Chris Eugene McGee

On December 28, 1950 Chris Eugene McGee started his engine. He was born to Johnny McGee and Billie Jones.

He was a Vietnam combat veteran and National Guardsman serving 18 years in total. He worked as an electrician, a welder, a mechanic, and a truck driver. He was also a Scoutmaster and a community leader who could inspire people to band together for a common cause.

His father was a dirt track racer in western Kansas in the 1950s, and Chris was racing from the day he could walk. In the late 1900s he built and raced motorcycles, modified midgets and outlaw sprint cars before they were outlawed. He brought his passion indoors when he turned to building and racing radio controlled cars. He organized events to grow the sport and put it into the hands of a new generation, where parents could share the thrill of indoor racing with their children. In the new century he formed the Eastern Kansas Riders Association, a motorcycle club with social and charity events across eastern Kansas.

Chris McGee crossed the finish line February 18, 2026. He refused to go until he'd seen one more Daytona 500.

He married Teresa Copeland in 1969 and they had three children together before divorcing in 1982. He married Toni Lynes in 2004. He is survived by brothers Marty McGee; Rick, Larry and Jimmy Lofton; children Shaun McGee, Stephanie Yoho, and Terry McGee; wife Toni McGee; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.