Former World of Outlaws official and innovator Eloy Gutierrez passes away at age 75
For more than 50 years, Eloy Gutierrez has been a fixture at dirt tracks across America. A friend to everyone, his passion for Sprint Car racing grew out of his New Mexico roots and led him to become not only an important part of the sport, but a transformational figure, as well.
Eloy, a beloved member of the World of Outlaws and World Racing Group family, has passed away today at the age of 75 after a hard-fought battle against cancer. He leaves behind a legacy for the sport of dirt track racing, and many friends from coast-to-coast.
Eloy, along with B.D. Shaffer, created an electronic timing and scoring company for dirt track racing in the late 1990s, and convinced World of Outlaws founder Ted Johnson to implement their system beginning in 1998. In doing so, they revolutionized the sport for officials on the ground as well as live network television broadcasts by generating instant lineups and results, something we take for granted today.
His road began in his native Albuquerque where he worked in the Sandia National Laboratories developing electronics for safety devices on nuclear weapons. It’s where he met B.D. It’s where he went to Albuquerque Raceway as a fan in 1968, eventually became their chief flagman, and fell in love with the sport.
Eloy said it was on the way home from a trip to Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix when B.D. suggested they get involved with the World of Outlaws. After reaching out to Series Director Carlton Reimers, the two had an audience with Ted and Carlton in late ’97, which led to debuting their scoring system — and traveling scoreboard — in 1998 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From there, and through the World of Outlaws traveling to dirt tracks around the country and live national broadcasts, their scoring became integrated in the sport. Eloy eventually became an official with the series in 2007, shortly after retiring from Sandia.
“Eloy was like a brother to me,” Carlton said. “The past 20 years we’ve traveled up and down the road together, he’s been part of my family. Nothing changed our sport more for the better than the electronic scoring put in place because of Eloy and B.D. He will be missed greatly, but what he created will live on, and we are grateful for all Eloy did.”
Some will remember Eloy from afternoons registering drivers preparing to compete that night. Others will remember him for taking thousands of pictures of those involved on a race days. Everyone will remember the open door on what he affectionately called “his house” — his Marathon Coach — and a freezer full of Klondike Bars that he would gladly share with others. He was honored in 2015 with the World of Outlaws Ted Johnson Memorial Award for his Outstanding Contribution to the Sport.
“Eloy was a friend to all, and he cared so deeply about those around him, and our sport,” World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter said. “His passion for Sprint Car racing was unmatched. His desire to be the best never wavered. His ingenuity revolutionized and advanced the sport at a time when it was needed most, and his dedication to seeing it through has led us to where we are today. He will be missed by so many people, but we all have special memories and stories with him we will treasure forever.”
From Eloy’s standpoint, he was proud of what he accomplished, and he appreciated all the friendships with everyone he met.
“It’s an honor to do it for the best in the world,” Eloy said.
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