By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org

If ever there was a jack of all trades at Berlin Raceway, the late George Keen was just that man.

Keen, who passed away in 2021, was a big part of the racing scene at Berlin Raceway for some five decades beginning in the 1960s. During his time at the raceway, he was a driver, car owner and car sponsor. Keen also promoted racing in West Michigan as a radio racing announcer, an announcer of Berlin racing on a website and also hosted a popular racing show on WKTV that was a staple for over 20 years. 

All of that work was recently recognized with the announcement that Keen would be inducted into the Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame. He will be honored in January at Berlin Raceway’s annual banquet and a Hall of Fame plaque will be unveiled and added to the Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame next season.

“George did everything that you could possibly do at the track,” said veteran track announcer Matt McKenzie, who worked with Keen on the livestreaming Track Pass network that broadcast Berlin racing over the internet. “I am actually writing the write-up for his Hall of Fame plaque and it will be a challenge to get everything he accomplished in five sentences. George had his hand in so many things.”

A career that began in the Sixties

“George did everything in racing,” McKenzie said. “He owned race cars, he drove race cars, he sponsored other drivers, he was a radio broadcaster at the track and he started a racing show at WKTV. He even built a two-seat racing car so fans could ride around the track with their favorite driver.”

Later in his career, Keen provided another valuable service to drivers at Berlin with his mobile tool shed which was basically a concession for tools that pit crews and mechanics could turn to in a pinch.

“George was very entrepreneurial,” McKenzie said. “He knew how to sell about anything.” 

Keen also knew how to give back and promote the sport he loved. He was a radio announcer for Berlin racing and also hit the streets to sell advertising for the broadcasts. In the early 1990s, Keen added television to his media portfolio with his racing show on WKTV.

A long pit stop at WKTV

“George turned “The Racing Show” from its first airing in 1993 until 2010, into a staple for West Michigan racing fans through the winter months,” said Tom Norton, executive director and general manager of WKTV. “His was the only individual TV show here who’s TV viewers had a well-attended winter party. With George and his team during those years, it was wonderful.”

Racing was not the only sport that Keen was involved in on the television end at WKTV. He also was part of the station’s annual coverage of the Golden Gloves.

A “shining star” at WKTV

“George was one of the shining stars of WKTV for decades,” Norton said. “George was a great television host, called many a sporting event for us, and of course, hosted “The Racing Show” for so many years. We truly miss George’s energy and spirit.”

As online broadcasting began to take hold, Keen also was ready to adapt to that as he teamed with McKenzie on NBC’s Track Pass each Saturday night to announce Berlin racing via the internet.

With his interest in so many activities surrounding racing, it was only natural that Keen would amass a wealth of contacts.

“George knew everybody”

“George knew everybody,” McKenzie said. “You could name any type of business in West Michigan and George knew someone in that business. If you needed something in audio, paint, tires, pizza, whatever, George knew people in that business. If you ever needed anything all you had to do was get a hold of George and he would make a call and get you in touch with whatever you needed. George was just a great guy.”

Keen also had a hand in the Berlin Hall of Fame that he’s going to be inducted into.

“George always wanted the Hall of Fame to be improved,” McKenzie said. “The hall of fame plaques used to be on a back wall next to the bathrooms. George wanted them moved to a bigger area and have an area built for them. He was working on getting that before he passed away. After he passed, I helped make sure that a new Hall of Fame area was built.”

With his induction into the Berlin Hall of Fame, the jack of all trades at Berlin Raceway is now a permanent fixture at the track.