Marne, MI - Berlin Raceway will be holding the Lee Anderson Memorial on Saturday, July 7 to honor the fallen driver and his family.

July 7 will mark five years to the day that Lee Anderson, 33, passed away after an accident in Spring Lake. His death left shock waves throughout the local racing community.  During his racing career, he had 11 feature wins at Berlin Raceway and also won other larger racing events such as the Kalamazoo Klash, Owosso Invitational and Columbus Main Event.  

"Being able to hold the Lee Anderson Memorial was one of the first things Mike Bursley and I talked about back when we began this adventure. We were both very close friends of Lee and we both had a lot of respect for him," stated Kurt Dietrich, Operations Manager at Berlin Raceway. "Lee was a great friend and we shared a lot of laughs over the years, but there were two things that really stuck out to me about Lee. He was good at pretty much anything he tried and he was an extremely wonderful father. The minute you mentioned his daughter's name, his eyes always lit up and he had that trademark smile. We have all missed him badly."

The Outlaw Late Model feature will be called the Lee Anderson Memorial 118 and it will be 118 laps of racing for the Outlaw Late Model racing series in memory of Anderson. He was a premier late model racer at Berlin Raceway for several years, driving cars for owners John Benson Sr., Harley Boeve, and Terry Gentry. Anderson was also the founder, owner and operator of Perfect Circle Racecars.  

After Anderson's death, Bursley purchased Perfect Circle Racecars which he owned and operated until late last season when he sold the business in order to take on the task of General Manager at Berlin Raceway.

"Lee was a great friend and a tremendous competitor. I was buying his cars and working with him closely when Perfect Circle was just really beginning to shine. Not only was he an extremely talented driver, he was an amazing car builder and fabricator," Bursley said. "To be able to carry on the tradition of the Perfect Circle name after his passing was a great honor."

Anderson's dad, Denny, is a veteran driver who returned to the cockpit after Lee's death and has been a top competitor in the Engine Pro Super Stock division ever since; he will be racing on the night of the memorial race. Lee's sister Amy will be singing the National Anthem that night as well.  

The Lee Anderson Memorial 118 will be for the Port City Racecars / Great Lakes Helicopter Outlaw Late Model division. It will consist of a 118-lap feature to make up for the rained out May 26 race. Joining the Outlaw Late Models will be the Top Speed Modifieds, Engine Pro Super Stocks, Kerkstra Services Sportsman, Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinders and the Vintage Racing Organization of America. There will also be a post-race fireworks show.  Tickets are just $7 for adults and kids 11 and under get in for free; racing starts at 7:00 p.m.  

 

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