Legendary KB Racing Pro Stock team owner Ken Black passes away
Ken Black, the Las Vegas-area businessman whose support helped launch the Pro Stock career of six-time world champion Greg Anderson, passed away Aug. 26. He was 79.
With Black’s backing, KB Racing became a dominant force in NHRA Pro Stock competition with a double-barrel attack that included Anderson and fellow world champion Jason Line and a race shop that built horsepower for countless others and continues to create winners through its current iteration as KB Titan Racing.
In a statement from KB Titan Racing, the team wrote, “Ken Black was a giant among men. Throughout his life and in ways that stretched beyond the dragstrip, he was an admired leader, an astute businessman, and a gentleman who saw the potential in others, encouraging them to rise to any challenge and reach for the biggest dreams. Wearing his signature cowboy hat and supporting the team that he and Greg Anderson built together, Ken was the heart and soul of KB Racing and an integral part of NHRA Pro Stock. Across decades of dedication to drag racing, Ken made a positive impact on countless lives.
In a statement from KB Titan Racing, the team wrote, “Ken Black was a giant among men. Throughout his life and in ways that stretched beyond the dragstrip, he was an admired leader, an astute businessman, and a gentleman who saw the potential in others, encouraging them to rise to any challenge and reach for the biggest dreams. Wearing his signature cowboy hat and supporting the team that he and Greg Anderson built together, Ken was the heart and soul of KB Racing and an integral part of NHRA Pro Stock. Across decades of dedication to drag racing, Ken made a positive impact on countless lives.
“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dear friend, our coach, and the man who built KB Racing. His legacy will live on through our racing program, but more importantly, through each of the lives he touched. We are who we are because of him.”
Black, a 2014 inductee into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, first became interested in drag racing while in high school and in 1964 entered his Chevy II Nova SS in a race at Las Vegas’ Stardust International Raceway. He won the very first race he entered, and there was no turning back.
Along with racing, Black — with wife Judy ever by his side — built a successful construction business from the ground up. In the 1990s, he partnered with George Marnell to race Pro Stock, and it was Ken's company, Vegas General Construction, that was on the side of the Pro Stock car driven by Anderson to his first win in Bristol in 2001. They won the NHRA U.S. Nationals together for the first time that same year, proving that they were dynamic as a team.
Black, a 2014 inductee into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, first became interested in drag racing while in high school and in 1964 entered his Chevy II Nova SS in a race at Las Vegas’ Stardust International Raceway. He won the very first race he entered, and there was no turning back.
Along with racing, Black — with wife Judy ever by his side — built a successful construction business from the ground up. In the 1990s, he partnered with George Marnell to race Pro Stock, and it was Ken's company, Vegas General Construction, that was on the side of the Pro Stock car driven by Anderson to his first win in Bristol in 2001. They won the NHRA U.S. Nationals together for the first time that same year, proving that they were dynamic as a team.
In 2002, Black tapped the young crew chief-turned-driver to lead the next chapter, and he handed the reins to Anderson to put together a team that would go on to win 10 world championships and 205 Pro Stock victories.
"Ken was like a second father to me," said Anderson. "He is 100% responsible for me being able to chase my dreams and accomplish all of my life's wishes, and through his vision and generosity, all of the great employees here at KB — as well as their families — have gone to such great heights. We could never thank him enough for all that he's done for us for so long."
At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Black retired from team ownership after ensuring his team could go on without him. KB Racing merged with Titan Racing Engines to form KB Titan Racing, and until he was no longer able, Ken and Judy attended races as often as they could. Any time Ken and Judy were in the pits and next to the race cars, morale was high. Their presence continued to infuse energy and a victorious spirit into the team, even after they retired.
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