Allen’s Story
Racecar honors family's legacy, gives back to Cedar Valley Hospice
For Allen Smeins of Dike, there was nothing more exciting than getting behind the wheel of a racecar… except for maybe working under the hood. In the 1960s, Allen would travel with his father LaVern and uncle Roger to Tunis Speedway (1949-1983) in Waterloo to watch and participate in the races. When Allen’s son, Curt, turned 18, it was his turn.
“I always thought it was cool, and grew up around it. Dad bought me my first car,” said Curt, who raced cars with his dad for six years until 2001. “It’s the speed and adrenaline that I craved, but most of all, I just loved spending time with Dad. I was always the nervous one, and Dad was calm. He’d always say, ‘We’ll get ‘er done.’”
Curt remembered fondly a story that truly embodies his dad’s character. “I walked into the shop one Saturday afternoon, knowing it was a Nascar Race Day, and both our cars were up on jack stands. He and his friend Tony Bixby were sitting in the cars with their black and white TVs watching the race,” Curt chuckled.
When Allen became ill within the last couple years, it took an emotional toll on the whole family. He was the storyteller, the one who made people laugh – the glue that kept the family bonded. Then, the cancer became more advanced and he began having seizures.
They knew exactly who to call, said Cheryl, Allen’s wife. Both her mother and father were served by Cedar Valley Hospice, as well as Allen’s father.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it all by myself,” Cheryl added. “They were very caring, made him comfortable and anything I asked, they would get for him. One time I asked them to come right away, and they came at 2 a.m. They even offered me respite care so I could go shopping and do errands.”
Curt’s brother, Brent, was also very touched by our care. “Cedar Valley Hospice really helped us get through this difficult time,” said Brent.
“A lot of people don’t know how to handle end of life, and they were there to tell us how things were going to go, what to expect and help you deal with it.”
Allen’s legacy lives on not only in their memory, but on the racetrack. In 2022, a year before Allen died, Curt’s daughter, Bailey, talked about wanting to race. There is a process to preparing to racing sport mods, and so it began again.
As a tribute to his father, Curt built a special car to race this season. It features his father’s photo as well as a tribute to Cedar Valley Hospice for caring for him. Along with our logo are 26 names who donated money to Cedar Valley Hospice to have their loved ones’ names or families represented on the car.
Curt said he has had a lot of help from racing families and longtime family friends, the Schippers and the Bixbys, to prepare the car for this year’s schedule. It’s been an emotional time for Curt, who is so used to spending the winter with his dad prepping the car. It’s also the first time Curt has raced without his father to help him into the car and give him that motivational fist bump before the race starts.
This year’s first race was on April 20 in Independence, which happened to be Allen’s birthday and also the first anniversary of his death.
“He would have loved to spend his birthday that way,” said Cheryl.
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