beech Bend Park & Raceway in Bowling Green, Ky. At 73 years of age he is still active in the sport and loving it. Kidder was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2006.