The Antioch Speedway and the auto racing community is mourning the death of John Soares, Sr., a legend in midget, stock car and hard tops racing in the mid 1940s. After several years of failing health, Soares passed away on March 10 in Greenville, Ohio. He was 87.

Two years ago Soares retired as the promoter of the Petaluma Speedway and moved to Ohio after a lifetime of racing and promoting in the Bay Area. In 1954 he became the first promoter of the Antioch Speedway. Two of his sons followed in his footsteps. John Soares, Jr. is the current promoter of the Antioch Speedway, while Jimmy Soares runs the Petaluma track.

During his career, Soares was a constant contender in midget cars in the Bay Cities Racing Association at the Bayshore Stadium in San Francisco. He earned 28 feature titles upon entering the sport immediately after World War I. He was also a stellar stock car driver, winning at the Oakland Stadium before finishing his career in the hardtops.

Soares earned his final major racing victory just before he retired in 1955. He captured the 1954 NASCAR Grand National Stock Car Championship, a 500-lap, 250-mile race at Carrell Speedway in Gardena. He is currently tied for 115th place on the All-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Driver Victories list.

In 1990 Soares was inducted into the Bay Cities Racing Association Hall of Fame in the Midgets Division. The following year he was honored by the MotorSports Press Association Hall of Fame. In 2002 the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame inducted Soares, and last year the West Capital Raceway Alumni Association did the same.