12/03/2025
The Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame Board would like to extend our condolences to the family of Lou Downing.
Downing a 2004 Hall of Fame Inductee recently passed.
Loren "Lou" Downing
DRAG RACER
Loren “Lou” Downing was born in Kearney and developed an interest in anything that had an engine at an early age. He began his drag racing career in 1959 driving at the airport drag strip near Grand Island.
In 1964, Downing and his cousins, Doug and Richard Beshore, purchased a 1964 “Hemi” powered Dodge which they raced in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) SS/A Class. The following year, they purchased a Plymouth and raced it to the NHRA Division 5 Street Eliminator championship.
In 1968, Downing was approached by Kearney American Motors Corporation automobile dealer Gene “Pete” Peterson about forming a club for high school boys who had an interest in cars. Together, with Bill Merryman, Peterson and Downing formed the group and they ordered a 1968 AMX for the youngsters to hone their skills and learn about drag racing. The car was painted red, white and blue and named “Pete’s Patriot” after Peterson.
With Downing at the controls, the club raced the car at all NHRA Division 5 races in 1968 and even ran as far away as Indianapolis for the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
In 1969, American Motors made an all-out commitment to drag racing and Peterson purchased one of 52 highly-modified AMX cars built by the company specifically for NHRA’s Super Stock class. Downing drove the car to the Division 5 Super Stock championship and set a track record at one of the three national meets they competed in.
The team’s success attracted the attention of AMC’s racing executives and “Pete’s Patriot” became a factory-supported car for the 1970 and 1971 seasons. In 1970, Downing drove the car to the Division 5 Super Stock championship, set one national record, and was runner-up in the Super Stock Eliminator class at the Nationals in Indianapolis. The car also raced into the semi-finals at the World Finals in Dallas, Texas. In 1971, the car made it to the semi-finals at both the Nationals and the World Finals.
At the end of the 1971 season, factory sponsorship ceased and Peterson ended up selling the car bringing Downing’s career as a driver to a close.
Downing eventually helped his son Rob get involved in drag racing. Rob Downing became Crew Chief for KB Racing based in North Carolina and helped the team win six NHRA national championships.
Downing was inducted into the NHRA Division 5 Hall of Fame in 2004
