Marion Donald “Don” Hartman

1925 – 1997

 

Car owner Don Hartman (wearing the cap) with his arm around Don Haskell who occasionally drove the car – Gary Virden photo

 

 

          Don Hartman’s career as a stock car owner was from roughly 1953 through 1957.  He owned a used car lot at 1300 South Summit Street in Arkansas City, Kansas and used the business to back his racing interest financially while advertising his car lot at the same time.  His wife’s name was Dorothy, hence “D & D Motors” using the first letter of both of their names.  Don’s cars usually raced at “77” Speedway south of Arkansas City but he was known to race them at the fair grounds in Winfield, Kansas and as far away as Wichita.

Don and Dorothy moved from Missouri to Kansas in the late 1940s and by the 1950s he was interested enough in the sport to become a car owner.  He followed various forms of auto racing up to the time of his death, but by then it was mainly NASCAR mixed with some Indy races that held his attention.  He died on August 24, 1997 at his home in Arkansas City after losing his battle with cancer and is buried in the Parker Cemetery just east of Arkansas City.