Pub. 60 2019-2020 Issue 1

12 Hours at Le Mans. If only his grandfather and great uncle, Joe and Paul, could have seen the sleek, ultra-powerful Ford GT coming down the street in Crosby and Winnie, Texas, the circle would be complete. †e 11-year-old lot boy at his father’s Ford dealership in Tomball took his family’s original brand to the outskirts of Paris in three generations. Texas franchised dealers have made an indelible mark on car racing history, from drag racing pioneers Donnie Gay and Mike Chargois to Formula One ace Will Hardeman. More recent Texas franchised dealers like Roger Penske and Rick Hendrick enshrine Texas dealers in the pantheon of champions, both in the showroom and on racetracks around the world. Ben and Kathleen Keating ref lect the balance of family, business and sport that typif ies the excellence found in Texas franchised dealers in 289 cities and towns throughout our great state. It will be interesting to see what is in store for the next generation of this remarkable car-dealer family.   BEN KEATING — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11