Kenzo at Perris

When I first met Kenzo, he was in the grandstands at Ascot talking about his favorite driver Kim Craft. Kenzo owned a men's clothing store called Joseph's in downtown LA where height challenged guys bought suits and men's clothes to fit. That's where I bought a bunch of work suits for years. He sponsored Kim and was a longtime crewmember on the car. As time went on he crewed and sponsored other cars. Verne Sweeney was one of his boys.

He liked my grandson Tory and spent a lot of time with him at the races. He had a great smile for everyone and was a full on Wagtimer before long. I used to go out to Kim's house on weeknight's when they worked on the car and watch them service the red # 72 car. That was the first time I actually got close enough to see a sprint car more than a casual walk by. Kenzo taught me a lot, not about mechanical stuff, but about life. He was fun to go visit in his store because the changing rooms always had pictures of hot ladies in there for his male customers.

Kenzo got involved in Wagtimes stuff and was a long time contributor to the Wagsdash events. He came and participated and was known and liked by all. His two boys use to come to the races with him when they were young, but when they found girls, they were MIA. I liked the way Kenzo delt with people as he was always trying to help others. He loved his racing and shared that joy with many.

Kenzo developed health problems after retiring and they pretty much kept him away from the races, mostly because he couldn't see well enough to drive. He got rides to the races on occasions with Steve Foki, and you could see the joy of being there in his eyes.

I have missed his company around racing for a long time, but now I miss him more because he is gone from us. Rest in peace my friend, you will be missed by many more than just me.